Harley in Fine Shape

I got the Harley out today and took a ride. Down to Cutler Ridge, up to South Beach, through South Miami, and home. South Beach is a real minefield for a Christian. Everywhere I looked, there were young black women wearing what appeared to be paint. I guess they wear actually wearing shorts, but the difference was negligible.

I have missed riding. And now that the bike is running flawlessly, it’s more of a pleasure than ever. It was like flying. Every time I get on that thing, I wonder how people can complain about Harley seats. My behind has never been so pampered. I always compare it to riding a motorized couch. It’s an ergonomic masterpiece.

Because I used to ride so little, I had minimal insurance on the bikes. I called up today to get a quote on an increase. A while back I bit the bullet and got a nice medical policy, and today I asked what it would save me to dump uninsured motorist coverage. The answer? Only about TWO THIRDS of the cost of my policy. I had no idea it was so much. Insurance is utterly mysterious to me; I just figure out what I need, get the best quote I can, and pay. I generally don’t know what each component costs. If I switch companies and lose the unneeded coverage, I can get much, much higher coverage for a third of what I used to pay.

I think I should get rid of it. It pays for things like pain and suffering, IF you can prove them, and IF you can show the other driver caused the accident. Guess who will spend tons of money and time trying to prove you have no pain and suffering, and that you caused the accident? Your insurance company. Do I know that for a fact? No, but I know this for a fact: I was not born yesterday.

It also pays for lost wages. I can imagine how much fun that would be to prove, as a writer. No, I don’t think uninsured motorist coverage is for me. My regular policy covers my car, the other guy’s car, and the other guy’s medical costs. My medical insurance covers my injuries. Uninsured motorist sounds like a black hole I will never get my money out of. It made a little sense when it was a cheap alternative to a medical policy, but now it’s not so good. Correct me if I’m wrong.

The “pain and suffering” and “mental anguish” angle is not appealing to me. Opportunistic tort litigation makes me vomit, even when I stand to benefit from it. And payment for whiny, nebulous reasons like suffering doesn’t really make sense to me. I don’t want to be part of our country’s disgusting litigation burden, just so I can get a few more pennies to rub together and fondle and worship. My self-respect is worth more than that.

When my mother died, we suspected her death was hastened by a nasty technician who intentionally burned her esophagus because she complained. After her treatment, she couldn’t eat, and she starved. Did I have any interest in suing? Uh…no. We weren’t sure this guy burned her on purpose or even negligently. And regardless, a lawsuit would have prolonged the pain of losing her. We would have relived it every day for years. And litigation is a shabby, sleazy business. Better to count on God to balance the books. Suing for wrongful death or torts resulting in death is morally questionable, anyway. You take a loved one’s death, which is supposedly a source of pain for you, and you try to turn it into a pinata party.

I also had an opportunity to cash in on the cigarette lawsuits. As the son of a woman killed by lung cancer, I was entitled to thousands. I did not want that money polluting my bank account and my soul. I would have felt like a vulture. And I don’t really blame the tobacco companies for my mother’s death. She made a bad choice when she was young, disobeying her parents and becoming addicted. The people who sold tobacco at that time did not fully understand its addictive and carcinogenic nature. My own family grew tons of it. We don’t have clean hands, and it won’t bring my mother back, and I’m not the one who died of cancer, and I don’t want to be part of the tort system. How can I criticize it if my greedy, unworthy snout is in the trough? And Christians are expected to be merciful and forgiving, if they want God to be merciful and forgiving to them.

Speaking of my snout and troughs, I have to get food before church. Adios.