Jeff, Jim, and Lono, I think you got the idea. We should all get out there and play, and the fact that you all contribute to the services on your own is precisely how I would prefer it to be. It's not about doing away with the public service, nor about foregoing the risk-taking, but more about realizing what the burden is and paying our fair share. Like Lono points out, there are an awful lot of folks who would love to ride harleys just for fun. Everyone that does is supposed to have insurance, because something can go wrong and does often enough tomake it worth their while, and if you have an accident while riding and end up in the hospital, most likely public money won't be what pays your medical bills. It ought not be any different for any other risky venture, with the insurance balanced against the risk. If someone can't afford motorcycle insurance, then I reckon they shouldn't be riding, no matter how rewarding the experience might be for them. Similary, one ought not climb a mountain if he hasn't taken suitable precautions to ensure he can get off the mountain should he be rendered incapable of self-extraction. As much as I would prefer that risk not be regulated, the simple fact of the matter is that such is now the world we live in, and since it is what it is, I suppose to be fair to everyone, those who enjoy the privilege ought not do so at the expense of those who decline.

Like it or not, we've started down this path long ago, and it seems if we are bound and determined to legislate such things, then we ought to ensure each person bears their own burden if we are going to, as a whole, provide them with a means of avoiding what would otherwise likely be their demise, or at least insufferable misery. I can enjoy watching a person scale a vertical wall of rock. If he slips, I would prefer either to elect to catch him of my own charitable will, or to watch those he hired to do the same, rather than to be told I have to stand under him to break his fall.