
Do you find speed bumps annoying? Does the beeping made by trucks when they back up drive you crazy? Just wait til your own car starts beeping at you if you go over the speed limit. And you can’t turn the speed beeping off. Because to do that is a crime.
(If you already know all about the tidal wave of U.S. government overregulation engulfing America, you might want to jump to “Conclusion: Why This is Important!”)
The law, proposed by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), was passed and it requires "intelligent speed assistance" in all new cars manufactured or sold in California beginning in 2030. The "intelligent speed assistance" makes your car beep when you exceed the speed limit. Violations of the law will not carry just a civil penalty, they will be punished as a crime.
The bill was passed by the California state legislature on September 1, 2024. It will become law when it's signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
‘Wait’, you may say. ‘Why should I worry about a law passed in California? I don't live there.’
But the laws passed in California are often laws for the whole nation. The reason why is the Brussels effect (when it's international) or the Sacramento Effect (in the United States). These overregulation “effects” give government regulators in one state the power to regulate the whole United States. And government regulators in one country to regulate the whole world.
An NPR article titled, “Should Your Car Warn You That You’re Speeding? California Lawmakers Vote Yes” quoted Jay Beeber of the National Motorists Association saying about the new law, “What they're trying to do is to impose their will on the rest of the country.”
He’s right. Car manufacturers cannot afford to manufacture a different kind of car for every state. And car manufacturers cannot afford to simply opt out of the California market. So car manufacturers must obey the laws created by the far-left California State legislature. And so all Americans become subjects to those far-left California government regulators, such as Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).
The California State government has been governing all Americans for a long time. We showed how big and bad that is in the Substack post “The War on Carbon Is a War on Cars. And You.”
When the EU government regulates the U.S. — when it passes regulations that will fine or control American tech companies, for example — that's called the Brussels effect. It's a fast-increasing trend. It's a superpower of governments. It's a force multiplier for national government regulators. And most of all it's a big step toward world government.
It is international regulatory-taking. Government regulators use their power to pass laws to take control of businesses all over the nation, in the case of the Sacramento Effect, and all over the world, in the case of the Brussels Effect. They do it to get control of businesses and people. They do it to get revenue by fining businesses and people. They pretend that it's about “public safety” or whatever, but it's really about power and control.
Conclusion: Why This is Important!
It's also an example of a global trend of overregulation.
Overregulation should be a huge issue in the forefront of the minds of Americans. Every time the U.S. government passes a new law, it gives itself a new power. And it also usually imposes a new cost on the American public. Overregulation takes away our freedoms and our money. Overregulation costs productive Americans hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But very few Americans ever even think about overregulation.
Why not?
Because the mass media doesn't make an issue of it. The media almost never even mentions the phenomenal tidal wave of government overregulation of the American people. Even though it's been going on for almost 100 years, and the proof of it is publicly available and overwhelming.
Why is transgenderism a big issue, and overregulation is not?
Why are racism and white privilege big issues, and overregulation is not? Why are diversity and equity and inclusion big issues, and overregulation is not?
Why should fake manmade climate change force us to waste trillions of dollars on net-zero and other follies, while most people seem not to have ever even heard of government overregulation, which is costing us gigantic amounts of money and taking away our freedoms?
Why is your car going to start beeping at you when you go over the speed limit, and why aren't you going to be able to do anything about it?
Is it because leftist control of the media is much, much more destructive than we realize? Yes, it is. The far-left are using control of the mass media to destroy America. What should we do about that?
I completely agree with you. However, lest anyone think the rest of the country is powerless, there are imperfect ways to fight back. Californians could, theoretically, still purchase cars outside of the state for example. I think the commerce clause would likely protect that solution.
Also, other states, let's say Texas or Florida, could pass a law saying the speed control devices are NOT allowed in cars manufactured or sold in those states. Just as car manufacturers can't afford to ignore California and likely won't willingly make different versions of the same car for other states, they also wouldn't be able to afford to ignore the Texas or Florida markets. In which case, they'd make both cars and little states could still get the sane version.
Unfortunately, this is directly relevant to your point of over regulation. We'd then have two new regulations and cars would be more expensive for everyone.... because of California.
Tell California to go jump... I like Jason's idea below!