April 3, 20121 month ago
I had a conversation with an old friend named Pepino the other day.
With Pepino being a hippy and me being the complete polar opposite, the conversation did what it usually does, took a hair pin turn towards politics… This conversation wasn’t nearly as long winded as usual however.
Once my old amigo was done extoling the virtues of big government and how it protects us, I asked him one question. “Do you have more or less freedom now then you did 30 years ago?” Then I named a few examples. It was the first time I’ve ever been able to stop my granola eating pal in his tracks. We both knew the correct answer.
Since this is a motorcycle forum, I’ll leave the rest of the politics for another venue and stick to what we all can relate to. I started riding dirt bikes when I was six years old and since then I have never been without a motorcycle, Harley-Davidson or otherwise. I’ve also been involved in the power sports industry for decades now and know first-hand what over regulation has done to the sport and life style we all love.
It’s never overt or blatant, never done in one fell swoop, but rather it’s done slowly and methodically one law at a time.
California enacted the helmet law in 1992. Since then, the onslaught of regulations has snowballed. Once free to the tax payer, public off road parks are charging entrance fees. Others have just been seized and shut down. Motorcycle Only Check points are currently alive and well in many states. Imagine what would happen if the enacted minority check points? Well that’s exactly what they’re doing. We are a minority.
I want to ask you one question. Do you have more or less freedom now than you did 30 years ago? If the answer is less, than I encourage you to join A.B.A.T.E., the C.O.C. or any other motorcycle activist group in your area. Let your voice be heard. There is power in numbers.
Here is a link to A.B.A.T.E. Local 6 in San Diego.
http://www.abatelocal6.org/
