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Letter: Our society has rules for a reason

(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo)    Residents gather for a rally protesting against masks being required in schools, before the Utah County Commission meeting in Provo, on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Residents gather for a rally protesting against masks being required in schools, before the Utah County Commission meeting in Provo, on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

If there were but one airplane in the sky, there would be no FAA. There would be no air traffic control. If there were but one car and one driver, there would be no traffic laws. There would be no drivers license requirements.

But in the real world, where we all interact with one another, there are strict rules for aviation, for driving, and for interaction with the rest of society. We agree, as a society, that stop signs, speed limits, seat belts, stopping for school buses, and one-way designations for streets are all essential for the general good of the public as a whole.

And thus it is with the wearing of face masks in these terribly troubled and dangerous times. Those who refuse to wear a mask are diverse but absolutely all have one deep down attribute in common. Deep down in their heart of hearts, they all, absolutely all, regard that someone else losing their life to spare them some inconvenience is totally legitimate. It is their “constitutional right.”

Larry Swanson, Salt Lake City

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