First I'll admit to not having read the entire thread (enough to see why it is so heated even though I thought wearing a helmet was a no brainer), second is that I feel strongly about this

Now
- It seems you can get useable helmets for free if you look around. My current one was free at community event where the local Police were fitting people with the propper hemets and while it may not be top of the line it works and the price was perfect. if anything happens to me in this one I'll simply contact them and see about a replacement or at least another event where they will be fitting and giving them away

- When I was young and impressionable I remember a news story about a kid who was hit by a car, lucky for him he was wearing his helmet, the helmet broke into several pieces and that always stuck with me, I will never ride with out a helmet.