Surviving the '50s, '60s...

[jamespowers]

sorry to say darlin', but the world does not revolve around you....one of lifes lessons...you can't always get what you want

You can always get what you want nowadays. All you have to do is yell and scream the loudest. If that doesn't work then you buy a congresscritter and get him to legislate it into law. If that doesn't work then you sue and get money for it. That ruins it for the rest of the people because after the lawsuit, everyone does what it takes to prevent it from happening to them or you get rid of a product because the company is no longer willing to produce it anymore at further risk. You evoke change by forcing it on the people one way or the other. That is what we deal with now.
I should have sued the woman for parking her car where I could run my bicycle into it. Then I could buy a car and run it into something and sue again and again and again.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Baron Kurtz]

:deadhorse


You have no sense of IRONY and completely missed the point.

I'm told that one should end any ironic post with as many and the like as possible.

bk

 

[shamus]

Could it be that you didn't wear seat belts because they didn't exist in cars till 1964?

And could it be you didn't wear a bike helmet because they didn't exist till the early 1980's?

I seem to remember watching old football films with the players wearing no pads and only some with light leather helmets? Do you think players today wish they could go into game without wearing any padding. Like the "Good ol' days?

There's no way to tell how many lives have been saved by seat belts and bike helmets, but if just one life of a child was saved, then I say it's well worth it.

Things change. Get over it, and move on.

 

[Katt in Hat]

As We Speak, a Minyam of my Minions are working on a "Dead Cat Bounce" Smilie

I'm told that one should end any ironic post with as many and the like as possible.
bk

:drum: :deadhorse :drum:

 

[jamespowers]

Could it be that you didn't wear seat belts because they didn't exist in cars till 1964?

And could it be you didn't wear a bike helmet because they didn't exist till the early 1980's?

I seem to remember watching old football films with the players wearing no pads and only some with light leather helmets? Do you think players today wish they could go into game without wearing any padding. Like the "Good ol' days?

There's no way to tell how many lives have been saved by seat belts and bike helmets, but if just one life of a child was saved, then I say it's well worth it.

Things change. Get over it, and move on.

Actually seatbelts were options that you could have bought if you so desired. They were made Mandatory in 1964. That is the difference.
Bicycle safety helmets are only useful when they are worn correctly but they are not a suit of armor. For what you make up in the lessening of brain trauma you could well lose in much worse instances of neck injury due to the extra weight and the bare neck anyway. Safe Kids USA statistics say that 1/3rd of all children wearing helmets wore they incorrectly fitted. Passing a mandatory law didn't help much either because "sites with state-level helmet laws had only 45 per cent wearing helmets and sites without state level laws had 39 per cent." And these are statistics from a pro helmet site!
There are actually statistics that show how many lives were saved if you can believe them.
I think we should also get rid of all swimming pools, cars, airplanes, trains, boats, plastic bags, and electrical outlets in the United States as well because "if just one life of a child was saved, then I say it's well worth it."
Things don't change it is just a matter of when is enough enough.

Regards to all,

J

 

[shamus]

Actually seatbelts were options that you could have bought if you so desired. They were made Mandatory in 1964. That is the difference.

What difference are you talking about?

Things don't change it is just a matter of when is enough enough.

Yes things do change, how can you say they don't?


You know of all things to spend time worrying about.. kid bike helmets and seat belts or metal lunch boxes. I could sure think of a lot more important things to worry about.

 

[Katt in Hat]

Not here...

I could sure think of a lot more important things to worry about.
[Q]


"The message you have entered is too short.
Please lengthen your message to at least 5 characters."

 

[jamespowers]

What difference are you talking about?



Yes things do change, how can you say they don't?


You know of all things to spend time worrying about.. kid bike helmets and seat belts or metal lunch boxes. I could sure think of a lot more important things to worry about.

The difference is that seat belts were available way before 1964. It was just that people were not willing to pay the $25 extra in 1956 to have them installed. So the people selling seatbelts figured a way to sell them in every vehicle and make you pay for them whether you wanted/used them or not.
Secondly, how safe were those lap belts? You know the kind that cut you in half in a decent speed crash or hold you just enough to let your head bounce off the dash a couple of times? The kind that were likely to get hung up and not release when you were stuck in a burning car. These incidences brought the seatbelt with the shoulder harness to the forefront because they actually do save lives that way.
The only things that are changing are the people's attitudes not the situations that you can get hurt in. That is what I am saying. Nothing is new under the sun. People just look at it differently based on technology---right or wrong.
I am glad you can think of better things to worry about like swimming pools, cars, airplanes, trains, boats, plastic bags, and electrical outlets in the United States as well because "if just one life of a child was saved, then I say it's well worth it." That is the kind of thinking that gives us problems.

Regards to all,

J

 

[mysterygal]

seat belts have saved MANY lives. You hear everyday about car crashes on the road, especially on rainy days. How often does a car get on fire and you can't escape? I bet the chances of that is close to getting hit with lightening.
Granted, there are a lot of laws that are silly and pointless, but there are some that are actually for our benefit.

 

[Lincsong]

You know of all things to spend time worrying about.. kid bike helmets and seat belts or metal lunch boxes. I could sure think of a lot more important things to worry about.

It must have struck a nerve with some people otherwise they wouldn't be posting here. I appreciate everyone's comments. And I commend someone for wanting/requiring their children to wear bicycle helmets. Do I want my kids to wear one? We don't live on a hill, so I don't think it's big deal. I don't want the government legislating how to raise my kids. If someone wants their kids to wear a helmet, fine with me. If I don't want to have the kids wear one then it's my decision. There are a lot more important things for the police to do than busting a six year for not wearing a helmet. How about the teams of car theives roaming California?

I believe this is all part of the larger scheme to get people used to the government regulating things. If your neighbor doesn't like the color of your house, doesn't like that family room you want to build, then have government ban it. Let's ban natural gas stoves and electrical outlets.

What about rebuilt vintage gas stoves that are installed in homes? Don't people realize that children under 18 could turn on one of those gas burners and burn themselves? How many children have to burn themselves on vintage stoves before we ban them?[huh]

 

[Lincsong]

Tales of the Sunshine State

seat belts have saved MANY lives. You hear everyday about car crashes on the road, especially on rainy days. How often does a car get on fire and you can't escape? I bet the chances of that is close to getting hit with lightening.

In Florida I knew a guy that was struck by lightning SIX times? When I was living in Florida there was a lightning storm, a bolt struck a telephone pole, sent the energy through the wires and killed a lifeguard who was talking on the phone. Moral of the story; don't pick up that phone when it's raining.

 

[John in Covina]

but if just one life of a child was saved, then I say it's well worth it.

**********
You could use this argument to end all freedom.

Ban Voting now and save Childrens lives!

 

[shamus]

Geez, everyone's right...

What was I thinking?

You know we should take those mirrors off cars too, because I bet some "Mirror" company paid some politician to put them there.. And those annoying Stop Lights too! Get rid of them.

In fact, we should stop putting up road signs, because I bet some "sign" company made the gov do that too.

And if we decide to keep the airplane, then we should get rid of those traffic controllers, because the gov put them there too.

Who needs em?

What was I thinking. I should have said, if it kills a child or two then it's worth it right?

Boy, what a schmuck I was...

Thanks everyone!

(add annoying icon here)

 

[CWetherby]

Caution: Read at your own risk. Post was formulated in an ironic environment.

Hmm... I'm a little surprised not to have seen, in all the exchange re: car safety, the idea that there are things that just might be more dangerous than not wearing a seatbelt. What about speed, reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or road rage? What if we made it illegal to drive too fast for road conditions, to drive drunk or high or recklessly?

How many wrecks were caused by people who drove unsafely? If we locked up all the bozos, or forced them to give up their drivers licenses, or move to areas where they were forced to use public transport, then seatbelts could go back to being optional. Bike helmets, too!

Maybe we could also get all the Yankees to move back up north, 'cause everyone down here knows that Yankees don't know how to drive 'cause of all that public transportation they were used to. They get down here and the wide open spaces in the south make them think they can drive. Heck I can't take all this talk: I'm goin' to take the dogs and my rifle and go huntin'! See y'all later!

 

[Lincsong]

"Vintage" equals danger

What about "vintage" houses? Don't people realize the danger they are exposing helpless children? Don't people realize that there are lead based paints and asbestos in "vintage" houses? All homes built before 1975 should be required, (at any cost to the home owner, as if ONE child's life is saved it's worth the money) to have all the lead pipes removed, all the lead based paint removed and all the asbestos removed. How many children have to die because their parents who have a "vintage" agenda expose them to these dangers. Asbestos is a killer that once it gets in the lungs stays there and it takes 30 years to develop into cancer. Lead pipes leak this deadly toxin into the drinking water and children drink and bathe in it. Lead causes brain damage! Lead based paints can flake and micron particules float in the air as an innocent child lays sleeping and breahtes it into their little lungs. Asbestos is found in the floor tiles of "vintage" homes where children place their toys and put them into their mouths. "Vintage" gas stoves use more natural gas than modern models, depleting the ozone and exposing young children to the horrors of melanoma. Take a sledge hammer to "vintage" stoves. "Vintage" clothing could have lice, mites and crabs living in them. How many children must have body lice and crabs because of their exposure to just bought "vintage" clothing. I grew up in a "vintage" house, but I will not expose my children to such dangers.

 

[silhouette53]

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with
sugar in it, but
we weren't overweight because...WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were
back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And...we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride
down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.
After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the
problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all,
no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no
cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in
us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks
and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not
put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or
rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

Amen ! and AMEN !!

Born in 1953 and grew up with just such a childhood as you describe. All I can say is, when I take stock of the world we're living in today then I'm glad I'm nearer the end than the beginning ! At least no one can take away the memories

 

[scotrace]

A lot of good thoughts

Looks like this thread has run its course. A good time to roll up the sidewalk.