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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site burl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!rcj
From: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.legal
Subject: Re: Seat Belts
Message-ID: <785@burl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 13:07:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: burl.785
Posted: Mon Jul 29 13:07:36 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 02:04:04 EDT
References: <316@baylor.UUCP> <783@burl.UUCP> <9389@ucbvax.ARPA>
Reply-To: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Burlington NC
Lines: 61
Xref: watmath net.politics:10161 net.legal:1920
Summary: 

In article <9389@ucbvax.ARPA> kre@ucbvax.ARPA (Robert Elz) writes:
>While the risks may endanger no-one but you (perhaps), its not true that
>they harm no-one but you.  When you are injured, your insurance pays you,
>and I pay your insurance company.  You sit in hospital and use the last
>bed, so the hospital has to build a new wing, and I pay for it.  You
>croak, and use the last cheap plot in the cemetery, so now I have to
>buy a more expensive one.  After all this, your "freedom" has still
>not stopped costing me ...  Now your ex-employer has to employ someone
>else, and train them, I pay more for his product.

An interesting viewpoint, and I can see your point somewhat, but:

a) You live in New York City (I know you don't, but pretend); there is
   a higher crime rate there, and when you get mugged your insurance
   company pays and I pay your insurance company.  I could give a lot
   more examples, but the basic line is that life (and ESPECIALLY
   insurance) ain't fair.  If you're interested in such things,
   definitely take the time to read _The_Invisible_Bankers_ by
   Andrew Tobias.

b) You hang glide and fly small planes, so you get injured and/or
   killed.  I pay.  Life is a bitch, ain't it?

My basic message here is much more objective than that:  There are
insurance discounts for non-smokers for the reasons that you put
forth above, and I like that because I am a non-smoker.  Am I really
a non-smoker?  Send me to your insurance company's doctor and I
guarantee you he can answer that question reliably unless I work
in a coal mine or in downtown L.A.  Now, do I really wear my
seatbelt all the time?  Who knows but me?

>So, please, if you want to kill yourself, do it in some way that
>everyone knows that's what you are doing, and make sure that you
>succeed, no insurance, no hospital.  That still doesn't recover
>all the costs, but it at least will save some of them.  Remember
>that society has an investment in you - you owe us!

I owe you?  OK, I guess you're right -- I'll do my good deed by
reducing the population, not contributing to the rise in population
at a later date, not consuming anymore food, energy, or space; and
I'll lower the unemployment rate at the same time -- all by suicide!!
Pretty effective little act, isn't it?

As for your earlier point about you paying for this and that, what
about the jobs that I create in the insurance, health care, and
burial industries?  Not to mention the work afforded to florists (assuming
someone likes me enough to send flowers to either the hospital and/or
the funeral), the minister who reads my eulogy, the lawyers who squabble
over my estate, the coroner who does the autopsy... I could go on for
days!!

I think I'll go off myself right now; what a great feeling to be
benefiting others!!

(Snide comments on the previous statement via mail to me, please; I'll
summarize the cutest ones to the net),
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj
			...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj