On Car Seats as Contraception
While I feel we need to be gradually reducing the number of people on the planet (can anyone point me to the number of humans earth can <i>sustainably</i> support?), I agree with what the article is saying.<p>It seems to me one of the biggest things is the pace of change and potential for criminal charges. Especially considering that many people are likely breaking the laws (not just car seats, but supervision, etc), with no ill effects, and the laws are only selectively enforced. Is there an actual net benefit? And all the while parents have to keep up with increasing and changing laws, which I doubt many do. There&#x27;s a risk of civil or criminal penalties related to children, and increasing costs (including mental) associated with compliance.<p>I have a truck. You cannot have more than one rear facing seat in the back if you have two adults in the front. When I was a kid (not too long ago) I was riding without a booster seat well before age 8 and we&#x27;d occasionally ride with a friend&#x27;s family in a station wagon or SUV with the add-on cargo seats. It wasn&#x27;t unusual to occasionally ride in a pickup bed on private roads, or pile 8-9 people in the old Caprice for short (&lt; 1mi) trips. Safety was a relative term and left to the discretion and best judgment of the participants. I guess it&#x27;s being increasingly codified, like many other areas of life.<p>Another thing to point out that many might not know is that the state has an interest in your children and they merely entrust you to raise them to their standards and can take them away if you don&#x27;t. Many people feel their children are their own to raise as they see fit, but it&#x27;s more akin to a title of a house - the government owns the rights to the property and merely gives you title to use is so long as you comply with their will&#x2F;laws.<p>Edit: why disagree?