Georgia State Employees To Be Penalized For Riding Motorcycles

[jlreeves]

This sounds far fetched but the Georgia house Insurance Committee is looking at, as a way of cost cutting, penalizing any state employee who "engages in risky activity" which includes riding a motorcycle.

State Rep Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville) heads up the committee and says "Those who knowingly engage in risky activity need to pay higher health insurance premiums" The study and recommendation goes to the Georgia house on 12-01-2011.

This state sanctions the riding of motorcycles as a legal form of transportation. Why should this group be expected to pay more for premiums? If you live in Georgia, get ready to contact your legislators if you think this is bogus targetting of motorcycle riders. I also suspect that if this goes through, other states and agencys will soon follow.

[rick]

What about riding a bicycle? Does this mean that if you drive a large SUV, that guzzles gas, that you will get a discount?

[DESERT ANGEL]

It's all about the money not about our health, here in nothern California the city of Richmond is going to start charging a soda tax called obisity tax to help over weight people cut down on soda drinking, I guess soda drinking is just as dangerous as motorcycle riding

[ElBob]

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure."

[pacomutt]

How do you expect your public servants to vote themselves raises if they can't tax more money from you? Are you that selfish?

[Daboo311]

Could you provide a link to your source?

[TX1677095]

Originally Posted by ElBob

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure."

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.” - Ayn Rand, December 1963

[MotorMojo]

Originally Posted by jlreeves

..... State Rep Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville) heads up the committee and says "Those who knowingly engage in risky activity need to pay higher health insurance premiums" .....

A basic rule of thumb is that anything that can be attempted that will increase revenue will be attempted unless it is stopped.

Note that R-Gainesville did not say that "Those who don't engage in risky activity should pay less for health insurance premiums."

Somebody define "risky activity" for me. Are sports like football risky activity? Eating at McDonald's? Riding a bicycle? Scooter? Smoking, chewing tobacco? Drinking alcohol, coke, sweet tea?

[Romans5.8]

This is the awful awful fine line. That's why myself, a full-gear wearing and full-faced helmet wearing rider, am hesitant to support helmet laws. While I wish people would wear helmets (the studies are pretty conclusive that they save lives in a big way), the whole idea of forcing people to be 'safer' on a motorcycle could be a justification for outlawing it altogether!

[blues2cruise]

We have helmet laws here in all of Canada. In British Columbia the law recently changed so beanies are illegal.

Perhaps higher insurance premiums for those who do not wear helmets would be a better option....