Seat Belt Blogging....

...more about the hypocrisy of the nanny-state left, than about poor Governor Corzine himself, but nevertheless:

Certainly wearing a seat belt is simple common sense. Some may quarrel with the notion of legislating mandatory use. But when in fact state law requires its use, and the governor of that state ignores that law, we are justified in our scepticism of those who claim to know what is best for us, but apply different standards to themselves.

I regret that the Governor suffers. I do not regret how sharply this incident highlights the hypocrisy of the nannies, who, even as they click their tongues at our behavior, and attempt to prescribe our better behavior, arrogantly ignore their own intrusions on our freedom of choice.

From The Reality-Based Community:

How could the chief executive of a state routinely put the chief executive of his state, elected by and responsible to the voters to discharge his duties for a full term, at risk of death or injury for something so self-indulgent as not wearing a seatbelt? Not to mention that a governor has some duty to model responsible and rational behavior. [er, not in New Jersey - see McGreevy, Jim - ed.] If the motor pool were found to have neglected maintenance of the brakes or tires of a governor's vehicle, heads would roll, and rightly so.

From Stridulations:

I suspect that the guy is a real piece of work to have for a boss. You have to wonder about someone – even a successful politician – who lives with such an illusion of control that he not only doesn’t normally comply with his own state’s seat belt laws, but has been known to chew out the state trooper on his guard detail for gently suggesting that he buckle up.

Stridulations has a nice suggestion for a seatbelt PSA, as well, starring the governor...

And speaking of lawbreaking, just how fast and dangerously was Corzine's posse driving?

The driver of the red pickup truck mistook Governor Corzine’s SUV — its police lights flashing — for an emergency vehicle, authorities said Saturday, and was unaware that his pulling over was a factor in the wreck that critically injured the governor.
Corzine’s schedule Thursday night required that he cover 90 miles — to Princeton from Atlantic City — in 90 minutes. State police have not said how fast the motorcade was traveling.

Meanwhile, the heartless liberals at The Philadelphia Inquirer use this tragic situation as an opportunity to point a finger of blame at the true innocent in this whole debacle - Corzine's SUV:

New Jersey state police say Corzine travels in SUVs for safety reasons. Safety experts say an SUV has risks that may outweigh its benefits....
....safety experts said SUVs are less stable and less maneuverable than passenger cars, even heavy sedans such as the Lincoln Town Car, which is another favorite choice for VIP travel (Gov. Rendell uses one). And the SUV's height could have reduced the protection that a guardrail is designed to provide.

And who are these experts? The Inquirer does not name them, leading me to believe they exist only in the fevered imaginations of the denizans of the PI's newsroom. But the Philly Inquirer fails to address another glaring issue - why are ordinary folks who dare to drive SUV's verbally maligned and abused by Democratic politicians, who at the same time feel free to use them (on the state dime) for "safety reasons"?

What about my safety? Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot - the rules enforced against the New Jersey proletariat do not apply to its privileged political class....

UPDATE: Uh-oh, looks like I may wind up on Blew Jersey's sh*t list, for, you know, speaking "incorrectly"....am I gonna get Imus'ed?