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Posted on 04/13/2008 2:25:46 AM PDT by Bikers USA
Bikers urge Americans to remember Patriots Day. Activists prepare to rally for rights in North Carolina.
This request does not come from a proclamation from any politician or elected official, nor does it need to be. It is an action that we, the people, can take upon ourselves, to remind those who serve in government, that they are in office to do the will of the people rather than serve special interests.
Patriots Day 2008 will also be a day of continued activism for bikers in North Carolina. In Raleigh, we are having a Patriots Day Rally and Liberty Ride. In Asheville there will be a Freedom Ride from one county courthouse to another. The series of protest rides, called freedom rides or liberty rides, began on New Years Day with a circling around the governors mansion and freedom rides in 4 counties. Since then, there have been several such rides in counties throughout the state. We will continue the ongoing series of protests, against decades of mandatory helmet laws which have not proven to have reduced fatalities and serious injuries, have petitions signed by thousands, and have drafted legislation to repeal the helmet statute, so that motorcycle riders can lawfully decide for themsleves. North Carolina continues to have worse statistics than other states which do not have a mandatory helmet law.
Announcements of helmet law protests often stir up debate. Knowing this is going to happen, I'll start, and then I don't have to come back and answer all the stupid remarks of safety nannies. Some people, referred to as safety nannies or safety nazis, like forcing helmets onto others. These are the same type of people who pull wings off butterflies, like to put chains on people, and lock dogs in cars with windows rolled up on the hottest day of the year. While some people like helmets, others think of them as torture devices. They can be particularly uncomfortable on hot days, since the helmet prevents heat from dissipating. Hyperthermic brain damage is the third leading cause of death in the world. On long trips without windshields, the poor aerodynamics of large helmets can cause next strain within the first 30 minutes. Helmets can cause accidents, primarily from reduced vertical and horizontal field of view. When accidents ocur, heavy helmets can cause basil skull fractures. The government will deny helmets can cause accidents or contribute to injuries. Bureaucrats have careers from making statistics say what they want. Some motorists argue that since they have to wear seat belts, motorcyclists should have to wear helmets, but if motorists were forced by law to wear helmets, would they be so quick to demand this on themselves? Some people swear helmets have saved their lives. A study showed that these people report hitting their heads more than 4 times as much as average people. Even if the protest actions were to be successful and laws were changed, everyone who likes helmets would still be allowed to wear them, so it is is difficult to reason why safety nannies would still want to force their decision on others. There is a theory that these people want everyone else to wear helmets so that when they wear a helmet they will fit in. Then there are those who swear that anyone who rides without a helmet is going to end up dead. These are the same people who swear up and down that you are going to die from smoking or eating fast foods or you will die from gunfire. I wish they would make up their minds, because I can;t dies of all these things. The safety nannies also like to say they have been riding motorcycles for 30 years and wouldn't think of not wearing one. I've been riding a lot longer than you, so Mr. Expert you do not impress. Then there are people who want to force all motorcyclists to sign organ donor cards. Hey, don't you realize there are many more people who die from auto accidents?
The type of people involved in fighting helmet laws are likely to be veterans. We are also the kind of people who draw the line in the sand to tell the government no more taking of our rights! This is not about helmets. It is about rights, liberty, and freedom. The show of support is for our country, the land, the people, our Constitution, and Bill of Rights. You're in America. Get used to it!
“Then there are people who want to force all motorcyclists to sign organ donor cards.”
Well Dilbert, I am not interested in your signing a organ donor card. You can keep your organs. However, what I do want you to sign in order for you to act out your right of self expression is a waiver to medical car should you t-bone an evil SUV with your head. It’s my belief that I have a right to not be billed for your stupidity. By the way, I am all for the right to be stupid. I have been there and done that more times than I can count...
....I hear you Snoringbear...if ole Dilbert wants to spatter his brains all over the pavement that’s his business....I don’t feel like paying for it however...our rural county hospital went $1 million in the red last year....why give them more exposure to loss?
snoringbear,
I am glad that you have pointed out financial responsibility. I feel that you have not been paying for any motorcyclists and that you are mistaken. I would be inclined to believe you and reimburse you for your payments but, you are not able to show proof of your payment.
To further your cause, I would recommend that you contact your insurance commission and find out why motorcyclists are not entitled to the same limits of coverage or coverage at all in some cases.
I would also like to know why your state has not fined the inattentive drivers in your state an equivalent amount of a death benefit. I understand when you have reduced your argument from death to maiming and I will address that with the same formula and criteria. When the state that you live in ensures prompt payment from the driver or insurance company that is providing coverage to the injured motorcyclist.
Stupidity (a choice) cannot be quantified nor qualified based upon the choice of attire.
It is interesting that you are specific with the type of crash that you exemplify as being a t-bone. I will admit that 80 percent of motorcyclist fatalities were wearing a helmet. I will admit that more than 50 percent of motorcyclist fatalities with other vehicles are caused by the other vehicle.
It would seem that your tolerance level for stupidity and your frequent self-evident exemplary behavioral alliances is a request for motorcyclists to wear helmets because of your stupidity. You don’t believe that you should be billed for stupidity and yet you claim to be of that ilk. Do you wish to preserve your stupidity (or right to it) without tax and yet would assign a tax to others that have a similar attribute based upon your familiarity with stupidity. With your great experience within this realm of stupidity, I am certain that you join with many like-minded individuals in expressing your feelings and bringing forth no data to substantiate your claims.
We agree that motorcyclist injuries and fatalities are costly. We do not agree that wearing a plastic hat with a chin strap lined with a beer cooler will save lives.
Got proof of your payment for someone else's medical bills related to the non-use of a motorcycle helmet?
I thought not.
Then why engage in meaningless hyperbole and outright bull excrement?
Everything one does in life is a risk.
Why single one thing out and postulate that anyone gets on a motorcycle with the intent of spattering his brains all over the pavement, with the intention of doing so, just so you would have to pay for it?
Your argument is the same argument that the gun-grabbing liberal nitwits use against the presence of handguns (or any damn gun, for that matter) in a home with children present.
...our rural county hospital went $1 million in the red last year....why give them more exposure to loss?
You ever stop to think about why that may have happened?
How about the low-life that wouldn't work and pay his bills even if you gave him a job for life, how about the welfare queens who spew babies out for a government check, one after the other, how about the meth-heads who practice an illegal and totally destructive lifestyle, any illegals in the area that use the emergency room as a routine care facility?
Give me a break.
I work every day, I earn every damn penny I put in my pocket, I pay medical insurance and I maintain my Tricare med insurance, which I also pay for, not the damn government. Nobody, I say again, nobody pays for my medical care except me.
If I fall off my motorcycle and break my head, you can rest assured that YOU will not have to pay for my care, whether I had a damn helmet on or not.
So let me ask you this:
If I had a helmet on and still broke my head, would you feel better about paying for my care, or is your knee-jerk reaction directed only to those that choose not to exercise what should be an individual decision?
How about smokers, that later contract lung cancer?
How about diabetics, whose disease is exacerbated by their obesity?
Tell me, please, just who and under what circumstances, you would choose for "care"?
If you're against having a gun in the home where a child resides and the child is accidently shot, would you advocate denial of payment for care of the child, since a "risky behavior" was present?
You don't pay my damn bills and I ain't responsible for yours and the fact that your mismanaged rural hospital is in the red for damn sure isn't the fault of a motorcycle rider that chooses not to wear a helmet. You may pay inflated prices as a result of the use of the facilities by the aforementioned low-lifes, but that's because some damn liberal bleeding heart politician got a law passed that states a hospital cannot deny emergency medial care, even if it ain't an emergency.
And then you have the tort-happy ambulance chasing shysters that encourage the welfare queens and the hypochondriacs to sue for every damn imagined ill and injury that was ever written about in a medical book.
Somebody has to pay for that inflated medical malpractice insurance. You can lay claim to that, then, if you must have something that you want to complain about.
Have a nice day.
GoldIron, I don't have the time or inclination to respond to your lengthy ramblings. But yep, I do claim to be of that ilk - done and still do stupid things. And yep, I do believe that it is my responsibility to pay for these acts and not others to pay.
Btw, I have been a licensed motorcycle rider since the oil embargo of the 70’s. Although I do not currently own a two wheeler, I do intend to purchase one soon. Having just returned from a two year stint in China during which I rode a motor scooter in Shanghai traffic daily, I am well aware of the perils of riding a two wheeler when surrounded by idiots - lots of idiots in fact.
Btw, just fyi for you, I reside in the Great State of Texas (still hoping to regain our national solvernty someday) in which it is legal to ride a motorcycle sans helmet. Also, there is no additional premium charged by insurance companies for those riding without a helmet. So, medical cost for accidents to those riding without a helmet is indeed passed on to others whether it through insurance premiums or emergency room costs, etc. Well, gotta go do something stupid, cheers...
At first, I thought it might be piling on. But, after noting your last rant, I can see that you still don’t understand.
What we are discussing here is FREEDOM! Your government is running your life on fear. I hate to expose you to this, but....we’re all gonna die. Whether we smoke, ride a motorcycle or lay in bed all day, we cannot extend our lives.
Our government has made money useless, so let’s not argue over how it is thrown away.
We bikers believe in INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM. Do you see kids riding bicycles anymore? I don’t. Because of the helmet/pads laws here.
The nannies want us all under their control. Please, wake up and join us.
Oh yeah... that’s a real good debate tactic also. Namecalling. Hmm, how could I have forgotten that one.
The old “I’m not going to pay your hospital bills argument” is not a valid argument. You are not willing to make this argument against all people who get in an accident. You also make it sound like treatment of motorcyclists are an extremely significant percent of hospital costs that are picked up by the public. Exactly what is that percent? I have seen figures like 0.000014%. Since you made the claim, then what kind of figures have you seen?
If you want to rein in hospital costs, I suggest you start with all the mistakes doctors are making.
...and it seems I have found a couple of them!! Do you really think you pay for motorcycle accidents? Most people today ride $20,000 plus motorcycles,,which are way more expensive than your $2,000 pickups. We just make more money than you guys and can afford the better things in life. Fact of life, so try not to be to jealous. I believe thats where most of your anger comes from. Now as for insurance,,we pay into the insurance pool exactly like any other. When we wreck, and its our fault,,our insurance companies pays for all damages to restore everything back to the way it originally was,,JUST like everyone else insurance companies.But Bikers tend to carry much more insurance than the average vehicle driver, remember, our machines are worth more than your trucks. Bikers have higher paying jobs than the average citizen. Once again, thats a fact. We also have health insurance that we pay for, exactly like all other average citizens, and our health insurance is as good if not better than most others. Now for some statistics. On average,, people who are involved in accidents and die of head injuries, the statistics break down into these categories. 6 % of the people who die each year of head injuries are motorcycle riders. 7 % are bicycle riders and 13 % are pedestrians. Thats right, 13 % of them are pedestrians, so why not require them all to wear helmets when out and about on the streets walking? NOW,, 62 % of the people who die of head injuries are in automobiles. Thats the cars, and pickups like yours. I suggest we make a law that requires you all to wear helmets also. I mean why should I have to pay for your accidents, as you put it. A big 62 % compared to 6 %! In making that remark of paying for automobile accident hospital bills, I have to be making an assumption that most of those drivers are not carrying health insurance, and many are not as we know. It’s a small percentage I’m sure. Just like it is a very small percentage of motorcycle riders who don’t have health insurance. But would I rather pay for a small percentage of 62 % or a small percentage of 6 %? If your hospital went into the red last year, I can assure you it wasn’t from the small percentage of motorcycle riders who don’t carry health insurance. Most likely from older automobile drivers who are on Medicare and Medicaid and can’t afford private insurance, and so the hospitals must accept the small token payments they get from the government for treating these folks with Medicare. And add to that the small percentage of the 62 % of automobile drivers who spatter, (I mean splatter) their brains all over the roads and who don’t have health insurance of any kind, not even Medicare and now you have somewhere to begin placing your blame. Please stop being igmos, and next time try looking at the entire picture before you post biased opinions for others to see.
Stonewalls,
It is unfortunate your local hospital went in the red. Why do you “really” think this happened?
I doubt that the reason your hospital went in the red is due to treatment of motorcyclists, and ask you to comment with facts if you know them. Going in the red is due to more expenses than income. If the reason the hospital went into the red is due to fewer people being gainfully employed or adequately insured or too many lawsuits, that is believable.
According to bean counters, motorcyclists have higher than average incomes, and better than average insurance, so I doubt treatment of motorcyclists is a contributing factor.
I have seen motorcyclists participating in charity rides to raise money for hospitals. I have seen those same hospitals try to tell the motorcyclists they must wear helmets in order to go on the next charity ride, and motorcyclists are telling them they can go elsewhere for their charity. I agree and will no longer go on such rides. For anyone to force a device onto someones head wreaks of nazism.
Please join those patriots who are telling the government they will not be allowed to rule every aspect of our lives.
LMAO...when it comes to the freedom of others...many let their liberal side show...
I think ALL drivers should wear helmets and goalie outfits.....why should I pay for their head and other injuries?
If a helmet and a goalie outfit for auto drivers would save just one life...it’s worth it...right?
Goldiron, thanks for your astute comments and devotion to freedom.
For the record, in North Carolina, virtually all motorcyclists for more than three decades were killed or several injured while wearing helmets. The government puts the percentage at something like 94%, because they lump in off-road ATV use. If they were to look solely at motorcyclists on public roads, it is 99.999%.
Aw, don't take the name calling too personal. After all, I did refer to myself as stupid. So, that evens it up doesn't it?
Sure, “I'm not going to pay your hospital bills” is a valid argument. wizr built his thesis upon “personal freedom” and it being infringed upon. Well, doesn't personal responsibility go hand in hand with personal freedom? Seems to me there can not really be one without the other. And, just because motorcycle medical cost due to head injuries may be a small percentage of our total medal cost here in the U.S., it doesn't mean that this should not be channeled to where it belongs. Now that's personal responsibility/personal freedom - linked hand in hand...
Snoringbear,
Certainly, you understand that insurance companies assign people to risk pools and charge them accordingly. If so, you will realize you will pay a lower cost for Harley insurance than you will if you get a Hayabusa, and insurance companies charge different for motorcycles than automobiles. If you buy a crotch rocket, you can only blame higher insurance rates on others in the risk pool to which you have been assigned.
Good for you for getting back on two wheels. Please support biker rights and rights for gun ownership and rights to walk down the street without having a chip implanted in your arm.
Our rights begin with each of us taking a stand against the government attacking the individual and regulating our every move.
If the mandatory helmet law promoters would only do their homework, they might learn a thing or two. Namely:
1. Motorcycle fatality rates per riders are marginally higher in states with mandatory helmet laws than those without.
2. Motorcyclists are more likely to have adequate health insurance coverage than automobile drivers.
3. Automobile drives outpace motorcyclists by several orders of magnitude when it comes to dying of head injuries.
I have enjoyed many good times within the Great State of Texas. I am a life member of TMRA2 (Texas Motorcycle Rights Association). I highly recommend that you read what they are about and possibly join them.
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http://www.bikersrights.com/nhtsa/codesama.html
http://www.bikersrights.com/states/newyork/1967helmetstudy.html
Interesting. Is that statistic "per accident" or just a measure of all vehicle head injuries in the country?
(IOW does it account for the greater number of automobile drivers?)
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