New Jersey Governor John Corzine was critically injured in an automobile accident caused by an apparently reckless driver in front of his car.
He was sitting in the front right seat of an SUV driven by a state trooper. He was not wearing a seat belt. Wearing seat belts is mandatory under New Jersey state law. According to his driver, the Governor never wore a seat belt.
Governor Corzine was formerly co-head of Goldman Sachs, and was a leading Democrat Party fundraiser.
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.
Failure to wear a seat belt is punishable by a fine in New Jersey. Did the state trooper driving the car issue one to governor Corzine?
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Excellent point.
Unfortunately, this is SOP for our would-be masters. Congress, for example, on just about every onerous intrusion into the lives of the peonage it legislates, from disability laws to minimum wages to occupation and safety measures, methodically exempts itself from its own laws.
Thank you for giving me more domain names and URLs to add to my adblock list. With all of this blocked, I can actually read the content of your website instead of seeing advertisements for swimsuits.
Yeah, you asshole, god forbid that I should try to make a little money from my efforts. After all, I owe you all the work I and others do here for free, because you are such a fine, deserving fellow.
When will you be coming over to wash my windows and scrub my floors? No payment to you, of course. You owe me your labor.
Now fuck off and die, you shithead.
Yo, Entrope, you could always send money to Bill directly. Or does that violate some
socialistfreeloader principle?How come I never get to see the swimsuit adds? Would somebody kindly point me to them, please?
Well, hot damn, soon as I post that, she pops up on my right. Atheism my ass.
The Chevy Tahoe Corzine was riding in (front passenger) mounted the guardrail with the rear drive train preventing it from going completely over and rolling, but a fire did start in the engine compartment. A female trooper in the chase car extinguished the fire and got on the radio. Corzine was battered - 12 ribs, sternum, clavicle, and leg with significant blood loss. He’s lucky Medic 1 was orbiting south Jersey between runs. His driver, an NJ Trooper, was released from the hospital Friday afternoon with a big welt from the seatbelt and the usual neck and shoulder injuries. Corzine probably hasn’t driven a car in years- besides, seatbelts will wrinkle the Armani slacks - can’t look like the limo driver.
The governor should get lots of fines for failure to wear a seatbelt and habitual offender. The driver should get a place in the unemployment line. By his own admission he allowed repeated violation of state law.
Was Corzine one of the backers of the law? If so perhaps a coat of tar and feathers would be better.
C’mon, Genes, the guy just underwent surgery. Wait until he’s all better, and THEN hang him.
Not only that, but what was the point besides grandstanding to go to “facilitate” a meeting between Imus and the basketball team?
Why must elected officials overstep the bounds of their position/job description into these sorts of things, and why do we ask them to in the first place?
Oh that’s beautiful. I was thinking exactly the same thing - but having trouble figuring out how to say it without sounding as if I was gleeful that Corzine had been hurt.
So this is your SOP to someone who–admittedly rudely–states that he doesn’t like your advertising? An immediate personal attack with an almost psychotic level of rage? You are not entitled to an appreciative audience for your advertising, and I have to suspect your advertisers don’t appreciate the level of hostility shown towards their potential customers.
In the immortal words of Bart Simpson, “Don’t have a cow, man.” The blog entry was worth my time to read, but you were such a jerk in the comments that I don’t see myself returning. Hear that, advertisers? He scared off another one!
Bonus points for your over-the-top reaction in a blog that allegedly aspires to present reason in an irrational world. Keep trying.
Another loss from which we shall not recover. We have had so many, I wonder that we’re still here, and anyone reads or comments on us at all.
Let’s all give Steve a big group hug. And crush his lungs out his mouth like a swim bladder.
I doubt anyone will miss you.
Entrope indicated dissatisfaction with needing to make more entries into his ad-blocker list. This implies that he doesn’t even see the ads, which implies that he’s not a potential customer. Are you capable of following this logic, or do I need to dumb it down just for you?
Secondly, the blog’s motto is “rationales for an irrational world”, not “reason”. If only you had the education and wit to appreciate the difference. You might try a dictionary, one which doesn’t have a picture with every word.
If the hug will crush his chest, do we call it the Corzine Hug.
And Bill, I checked out your advertisers to make sure that they are appreciated.
Keep up the good work.
Steve @ 4:26pm, were you born an *ssh*le or did you go to special schools? Inquiring minds want to know.
FWIW, my vote is for “both”.
Well, I just laughed loud and long at Corzine’s difficulty. In my 23 years of running up and down the roads in a county cruiser I never once had to unbuckle a corpse, nor seen it done. I’ve seen far more people dead in car wrecks than I care to remember,only the last five or so years of my service were seat belts mandatory.
My only regret at this is that the poor taxpayers will get saddled with the cost of caring for a rich guy. Now, where are those swimsuit ads?
Has anyone ever seen a NJ State Police vehicle going the speed limit on the GSP, or any other limited access highway? I’m betting the seat belt law wasn’t the only infraction here. I hope he recovers quickly and completely. I notice that Imus and Rutgers managed OK without him. NJ has plenty of other stuff that needs his attention, I hope he gets to it soon.
I thought the response was reasonable. He should see what Bill does when he gets angry. Personally I just glance at the ads unless one catches my eye. Unfortunately the one I got now is for Polling Point with a pic of (shudder) Hillary.
In CA, when the driver of a pickup flees an accident scene, it is often becasue he has no documents. If that is the case here maybe Congress will move the problem forward. Or they might just cite the Gov. for not belting up.
Since I don’t have a clue who you are, and hence am unable to make this as personal as I’d really like to, I guess I’ll have to settle for my own immortal words: “Bite my bag, you pus-gargling swine.”
But do have a nice day, since everybody well knows that your feelings are my number one concern here at Daily Pundit Inc.
I’ve never seen anyone going the speed limit on the GSP!
Which is not to imply that I see that as a problem.
You have a good point. I guess what I was trying to say is that every time I see the NJ state police, they’re going fast enough that you or I will see them disappear over the horizon very quickly.
Hey, nemo, congratulations on your first Instalanche!
DUH!
The first rule of politics is “Laws are for Niggers and Poor White Trash”
Hey who do I unblock to see the chicks in swimsuits?
Oh wait a second I forgot where I was….. probably Dudes in speedoes in this joint….nevermind.
Seriously Macher, I find that things seem to even out on the GSP in the high 70s normally, perfectly safe as everyone is in the same plane of speed. There are always a very few assholes that pump it up to 100+ but they’re not that common.
The troopers usually cruise quite a bit faster than the flow, but not generally in a dangerous way as the 100+ weavers do. I’ve seen the overspeeding wackos get pulled over frequently enough to applaud the troopers doing their jobs, and I once saw a guy driving the speed limit in the left lane get pulled over (I think they call that driving slowly so as to impede traffic flow, as well as failure to keep right unless passing)
BTW, the other alternative, too frequently, is speeds about 50 MPH under the limit — going north in the morning, for instance.
I agree with everything you said, but it’s still hypocritical for the state to be handing out tickets for things that the chief executive routinely does. The news reports that he was traveling with the lights flashing. That’s another policy that should be looked in to. I doubt that it makes things safer to make motorists think there’s a speeding emergency vehicle behind them, when all he’s doing is going to a photo op.
Can’t argue with that Macher, but there is hope.
What are the odds that there are enough people reading the SF based (though in an alternative reality bent) DP from deep blue NJ, to carry on a conversation about the speed limits on the GSP? :-)
Three to one in favor.
Sounds like the motorcade may have been speeding and the guy thought there was an actual emergency. Looks to me like Corzine and others need to rethink their reckless behavior.
These comments are filled with a lot of rage, complete cynicism, absolutely no restraint with regards to posters from one political party being happy a politician from another was in a horrible accident. And we wonder why our political landscape is filled w/ people that do nothing but spew venom at one another! Keep up the great work on the site!
Thank you, nanny. Me sorry.
Show me once instance of any poster expressing happiness that Corzine was in a horrible accident.
From my original post:
From Theresa:
From you:
Seems to me, the only venom being spewed (other than the side comments about the ads) is by you.
Your tongue-clicking is so loud I can hear it coming out of your ass — which is no surprise, as that is clearly your orifice of choice for both your thoughts and your comments.
Politicians ignoring laws always ticks me off. I DO NOT CARE which party they are from. Corzine and his driver have been breaking the law and got caught by Fate. Accidents don’t care ’bout your money or politics.
Dave Wiegel, noted “libertarian” editor at Reason Magazine, comments:
So, is this supposed to be an insult? If so, then you stand revealed as a homophobic bigot, and a hypocritical disgrace to everything libertarianism is supposed to stand for. Which, in your case, would be no surprise.
You further establish yourself as a dumbass of the first water, by making the assumption that any blogger who supports gay rights must also be gay himself. But then, that also is the level of “reasoning” on display in the sad wreck that Reason Magazine has become in the past few years, thanks in large part to morons like yourself.
Wait a minute. I used to be on the swimming team, and I was a guy in a Speedo. Does this mean…oh, no…what will I tell the wife and kids?
I don’t care who anyone f**ks, as long as it’s not me. Wait another minute…honey, I didn’t mean you. Let go of that that guy in the Speedo.
Funny how people get all tangled up when it comes to sexual preference. A good rule is:
If you suddenly find yourself on the same side as Pat Robertson and fundamentalist Islam, you might want to rethink your position.
Ah the benefits of being bi-sexual. We don’t care who’s in the ad as long as they’re well built and the suit is skimpy and tight.
Actually, I’m barely monosexual. After living through Cambridge in the late 60s and NYC in the 70s and 80s, my libido is exhausted. I think I need a fetish, but it seems so tawdry. Maybe if I moved to a sheep farm…
An earlier post by Quick, I think, reminded me of one of Rodney Dangerfield’s greatest lines:
“Boy, the first time I had sex, I was scared. I was really scared. It was dark…and I was all alone.”
The complainer are probably buy-sexual, and they’re jealous of anyone who can get it for free.
It’s never free.
Since we have moved from seatbelts laws to sex, may I volunteer to Nanny the nannies.
From what little I’ve read here, it is a great blog and I have years of archives to enjoy. I don’t mind the dude’s ads, even though Amazon tempts me endlessly. Any opinions here on Mr. Quick’s latest novel? I thought The DaVinci Code rotted.
Perhaps the seatbelt law is bad in sense that death of beltless citizens improves the gene pool? But then look at the medical costs incurred. Here in Florida I see many helmetless motorcyclists weaving in and out at 90 mph or more. I know many people want to use the excuse that seatbelts are uncomfortable or that they want to be thrown free of a wreck.
I do think if someone doesn’t care for a blog, they should move over to another. I wish Gov. Corzine a speedy recovery, but no way would I want to live in the Garden State what with the impending tax increases coming. I suppose part of that is due to that Governor’s personal relationship to the one public sector union boss that he took a shine to?
Hello leila, I read Inner Circles and liked it very much. In fact, I’m still quoted on the add with a comment I made at the time. For $5 (download) you can’t go wrong.
That it is, enjoy!