You just left out the rest of the sentence when you quoted “… but you’ll be glad to have them when it matters, or rather you will be missing them when it matters.”
Why would one “be missing them”? I would assume that whatever one needs to reduce risk would generally be available should they have need.
And the point is most people don’t get in daily car accidents, and putting on your mask doesn’t necessarily mean you will be exposed to a disease that day. They are a type of safety precaution you sometimes use in situations where they don’t do anything, and that doesn’t mean that they were useless, it means no dangerous stuff happened.
Again, though, why should the government force people to do what is wise for their own personal health, and saftety? A person can assess their own risk, and act accordingly.
I find it odd that the masks bother you more than the spreading disease that they are a “symptom” of.
I have no qualm with the use of masks – in actuality, I would encourage it. What I take issue with is the enforcement of their use.