I got a new Jeep last month while I was on vacation. In fact, my wife and I built the stop in Disney World around our trip to Miami to pick up the new Jeep.

Of course, I had to order a new car seat for 3-year-old Harley and have it shipped all the way to Florida. Over the course of a single week, I must have moved the car seat around a dozen times between half a dozen cars. It—and Orlando's oppressive humidity—were the bane of my vacation.

More than once I thought, “can we just skip it this time?”

But one look at my daughter' face shoved that thought out of my head every time.

And for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control, car accidents are the leading cause of death among children. And the simple act of strapping an infant in a car seat cuts that risk by a whopping 71 percent. For toddlers, it's 54 percent. Hell, for us grown folks, buckling up cuts the risk in half. It's a no brainer.

About the 10th time I had to transfer that 20-pound beast from one car to another, I recalled the gate we installed at the top of the stairs in our house once Harley got mobile. Again, it was a pain—and the dog hated it—but it was certainly better than the alternative. Besides, it's hard to hear the TV when someone's constantly tumbling down the steps. (Kidding—don't call child services.)

Finally, about a year or so ago—after Harley's sixth ear infection—we had the doctor remove her adenoids and install ear tubes. It was a heart-breaking experience for a father, even if it was a routine procedure. And, sure there's a risk any time anyone goes under, but we live in a time (and place) in which we can treat almost anything. I'd be a pretty crappy father—and a worse human being—if I didn't avail my daughter of every medical resource at our disposal. What am I, in the Taliban?

So when I saw the headline a couple weeks back about the obscene spike in measles cases in this country —hitting a 20-year high—blind rage quickly supplanted my bewilderment.

Why? Because nearly 70 percent of those cases were unvaccinated children, victims kept vulnerable to a completely preventable—and potentially deadly—illness. There's no other way to put it than to say that it just pisses me off.

I don't care if it's because they think God wants their kids to die early in some kind Abraham-esque ritual or whether they're simply tinfoil hat gang members clinging to fraudulent medical claims. It's irresponsible as hell, if not criminal.

I've railed against this before, so I'll cut it short, but I will say this: I can't help but wonder how many of these parents make these same kids wear bicycle helmets or rush them into the doctor's office at the first sign of a cold? Or do they let them ride unrestrained in the front seat of their minivan?