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The Irony Of It All
Brad Hollerbach

Is 'Stupid' a Pre-Existing Condition?

Posted Thursday, October 8, 2009, at 9:15 AM

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  • It has been said that "You can't fix stupid." That should be enough for the insurance companies to deny coverage.

    -- Posted by mynameismud on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 2:54 AM
  • Brad,

    While the flip-flop wearing Harley rider sounds odd, I do take some issue with "choice" As mentioned...smoking, chewing, seat-beats, helmets. These are all "personal" choices and shouldn't be forced upon civilian life. In the grand scheme of things, I'd believe very few folks wipe out scooters or motorcycles without helmets and cause a burden of the healthcare system.

    I would almost bet that baseball fans getting hit with foul balls and hurt is a more likely situation. Should they also be "forced" to wear a helmet?

    Or how about Nascar fans with motor vehicles go racing up into the stands wiping out 10-20 spectators? Rubber suits?

    I'm glad you've made it thus far in life by wearing a seatbelt and your bicycle helmet...that's great.

    But I'll tell ya what...we're the same age. I do quite the opposite in my actions, and guess what? I'm still living.

    Simply put, when laws start getting pass...we give an inch and they take a mile. No thanks I'll take my chances.

    -- Posted by Egotistical_Bigot on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 7:53 AM
  • Just think... if the guy wearing flip-flops riding his motorcycle got into a wreck and died, then he would make the Darwin List and become famous.

    -- Posted by Skeptic1 on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 9:01 AM
  • Catfish, I believe you're quoting the great Philosopher Ron White. Truer words have never been spoken.

    Me'Lange, I stand corrected on the Tylenol Tax distribution. I forgot about all those other "essential" not-for-profit expenditures that also need to be paid for above and beyond donations.

    E_B, the fellow I mentioned in this blog is not the first biker I've seen wearing flip-flops. I saw a girl on a bike in June out by Siemer's with the same type of footwear.

    Actually, I think our governments have outlawed TOO many things in the name of "public safety." I feel some things are so commonsensical -- such as wearing helmets while riding motorcycles or scooters or bicycles -- that if someone chooses to enjoy those experiences in that way and happens to get injured during a ride, that the financial liability should be squarely on their shoulders. That's a personal choice, but I don't want to be responsible -- directly or indirectly for that person's decisions.

    I wish that our often clueless politicians would realize that life is all about calculated risks and some people just aren't good at math. You can't legislate everything.

    As far as my bicycle helmet, I wear it everywhere even on stationary bikes at the gym. Heck, I'm even wearing it now as I type this since you never know when a ceiling tile might shake loose from the grid above my head...

    Cosmo, thanks for the laugh this morning. "...liberals, who run the media outlet you work for." Obviously, it is a matter of opinion, but I think the Southeast Missourian is fairly conservative paper especially when compared to most metro papers. However, I do agree with you that our government does coddle some fellow citizens too much. Sadly, the phrase "personal responsibility" is not in a lot of people's vocabulary. When they run into trouble they want their Uncle Sam to bail them out. Often times, again, and again and again. It's sad.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 9:03 AM
  • Did he have those pretty bike tassels on the handle bars.

    -- Posted by gman on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 9:09 AM
  • Sorry, GMan, but I don't recall. Guess I was too engrossed by the flip-flops. However, my sister had some of those tassels on her bicycle when we growing up. They were the sparkly plastic-kind, not the cool leather ones you see decorating some motorcycles. From what I remember, hers were mighty perty.

    TFR

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 9:24 AM
  • Cosmo, could the Walton family make their billions if it were not for people making minimum wage? Not EVERYONE can make $40/hr, but everyone needs to live, and you can't live off $7.25/hr, sure they waste some money, but they are just as needed for our economy to run like innovators like Bill Gates.

    Is Fat a pre existing condition? Sure in private plans, but not in group plans. I don't want to pay more for my insurance because of fat people, smokers, and/or stupid people.

    -- Posted by futile_rant on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 9:39 AM
  • Now, now, y'all, don't go bad mouthing pore old "stupid" until you've walked in "stupid's" shoes (or flip flops or bare feet.) I haven't quite figured out how to go about the bare feet thing yet. Maybe I'm just "stupid."

    I was thinking about the "stupid" kid sliding his sled down Dunklin Street one winter day many years ago and trying to knock a coal truck off North Westend Blvd. Coal truck won. "Stupid" kid ended up in hospital in a cast. Yep, just part of a long list of lifetime "stupid."

    -- Posted by voyager on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 11:07 AM
  • I always wondered why they called them "guy" wires. Now I know.

    -- Posted by WhatsamattaU on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 2:42 PM