California Gov. Jerry Brown chastised the nanny state Wednesday with his veto of a bill that would have required kids to wear helmets when on ski slopes.
The bill would have imposed criminal penalties on a child under the age of 18 and his or her parents if the child skis or snowboard without a helmet.
“While I appreciate the value of wearing a ski helmet, I am concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from parents to the state. Not every human problem deserves a law,”
Brown wrote in a veto message letter sent to the California State Senate. “I believe parents have the ability and responsibility to make good choices for their children.”
Almost 1.3 million helmets worth an estimated $111.7 million were sold by specialty ski and snowboad shops in the 2010-11 season, according to the SIA 2011 Intelligence Report. That represented 7 percent unit growth and 18 percent dollar growth from the prior season.
