. . .iPods from crosswalks. And yes, he's a Democrat--need I say more?

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_037234835.html

2/7/2007 11:45:33 AM

There would be a revolt in New York City if you attempted to ban the use of electronic devices in crosswalks. This is afterall a city full of people plugged into one advice or another, easily walking dozens of blocks a day.

I'd almost like to see it banned just to see the reaction from people in the City.

2/7/2007 12:01:12 PM

Quote :

"Legislation will be introduced in Albany on Wednesday to lay a $100 fine on pedestrians succumbing to what State Sen. Carl Kruger [D] calls iPod oblivion. 'We're talking about people walking sort of tuned in and in the process of being tuned in, tuned out,' Kruger said. 'Tuned out to the world around them. They're walking into speeding cars. They're walking into buses. They're walking into one another and it's creating a number of fatalities that have been documented right here in the city.' Pedestrians have been hurt and killed in the manner Kruger describes. Not surprisingly, though, iPod users are less than thrilled with the senator's proposal."

When asked how many people had been killed as a result of "iPod oblivion," this guy said three that he knew of.

2/7/2007 12:05:32 PM

democrat or republican, this guy is a moron and his bill will fail.

although, i don't doubt that some people are morons and get hit by cars because they're off in music-land and don't hear the car until they get smacked by it

2/7/2007 12:05:42 PM

Personal responsibility.

2/7/2007 12:07:51 PM

Who is he to go against Darwin?

2/7/2007 12:21:33 PM

Arizona Senator wants to Ban Bill of Rights...

...in favor of police power. And yes, he is a Republican-- need I say more?

2/7/2007 12:23:38 PM

^
linkplz i need to laugh

2/7/2007 12:24:54 PM

i live in nyc and there is no way in hell this would ever pass here, nor would i want it to.

however, i do see dumbasses everyday that are completely oblivious to what is going on around them. last week, a woman walking in front of me saw the green ped x-ing and nearly walked right into an on-coming firetruck that had it sirens wailing. a guy was layed out in the street receiving medical help a few months ago b/c he got hit by a car while he was x-ing an intersection on his cell phone. people (myself included) jaywalk all the time in this city and there are already enough distractions. i use an iPod, but always make sure to know where traffic is when x-ing... many don't pay attention at all.

2/7/2007 12:35:32 PM

urgh.

not all New Yorker's or liberals have this type of brillance. only the one's trying to make us all look like complete jerks.

i hope the Senate does not pass this. for the love of gods.

2/7/2007 12:37:48 PM

^^ You live in Albany?

2/7/2007 12:39:37 PM

no, nyc

2/7/2007 12:41:38 PM

^ Well, they are going to try this in Albany.

2/7/2007 12:51:34 PM

I dont think this will be enforced... I think they are just putting it into law so that if someone gets hit by a car while listening to their iPod, then its not completely the drivers fault

2/7/2007 1:22:43 PM

What? No cartoon or goofy picture?

2/7/2007 1:22:44 PM

Quote :

"I dont think this will be enforced... I think they are just putting it into law so that if someone gets hit by a car while listening to their iPod, then its not completely the drivers fault"

It's the drivers fault if they're not following traffic laws. It's the pedestrians fault if they're jaywalking.

2/7/2007 1:37:09 PM

I live in NYC and there's no way this would ever happen. I also have an iPod (who doesn't up here) and whereas I can't hear as much when I'm walking around I'm usually paying more attention to my surroundings. I always look before crossing the street regardless of what the sign tells me, and I always look both ways b/c I was once almost clipped by a police car driving the wrong way on a one way street (no flashing lights on, and at the time i wasn't using an iPop).

$100 is pretty crazy too. Jaywalking is a $2 fine, but no cop is gonna actually do something if you're doing it, lol.

2/7/2007 1:42:49 PM

you should see how many morons almost get creamed crossing Western for this same reason

2/7/2007 1:45:10 PM

ok, now they're trying to legislate my ADD? they've gone too far...

seriously, doesn't this prick have anything better to do

2/7/2007 2:13:12 PM

This is the fucker who wants to take away your iPods, Albany. Could Raleigh be next?

Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn)

[Edited on February 7, 2007 at 11:45 PM. Reason : What a fucking douche bag! ]

2/7/2007 11:44:04 PM

if you post pictures of people does it make everything they say insignificant?
local republican with funny picture
national republicans with funny pictures

2/7/2007 11:53:18 PM

^ Uh. . .if I'm not mistaken, this is an official photo from the senator's office. I can't help that his proposed legislation sucks--significantly--and he looks like a douche bag.

[Edited on February 8, 2007 at 12:17 AM. Reason : .]

2/8/2007 12:15:06 AM

I have lost count of republicans have enacted bills decreasing my personal freedoms. Last time i checked i couldn't play online poker for money b.c of legislations passed and signed by bush. this guy about the ipods is a loose cannon and his bill will not pass.


imho if you are not paying attention and get hit by a car while listening to ipod then it is your own damn fault.

[Edited on February 8, 2007 at 12:20 AM. Reason : l]

2/8/2007 12:19:29 AM

LOL! So now walking around NY will be like flying. You cross a street, and there will be a sign on the other side: "It is now safe to use approved, portable, electronic devices."

2/8/2007 3:12:21 AM

First off, after looking into this. Its not for Albany, its for the entire state, and applies to any cites with a population greater than 100,000 (or was it 1 million? nah, must be 100,000).

It won't pass, but if it did how fucking retarded would it be?!. It only takes 1 minute or so to walk a city block. So you pretty much couldn't use the iPod at all.

2/8/2007 1:42:16 PM

to be fair, how many legislators actually own an ipod?

and are cd players not included in the proposed ban? cell phones (like someone else said)?

2/8/2007 1:51:28 PM

It appears everything with headphones such as CD players, iPods, Walkmans, etc., cell phones, and blackberries. People call it the iPod bill because its a catchy name.

2/8/2007 5:52:50 PM

Even if you can get past the sheer stupidity of the bill, there are so many Wall Street and other big money makers that are so tied to their cells and Blackberries that this wouldnt be able to pass just due to them

2/8/2007 5:56:56 PM

A famous woman once said:

"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."

2/8/2007 6:17:27 PM

Seems like there is more of a case for Ipods being illegal then say seatbelts being required. I'm not going to cause an accident by not wearing my seatbelt, but by zoning out to some tunes I certainly could end up putting an unsightly dent in someone's automobile.

Anyway, neither of those things should be illegal, instead we ought to punish people when they actually jaywalk or hurt someone through careless actions. Preventitive laws are asinine.

2/8/2007 6:48:32 PM

At least he ain't proposing gun bans

2/8/2007 7:03:34 PM

btw- this is the same state that managed to ban cell phones while driving. dont assume this wont pass.

2/8/2007 7:33:22 PM

Quote :

"First off, after looking into this. Its not for Albany, its for the entire state, and applies to any cites with a population greater than 100,000 (or was it 1 million? nah, must be 100,000)"

TKE-Teg

Right you are--my mistake.

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation" (Thomas B. Reed, 1886).

2/8/2007 9:16:12 PM

^i was wondering why Republicans in 2002 to 2006 seemed so intent on destroying congress' power over the president. now i know.

2/8/2007 9:49:05 PM

^ ?

2/8/2007 9:52:50 PM

you are a grad student? jesus i am embarrased for this school.
step 1 "One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation" (Thomas B. Reed, 1886).
step 2 bush declares a holy war on everything that is to the left of jerry fallwell
step 3 republican controlled congress says "you wont hear any questions out of me"
step 4 i make a joke, based in reality, implying that repbulicans in congress agreed with the quote and thought they would trust the president to eradicate evil

2/8/2007 9:59:47 PM

Quote :

"you are a grad student? jesus i am embarrased for this school."

Man, shut the fuck up. This thread is about a stupid idea from a New York Democrat. Hold your venom and try to focus on the topic.

2/8/2007 10:55:59 PM

i got distracted by you posting a picture of the guy as if his looks were relevant

2/8/2007 11:37:06 PM

^ So, if he were to sport, say, a beard combover and wear a Cap'n Crunch uniform to work every day, it wouldn't matter? Looks matter, dude. I didn't make the rules.

2/9/2007 12:35:14 AM

^ i wonder what you look like

2/9/2007 1:40:55 AM

^ I look good enough, man. Are you actually defending this guy? And guess what, genius? I'm not putting myself under public scrutiny for proposing what almost everyone agrees is an idiotic law.

2/9/2007 1:53:11 AM

i think the law as proposed is retardedpoorly conceived and doomed to fail.

so what if the guy is unattractive. it he were buff and blonde, would the proposed law be any less retardedpoorly conceived and doomed to fail?

whats your point, anyhow? talk about personal attacks. your major criticism of him is how he looks, for chrissakes.

lets see you put a picture of yourself in your profile. then if youre fat or bald or ugly, we can dismiss anything you say on account of it.

amirite?


[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 2:30 AM. Reason : i gotta quit pokin fun at retardsthe mentally disabled]

2/9/2007 2:27:54 AM

^ I am NOT fucking bald!

[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 2:42 AM. Reason : PS: I don't want my face shopped next to a bag of dicks or something worse!]

2/9/2007 2:41:03 AM

i <3 living in a police state.

2/9/2007 3:18:21 AM

I heard this guy speaking on the radio about banning the use of cell phones while walking down the street as well, and made no qualms about fining/giving jail time to those who use iPods or cell phones while walking.

2/9/2007 11:09:37 AM

They should probably include gum and eating food in this ban to, just so they don't miss anything. Oh, and scratching your ass too.

2/9/2007 1:04:42 PM

Saying you can't listen to music while you cross the street is kind of like saying you have to be listening as well as looking while you cross the street. So technically this should ban deaf people from crossing streets. And I don't even want to know what they think blind people should be doing.

2/9/2007 1:13:09 PM

Things banned in NYC:

Smoking except for places not next to anything of significance
Trans fat
...

2/9/2007 1:22:37 PM

well the no smoking ban rocks. its nice not having all your clothes stink

2/9/2007 1:37:30 PM

^agreed.

...and cell phone use is not banned for ny drivers as long as it is hands-free. i was rear-ended by by a woman talking on her cell phone when i was still in raleigh. her car got fucked up, but mine just had a few scratches.

2/9/2007 4:46:06 PM