Let's Play Catch-Up

Being at the beach was super nice for a few days. It's been very warm around here but the beach was actually really comfortable thanks to a nice ocean breeze. I'm now home for a little while until a trip to Florida later in the week. That will mean lots of family time but it should be fun. I'm a roller coaster junkie and haven't had my fix in awhile so I'm looking forward to Universal Islands of Adventure in particular.

Now, for my super quick rant of the week. People really seriously don't know how to drive. I don't know what it is, but for the last week or two in particular, people have been driving like morons, even more so than usual. My driving philosophy has become one where I assume that no one else can drive, not because I think so highly of my own driving, but because it's the safest alternative. People are not doing a good job of proving me wrong.

And now, for the part of the post I imagine could get a response or two. I just finished an interesting book that many people have heard of called Freakonomics. In it the authors tackle a bunch of issues by using data to show the real story behind things that people usually explain with conventional wisdom. One of the more interesting issues they tackle is the huge drop in crime during the 1990s. Many people attribute this drop to better policing strategies, more police, the diminishing popularity of crack, and a host of other things, but the authors argue that these reasons are false or did not contribute to any serious degree. What did spare us from the crime wave that was taking over? Abortion. Yup, that's right...Roe v. Wade. When abortion became legal, the children most likely to end up participating in criminal activities were no longer being born. Young and poor mothers were not having children (at that time) and so as those children would have become the age at which they engaged in criminal behavior, the crime rates started to drop. As an aside, these mothers were largely still having children, but were waiting to do so until they were older and more able to provide a better home life. I will now state, for the record, that I am pro-life. I do not, and never have, condoned abortion. I would rather see people take responsibility for their actions and see society help to provide what these children would need to succeed. Furthermore, I advocate for adoption rather than abortion. If you decide to have sex, then you should take responsibility for that act. You don't get to play God. I realize here that I should add two important points. First, I understand that I am talking about most, but not all, abortions. I think things are a little fuzzier for example, when the mother's life is in danger. In that case, I'd advocate for good clinical decision making and the highest level of involvement of the mother in making decisions as possible. The other thing of note, is that I am in fact adopted. I kinda like being alive. I have no idea who my birth parents are nor what their situation was. What I do know, is that they took responsibility for their actions and I am here writing this blog as a result.