Rants

Can I go on a few rants here?

I get really sick of people feeling entitled. Now, I think everyone has some sense of entitlement. For example, if I'm at a party that has seasonal desserts, I feel entitled to eat more of them than other people, since they're some of the few things I will eat. But I try not to be overly entitled. It drives me crazy when I see other people with the mentality.

Perhaps the worst place I see it is driving. When I drive, I try to follow the speed limit. And in following the speed limit, I feel like an old granny on the road, because everyone feels entitled not to drive the speed limit. The speed limit is the maximum you're supposed to go, but people treat it like it's the minimum. We all went to get where we're going faster. Why do you think you deserve to get there faster than other people? These speeders make driving a dangerous thing. Speed limits are set up for safety, as there might be pedestrians, cars turning, and other factors. Thus it is dangerous to speed. But the speeders make it dangerous not to speed, what with their following close and not being able to slow down fast enough in an emergency.

If you are one of those drivers, repent! Quit being a jerk, because that's what you are, at least when it comes to driving.

On a few occasions, I have had experiences with such jerk drivers that they try to illegally pass me. Once, a lane was ending, and another driver sped up to pass me right as the lane was ending, so that I had to slam on my brakes in order not to get an accident. I hope that these drivers crash--not into anyone else, unless the other person is also a jerk. And I don't want them to get any serious injuries. Just a crash to shake them up and put them into debt from repairs and citations, enough that it ruins their next Christmas or two. (I thought it would be going too far to wish for glass to get into their eyes and blind them.)

Also, use your blinkers! If you don't use your blinker, you are (1) a jerk, (2) a terrible driver, or (3) an unintelligent person. (If, on the other hand, you leave your blinker on a long time, you are (1) old. Not all old people leave their blinkers on, but all people who leave their blinkers on are old.) People who don't use their blinkers (and I'm talking regularly, not an occasional forgetful moment) should have their licenses revoked. Now, you may say, "Should that really merit having a license revoked? It seems like a small thing." But that's just it. It is a small thing. If you are incapable of turning your blinker on, how can you possibly be capable of checking your blind spot, looking both directions, and applying the brakes?

Another way where people feel entitled is with their dogs. As I go running, especially on trails, I pass numerous signs telling people to clean up after their dogs and to keep them on a leash. But people disregard both those things! People who don't clean up after their dogs should not be allowed to own them. Like, if they get caught, they should have their dog taken away. As far as not keeping dogs on a leash, you may know that your dog is not going to chase or bite other people, but I don't know that. I'm afraid of dogs, so seeing a loose dog makes me anxious and makes me change my behavior, since I can't trust them. And usually your dog isn't as well behaved as you think it is. I used to see a man on Bountiful Boulevard with two dogs not on a leash, but they would stay right next to him, and as I ran past, I don't think the dogs even looked at me. If all dogs were that well behaved, I would have no problem with them not being on a leash. But they're not all that good. Don't feel entitled.

(I was really angry when I saw traces of a horse on the Wild Rose Trail, when there are signs forbidding horses. Not "clean up after your horse," but "No horses.")

And while I'm ranting about things, I want to rant about this antiquated system of Daylight Savings Time. It's moronic. There is talk about getting rid of this idiotic practice in Utah, which is good; but one proposition is to keep us on permanent DST, which is stupid. That would mean that we would sometimes be in the same time as Chicago and Nashville; we would sometimes be two hours off from Nevada; and we would never be the same as Arizona. Just plain dumb. I think their rationale is that the extra evening daylight would be good for recreation. I like evening recreation as much as anyone, but that seems like a dumb reason for DST. We should do exactly what Arizona is doing and be done with it. There may be benefits for extra light in the evening, but they don't outweigh the detriments of universally disrupting sleep patterns, changing clocks, dark mornings, and a host of other problems. Individual people and businesses should have the option to change their schedules based on the season, rather than forcing everyone to change at once.

Sorry for my negativity.