Although initially they are a financial hit, once you have them you'll be replacing your tires half as often. In the end, you'll probably pay a pretty similar amount for tires over the life of your car.
I use them and think that everyone should, but I don't know whether making it law is the best way. It would be interesting to see if the insurance industry could/should reward people who use winter tires as they are less likely to end up kissing the rear end of another vehicle, thus reducing the likelihood of a claim. Either way, regulating it and administering it would be a nightmare.
But it is frustrating seeing people sliding around on all seasons in these temperatures. I think that part of the misconception is that winter tires are for snow. Although they help, winter tires are actually a different rubber compound and perform better in cold temperatures (which we do get a lot of here), and icy conditions (which we also get a lot of here).
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