Is this just a ridiculous nanny state dictate;   Or is this a freedom test?

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency for blizzard that could bring near 3 feet of snow.

Patrick signed an executive order banning all vehicles from roadways starting at 4 p.m. today. Ban applies to all roadways, including highways and secondary roads. Any one caught driving after 4 p.m. faces up to one year in jail and $500 fine.

Patrick said the blizzard is “a profoundly different kind of storm than we have dealt with” and the projected snowfall rate of two to three inches per hour will “make safe travel nearly impossible.”

MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz said that a similar executive order banning vehicular travel went into effect after the “blizzard of ‘78” and said he is unaware of any similar ban since then.

The order is “outright ban on all roads” with no set time for when it will be lifted. There are exceptions for public utility and health care workers as well as delivery trucks and news media. Schwartz said that the maximum penalty for people who violate the ban is one year imprisonment.

There are currently 1,000 National Guard troops, and Patrick said nearly 5,000 would be in place over the course of the weekend. The Department of Transportation had 1,600 pieces of equipment on the roads around noon on Friday, and planned to bring that number up to 4,000 as the storm intensifies.  (more)