New Jersey Seat Belt Laws Not Just for Humans Anymore

With New Jersey facing its perennial budget deficits, Governor Chris Christie has so far rebuffed Democratic efforts to adopt a millionaire's tax on the state's figurative fat cats.

Instead, he's proposed a 10 percent income tax cut that would direct 40 percent of its benefit to the top 1 percent of taxpayers. Luckily, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission knows how to make the math work. Just levy fines on the state's actual fat cats (and dogs)…

Police and animal control officers are authorized to cite drivers with animals that aren't buckled up, CBS Philly reports. Yes, that even includes the back of a pickup truck. Violators can be fined $250 to $1,000 per offense…

Dogs can be placed in harnesses that click right into the seat belt buckle. Cats don't take well to harnesses for the most part, so they need to go in a carrier. And the carrier needs to be buckled down.

Okay, yes, the fine is actually directed at the driver, but the idea that this is a measure to combat "distracted driving" is undercut by the paucity — paw-city! — of incidents in which an unsecured pet was the cause of an accident. It's mostly a revenue-raising measure. Or perhaps a subtle signal on part of Christie about the lengths he'll go to to secure Mitt Romney's favor. After all, how can we now blame Romney for strapping up that dog — in New Jersey, it's the law.

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