Getting Away With Murder

by Stacy Litz
Sep. 24, 2010

Two deaths and two injuries. That’s what happens when you text and drive. The punishment for such a heinous act? 30 months probation, two years paid salary and possible personal injury workers compensation. No, the perpetrator is not God — just a state trooper.

Former Illinois State trooper Matt Mitchell, while on work time, was driving 126 mph in traffic to respond to an accident. While driving, he was sending and receiving emails to his girlfriend and crossed over the median and hit a car carrying four teens head-on. Mitchell pleaded guilty and only received thirty months probation. In the current system, pleading guilty to even completely obvious crimes with dozens of witnesses gets you a lesser punishment.

Because Mitchell was “doing his job” as a state trooper, he may be eligible to receive state mandated workers compensation — in addition to his two years paid salary. According to attorneys, even if an accident occurs when the employee is negligent, in poor judgement, or even under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it is possible to obtain workers compensation.

Others who have texted, driven a vehicle and killed have faced must more serious consequences than the state trooper. For example, Craig Bigos of Taunton, Massachusetts killed a 13 year old boy under the same circumstances, except he faced $5,000 bail and he was charged with motor vehicle homicide including jail time. The facts of this case proved to be even less extreme then in the trooper story, for the child was struck at night in an alley where he could have been less visible.

Cases involving texting and driving are not only disastrous to those directly affected, but it also poses a threat to liberty and expansion of government. Usually after a few of these accidents make headline news, there is an explosion of legislation put into action, expanding the power of government. A media hysteria campaign can make it seem reasonable for the police to level up their big brother status.

There are quite a few solutions to texting and driving that could exist without government. Certainly risky behavior should not be controlled due to its nature, but there are simple market incentives for indirect maintenance. For instance, with insurance in a completely free market, perhaps companies would not cover such accidents, resulting in a strong incentive to be a focused driver. It would not be advantageous to irresponsibly kill innocent people; there would be extreme costs incurred from doing so. Results would often include ostracism, public scrutiny and media attention, tarnishing the image of the reprehensible aggressor.

Want to get away with murder? Become a member of the state’s apparatus of rulership, act as if you’re doing “official business,” and then you can even get compensation for any injuries obtained! No conspiracy even required.

C4SS News Analyst Stacy Litz is an undergraduate at Drexel University, studying political (statist) science. She is the President of the Student Liberty Front, Campus Coordinator for Students for Liberty and founder of her university's chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. She is the winner of the Drexel University Student Leader of the Year award and first place winner of the Campus Freedom Network incentive program. Currently, she writes for Examiner.com, Suite 101, the 2010 Journal of Liberty and Society and other varied publications. She can be found fighting for liberty 24/7 in a relentless fashion. Stacy can be reached at [email protected] and more information can be found on her website, www.stacylitz.com.