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"Paris Hilton Bill"?: Proposal would ban pets on drivers' laps
I say it's about time! But the California measure to ban drivers from holding a live animal has been lambasted by Rush Limbaugh and ridiculed as the "Paris Hilton Bill." (Sacramento Bee | MediaNews Group/no-reg.)
May 6, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
Wait, that was legal in the first place?
Posted by: Miss-Black | May 6, 2008 6:53:30 AM
I know for a fact it was illegal to drive with a pet in the front seat of my car when I got my driver's license at 16. It was a question on the test and it made me laugh.
Posted by: DCer | May 6, 2008 6:54:28 AM
pretty soon they'll also make it illegal to change radio stations in the car, or put in a CD because fumbling with the sterio causes more accidents then cell phones do. What about if you have a baby in the car and you're constantly reaching back to hand the baby a bottle or pacifier? Better ban babies in the car...in fact, what about small children that are messing around with stuff and taking off their seatbelt and distracting the driver? Better ban small children too....I've also heard that teenagers get in more accidents when they have friends in the car...so we better ban teenagers as well. Someone should invent the one person...vehicle that is run by alternative fuel, that is completely voice command so your hands never leave the wheel and that has ample trunk space for the teenagers, kids, babies, dogs etc.
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 6:59:26 AM
Has there ever been a single instance where Rush Limbaugh actually came down on the reasonable or sensible side of an argument? I mean, seriously, does anyone know?
Posted by: sometimesilie | May 6, 2008 7:00:18 AM
Cherie's comment ROCKS! You go, girl!
Posted by: twerp | May 6, 2008 7:02:54 AM
There are already laws against distracted driving. Why not enforce those instead?
Posted by: SwarthyTroll | May 6, 2008 7:14:23 AM
Oh lordy those handbag dogs. In line at the pharmacy (better living through chemistry) and the woman at the fron tof the line had a dog in her purse which she took out in order to locate her checkbook.
A DOG sitting butt down on a pharmacy counter.
I've since seen them being carried in grocery stors, department stores, etc.
Posted by: nellagain | May 6, 2008 7:23:34 AM
I'm surprised the old folks over at AARP are not all over this. Old people love to drive with their pets sitting in their laps. I see at least three old people each day driving with a dog in their lap.
Only dog I've had in my lap while driving was my ex-wife.
Posted by: The Asshole Guy | May 6, 2008 7:27:49 AM
I have to agree with Rush on this one. Why would I need the government telling me yet one more thing I can't do inside the car I pay to insure, license, and purchase without their help?
Posted by: jojo | May 6, 2008 7:38:57 AM
I never understood why any sane person would want to drive with a dog on their lap in the first place. You'd get smashed in the face by your puppy at high speed if the airbag ever went off.
Then again, death by airbagged dog would be a perfect way to get rid of Paris Hilton and her waste-of-oxygen ilk, not to mention Rush Limpballs.
Posted by: Phranqlin | May 6, 2008 7:44:10 AM
Rush Limpballs!!! LMAFO! I'll remember that one when I'm around my conservative father-in-law.
Posted by: twerp | May 6, 2008 7:56:36 AM
Nell...Dog butts are clean...they lick them all the time!
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 8:09:49 AM
Every time I see someone driving with an animal in the seat or their lap, I have a strong urge to brake-check them.
Put your pet in a crate in your vehicle, it's the best for you and the animal.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | May 6, 2008 8:12:22 AM
Speaking of banning small children, I was rear-ended two weeks ago by a woman who wasn't even looking at my car when she hit me. She was turned around yelling at he spawn.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | May 6, 2008 8:14:19 AM
What nerve the government has, trying to stop me from endangering the health and welfare of the people around me. Whether or not I threaten, kill, or endanger other people is no business of the government. Pretty soon, they will tell me I can't drive around drunk either.
Posted by: Sigh | May 6, 2008 8:32:30 AM
"Has there ever been a single instance where Rush Limbaugh actually came down on the reasonable or sensible side of an argument? I mean, seriously, does anyone know?"
UM...NO....if he did he would be ignored, he simply makes a living out of being one of the biggest jackasses on earth....if he agrees with you on ANYthing, then you should take a good long look at yourself and try to change.
Cherie, your arguement is poor.....you sound like the smokers that always point the finger at someone or something else to target....deflect deflect deflect.....anyone who drives with a friggin dog on their lap needs to a) get a life, b) get a big ticket and fine and c) get a life!
Posted by: JJ | May 6, 2008 8:46:52 AM
Cher
"What about if you have a baby in the car and you're constantly reaching back to hand the baby a bottle or pacifier"
Well, there's two good reasons NOT to do this.
1) Reaching back like that acutally partially dislocates your shoulder--do it often enough and you'll be talking to the nice orthopedic surgeon about how much anesthesia you'll need during the shoulder surgery.
2) No One can effectively discipline children while driving. The kids know this and therefore are prone to BLACKMAIL you by misbehaving because they know there's not much you can do about ( same principle applies to eating out). In spite of how much trouble it is, the best thing is to pull over and wield such discipline as will make threats such as "Stop that or I am pulling over" as real and material as the sudden appearance of a switch.
Posted by: nellagain | May 6, 2008 8:47:18 AM
nell, you never drove with my mother. If I pushed it to fall she'd go screeching over onto the shoulder and I'd be in trouble. I thought she may have been an actual real life witch between, roughly, the age of 4 and 8.
Posted by: sometimesilie | May 6, 2008 8:50:15 AM
Dunno about where you all are, but my state *does* have restrictions on how many friends a teenager can have in a car because it IS that dangerous. Reaching around for bottles or pacifiers? You must be kidding. You STOP the car and take care of business. Kids out of seatbelts or car seats??? NEVER. EVER. STOP THE DAMNED CAR.
When will they stop coming up with laws that invade nearly every part of our lives? When people in general stop acting like total jackasses and develop a common sense gene. Grow up, stop trying to get attention with FiFi, and leave the damned thing at home or secure it in the vehicle.
Sheesh.
Posted by: Cluckie | May 6, 2008 8:51:24 AM
two things
1) never get on the business end of cherie's hissy fit....lol
2) when I see people driving their cars while having dogs in their lap I yell "ugly baby!"
Posted by: jupiterjim | May 6, 2008 9:04:28 AM
AMEN Sometimesilie...I did the same thing. I'd pull over to the side of the road and make the necessary corrections. Hence, I never had a problem keeping my kids in line while on the road. They also knew if they acted up...I'd turn the car around and take their butts home. However...when said child is under the age of 2...they don't understand this type of reason and often need bottles, binkies etc.
jj...i wasn't pointing a finger an anyone, i was being facetious...get with the program.
Nell, after many years of reaching back for 3 children...using my 3rd eye which is located directly on the back of my head...my shoulder is still in good shape.
Juniperjim....LOL @ Ugly Baby comment.
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 9:10:09 AM
I agree with SwarthyTroll on this one -- there could just be severe penalties for accidents caused by driving distractions of any kind, and then there wouldn't have to be new laws passed each time someone decides another specific distraction deserves to be forbidden. When I was in Rome for a semester, we learned that while people drive insanely and we were scared to cross major streets on foot, virtually no one ever hits a pedestrian (or another car), because they're motivated to be careful, and to know how to drive safely, by the harshness of the penalties. (And their cars are mostly so small they can stop on a dime, anyway.)
------------
I'm tired of this picayune crap --
I can't drive while drunk, take a nap,
Or talk on my cell...
And now -- what the hell? --
They don't want a pet on my lap?!
Posted by: KC | May 6, 2008 9:26:57 AM
Cherie,
Thank you for the ugly baby kudo. It's great when the driver looks around the car after you yell this to them at a stop light. Even better when they wave back. I was making light of your first comment and thought it was very good. As far as programs the last one I was in had 12 steps or some crap....
Posted by: jupiterjim | May 6, 2008 9:58:32 AM
"I think we have plenty of laws," Kim said. "I think government should let people take responsibility for themselves."
If the "people" had half a brain and actually choose to use it that would be a nice thought....but until that happens, the rest of us that actually do think for ourselves, need some help enforcing common sense!
And, as far as dogs and babies and teens and cell phones and food....ect, if you are using your head and doing what is right to begin with, whether they pass a law or not....how would it affect you? Common sense folks....common sense!
Just one more thing.....what has this country come to when it is common for dogs to be in strollers and kids are now on leashes!!!!?????
Posted by: ttjack | May 6, 2008 9:59:16 AM
I'm all for letting people drive with dogs in their laps or sitting atop their heads for that matter. It increases the likelihood of an accident, which mean there is also a likelihood there will be one less dog in the world. In fact, people should cram all of their pets into their cars when they travel. Why anyone would want a parasite-infested, asslicking, foul breath canine for companionship is beyond me.
Posted by: Dick Tater | May 6, 2008 10:01:17 AM
Actually, I did hear Rush be reasonable once. I think he was on Oprah or some such show. The premise was that he was against the homeless. There was a lot of angry critisism that he was heartless, insensitive etc. A San Francisco group had offered to buy (at $300 a pop) shopping carts for the homeless. Rush said it was ridiculous and was thus branded anti-homeless. On the televised talk show he went on to say that he believed that the $300 could have been spent better, like for shelter or food. It sounded reasonable.
I am, however, very sure that this was NOT how it was presented on his talk show. I'm sure that it was played much bigger and using every opportunity to slam liberal do-gooders. That is his gig, the persona that he has created and that has made him a household name. He will never sound reasonable on his own show, and probably not on others now. As I said this was years ago.
Posted by: mydogFoster | May 6, 2008 10:21:49 AM
DAMN GOOD IDEA ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE CATS.
Posted by: ULTRA | May 6, 2008 10:23:43 AM
Banning pets in drivers’ laps makes perfect sense.
My dog almost caused me to have a wreck once.
He was a pup (Siberian, about 10 pounds at the time, not the 70 he became later) and loved car rides, so I had him in the back seat. He came up between the seats and got into my lap.
Just as I turned the wheel to the left to make the turn onto the interstate on-ramp, he popped his head into one of the spaces in the steering wheel. If I hadn’t been able—with great difficulty—to get his head out, I would have either driven off the side of the ramp or had to break his neck to straighten out the wheel. Luckily, I got his head dislodged before it was too late. I’ve never allowed an animal in my lap since then.
Posted by: Wolf | May 6, 2008 10:33:36 AM
Why anyone would want a parasite-infested, asslicking, foul breath canine for companionship is beyond me.
Dick Tater,
You're just jealous.
Posted by: kevy | May 6, 2008 10:38:51 AM
* better clarify...using my 3rd eye to navigate while the other two were on the road....
(poorly written sentence...I digress)
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 10:57:50 AM
Dick's jealous he can't lick his own Dick Tater. My dog is an expert at this and its something to see. And hear. It goes on all night sometimes. Quite educational.
Back on the subject though, having a pet in your lap limits your range of movement and provides a visual distraction that can be fatal.
Posted by: Reno | May 6, 2008 11:00:06 AM
Reno...does your dog kiss you with that mouth?
At our house we call it "Zactly Breath" because it smells "zactly like ass". I limit my dogs indulgance with their anal licking...gross! If your dog is licking his ass as much as you say he is...that is a sign of engorged anal sacks or it could indicate allergies. Take him to the vet.
On a quick side note...my Jack Russell also scares himself when he farts...if he farts he'll whip his head around and sniff his ass...funny to watch, sad that he's that stupid...or it could just be he likes the smell of his own farts...which I guess would make him a snob and he should get himself a hybrid and move to San Francisco
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 11:16:49 AM
Actually Cherie its mostly genital licking. He's not fixed so maybe his nocturnal emissions have something to do with it. I don't get close enough to check, I just get the audio. The ass licking is mostly reserved for after number 2, and no, we don't kiss! Blah!
Posted by: Reno | May 6, 2008 11:28:19 AM
do dogs have wet dreams?
Posted by: Cherie | May 6, 2008 12:07:15 PM
Crap.....hate to say it....but on this one, I am in agreement with Dick T......I just don't "get" dogs unless you are single and in desparate need for a companion....to each his own....but I don't understand why you'd want an animal that pisses off the neighbors barking at his own shadow, craps all over your yard or someone elses, and costs money to feed and keep healthy....and he'll never ever support you financially in your old age like some kids might. Funny, you always hear that if aliens came down to observe the earth they'd think dogs were in charge......you don't see dogs walking around with a warm bag of crap that a human left somewhere.
Posted by: JJ | May 6, 2008 12:17:24 PM
I used to let my Rat Terrier ride on my lap, but now I actually tie her leash around the passenger seat in order to keep her seated, or at least off of my lap.
It truly is too much of a distraction while driving.
Plus, small dogs fit out windows and I wouldn't want her jumping out.
As to those claiming they don't "get" people having dogs for pets...dogs are good pets for the following reasons:
safety
clean
quiet (if you train them properly)
entertainment
companionship
friend for your children
protection
True, dogs & cats alike do lick themselves clean, BUT dogs' mouths are cleaner than a human's so that right there alone wouldn't stop me from owning them.
Posted by: that one lady | May 6, 2008 12:45:35 PM
JJ,
1) Your dog is always happy to see you. ALWAYS. No snits, no pms, no I-had-a-bad-day. If you put in an appearance; its the best day ever. (regrettably this goes for Miss Beasly and Hitler's schnauzer)
2) Dogs are pretty good at barking at people you can't stand but have to put up with. ( I had a friend whose Very Large Dog took an immediate dislike to any teenage boy--she had a daughter in her teens.)
3) A dog will scare anyone who can be scared by a dog. If that doesn't give you a good read on a person's character then nothing will.
4) A cocker spaniel of my acquaintance pissed on a cop.
5) Dogs make excellent object lessons about evolutionary hazards of getting too involved with homo sapiens, despite the free food and shelter.
Posted by: nellagain | May 6, 2008 1:16:50 PM
Dogs are the most wonderful creatures. They will save your life even if you mistreat them. They have skills and natural abilities that are different and beyond us. They give unconditional love. Where else can you get that? They give us an inflated sense of self. I aspire to be the person my dog thinks I am (that is a paraphrase of someone else, but I can't think of who said it).
Pets, dogs in particular, keep seniors healthy & happier than those with no pets. They protect us and our children. They warn us of danger (mine let me know that the garbage can was on fire and the garage was next!). They bring us joy and laughter.
I think less of people who don't get dogs. They are lacking in some fundamental emotions.
Posted by: mydogFoster | May 6, 2008 1:55:24 PM
The government shouldn't dictate
Who can sit in my lap –
Period!
In the car & out!
Posted by: Anna | May 6, 2008 2:11:48 PM
Anna, the government (We the people!) can & does regulate the operation of potentially lethal apparatus. They/we do so to protect us/ourselves from idiots who may think it ok to drive w/ a small lively creature on thier laps (or drunk, or drugged etc.etc.). Please tell me where you drive so that I may avoid the area.
Posted by: mydogFoster | May 6, 2008 2:29:42 PM
ttjack,
When I was a kid, my mom used to put my younger sister on a leash when she was a toddler until around age 3 or 4 because my sister would constantly jump out of her stroller and run around.
My sister is now 17. Kids have been on leashes for quite some time now.
Posted by: that one lady | May 6, 2008 2:41:51 PM
OMG, Mydog!
I do not even own a critter & when I did:
- she was secured in her cage in the back seat
- she never put her butt on a counter (except the vets)
- she was never left to broil in the heat of any car
- she was a very happy, joyful part of our family
I do not want more government intervention in my personal life. Enforce the laws on the books already!
Therefore...
The government should NOT dictate
Who can sit in my lap – Period!
In the car & out!
Posted by: Anna | May 6, 2008 2:55:22 PM
Lady, based on some of the kids I've seen running in the stores & on the streets...you have a wise momma!
Not that I advocate a leash for every child....
Some definitely need it!
An uncontrolled, untrained pet (or child for that matter) is trouble.
Posted by: Anna | May 6, 2008 3:08:40 PM
Anna, good to hear that you are sane & responsible. I wish all the folks on the road were the same. Unfortunately we are out-numbered!
Posted by: mydogFoster | May 6, 2008 3:26:17 PM
I have had to dodge more of these moldy oldies than ANY teenagers.
Most of them are too damn old to be out unsupervised anyway.
I hope they pass a law like this in WI.
Posted by: A.V. | May 6, 2008 3:48:17 PM
YES....A restraint device for some children is neccesary, (especially when there is more than one child to tend to) I would rather see a child safe than lost. They have their place, I have two daughters 2 years apart...the older was @ 4 and the youger was 2, when my husband and I would take the girls to amusement parks we would connect a "leash" from my husbands belt loop to the younger one's belt loop. You can never be too sure. While we each had responsibility for one child, he felt it neccesary to insure a "connection". I don't take that from any parent....do what you have to do to keep you kids safe!
But, I do think "leashes" are abused by SOME lazy parents who just don't want to keep up with their children.
My point with the kids on leashes and pets in strollers is the strange fascination with treating a PET like a HUMAN. Somehow I see this as completely mixed up priorities!
Posted by: ttjack | May 6, 2008 3:50:44 PM
Pet in the lap stories.
A friend gave me a cat (because the cat liked me more than any of his family); drove said cat 50 miles to home; cat was a bit upset and put AC on high and held cat in the stream of air.
Years ago, another friend gave me a German Shepard; this animal evidently wanted to drive. This was not a fun experience; given that the dog weighed in at about 80 pounds. At times we were fighting for who would get to stick his head out the window.
Posted by: Icecycle | May 6, 2008 4:12:38 PM
I do agree. Some people go too far to make their pets seem like additional children and/or humans.
It's going too far when you are bringing your little dog into any store other than a pet store and especially when bringing them into restaurants and pharmacies.
Posted by: that one lady | May 6, 2008 6:04:03 PM
mydogFostor - I've always been sane & responsible. DARN!
Not very much fun!
I've never treated my children like pets (most are grown & finally out on their own, except my 17 yr old daughter) and I've never treated our various pets over the years as humans....
For one simple reason....
They are NOT HUMANS!
I apologize for exposing this "little known' fact to those who did not know this....along with other 'little known' facts such as there is No Santa, No Easter Bunny, No Tooth Fairy, et al.
Posted by: Anna | May 6, 2008 10:43:51 PM
I dont think their would be such a problem if people stopped being such assfu*ks and butt munchers. Come on people its called common fu*king sense, didnt think it was such a hard concept to grasp. But i guess I'm wrong. These people who get distracted by their dog, children or whatever need to learn to focus on what’s important at the time, like DRIVING YOUR GOD DAMN CAR!!!!!
Also, Cherie, if people would parent their children and enforce the consequences of their children’s actions then it wouldn’t be a problem to have them in the car. I remember when I was a child if I misbehaved my mom pulled the car over right then and there and busted my butt with a leather belt she kept in the glove box. But no instead parents give into their child’s demands just to get them to shut up. If a child throws a tantrum in the store, used to be the kid got a spanking and sent on with nothing, but NOW the parents give them what they wanted and then some just make it stop. News flash people if you don’t like the tantrums or the discipline that comes with having children…. THEN USE A FU*KING CONDOM!!!
Posted by: Amara | May 7, 2008 11:25:53 AM
"I think less of people who don't get dogs. They are lacking in some fundamental emotions."
wow mydogFoster...how sad......read this.....
____ will always be glad when I get home.
____ will scare anyone that can be scared by a _____
____ is a good companion and never complains.
Yup....you can fill in the blank with dog....but you can also fill in the blank with a vegetable, rock, or blind mute.
While you may think people that aren't dog fans are lacking fundamental emotions, I think people that are so friggin gungho on dogs that they need to take them everywhere they go have some sort of fundamental insecurity issues. People with dogs are usually a bit inconsiderate too, like smokers....just because you let your dog s**t on my lawn then pick it up with a plastic bag doesn't mean you are considerate....unless you would like your child to play where I just took a big ole s**t but used a bag to pick it up.
Posted by: JJ | May 7, 2008 12:31:17 PM
JJ
The third one is wrong--if you've ever had close personal contact with a poodle, you'd know this.
I don't think people who aren't dog fans are lacking in fundamental emotions. I think they are people who don't happen to care for dogs and are, properly, annoyed by inconsiderate owners.
But Human beings and dogs are co-domesticates (that is they domesticated each other). Human beings owe a great deal to dogs over the millenia: they are pack animals, herders, hunters, guard animals, pest control, a hide and meat supply. Cheaper to feed than human slaves, and easier to control and direct.
Although they are carnivores, they don't compete for our preferred resources. Nice deal for humans, okay for dogs as long as chicken, swine, cattle, and iguanas hold out.
In the US dogs are predominantly toys. However, over the thousands of years that they have associated with them , they have gotten fairly good at communicating with human beings--in many cases much better than some humans I could mention. So they get to stay. Sucks for you, but they get to stay.
Posted by: nellagain | May 7, 2008 12:58:06 PM
Thanks nellagain. I know that you weren't actually supporting my stance, but you were very correct about man's relationships with dogs.
The complaints on this board about dogs seem to be more problems with the owners than the dogs themselves.
JJ, my dog doesn't go everywhere with me. He doesn't shit on your or other's lawns(he shits on mine and I clean it up). Your 3 "fill in the blank's are stupid, referencing vegetables & rocks. You don't like dogs, fine. I think you are an incomplete human being. Also fine.
Posted by: mydogFoster | May 7, 2008 2:25:40 PM
I thought Paris liked to be photographed with a "kitty" in her "lap"!
Posted by: Travman | May 7, 2008 3:30:53 PM
