It’s important to recognize the relationship that citizens have with their government. While we, as a population, may be ideologically conservative when it comes to our government, are behaviorally liberal.

And now, we are getting what we (involuntarily) pay for — more government control. At least this time, there is a practical application for a technology developed by the government, and it won’t be used on civilians. Probably. Maybe.

The Department of Defense — the primary buyers of really sick gadgets that enhance government’s power but that we, as citizens, will never get to have — has now developed a non-lethal direct energy weapon that can stop vehicles.

The Radio Frequency Vehicle Stopper works by sending microwave radiation at a vehicle’s engine. That causes interference with the electronic control unit. The control unit responds by rebooting, again and again, shutting off the engine.

And this technology, while it can be fitted into the bed of a pickup truck, take a lot of power. It requires a gas turbine engine putting out 300 kilowatts of power, which in the smaller, truck mounted version, will allow a 50 meter radius to be filled with microwave radiation, shutting down all electronic engine control units in the area.

The only hope for you, if you want to avoid having your car shut down, is to drive a car without an electronic engine control system. So now is a great time to buy that Chevelle.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that carmakers have no choice but to accept the reality that the government can now shut down your car? In order to be compliant with Federal Communications Commission rules, the electronic controls must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

So the next time you think government might just be the solution to a problem, remember that the government makes it illegal to sell devices that don’t accept unwanted interference, so that their machines that cause unwanted interference can work properly. Ah yes, let’s let this institution control our education, healthcare, and pretty much all other aspects of our life.

I’m not advocating for anarcho-capitalism; I think that having the power to shut off all vehicles could be a good thing. For example, around a military base, large public assembly, sensitive industries, government buildings, or other places that could be the target of a terrorist attack.

However, I just don’t want the government to have the ability to shut down my car whenever they want. And while there are situations where having the police shut off cars would be helpful to prevent and deter crime, it would also be helpful to have tracking chips implanted in everyone for that same purpose.

So the way I see it, we’re at a tipping point here. Is it time to say enough is enough, and that the rights of the individual are important enough to limit the power of government, or do the ends justify the means?

There are lots of experts who analysed our 2016 election, and determined what the deciding factors were. But there’s one that stands out above all else, or along with all else, depending on who you ask. In our era of unchecked government growth and power, one recurring theme we should expect to see in our elections is “Do we trust the government?”

This machine which uses 300 kilowatts of directed microwave energy can be used to stop any vehicle with electronic engine controls. Do you trust the government with it?