California children must wear a helmet to ride a bicycle, skates, skateboard or non-motorized scooter – but not to zoom down a snowy mountain at high speeds without brakes.
That could change soon.
It seems to me that parents have this situation well in hand. Why does the government even need to get involved?
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R- Irvine, said life and sport inevitably pose risk of injury and overzealous government, left unchecked, someday could require thrill-seekers to wear a full crash helmet and cover themselves in bubble wrap.
DeVore is, I believe, running to replace Barbara Boxer in the Senate.
This bill is more evidence that the legislature has too much time on its hands and needs to become part-time.
Update: Want another silly one? How about a Massachusetts law requiring day-care children to brush their teeth? Not a bad idea, of course, but do we really need a law for that?
DeVore is running for Boxer's seat. Had an opportunity to meet him and hear him speak this fall at a CFRW event in San Diego (visiting mom). I was pretty impressed with him. Of course, a potato would be better than Boxer.
ReplyDeleteWhile I totally agree with the non-need for this law, I will relate an anecdote.
ReplyDeleteA few years back my wife provided in-home care for a Christian-woman in her sixties that was paralyzed from the chest down. When she was in her twenties she took a youth group snow tubing and while going down herself, slammed into a tree.
I do believe Sony Bono and Robert Kennedy's son Michael both died from striking trees while skiing.
I'm not sure what should be or could be done, but these things do happen, tragically.
Reagan signed off on full time state legislators. He often called that the worse mistake he made as governor.
ReplyDeleteWere any of these people children?
ReplyDeleteAnd is it worth the expense, comfort, and loss of individual choice of thousands to save one kid a decade?
Evidence provided here seems to indicate that we should have enacted legislation requiring legislators to wear protective headgear a while ago.
ReplyDelete"...Sony Bono and Robert Kennedy's son Michael both died from striking trees"
ReplyDeleteAs I remember neither of these was a "head on" collision. I doubt that the a helmet would have changed the outcome.
This reminds me of a very interesting post by a strikingly intelligent and handsome young blogger.
ReplyDeletehttp://thebestsoapbox.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-we-eat-paste.html
And if you will recall, in both of the cited cases unnecessary speed and alcohol were suspected.
ReplyDelete