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Speech by Donna Mancini on Helmet Laws, Presented to the Louisville Forum, Dec.
10, 2003
Thank you for the
opportunity to be with you today and present my case against mandatory helmet
laws.
First, let me say, that I am NOT here to advocate riding a motorcycle without a
helmet. I wouldn’t ride a motorcycle with full body armor. It’s not my cup of
tea. I see little protection coming from any amount of safety gear if and when
your body hits the road. I did sit on a Harley once and had my picture taken.
That’s the sum total of my experience on a motorcycle, and I plan to keep it
that way.
The question we are debating today is: should government use force against
people to protect them from harming themselves? My answer is absolutely not!
Riding a motorcycle without a helmet may be foolish and even irresponsible, but
that gives the state no right to make a person wear one, against his will, just
because it may be a good idea.
America is a free country, where we have the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. These rights are inalienable, to borrow the term used in
the Declaration of Independence. The purpose of government is to protect us
from force and fraud and leave us alone to be the best that we can be! The state
should perform legitimate government tasks, do them well, and stop
micro-managing our lives! It is NOT the proper role of government to dictate the
behavior of mindful, peaceful adults in a free society. Each individual owns
himself, and if he chooses to ride a motorcycle, sky dive, or rock or mountain
climb, or anything else, with or without safety gear, and he gets hurt or dies,
that’s reality. All actions have consequences. You must determine for your self
if the risks outweigh the benefits in your own situation. Only you can answer
the question: Is it worth it?
Consider life in a totalitarian society where virtually all behavior is dictated
by authorities. As we speak, we are at war to “liberate” oppressed peoples from
this type of government. The ability to make our own choices and take
responsibility for our actions is what living a human life is all about. Freedom
and responsibility are what make our lives meaningful. Freedom allows us to seek
and find happiness in our own way. Responsibility allows us to learn from our
mistakes and be proud of our victories !
This leads me to the practical aspect of Freedom and personal
responsibility.......
Just where do we find these all-knowing, perfect, angelic legislators who will
run our lives for us? What party gets to determine what is good for us or bad
for us?
Needless to say, what is risky or unhealthy is subjective. Twice, I came close
to choking to death. The first time I was eating peanut butter from a spoon, and
very recently I was pulling a shish kabob off a stick with my teeth. I thought
it was the END..... I will venture to say, most people die from activities far
less exciting than playing Easy Rider! Self-interest and the basic desire to
stay alive keep most people on the straight and narrow.
How about the forbidden fruit … did you ever do something just because some
“authority” figure said don’t do it? After all, if it’s illegal, it’s got to be
fun!! Also, it has been shown that, given improved safety features, some people
will increase their risk-taking behavior. It has been argued that helmets cause
more deaths than they prevent, because people drive and behave in a more
reckless manner.
It is very difficult to prove that any law or government program ever
accomplished its original stated goal. However, there is much evidence to
demonstrate that government intervention can make matters worse. Consider the
war on drugs and the war on poverty as two classic examples.
Another reason we Americans should protest the increasing number of arbitrary
laws stems from the fact that politicians and bureaucrats are human. Sometimes
they will enforce the law on “people they DON’T like”, while allowing “people
they DO like” to go on their merry way!
We are AT the point where the police are being asked to intervene with people
who are little more than RUDE. Unfortunately, the real criminals who truly
destroy life, liberty and property, are being let out of prison early, or maybe
never punished at all, because government is preoccupied with peaceful people
who are trying to earn an honest living, or merely having fun with other
consenting adults!
Let me close by quoting Thomas Jefferson:
“A wise and frugal government, that shall restrain men from injuring one
another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of
industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread
it has earned. This is the sum of GOOD government.”
FREEDOM WORKS!
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