| Author | Message | ||
     Slaughter |
Tramp - (responding way late to your post) Natural selection DOES NOT WORK when it comes to self-destructive behavior. I theorize that stupid people breed early and often so that by the time they've taken themselves out of the gene pool - it's too late; they've spawned. The spawning species have very low survival rates as individuals but they breed often and in huge amounts - so as in nature, we can see that Natural Selection is really not always a factor in stupidity reproducing itself. That being said, it SHOULD be a choice - same as squidly gear (wifebeater shirt, flip-flops, shorts) - just if somebody gets hurt, don't bleed on any of my stuff. | ||
| Road_thing |
I don't care if they pass a helmet law or not. I'm gonna wear one whenever I'm on the street. But, hey...it's your head...do what you want! rt | ||
| Outrider |
I am Pro-Choice concerning helmet use. I wear a helmet when riding any type of on or off road sporting or touring bike or plan on riding any distance. For putting around the local area on my Harley, I prefer the freedom to enjoy the fresh air sans helmet. The inverse is my wife. She won't wear a helmet at all. Ergo, she rides on the back of my Wide Glide, but not on my Buell X1. Lastly, we never wear helmets when we have the top down on the Miata.  | ||
| Doughnut |
No mandatory law unless it applies to all motorists. Seat belts? | ||
| Frausty_void |
you don't wear your seat belt on your bike doughnut???? what the hell is wrong with you? don't you know those things save lives?!?!  | ||
| Jon |
For helmets. Against abortion. How about we let the baby live and then let him/her decide he/she wants to kill you when he/she's 18 years old?? | ||
| Southern Marine |
I wear a helmet because I want to see my kids grow up, that and I want to protect what few brain cells I have left. While we're at it, along with making cagers wear a helmet, throw in the HANS device. | ||
| Tramp |
slaughter: A. it was ajoke B. natural selection is not an absolute, it merely increases/decreases "risk factors". that being said, consider that the average newbie sportbike squidito/"biker Boyz" DVD onwer would elect NOt to wear a helmet, and is likely barely outta high school and has not yet spawned. remember, i'm saying "likely" and referring to relative risk. let stupidity weed 'em out. we live, currently, in a society where stupidity is rewarded. the end may not be immediately near, but you can certainly detect the lights dimming.... | ||
| Slaughter |
Tramp - I was in an arguin' kinda mood. We had almost the same discussion at work about dumbing down our culture and the fact that the dumbest seem to breed so young and so often. Stupidity in our society IS rewarded. We're only just beginning to reap what we sow. If we want to make our Nanny Government work to "protect us from ourselves" then they just should ban ALL private transportation - ...still... let the rider decide. (don't know what I'm doing at a keyboard before 5 AM - I gotta get a life) (Message edited by slaughter on August 18, 2005) | ||
| Tramp |
don't worry, slaughter...it/s nearly 8:am here! I agree- let the rider decide. gives the gary buseys an excuse for being a bit...er......."tetched"...  | ||
| Cruisin |
Frausty - don't laugh. We had a dingbat here years ago in the Vermont gov't that was trying to get a law to require seatbelts on motorcycles. I think she quickly got corrected on the stupidity of that law. | ||
| Mikej |
"I'd hate to see these laws turn into "motorcycle airbags", " Several years ago in the Milwaukee Journal, Harley-Davidson was advertising for automotive engineers with air bag technology experience. | ||
| Tripp |
so far i've tallied approx. 18 for right to choose, 3 for mandatory helmet and, 7 on the fence, don't care, no opinion, or laws with certain conditions. i'm for right to choose, my wife was for mandatory law. | ||
| Brucelee |
For all the "its my head, I won't wear a helmet" guys. Are you OK with the Docs turning off your respirator. Are you willing to buy special insurance so that "society" will not have to pay to keep you alive for ten years? If so, you got my vote. If not, put the bucket on. | ||
| Rick_a |
I think everyone deserves the right to choose. States want to push these laws only for the bottom line (or bottom dollar). I'll always wear one. Hell, I even wear one when I ride my mountain bike...and I never thought I'd see that day! | ||
| Bruce_bueller |
A FEW YEARS BACK A MASSACHUSETTS MAN TRYING TO ARGUE FOR "RIGHT TO CHOOSE" WORE A FULL FACE HELMET IN A CAR, HE WAS PULLED OVER AND WRITEN UP BECAUSE THE HELMET "OBSTRUCTED HIS VIEW OF THE ROAD". NOW MOST OF US WOULD SAY HE MADE HIS POINT, WELL NOT THIS GUY HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH HIS HELMET AND WAS WRITEN UP 2 OR 3 MORE TIMES UNTILL THE JUDGE TOLD HIM IF HE CONTINUES TO DO THIS HE WOULD LOOSE HIS RIGHT TO DRIVE ANYTHING. IT WAS KIND OF A BIG STORY 'ROUND HERE BECAUSE MASS HAS A HELMET LAW AND N.H DOESN'T. I'M FOR RIGHT TO CHOOSE. IF YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK THATS FINE. THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS THAT IF YOU DONT DIE BUT ONLY HAVE "SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES" THAT PERSON BECOMES A HUGE BURDON ON SOCIETY LEAVING THE TAX PAYERS TO PICK UP THE BILL. MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO BE INVOLVED WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE MOTORCYCLE RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO "OR READING" MY OPINION. Well everyone except ... Captain Obvious. AND REMEMBER EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE. (Message edited by bruce_bueller on August 18, 2005) | ||
| Dustyjacket |
....exercise your right to use upper- and lower-case letters....... | ||
| Panic |
I hate government intrusion into my personal life. Especially when it's my tax money being wasted on life-time care for someone who decided to "be free" (drink too much, use bad drugs, ride on the roof of a train, bang with a gang, or not wear a helmet). Want to engage in dangerous activities? Sure, be my guest, here are your 3 choices: 1. $50,000,000 bond to cover your projected med expenses if injured. 2. helmet 3. waiver of informed consent: "I understand what I'm doing, and permanently and irrevocably waive any form of insurance or public money on my part and the part of my heirs and administrators, blah." This will also lower your insurance premium quite a bit. When you awaken from the initial trauma of the crash, don't look for the ambulance, they found your waiver in their data base and can't help. Try to crawl to the side of the road before expiring - someone may crash trying to avoid you. | ||
| Slaughter |
Panic and Brucelee - you are holding the one argument against "letting the rider decide" that I can't resolve with a simple one-liner: that of the cost to society for the uninsured or underinsured or especially somebody riding without protective gear and an advanced directive. I have purchased insurance that covers me for motorcycle road racing, flying, and scuba diving out of country and I have also made my wishes known to Sunny about when I want the plug pulled if the worst should happen I had to face that decision while coming to as they were loading me into the ambulance with at least 6 broken bones, detached retina, blown sinus, crushed helmet and a monster subdural hematoma in February's racing high-side at Willow Springs and them telling me in ICU that if the internal bleed didn't stop, they'd have to open my skull. Brain injury scares me - and so I tried to cover all my bases ahead of time. As I came to tied to the backboard - clueless about where I was or what had happened, my only concern was having Sunny know where I was so she could act as referee if I went out for the last time. As it was, 'twasn't necessary and in a couple months, I'll be racing again - but I think most street riders DON'T consider the possible results of their folly. I also don't believe in a Nanny Government but have to balance that against the cost to society. Personally, I'd rather pay to keep a brain dead rider alive long enough to harvest the organs than I'd pay to school the children of criminals. (Message edited by slaughter on August 18, 2005) | ||
| Tramp |
s- laughter said: "Personally, I'd rather pay to keep a brain dead rider alive long enough to harvest the organs than I'd pay to school the children of criminals." genius.slaughter | ||
| Blake |
Panic and Bruce_lee, Do you want to apply that same logic to all risky behavior, like say to just riding a motorcycle? Slippery slope. Should the gov force everyone to pay for the misfortune of others? Friends, family, community can do that. No insurance? Bad judgement has its consequences. | ||
| Bomber |
helmets -- let the rider choose I've never seen any data showing the injured mototrcyclists presented a great cost to society than uninsured motorists of the 4-wheeled nature, skydivers, boaters, horseback riders, bicyclists (who get espeically fisky during the TdeFrance, have you noticed ;-} ) -- in short, the "right" of society to protect itself against some threat is founded upon the threat existing society protects itself against the threat of foreign agression -- it voted for a centralized gubmint, and gave said body the right to raise militias and armies -- but, and it's a big, er, point, the threat of aggression (defined in anyway that suits) is real, has happened, and is quantifiable, I believe not so, yet, with the biker as vegetable on the state's dime for 3 decades argument -- I'm sure there are some example of these brussel sprouts, but how many, and how many constitute a threat suitable to creat legislation to save us from it? | ||
| Daves |
I want the freedom to choose to wear a helmet or not I want to own as many guns as I want/need I want to hunt animals and eat them | ||
| Dana P. |
Sheesh what else do you want???LOL | ||
| Kandie |
If I wear a helmet or not should be up to me. I think someone is wanting deer season to hurry up and get here. | ||
| Henrik |
Just to throw a wrench in the machinery; I've heard mentioned that back yard pools are an even bigger cause of serious injury and death than motorcycles  Henrik | ||
| Tramp |
if more people were hunting animals and eating them, as i do, i probably wouldn't have this chronic, debilitating lyme disease eating up my nervous system. | ||
| Tom_b |
Hey, I'm a member of PETA! People Eating Tasty Animals.I wear my helmet sometimes, I swim in my backyard pool, haven't got killed or seriously maimed yet after 40 yrs of pool swimming and 32 yrs of cycle riding I just don't think we need anymore laws protecting us from ourselves. Look how long DUI laws have been on the books. There are actually more people killed from drunk drivers than ever before, let the govt. crack down harder on that instead of helmet and seatbelt laws, or what about blabbing on cell phones while driving. How many people here have had near death experience with those idiots. The helmet law debate is a no win situation. I guess a law that say if you are seriously incapacitated because of your own stupitidy regardless of helmet, driving without seatbelt or whatever would absolve the govt. of any responsibility would there be a need for a helmet or seatbelt law or would the govt. still be trying to protect us? (Message edited by Tom B on August 19, 2005) | ||
| Buellkowski |
I would support insurance policies that pay -zero- for any claimant found not to be wearing a helmet. The folks who dole out the money get to make the rules. | ||
| Davegess |
I would support insurance policies that don't pay out if your are over weight or don't get enouugh exercise.  Not to bust your chops Buellk but insurance should look at the risks before issuing insurance and than pay out when an event occurs. Not come up with reasons to not pay out after takin gyour money. |
