Originally Posted by
LesterOfPuppets
While it may not be an accurate enough paraphrasing of the feelings you portrayed your wife having for your tastes, it kinda goes along with the dropping the unhelmeted patient off in a wheelbarrow after his bennies run out sentiment.
You see, AM, there are a number of helmet fanatic stereotypes. You've covered two of the most popular. The angry, my damn taxes are payin' for your brain surgery stereotype. A lot of these folks also go for "He didn't care enough to wear a helmet; why should I care enough to help him?" So sorry if you don't wanna be lumped in there, but they're pretty similar.
Next huge stereotype you went for in your first post in this thread is the folks who incorrectly think that people that die who don't happen to be wearing helmets when they do so is pertinent to Darwinism. Yeah, Darwin awards are funny. Yeah, saying that not wearing a helmet 24/7 somehow qualifies someone for the awards makes you feel smart and superior because you do wear a helmet 24/7, but it's just plain wrong. Theoretically, if helmet wearing for all types of cycling saved lives in any great quantity, then natural selection would seem to allow folks with poor bike handling skills and situational awareness more of a chance to reproduce. This dilutes the bike handling skills and situational awareness of the gene pool. Bad news for the cycling race.
The "when your money/bennies run out" was the PRECURSER. This is a monetary item but some were intent to slam my wife's profession. Anyone can do almost whatever they like in this country, but in an instance where you choose not to do what is recommended by those who have to fix you (AMA etc) and your actions drain all your resources how is it your bill is paid? If you choose not to wear a helmet, fine, you know the final outcome if your insurance runs dry. If you follow the "nanny states" regulations you will be covered by the tax payers. We in this United States all pay for the guy who chooses to go for the minimums and tempts fate. Why? Should you be the gambler, go for minimum insurance why do we have to pay? Actually why do American hospitals have to absorb a bunch, the states reimburse part and the feds at times? And in the end we the American taxpayer......only speaking of this country
You can choose to wear a helmet or not, I should be able to choose not to have to pay for you when some protection is possible and you refuse that course. But the Flat Earth Society still exists so this will never be resolved in the near future.
In the state of PA more people die per year now than before the (motorcycle) helmet law was withdrawn. Black and white. Some will die regardless, some will die because the small bucket of foam was not cool. My bud died without a helmet, no I don't know if it would have saved his melon, we'll never know now, but it just may have in that instance.