Dispatch from the USVI, an Unregulated Paradise

I recently spent a short week in St John, USVI. Aside from its pristine beaches and natural beauty, it was fun to be in a place that regulation has bypassed, despite it being a US territory or possession, I don't know which. The US regulatory juggernaut has overlooked this little island. And no one is getting killed due to the lack of regulation. They are just having fun. I did not see any bodies in the roadway.

Some of the fun features of the USVI that would be outlawed in the US:

-- Taxicabs are low-end Ford pickups with rows of seats in the 4 by 4. They are open air and do not have seat belts and you slide around as they take the hills. But a taxi ride is typically $5 and it is fun to be in the open air in that great weather.

-- You can smoke anywhere, if you care to do that. There is no smoking ban. I noticed that people were respectful of not smoking around eaters and would retreat to the bar for a smoke. The market does work!

-- There is no law banning having an open bottle in the car. You can bring your rum punch into the open air taxi and smoke to boot. You can also drink a beer while driving. That makes sense to me. Drunk driving is one thing, but how is it not a crime to have a couple of drinks and then drive while it is a crime to have a beer in the jeep when one is not anywhere near intoxicated?

The USVI reminds me of the freedoms that we had until the 80s, when the baby boomers decided to become Nanny Staters.