look, ma! no hands!

we were watching this newsmag on the telly and they were showing some sort of community agency in some city handing out 'free' bicycle helmets. (helmets for your head while you are on your bicycle, not helmets for your bicycle itself.)

key points:

1. the residents of the section of town in which the helmets were being distributed were affluent enough to afford to purchase helmets.

2. there was directly across the street from the hander-outers a locally-owned small business bicycle shop that would have no doubt benefited greatly from an influx of a several hundred bucks' worth of helmet purchases.

but, who's to say that affluent folks wouldn't be well-served by someone handing them a bicycle helmet. even though they could afford to purchase one, perhaps they wouldn't purchase one (perhaps stubborn, perhaps don't understand the benefits) ergo not having one, wouldn't wear one. they would be living a life with less safeness than could be achieved by wearing a helmet, ergo their life would be lesser, lower quality than potential. but now that someone handed them a helmet, they will wear it. see? that's great. improvement of life.

and, who's to say that having multiple bicycle helmets handed out to the local residents won't benefit the locally-owned small business bicycle shop. perchance the recipients of the helmets don't own cycles and will trot on across the street and acquire one each. perchance they have cycles, but now having received helmets, they'll be inspired to pull out said cycles and get them tuned up. more business for the local business. maybe the newly-helmeted will desire a basket or a bell for their cycle. can't think of a better place to purchase a basket or a bell, than in a locally-owned small business bicycle shop.

so, it's all turning out for the best, this handout of 'free' helmets.

but, just for a challenge, the reporter asked the woman heading up the head-protection handout - "why should tax dollars be used to supply bicycle helmets for this group of people?"

and, just as you'd expect, the chief hander had a handy reply. "oh, it's not tax dollars," she said handily. "it's a government grant."