We have become numb to the overreach of the heavy hand of government, especially when it comes to safety. Are seat belts a good idea? In most cases. But we talked to dozens of people on the air over the years who testified that if they had been wearing their seat belt in their car accident, they would be dead.

In general, it's a good idea to wear your seat belt, but it's always been a bad idea to force people to do so. A new report gives NJ a bad mark for not making it a primary offense to not have all of your rear seat passengers buckled up. It's a money grab, a power grab and gives some people the virtuous feeling of saving lives, along with their job. If you feel you're more safe driving with a seat belt or requiring all you passengers to do so, by all means do it.

If the government required you to be safe in all things in life, they would ban cigarettes, prohibit skiing or skate boarding or riding your bike or a motorcycle. Let people and the free market decide. If an automaker came up with car that automatically belted everyone in, maybe they'd sell more cars and then all carmakers would end up doing it.

This is an argument that generally falls on deaf ears in our over-protected, nanny state, freedom forsaking society these days. New Hampshire is the ONLY state that does not have a law requiring you to wear a seat belt. I guess they take their slogan, "Live Free or Die," seriously. Don't you wish New Jersey took our slogan, "Liberty and Prosperity," a little more seriously? By all means, statistically you are much safer wearing your seat belt and you should....if you want to. Not by threat of the government taking your money if you don't.

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