State Senator Carl Kruger on Wednesday will introduce legislation that would allow officers to fine people crossing the street while chatting on a cellphone, using a Blackberry or listening to an MP3 player in New York City or Buffalo.

Kruger says that when people use the electronic gadgets, they disengage from the world, and are oblivious to other pedestrians and vehicles.

"I'm not trying to intrude on that," Kruger told Reuters. "But what's happening is when they're tuning into their iPod, or Blackberry, or cellphone or video game, they're walking into speeding buses and moving automobiles. It's becoming a nationwide problem."

Krueger says the government has a responsibility to protect citizens. His proposal comes after the death of three Brooklyn residents who were listening to music when they were struck by vehicles at a busy intersection. Kruger says that in one case, bystanders shouted warnings but the person could not hear their appeals.

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Now, i'm all for the government protecting its citizenry in certain respects. They should protect you from the recklessness of others. I'm less inclined to go along with them protecting me against me. The harsh, cold view of it is that these 3 people were morons and that's why they walked into speeding vehicles.

If you're crossing the street, as a pedestrian, you certainly have right of way and in court that will definitely work in your favor. But when it comes down to your soft, human body versus a 10 ton metal vehicle plus momentum, you had damn well watch where you're going and get the hell out of the way. Dead is dead. Screw right of way.

Plus, these people were from NYC. If there's one thing i've learned about NYC, get the hell out of the street cause that cabbie is not slowing down for your ass. Nobody's saying the cabbie's right or that he's not an asshole and a danger to society. I'm just saying the smart people out there have some sense of self-preservation, ferchrissakes, and will not be walking into a speeding bus with or without an ipod.

I like how the government can protect us from ourselves, but we can't protect ourselves from the government. This is pretty much why I'm staying away from Hillary in '08.

You're afraid she'll push you in front of a bus while you're listening to your ipod?

Because I don't need a nanny. I'm a grown man and can make my own decisions. If I want to get tanked, smoke and blow my money on online poker, it's my right as an American citizen to waste my life and pickle my liver. I don't need some health cop busting down my door and confiscating my greasy cheeseburgers and breaking all my videogames. If I want to dance around naked while juggling pots of hot coffee, its my choice.

It may be asinine, but its still mine.

at least close the drapes before you do that.

Drapes?

http://www.thenewsblog.net/2007/02/stupid-laws.html