by Curt Kovener 
There are many contradictions in life.
We want our homes assessed for tax purposes as low as possible but want the bank appraisal as high as possible when we are selling.
We want lower property taxes but don’t want to give up the police, fire, and emergency medical services that the taxes pay for.
We are all “law & order” citizens wanting criminals to face time behind bars except when it is someone in our family or one of our friends who have transgressed. Then we want leniency and mercy.
It is illegal to grow marijuana which can be processed into a drug yet our government subsidizes corn producers whose product can be turned into the drug alcohol but the same government does not subsidize vineyards whose product can also be turned into alcohol.
Now not anywhere near the plane of importance as these is the current consideration in Crothersville to allow golf carts to operate on the streets of town.
I like the idea of our elderly (and maybe some not-so-elderly) using a more environmentally sound mode of transportation on our town streets.
Several other communities have already approved the semi-slow moving vehicles as a convenient and more energy efficient errand running vehicle. A good friend who visited up in the wilderness over the weekend is on the town council in her northern Indiana community where there is a push to allow golf carts on their streets as well.
Rightly or wrongly, the town seems to be fussing over the minutia of safety details in allowing local legislation approving golf cart usage on the streets. While safety should always be a concern, I am not so convinced that it should be government’s concern. I ought to be the one to make sure my vehicle and my operation of it is safe. So why must we have rules of safe operation? For those few who insist on pushing the envelope of safety and stepping over the line which can end up causing harm to themselves, or more importantly, others.
And while the local council frets over licensing, registration fee, lights, turn signals, reflectors, hours of operation and all of the other fly specks of rules, I grow amused.
To operate a golf cart which can reach a top speed of maybe 17 mph, the (more than likely elderly) operator in Crothersville is apparently going to have to have a driver’s license, pay a local annual registration fee and operate during daylight hours.
Contrast that to the person who has lost his Indiana driving privileges due to a driving while suspended or driving under the influence charge who can hop on a moped or scooter, drive the same streets as the golf carts at a higher rate of speed during daylight and dark without the need of driver’s license or registration or approval of local government.
There are many contradictions in life.
