South Park is starting to become hilariously funny again. It lost a bit of it's luster after the first season but the wit has be slowly coming back over the past two seasons or so. I love how they are making all the new episodes on a weekly basis so that they can deal with current issues and events in a timely manner. And unlike the first season or two, each episode, as perverse and shocking as the story line usually is, has some sort of moral lesson now. Last weeks episode dealt with elderly folks ability (or lack thereof) to drive a car, a reaction to the recent accident in Santa Monica, CA where an 86 year old man plowed into a farmers market killing ten people.

As much as I know that I will hate to lose my license (and basically my freedom) when I become elderly (if I make it to be that old), I strongly believe that something needs to be done about elderly drivers. If you can pass a law that says you can't get your license until you're 18 years old now, or one that takes your driving privileges away for driving home after drinking only one or two beers, you can certainly pass one that helps "curb" (pun intended) elderly drivers that are unable to properly control a car. Elderly drivers are just as dangerous nowadays as teenage drivers are.

How about mandatory drivers tests every two years for anyone over 70 years of age. You don't pass, you don't drive. Or at least some sort of annual checkup involving a vision test, a reaction time test, a motor skills test, and a cognitive awareness test. I know some people may argue that we need to respect the elderly and by doing this we would be "profiling" them or taking their freedom away. I say let's save as many lives as we can including those elderly people who would be potentially putting themselves at risk. My grandpa has Parkinson disease and broke down into tears when he realized that he could no longer drive himself around. My grandma who is still very healthy and extremely capable does all of the driving for them now. I think in the end though, even though he lost one of the most basic American dreams of hitting the open road in his Cadillac whenever the feeling struck, he sleeps better at night knowing that he is making that sacrifice to keep himself and other drivers around him safe.

- these thoughts flowed through Jeff's fingers @ 1:13 PM