A few days ago, the Michigan state Senate voted to repeal the law requiring all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. The Governor still needs to sign it into law, but, according to those who have talked with Snyder, it seems like a done deal, assuming he can somehow use the opportunity to also address auto insurance reform. So, soon, after nearly four decades of Nanny State-imposed bullshit, it looks as though the men and women of Michigan will once again have the opportunity to experience those few precious seconds of real, true, skull-shattering freedom that one gets to enjoy as they fly headfirst, toward certain death… One hopes that this is just the beginning, and that child safety seats, fire escapes and tornado warning sirens are the next to go… The following clip comes from the Detroit Free Press:
…The previous Legislature twice repealed the helmet requirement, but former Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed the repeal, citing the health costs paid by the state when uninsured riders are injured.
Opponents of the helmet law are pushing for repeal for the 19th time since the law was enacted in 1969. They feel their chances are pretty good this time since Republicans control the Legislature and governor’s office…
Opponents say repeal would mean increased costs for medical care and insurance.
“The first hour in an emergency room for someone gravely ill is over $20,000 almost always,” Kahn said. “Those folks who are disabled or become mentally incapable of functioning any longer end up in a nursing home, and their costs are more than $30,000 a year for as long as they live.”
Gloria Freeland of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, which manages the state’s no-fault motorist fund, agreed.
“Fatalities are not the issue. It’s the people who survive and the extent of the injuries sustained,” she said.
Michigan is the only state with a no-fault law for motorists providing unlimited money for auto-related medical expenses that exceed a preset threshold.
The money for the fund, assessed by the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, is collected from insurance companies, who pass it on to motorists by adding it onto the insurance rates.
Since the fund takes care of an individual over a lifetime, it isn’t unusual for one claim to cost millions of dollars because of medical bills, prescriptions, house modifications or caretaker costs…
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Snyder has in mind when it comes to insurance reform, but my guess is that there will be a cap of some sort imposed so that we, the taxpayers, are no longer obliged to contribute, by way of our auto insurance premiums, toward the lifelong care of those injured on our roads and highways. So, prepare to start seeing a great many more mangled men and women panhandling in our downtown areas, and along the Washtenaw corridor… In the meantime, I thought that you might like an opportunity to discuss this article from yesterday’s Washington Post: Here’s a clip:
Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike’s handlebars and hit his head on the pavement…
Welcome to the budding Libertarian paradise that is America. God willing, next 4th of July, we’ll be celebrating in a country without big government stop lights.
14 Comments
Well, really the solution is to just get rid of health insurance entirely and let the free market determine whether people wear helmets or not.
But think of all the transplant people!!! Just oodles of new fresh organs to save those in need!
No more harvesting from the Chinese!
Americans deserve American organs!!!
4th of July!!!!
America F*** yeah.
I read that about the guy in New York who died, and my first thought was that he’d been a plant put there by the manufacturers of motorcycle helmets. I wonder how much the going rate is for a human life on the open market.
I’m told that ER people refer to this particular mode of transportation as “donorcycles,” so perhaps the silver lining is that a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t will suddenly be able to get the transplants they need?
Ew
Repealing this law is stupid. They might as well repeal seatbelts and everything else. I do like the idea of upping the number of available organs though. That would be a plus.
I blame the hipsters who tool around towns throughout Michigan on mopeds without wearing helmets. A motorcycle rider can only watch as skinny mustached young men and women fly through Depot Town on bike night with the wind stroking their thick trails of black hair before they’re gonna demand equal rights.
Every thread should have a, “I blame hipsters” comment. Thank you for starting what I hope to be a trend.
Also, I’m wondering if organ donation can be made mandatory for those who choose to ride without helmets.
His corpse is currently in third place in the crowded N.Y. Republican primary.
I hate to laugh at the dead guy but it is funny. Kind of like the animal cruelty activist who was trampled to death by the pigs the group “freed”.
Couple thoughts:
1. If hospital costs are the problem, shouldn’t repealing the helmet law help? More instant death, less lingering brain damage?
2. When I was learning to ride a motorcycle, one of the pearls of wisdom I got from an experienced rider was, “The helmet’s not there to save your life in a crash. It’s there so you can have an open-casket funeral after a crash.” He was one of the most pro-helmet riders I’ve ever known, but always cautioned against getting a false sense of security.
I think it’s insane to ride a motorcycle on Michigan roads with or without a helmet. At 70mph you’re dead if you don’t manage to avoid one of our many road craters. I have no problem if someone wants to tempt fate by not wearing a helmet. Thins the herd. I would rather not pay for it though.
Stop the insanity and legalize highway car surfing today!
A world with helmets would not have produced Gary Busey.