I just heard yesterday that apparently today is going to be a protest ride and ppl are riding without their helmets for 1 hour. Why would anyone want to do this? to me it is just a stupid idea that is going to get somebody killed, I'm sorry if I am offending you but I'd rather protest some of the possibly new bike laws coming up in other ways rather than risk my life by riding with no helmet on. Has anyone else heard of these "protest rides"?
sans helmet protest ride?
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Last year they had one of these protest runs in upstate NY, and one of the guys on that protest run fell off his bike and cracked his skull and died. Doctors all stated that had he worn a helmet he would have lived. Go Figure... I live in a state that does not require a helmet and always wear one anyways, but I am also a firm believer in its your life. People should be free to decide.
I completely agree that it is a persons choice and they shouldn't be controlled by whatever the government chooses to be a good idea... I just think there are more productive ways to express that rather than risking your life. Although, the part that I would agree with when it comes to helmets is if im just moving my bike from one side of a parking lot to another, I don't want to hear people bitching at me if I dont wear my helmet for those 20 seconds that I'm moving at all of 5 mph.
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I understand the "live and let live" philosophy to a certain degree. But up here in Canada we have universal health care, paid for by tax dollars. So dude who goes riding with no helmet, falls, cracks his skull, and has to live off machines for the rest of his life is putting a huge financial burden on the taxpayers. That's why I support the helmet laws here in Ontario.
And no, I don't think universal health care is the problem. We treasure our health system.
They'd have to pry it from our cold dead hands.
And no, I don't think universal health care is the problem. We treasure our health system.
They'd have to pry it from our cold dead hands.
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lmao....keep your socialism manwormburner said:
deff. agree with you 100%. didn't mean to start any debates on conflicts with this post though haha, it was just my rant because I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this guy say this.. he WAS going to be my tattoo artist and then I changed... I'm glad I changed who I'm having do it because I just couldn't get myself to support somebody like that.
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Sounds to me like that helmet protest is like someone protesting the use of toilet paper by wiping their ass with their hand, just plain stupid
iMMORTAL i'VE GOT TO AGREE WITH YOU, AND I'M A CANADIAN.immortal13 said:
The Health Care is great, but we should be able to purchase a private insurance and get health care in a private hospital is we want. I'm on a 2.5 year waiting list to see a back specialist. Please pry this system from my hands. ;D On the protest. I agree with it. If I chose to ride without a helmet then its my chose. We don't force helmet wearers to NOT Wear One.
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MYLIFE, yeah I understand and hate to hear about your back. I'm one of the fortunate few whose never had a back pain in my life.
While I do enjoy getting something for "free" every now and then, I've read enough about socialized medicine to know that it sucks. People that live in countries with socialized medicine, who can afford it, come to the states for specialized health care because it's more available and the quality is much better. I'd rather be alive than have some free government crap that someone has to "pry" from my DEAD hands lol.
While I do enjoy getting something for "free" every now and then, I've read enough about socialized medicine to know that it sucks. People that live in countries with socialized medicine, who can afford it, come to the states for specialized health care because it's more available and the quality is much better. I'd rather be alive than have some free government crap that someone has to "pry" from my DEAD hands lol.
I am strong believer when it comes to helmets. I remember one incident when I used to ride dirt bikes. I was on my way home from one of the normal riding spots. I used to be the kid that rode his bike from the house to the trails…lol.. Yep illegal but I wasn’t worried because the cops could never catch me ;D. Anyway I hit some loose dirt in the road and that was it… down I went. As I am going down I remember seeing the ground coming (literally my face was on a collision course with the road ). After I finished tumbling and sliding on the street I got up, spit the dirt and tiny pebbles out of mouth and looked at my helmet. I couldn't believe how f*cked up it was from this small crash. From that point on, I have had allot of respect for helmets.
). After I finished tumbling and sliding on the street I got up, spit the dirt and tiny pebbles out of mouth and looked at my helmet. I couldn't believe how f*cked up it was from this small crash. From that point on, I have had allot of respect for helmets.
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I am Canadian also ...and believe me … I get MAD every time someone tells me that our healthcare is free. Our healthcare bill in Québec is, in 2012, 30 billion dollars on a 73 billion dollars budget for the province. It is 40% of the tax we pay each year. In Quebec, we pay mostly 40% of tax on our salaries … so the amount we pay for healthcare is HUGE.immortal13 said:
So a guy who earn 60k a year …will pay around 9600$ on his hard earned money for this “free” health care system …and guess what … he will wait hours in emergency rooms, will receive no service since the system has no competition and will wait months or even years for treatments.
In my case …I pay MUCH more than this and I don’t even have a family doctor since NONE are available.
Worst thing is … we HAVE to buy that insurance at gun point or end up in jail. Period.
It’s a shame that Obama try to implant this in the state. That system is the biggest joke. It will not work … not a single country was able to implant this successfully.
This is a shame …
Ho and about the helmet ... read my signature and conclude by yourself
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Wow Frag, that isn't exactly a glowing endorsement lol. I don't think conservatives in this country will ever allow such nonsense to ever be implemented. ****, I'm 38 and I've only been to the doctor like twice in the last 5 years....bill less than $200 for both visits. They always look at me funny when they ask what insurance I have and I tell them I plan on paying with hard earned money. I do have a catastrophic coverage policy, but I don't need a regular medical plan for myself. I know one thing: I'm self-employed and I'm NOT buying any government insurance policy....it WILL have to be at gunpoint.
Seems that there is no consensus on the Canadian health care as witnessed by the views of Wormburner, My Life and Frag. I have mixed feeling about the US system. I had back surgery about 5 years ago and had to wait 2 weeks after it was scheduled. I might add that those 2 weeks were ****. I sure can't imagine waiting 2.5 years to see a specialist. A few more months and I'll be Medicare and we'll see how that goes. Even though I'm older than some of you here, I'm still in denial concerning my mortality. ;D
I am also Canadian (I have US citizenship, too). My experience with Canadian healthcare is that whether you like it or not depends on how well served your area is. I grew up in an area that was so poorly served there was a 2+ yr wait to get a family doctor. That meant that everything was taken care of at the emergency room. Of course, we paid the same level of taxation as other areas that were much better served. I never had to see a specialist for anything but some relatives did and the 2.5 year wait mentioned above isn't surprising. My experience with it was bad. I much prefer the experience I'm having with healthcare here in the US.MY said:iMMORTAL i'VE GOT TO AGREE WITH YOU, AND I'M A CANADIAN.immortal13 said:
Well I live 45 min. from the Capital of Canada. Ottawa POP million plus, so my area is service well. The problem is that because we the tax payers pay for our health care and the health care cost rise every year, there is no money for extra doctors or equipment. So we have to wait, and wait and wait...... Wait time for knee surgery is about a year now. If they find Cancer, then they may start treatment in 3 months, if your lucky. The Health Care system was great about 20 years ago, but in todays world it no longer makes sense. I'm on so much MEDS. for my back pain, that by the time I finally get to see my back specialist, I'll have to see a doctor for the kidney damage the MEDS caused. Only good thing about the MEDS. is it allows me to ride my bike.
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I am Canadian, lived here all my life. But I lived in California for 5 years (between 1999 to 2004). So I saw both systems.Jproos said:I am also Canadian (I have US citizenship, too). My experience with Canadian healthcare is that whether you like it or not depends on how well served your area is. I grew up in an area that was so poorly served there was a 2+ yr wait to get a family doctor. That meant that everything was taken care of at the emergency room. Of course, we paid the same level of taxation as other areas that were much better served. I never had to see a specialist for anything but some relatives did and the 2.5 year wait mentioned above isn't surprising. My experience with it was bad. I much prefer the experience I'm having with healthcare here in the US.MY said:iMMORTAL i'VE GOT TO AGREE WITH YOU, AND I'M A CANADIAN.immortal13 said:
The US system is by FAR superior to the Canadian "Free" one. In the US if you are ready to work, a good health insurance will be a small fraction of the cost of the tax you will need to pay in Canada for healthcare.
And even at a fraction of the cost, you will get excellent service when you will show up for treatment. I lived with both ... and its days and night. I cannot believe how corrupted, dark and poorly managed that privilege became over the years.
To all the US dudes here, even if the idea looks appealing ...it is a trap to get the votes of poorly informed people. Fight as hard as you can to avoid that this sneaky monster infects your country.
The US is the last bastion that resists the creeping socialism. Hold on tight guys. Please do.
As a Canadian, I realize that our health care system is not perfect> Yes you have more facilities in the us but then you have almost 10 times the people. The scale of the economy should dictate that you would have more facilities. Your government pays more per person for health care than our government does and every Canadian is covered. People in Canada don't have to worry about going bankrupt to pay hospital and doctor bills in cases of chronic illness. I have diabetes, I don't have to worry about denial of coverage. "Infant mortality, maternal mortality, and life expectancy were worse in Canada than in the U.S. before the introduction of medicare. Canada's infant mortality rate is now only 70% of that in the U.S., while American women are almost twice as likely to die during childbirth as their Canadian counterparts. The average Canadian now lives two years longer than the average American." quoted from Ten Health Care Myths: Understanding Canada's Medicare Debate By Ulli Diemer
I am glad that you live in a country where you don't have "socialized medicine." If that is what you want that is what you should have. If that is what I wanted I would try to emigrate to the US. There are lots of wonderful things about your country and I am not bashing your country or your citizens. I am saying from my perspective, and it is my perspective, I prefer the Canadian system of medicare.
I also think that someone falling off there bike and being on health longer cause they didn't wear a helmet is not a relevant argument. I feel safer wearing a helmet so I do. I also feel more comfortable wearing a motorcycle jacket with the appropriate armour. However, I don't expect other people to have to follow these conventions. If you get hit hard enough the other damage to your body will easily be as expensive as not wearing a helmet. I believe it should be a personal choice.
I am glad that you live in a country where you don't have "socialized medicine." If that is what you want that is what you should have. If that is what I wanted I would try to emigrate to the US. There are lots of wonderful things about your country and I am not bashing your country or your citizens. I am saying from my perspective, and it is my perspective, I prefer the Canadian system of medicare.
I also think that someone falling off there bike and being on health longer cause they didn't wear a helmet is not a relevant argument. I feel safer wearing a helmet so I do. I also feel more comfortable wearing a motorcycle jacket with the appropriate armour. However, I don't expect other people to have to follow these conventions. If you get hit hard enough the other damage to your body will easily be as expensive as not wearing a helmet. I believe it should be a personal choice.
'socialism' is a matter of perception, I guess. Social security, Medicare, Medicaid are pretty easy to see as socialism. Make no mistake, I live here in the US and don't want to go back to Canada (taxes, jobs, healthcare, that accentimmortal13 said:
,...), but the US is not entirely free of 'socialism'.1 - 20 of 24 Posts
