Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/271369
22 UCW MARCH 5-11, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 8 • BREAST CANCER RUN at Legends Pub. First bike out at noon. Prizes and fun. Call 867-2364 for information. MARCH 15 • RUN FOR THE GREEN at Legends Pub. First bike out at noon. Prizes and fun. Call 867-2364 for information. APRIL 12 • NC BUFFALO SOLDIERS OF FAYETTEVILLE 4TH ANNUAL PONY EXPRESS CHARITY RIDE at Cape Fear Harley- Davidson. Registration 9 a.m. Kickstands up at 10 a.m. Food, refreshments, door prizes. Call 494- 4514 for information. All bikers are welcome. APRIL 12 • 2ND ANNUAL ECKERD 2ND CHANCE RUN at Cape Fear Harley-Davidson. Registration 12 p.m., ride 12:30 p.m. Wine tasting/appetizers provided. Ride benefits Eckerd programs in N.C. Eckerd is a non-profit organization providing second chances to at-risk youth & families. Call 633-4864 for information. APRIL 19 • 9TH ANNUAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH RUN CHARITY RIDE at the Retired Military Association Bldg Parking Lot. Registration and breakfast at 8 a.m. Kickstands up at 9:30 a.m. $15 per rider or passenger. Raffle — must be present to win. Call 824-4220 or 824- 4208 for information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www.patriotguard.org for more information about the group. Breast Cancer Run March 8th First bike out at noon. Fun • Auction • FOOD 4624 BRAGG BLVD. Visit our website for food and drink specials! MacSpeedShop.com 4 8 2 N . M C P H E R S O N C H U RC H R D . SMOKIN' DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS OVER 200 CRAFT BEERS BIKE NIGHTS • LIVE MUSIC • CATERING It appears that there is no end to what our government will take. That is what I thought when I read the January edition of the AMA (American Motorcycle Association) magazine. In that edition, they have an article called "Center for Disease Control (CDC) Targeting Motorcycling." It appears that our Federal Government may be going after our motorcycles. The CDC is supporting efforts to create a federally mandated motorcycle helmet law and use medical costs as the excuse to ban motorcycles. The CDC made a presentation called the "Economic Impact of Motorcycle Helmet Laws, a Systematic Review." The presentation was briefed by the Helmet Law Review Team of the Community Preventative Services Task Force on October 23, 2013. The Task Force is working on recommending that all states have a universal helmet law. The recommendation is based on economics. According to the article, United States Representative, Tim Walberg (R-Michigan) has asked the CDC to explain why a government agency that is responsible for disease control is pushing for a federal mandatory helmet law. Representative Walberg asked the CDC Director, Thomas Frieden, "Is it the goal or strategy of the CDC to reduce the use of motorcycles — a legal mode of transportation — by recommending and pursuing a federal helmet law?" For those who are not familiar with the CDC, the CDC is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you are not familiar with that little agency, they are the same agency charged with rolling out ObamaCare. The CDC's website, Motorcycle Safety Guide: Paying the Bill, sites that "A study of 105 motorcyclists hospitalized at a major trauma center determined that 63 percent of their care was paid for by public funds, with Medicaid accounting for over half of all charges." One of the three key factors stated on the website states that "Un-helmeted motorcycle riders are less likely to have health insurance and are therefore more likely to have their medical expenses paid by government-funded healthcare." I have a problem with the whole topic. First, why is the CDC going after motorcycles? The only disease I've experienced from riding is that I want to ride more than I want to work. I would probably be less resistant if it came from the Department of Transportation (DOT) with independent analysis to back up their claim. However, there is no such study, and let's be honest; if there was such evidence we would have already known about it, and the car companies would have lobbied to have motorcycles outlawed a long time ago. Second, there are more than six million licensed motorcycle riders in this country (not counting the off-road riders), yet they only had 105 people in their study. This is a terrible sample for such a study. And lastly, it appears that the CDC has not put their presentation out there for the public to see, which is bothersome. Do I believe that people who are involved in a crash without a helmet have more complications and medical costs than those who wear a helmet? Absolutely. If you drop an egg, you are going to have scrambled eggs. I suspect the brain is about the same. Do I believe that the government should dictate what you wear? I do not. As a rider, do I believe I owe my family and myself to protect my own head? Absolutely. The military has one of the hardest standards for service members riding, but those standards don't make sense either. According to the May 16, 2013 Army Times, the military requires, that service members must complete an approved Motorcycle Safety Foundation driver's course and wear a DOT-approved helmet; regardless of off-base laws. They must wear personal protective gear, including shatterproof eye protection, full-fingered gloves, over-the-ankle boots and a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. However, a base or local commander can tighten the rules. Personally, I don't want the government in any of my business. I certainly don't want the CDC involved in my motorcycle riding, and I certainly don't want Health and Human Services involved in anything now until they can build a workable website. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. Is Motorcycling a Disease? by JIM JONES JIM JONES Contributing Writer. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com.