Letters
04/12/2012
The deaths of cyclists
RE: Most cyclist s also travel by car (Letters, 3/29)Alisan Peters, I am very happy for you that you and the rest of the cyclists you mention also own cars. It’s kind of hard to cycle when it’s raining out. It’s also real nice that you obey the law and get a license and insurance for your car, along with a driving license to allow you to drive your car.
I also have a car or two for which I pay for license and insurance every year to help pay for the roads and other amenities that allow us to drive our cars. Oh, I forgot to mention, I also own a Honda scooter, and guess what? I am required to have a license both for the scooter and one to drive the scooter plus I am also required to have insurance for the scooter. Now that doesn’t seem fair; after all, I already pay for license and insurance for my cars.
Here are a few statistics for you to ponder:
Bicycle accident statistics
U.S. bicyclist injuries in 2007: 43,000 (58,000 in 1997, a reduction of 26 percent)
U.S. bicyclist deaths in 2007: 698 (814 in 1997, a reduction of 14 percent)
California bicyclist deaths in 2007: 109 (only four states had higher death rates for bicyclists)
Who is more likely to be in a bike accident?
· The average age of bicyclists killed in crashes in 2007 was 40. The vast majority were male.
· 15 percent of those killed in 2007 were younger than 16.
· The average age of bicyclists injured in crashes was 30. The vast majority were male.
· 28 percent of those injured were younger than 16.
“Carpenteria Valley — A Ventura man had to be airlifted to a hospital Monday afternoon after crashing his bicycle on Highway 150, the Ventura County Star reported. The accident happened at about 11:40 a.m. on the highway east of Gobernador Canyon Road. According to news reports, the cyclist, Joseph Powers, 48, was riding downhill when, for reasons unknown, he lost control of the bike and was ejected. Powers was flown to Ventura County Medical Center with back injuries.”
“Fatal bicycle accidents concern Pasadena
“Last year, the city had 82 bicycle collisions and one fatality. This year so far there have been 64 collisions reported.”
Now since these cyclists have no insurance for the most part, who do you think pays for their care in the hospital? Do you suppose it could be taxpayers?
In the future please think before issuing your opinion.
Rellis Smith
Ventura
Editor’s note: Cyclists may not have vehicle insurance for their bikes, but it certainly does not mean that they, for the most part, don’t have medical insurance.Ventura
My suspicions tell me
Who the hell is Forrest Mize?I’ve wondered this for some time … based on bits and pieces of his numerous letters in the VCReporter, I had come to my personal conclusion that Forrest was a lonely, confused and bitter old man. I envision him sitting in his little apartment all by himself, with no family, no friends and no company, listening to Rush on his antique transistor radio and/or falling asleep in front of the television with FOX news blaring from the speaker. My romanticized visual image of Forrest is a Walter Matthau look...with a permanent frown and hairy ear lobes. I also deduced from one letter that Forrest may have served in the military in his youth … WWI maybe. If that’s the case I’m thankful to him for his great contribution and sacrifice … I find myself with the instinctive urge to respect him … I guess because I’ve imagined him my elder and that’s how I was raised. Because of his letters this year (my only source of information about Mr. Mize), I fear that Forrest’s health has taken a turn for the worse … I suspect severe dementia. I’m not joking, this is a horrible disease and I am extremely sympathetic to those afflicted including my 86-year-old mother.
Forrest’s recent depictions of history, the law and current events are all over the map without an inkling of reality. His senseless ravings are starting to sound rather psychotic. Forrest is confused about why people have called him a racist. He apparently doesn’t remember his own remarks that were printed in the Reporter calling the POTUS “the Mulatto Messiah” or “the primate in the White House,” I expect he will go on believing that the Democrat’s “Holy Grail” is actually “dismembering babies” and that “Limbaugh, Breitbart” (RIP… I wonder if he knows), “Sarah Palin” and himself “Forrest Mize” are the only real voices of reason. I’m not going to respond to Forrest again … I don’t see any point … but I wish him well, so I’ll take this opportunity to say, farewell, Mr. Mize, thanks for engaging me, by proxy, in political debate. I wish you no harm, old fella. I hope your transition the next world is fast and painless.
Chris Jensen
Ventura
Ventura
All about perspective
Re: He who bears false witnessI am writing in response to the letter by Tom Becham in the VC Reporter of March 15.
His vilification of Andrew Breitbart certainly caught my attention; however, reading further exposed his contempt of President Ronald Reagan also.
I found it very amusing that he was so insulted with the “smear campaign” of ACORN. Perhaps he didn’t realize that ACORN was besieged with charges of corruption before declaring bankruptcy in November 2010. It is hardly an example of citizenship that I would promote.
Sue Manion
Oxnard
From the web:Oxnard
Re: Rocketdyne still hot (3/29, news)
The truth
Once again, Mr. Collins has shown us that “the truth is out there.” It is very sad that we cannot depend on these agencies to present the facts.Bravo, Michael, and thank you for a great piece that is easy for a lay person to understand.
Reverend John Southwick
A proper cleanup
Another reason why we need other eyes looking at these reports. Thanks, Michael, for pointing this out. Now we know, now we should encourage the responsible parties to do the right thing and look forward to a proper cleanup with source removal as an only option.William Preston Bowling
Founder ACM
Founder ACM
Aerospace Contamination Museum of
Education, www.acmela.org/
Education, www.acmela.org/
Seriously!
An EPA official will “look into it”? What does that mean??? Maybe they should have looked into it before blowing millions of our dollars. I hope VC Reporter stays on this. I want to know how this happened. Brownley should start an investigation before it’s too late.Rebekah W.
Re: We all pay for health insurance (Editorial, 3/29)
The Know-Nothings
Regardless of how the activist majority of the Supremes feel about the mandate, it is their charge to find some part of the original document, i.e., the Constitution, to hang their biases on.My copy of the Constitution says nothing forbidding it.
Parenthetically, the most rational solutions to our health care cost and complexity were left off the table before the debate even began who Obama. Perhaps the greater part of our health care resources is siphoned off by the private insurances to their executives. Single payer, national health care, and so many other systems to take profit motive out of this important human service were never considered. And the Know-Nothings claimed the president was a socialist anyway!
cassandra2
Start with your own health
People should never forget that real health depends on how well you take care of yourself and not what health insurance you carry, but I agree health insurance is important for everyone. Search “Penny Health” or online for dollar-a-day insurance plans.MichaelITurner
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Comments
WOW…
Hay Chris, proxy political debate???
Debate “to talk about something at length and in detail, especially as part of a formal exchange of opinion”. I do not think name calling has anything to do with debate. But as a (ok I will do some name calling now) likely communist, you do not wish to actually debate, but to name call and debase someone. If that is debate in America, then I should move to Moscow.
You should apologize to Mr. Mize, and hope that he might forgive you for your stupidity.
M. Todd Thayer
Ventura
posted by MTodd on 4/16/12 @ 07:32 p.m.
Hay M. Todd,
Re: Debate...What you don't understand is that Mr. Mize and I have been going back and forth for a few years now responding to each other via numerous letters to the editor...Forrest actually mentioned me by name in one of his rants. I agree with you about the name calling...Forrest shouldn't call the President names.
I accept your apology!
posted by vlvtdbre on 5/25/12 @ 05:39 p.m.