Price to propose banning car use by cell phoners ... but maybe not.

Earlier today, we rolled our eyes as Steve Price glanced in the general direction of the public interest, then just as hurriedly climbed down from his previous stance of being tepidly in favor of it, at least in the narrowest possible sense of safety pertaining to banning the use of cell phones (primarily texting) while driving.

Scolded by his council colleague, Pat McLaughlin, for not paying heed to statistics (no mention of lies and damned lies), and seemingly terrified of the implications of even the most minimal life of ideas, Price told the Tribune, “I don’t know if this is the time to do that (cell phones) with the budget.”

Well, at least there's some consistency to this position.

When times were good monetarily, he was against public safety expenditures, and now that times are hard, he's still against it. He's even more against it now that he very nearly was exposed as being for it, thanks to the germ of an idea that is, by Price's exceedingly low standards, very nearly sensible.

It isn't clear which is more dangerous: Texting while driving, or nickle-and-diming public safety. At least we see clearly where Price stands on the matter. Add it to the list for 2011, will you?