and a Darwin award for....

[pam123]

Not checking both ways before you cross the street while listening to your iPod :

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070207-8793.html

I'm with the nay sayers.

[David M]

Using Senator Kruger's line of reasoning, deaf people should not be allowed to cross the street.

[Kareeser]

Why not? Just because they're down one sense does not mean they're not tuned in to the world around them. The fine applies to people who literally tune out while walking. Bumping into other people, stepping onto the street without looking...

It's a good thing.

[Stuey]

Back in HS, people read books and magazines while crossing the street, and quite a few wore headphones also.

This is not about listening to ipods. It's about playing video games or text messaging or engaging in similar activities that make one completely oblivious to one's surroundings.

It's gotten to the point where people are distracting themselves to the point where they get hit by cars.

That, and NYC is fine-happy. A while back they made a new rule saying that license plates must be directly attached to the vehicle. Those that didn't remove the license frame thingies got fined. When NYC was still being considered to host the Olympics, most of the people on my parents' block got notices to have sidewalk done or face fines. They ticketed a lot of people around the whole neighborhood.

Is it about the money from the fines? Possibly. Is it about the safety of the oblivious folk? Maybe. Is it for publicity?

NYC has become more controlling recently, and I think it's a good idea. A few years back they put forward smoking constraints. Now they put forth trans fat constraints. To be honest, placing constraints on where video games are allowed would be welcomed by me. Maybe it would stop the preteens from playing their stupid games at restaurants too. One of the few things about kids that piss me off more than that is when they walk into people while texting someone.

This gets a thumbs up from me!

[fleeingpepper]

I would rather have a law that keeps people from texting while driving. My sister does that, it scares the crap out of me. And she's already bad enough at driving, because she's a woman driver. They suck, I don't care about the accident ratio from men to women, they can't drive. (Hehe, got a little off in the end there)

[Statica]

fleeingpepper:
This forum will not tolerate your gender biased comments.

[fleeingpepper]

I'm making small joke, it's kind of a recurring gag. That time it got a little too serious. But ok, no more woman driver jokes from me...I'm getting too un-joky and becoming serious with those. :-/

[David M]

We don't need more laws. If we are going to going to keep adding laws getting to the point where society is totally stifled in what we can do then lets at least eliminate some laws for everyone we add.

You can't legislate stupidity out of people. They are always going to find some other method of maiming or killing themselves.

[blue60007]

It's your own responsibility to cross the street safely, not the law's. If you get hit while using an iPod...well that's your own fault for not paying attention.

[TimPoet]

To quote William F Buckley on the four words to tell our government:
Mind your own business.

You can't legislate wisdom. Soon you'll get ticketed for not tying your shoelaces, not covering your mouth when coughing and for expressing your desire for freedom on the internet.

Meddlers....

[Kareeser]

Haha... I certainly understand your POV... Natural Selection.. let them thin out the gene pool by themselves... fine..

But you have to think about it from the other point of view... what about the driver who was going the speed limit, and inherently trusted the pedestrians to not cross on a red?

Now his car's in the shop, and he has to deal with the police/courts/missed time at work.

Laws aren't there just because "people can make them"
Laws are there to keep us safe, and to a certain extent, protect us from ourselves.

[TimPoet]

But you have to think about it from the other point of view... what about the driver who was going the speed limit, and inherently trusted the pedestrians to not cross on a red?

Now his car's in the shop, and he has to deal with the police/courts/missed time at work.That's the risk of driving.

Laws aren't there just because "people can make them"
Some laws are just because certain people like to meddle in our lives. Like this one.
Laws are there to keep us safe, and to a certain extent, protect us from ourselves.
Some laws are to keep us safe. However, I don't need someone to protect me from myself. I need a government to ensure my God given rights, as the Declaration of Independence prescribes- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Government's role is to protect my liberty, not restrict it in the interest of "safety."

Benjamin Franklin said "Those people who would surrender some of their freedoms to obtain safety deserve neither freedom nor safety."

Got to hand it to our founding fathers, they understood the proper role of government.

[glc]

This is getting pretty political, folks...........

[RevCLB]

I stand 4(+ -) square for applehood, mother pie, life, liberty & the happiness of pursuit!!!

[glc]

I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

[HAL9000]

What it all comes down to is one of two questions;

1) If you're paddling a two way canoe down a one way river and your saddle falls off, how many waffles will it take to shingle your doghouse?

or

2) If a train carrying 800,000 gallons of gravy left Moose Jaw at 10am, and a tanker truck carrying another 100,000 gallons of gravy left Winnipeg at 6am, how many tons of potatoes would we need in Moosomin by 2pm?


Believe it or not... I actually worked out an answer for #2 once. :rolleyes:

[TimPoet]

I hate story questions.

[glc]

You forgot the Mike's and brownies, Hal.

[Stuey]

Haha, and thus I now have a new sig.

GLC: I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

HAL9000: If you're paddling a two way canoe down a one way river and your saddle falls off, how many waffles will it take to shingle your doghouse?

[David M]

I am Dyslexia of Borg, futility is resistant, your ass will be laminated.

That is hilarious!...Locutus

[HAL9000]

You forgot the Mike's and brownies, Hal.

I switched to Smirnoff Ice years ago.

[oreilly]

heres my 2 cents on this story if peaple don't like the law they can move to the country
were there is less cars on the road
i do admit its a good law i have crossed streets with ipods and you have to pay allot of attention to crossing and it was just too dangerous and i live in a small town of 10,000 peaple
so i stopped listening to my ipod while crossing streets. you never now when a driver isn't paying attention to a pedastrian that isn't paying attention
last sentence is very confusing