U.S. Gov: Always Have a Backup Plan for Your Backup Plan

We get it, Secretary LaHood. You're big on safety.

Of course, you also want to make sure the American automakers pay back all that bailout money, so you're willing to help them bury Toyota under a pile of litigation so high no amount of unintended acceleration could plow out from underneath it. (It's what the free market wants.)

But let's get back to that safety thing--you're so freaking gangbusters for safety that you now want to legislate a "brake override system" into every car on the road:

“We’re looking at it. We think it is a good safety device and we’re trying to figure out if we should be recommending it," LaHood told the Senate.

The question isn't if you should be recommending brake override systems. Of course you should be recommending them. You should also be suggesting them, alluding to them, hinting at them, maybe even leaving little notes in the pockets of Detroit CEOs with hearts drawn on pictures of them.

However, I have two problems with suggesting legislation here:

1. Toyota--and other car companies--should already want to put these devices into their cars. On their own. (Indeed, many cars already come with them.) It shouldn't even be a cost consideration. It should be a performance consideration. "Is my car accidentally killing its drivers? No, but it could. Let's make sure that it doesn't."

2. I'm not sure the government needs to insist on a Plan B here. I think its Plan A was pretty solid: Don't make cars that kill our drivers. I don't think Plan B really adds that much: Don't make cars that kill our drivers. Seriously.

"Um.. why the hell am I here?"

The government should stick to Plan A's, and we all--individuals and companies alike--need to work towards Plan A. If I may take the slippery slope for a second, if the government starts getting bogged down in backup plans, then where does it stop? Backup plans to the backup plans? Plan C's for the Plan B's? Plan D's for the Plan C's? And then who's watching the Watchmen, people?!

Ray LaHood cautioned per Sec. B, Art. 1-1 for questionable actions. I was going to card him for time wasting, but let's be honest--the Senate isn't getting much else done these days.