You can't legislate stupidity, but you sure as hell can tax it.People pay "Stupid Taxes" everyday (late fees on credit cards, overdraft fees at the bank, outrageous interest rates, parking/speeding tickets, etc...) Stupid has a price, and treestand safetyisanother area where we could tap the coffers of the mentally challenged.

Treestand safety is a financial burden that is borne by everyone EXCEPT the victim.

Think about it: These aren't the John D. Rockefellers of the world who are tumbling to their doom. These are blue-collar workin' folk with maybe a few grand in the bank, a pickup truck and maybe a little bit of home equity.

These guys fall out of their stands and rack up several lifetimes' worth of medical costs, which are passed on to who? That's right. You. The taxpayer. The insurance buyer.Bend over, fellas.

Congratulations, America: now YOU'RE stuckpaying somebody else's stupid tax.

So, IMO, anything that can help stop it - I'm all for it. This is a high-stakes game, and millions of our dollars are put at risk by every guy who is too lazy or ignorantor stupid to strap in.

Sure, the victim's life will be ruined, but I'm not really concerned about him. He took a known risk and lost. The real victims here are the working class folks who have to go out and pay outrageous insurance premiums b/c some fool racked up $375,000 in medical bills, without a penny in his pocket.

It would also be a good door opener to establish reasonable cause for WCO's to spot-check hunters in the stand. A lot of you guys might not realize it, but a very high percentage of DUI and drug-relatedarrests were a direct result of seatbelt laws which permit troopers to establish cause to pull over suspicious vehicles, and perform a "seatbelt check." LOL

Same thing here - a WCO wants to check a known poacher - he can now walk right up to his stand and ask to see his harness. That opens the door.