Someone recently admonished me when I criticized some people for their risky behavior. He said that was what personal freedom is all about.
Really?
You may wear your hair long or shave your head, cover your body with tattoos, dress like a clown, pierce your nose and assorted body parts, attend church everyday or not at all, paint your car pink …. exercise your personal freedom.
You may choose to go to college or not. You may accept or decline overtime hours. You may favor reading over television. Those are pretty benign when it comes to other people, but nevertheless with consequences – a less educated, productive society for example.
On the other hand, if you choose to go without health insurance, not wear a helmet when biking, ignore your debts, fail to save for retirement, or drive an unsafe car, they all likely will have adverse consequences for others.
Even poor health habits, abusing our bodies eventually has an impact on others.
Personal freedom is not absolute. It exists within a social context and is inevitably limited by societal norms, laws, and the need to respect the rights of others. There must be a balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility.
- Personal freedom is not the same as doing whatever you want. True freedom implies acting responsibly and considering the consequences of your choices for yourself and others.
- Personal freedom can be empowering but also challenging. It requires taking responsibility for your own life and making difficult decisions.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Not responsible? Not accountable? Fail to consider consequences of your actions? We’ve got solutions for that!
Health Reform solved the uninsured problem with the individual mandate, right? https://fortunly.com/statistics/uninsured-americans/#
Everyone driving on our roads has insurance, right? https://insurance-research.org/sites/default/files/downloads/UM%20NR%20032221.pdf
Everyone must pay taxes to support our government(s), right? https://www.statista.com/statistics/242138/percentages-of-us-households-that-pay-no-income-tax-by-income-level/#
Everyone wears their seat belt every time they get in their car, right? https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/seat-belt-statistics/
Every state has outlawed distracted driving, in one form or another, right? https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/distracted-driving-statistics/
We solved those problems by adding a variety of insurance programs, right?
– Every vehicle policy has uninsured and underinsured requirements in every state, right?
– Everyone must be treated when they arrive at the hospital under EMTALA, at least until stabilized, right?
– We already have state laws/requirements when it comes to uncompensated care, right?
But, how about some more laws. For example, for those who fail to be responsible in how they operate their cars, let’s limit the speed of every vehicle to 5MPH, which would have saved perhaps most of the 38,500 people killed on our roads every year, for the last 23 years.
How about placing people more at risk for their own actions, decisions.
LikeLike
How is mandating helmets affecting others?
LikeLike
Cost. Taxpayers pick up the healthcare costs for uninsured or underinsured riders.
LikeLike
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t engaged in risky behavior at some time in their lives. Admittedly, don’t know everyone but I have met at least a small sampling of people from diff walks of life. I never equated it with freedom but I guess you could define it as such. The old remark about not wearing a helmet on a bike or motorcycle is a common refrain and was used repeatedly back when the helmet law was proposed in my state. The law passed and motorcyclists still die on the roads but at least they died with their helmet on. The nanny state was at work and I believe that a lot of do this or don’t do that comes from the self styled experts on behavior. Remember Evel Kneivel? He wouldn’t have had a job if he listened to the nanny state crowd.
LikeLike
In California, the state lawmaker proposing a helmet law claimed that uninsured motorcyclists cost the taxpayers over $100 million a year in medical costs.*
A group of MC clubs sued to try to void the law, and asked for the source of the $100 million figure.
He admitted that he made up that “fact”, but the law stood. Subsequent studies did determine that the law saved lives and millions of dollars to the state and others.
But the article just mentions “not wear a helmet when biking”. Bicyclists in California are still not required to wear a helmet unless under 18.
*a guess, I can’t recall or find the actual amount.
LikeLike
I don’t doubt some lives are saved with a helmet law. If your head hits concrete your head loses. How many, I don’t know. As for the dollars saved, I doubt that can be established within any degree of accuracy. Suppose someone lived thanks to a helmet but is still physically a wreck for the rest of their life. Somebody pays for their care for that lifetime. That’s why I refused to allow my son to buy a motorcycle while he was under my roof and why we had him wear a helmet while bike riding. That was for his benefit, not because there was a helmet law. My point was his mother and I were concerned for his welfare. I wasn’t concerned that someone would be out something because he did ride a bike. It doesn’t sit well with me when people try to break everything down to a dollar and cents cost.
LikeLike
that”On the other hand, if you choose to go without health insurance, not wear a helmet when biking, ignore your debts, fail to save for retirement, or drive an unsafe car, they all likely will have adverse consequences for others.
Even poor health habits, abusing our bodies eventually has an impact on others.”
Hobson’s choice, sometimes. I, and many others I’ve known has done one or more of these. Should I save for retirement, or should I buy food for the family… today.
I have heard that one should not start a family until they have the means to support them. Logical, except many, if not most of us would not be here today.
LikeLike
The concept of personal freedom is indeed very alluring to those of us who have been privileged and been responsible growing into adulthood and successful to take care of ourselves and family.
In real life for others, it gets complicated. Luck of the draw for genetics, place of birth , your parents, your childhood education and teen experiences all play contributing factors in how we develop and the choices we make.
Thankfully we live in a civilized society, at least for a lot of us, and that’s where supports come in., mainly by governments.
The question is to what extent is it ethically and financially possible to provide support to those who are in need.
I don’t have answers……..
LikeLike
Yes,! There are consequences for ourselves, our family and our community. Unfortunately, today, many think only in terms of “me, myself and I” often with very unfortunate down the road results. Again, well said. Thank you for some sanity
LikeLike
Don’t you know common sense is not common. Take something like shifting student loan debt to the working class as an example of how we as a society sometimes play right into your theme. Personal responsibility says you signed a contract so now you honor that contract.
Ride without a helmet and when you crash (which is inevitable on a motor bike, I think) we have to step in for health care–1st responders–maybe rehab and who knows what else. Being responsible could mitigate a great deal of this.
Good thoughts but in this day and age you might be whistling in the wind.
LikeLike