"that's THEIR responsibility, not ours."

[Amanda Perez <amandaperez@ureach.com>]

RE: "Why must the government, or AERC, or anyone else, be 
responsible for protecting people from themselves?"  If people 
choose to do something the rest of us consider 
dangerous, that's THEIR responsibility, not ours."

Sorry, not so.  The consequences of their actions effect more 
than just themselves.  When someone ends up disabled there is a 
societal cost.  If you end up unable to work and don't have a 
wealthy faimily, you will in all likelyhood end up on some form 
of public assitance: medicaid, welfare, etc.  We ALL pay for 
that.  Plus your injury costs your insurer bucks, which they 
make up by raising ALL our rates.   And when little Cliffy or 
whomever gets his brains scrambled and needs special education, 
are little Cliffy's mommy and daddy going to pay for that out 
of their own pocket?  Probably not: all the tax-payers in their 
school districy cough up. And don't forget all those bozos who 
do stupid things, hurt themselves, then turn around and SUE 
whomever they think has deep-pockets, resulting in still higher 
insurance premiums.  Let a few ride managers or sanctioning 
orgs get sucessfully sued and watch organized endurance vanish! 

Sorry, folks, no man is an island.  There are societal costs 
that can't be avoided and it is selfish and self-centered to 
think otherwise.  This does not just apply to riding but to 
motercycles, cigarette smoking etc.  Yes life is risky - all 
the more reason to avoid the hazards we can.  It is not that 
big a hardship to wear a helmet, and your loved-ones and fellow 
tax-payers will appreicate it even if you don't value your own 
skull.

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