Who is Glenn Richardson? My home town listeners probably know. He's the Republican Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. By the end of this year he will have blood on his hands. Sounds rather strong, doesn't it? Well ... actions have consequences. Read on:

Several years ago, when Georgia passed its mandatory seatbelt law, the esteemed legislators in Atlanta decided to exempt pickups and light trucks. The exemption of light trucks like SUVs was later lifted, but pickup drivers can still drive around without buckling up.

Statistics show that fatalities in pickup accidents in Georgia exceed fatalities in other vehicles by 31%. You want an example? On March 15th Jack Sandifer was driving a Dodge pickup near Hawkinsville, Georgia. He lost control in the rain and hit a tree. Sandifer and his grandson died at the scene. Sandifer's wife died later at the hospital. None of them were wearing seatbelts. Georgia law didn't require it.

There is a picture of Jack Sandifer taken just after the accident. He's lying across the hood of his pickup - half in and half out of the car - his body sticking through the windshield. You can see the gash in his neck where the windshield sliced it. He was alive when the picture was taken .. but bled to death very soon after. I thought about posting it .. but out of respect for the Sandifer family I did not.

Georgia is the ONLY state in the nation where pickup trucks are exempted from mandatory seatbelt laws. There is a bill in the Georgia General Assembly this year to lift the exemption. It has already passed the Georgia Senate and there are enough votes in the House to pass it. It doesn't look like the House is going to get to vote on the bill however. I'm told that Speaker Richardson is refusing to allow it to come up for a vote. When asked why, he mutters something about government intrusion into our lives. Who knows what the real reason might be.

You want to talk about government intrusion? How about the government seizing money from me to pay for the medical treatment of idiots who don't fasten seatbelts? How about the expanded Medicaid costs? How about the danger from secondary collisions caused by people who aren't kept behind the wheel when they get into a wreck? Oh .. and how about the millions of Federal highway dollars the State of Georgia loses every year because of this pickup exemption?

And ... what about Jack Sandifer, his wife and his grandson. There's Jack ... lying on the hood of his pickup with his life pouring out of his severed neck.

Don't give me that "You're not a libertarian" crap either. You can drive your car all you want .. 24/7 .. on your own property or on the private property of another person without wearing a seatbelt. Go rent a racetrack and do it. When you elect to drive on public highways you are a party to a contract with every other driver. If that contract, which requires insurance, headlights, brakes and such as well as seatbelts, is too inconvenient for you .. then catch a cab.

How many people will die on Georgia roads during the next year because of one obstinate politician in Atlanta?

Oh ... someone asked me for Richardson's office number. Wait .. I think I have it around here somewhere. It's 404-656-5020. I'm not telling you to call. In fact, I'm asking you NOT to. He wouldn't understand what you're trying to tell him anyway. I just thought you might like to have the number on your rolodex in case you should ever need it.