From: bright@unlv.edu (Paul Conte)
Subject: Re: Freedom, Social Responsibility, Individual Responsibility
Organization: Highly Organized
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 22:02:04 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.135700.1991@bmerh85.bnr.ca> paynter@bnr.ca (Stuart Paynter) writes:
>[lottsa stuff deleted].............
>
>|>  It is MY skull that is cracked open, not anyone else's.  And as I said in a previous post, I think it is silly to think that ANYONE would see reduced insurance prices if there were mandatory helmet laws.  In fact, in Minnesota where we are required to
> have car insurance, for example, it raised insurance prices since one of the basic concepts of capitalism is violated:  I don't have the choice NOT to purchase the product.
>|>
>I don't usually like to comment on such things as pesonal freedom but here 
>I go....  Yes it is your skull.  By you cracking your skull open, you 
>affect (possibly)
>
>     - any people that may present when the accident occured
>     - ambulance/paramedics/fire/police who have to come and patch
>       you up
>     - hospital emergency staff
>     - hospital staff (doctors, nurses, orderlies, kitchen staff
>       etc etc) while you recover.
>     - any person who also needs the hospital bed you are occupying
>     - your (and/or your employers) medical insurance
>     - every other person on that medical insurance plan
>     - your FAMILY who worries about you
>     - your employer/customers while you are away from work
>     - lawyers/judges/court employees if there is a lawsuit
>
>
>There are more.  I am not flaming anyone who believes in the right to choose.
>I just want to point out that we cannot treat some of our choices as only
>affecting ourselves, and that this reason cannot be used as a strong arguement
>for that right.
>

I don't mean to flame either, but shit! every single fucking thing you
do affects every single fucking person's life, alive and yet unborn!
Now, do you suddenly feel a strong responsibility for the lives of all
those people?  You probably don't because you are an INDIVIDUAL.  Yes,
this is alt.individualism (or at least cross-posted).

So are you going to tell me what kind of clothes I can wear because it
affects your mood?  Or the mood of the guy sitting next to me who may
get on a plane and go into your home and strangle you because of the
color scheme of my jacket?

All those points you listed above have no logical basis in deciding
whether helmet laws are right or not.  Geesh!  Are you going to tell
bicyclists what kind of bikes they can ride now?  You don't want an
"ugly" bike to distract a motorist who suddenly swerves into your lane
causing a huge pile-up, do you?

Take some responsibility for yourself!

By the way, I sincerely apologize (really) if I sounded a little
harsh.  :-)

>
>
> 
>|> Charles.
>|> --
>|> Charles Ganzhorn			E/Mail:  ccganzhorn@mmm.com
>|> 3M IS&DP Network Services		AT&T:	 +1 612 736 7122
>|> St. Paul, MN				FAX:	 +1 612 736 7689


Paul Conte	   		"Those who know what's best for us...
bright@unlv.edu	    		 MUST RISE AND SAVE US FROM OURSELVES."
Computer Science					- Rush

	         Don't Blame Me: I Voted Libertarian
Newsgroups: seattle.general,pnw.general,alt.society.civil-liberty,misc.talk.politics,alt.activism,alt.individualism,rec.bicycles.misc,talk.politics.misc