Motorcycle Nation Podcast

YOU GOTTA FIGHT…FOR YOUR RIGHT…TO PARTY!!!
As I was trying to come up with the title for this post that song was pounding through my head. Believe it or not, we can learn from the Beastie Boys. No, I am not talking about partying, but I am talking about being willing to fight for something that we want or believe in. This post provides good timing as many of our state legislatures are in session right now. I can promise you that in the mountain of proposed amendments or bills, there is at least one that will affect your rights as a motorcyclist. There are hundreds that will affect you as a citizen. What are you willing to do about it? Are you a leader or a follower?

The followers in this fight usually take one of two stances. Stance 1 is when they sit back and say that no matter what you do you can’t fight government. You will never win. Stance 2 is when they take the attitude that the next guy will stand up and fight for them so they don’t have to. Either way, they are among the loudest voices in the crowd whining about the problem but never have any intention of trying to be a part of the solution. If you are a follower, let me speak directly to you. There is strength in numbers and you can fight the government and win. Case in point. Indiana enacted a law in 2007 that allowed an additional fee above and beyond the normal administrative and licensing costs associated with putting your motorcycle on the road. This fee added $10 per motorcycle registration in the state and was to be used to fund research for spinal cord injuries. The legislature grossly assumed that motorcyclists were overly represented in this area due to motorcycle accidents. The fact that Indiana does not require helmets for anyone over 18 (unless on a permit) and the fact that they are defeated nearly every year on the issue may have played into this decision as well.

You can surely guess what kind of response this was met with in the Indiana motorcycle nation. We did not appreciate being discriminated against in this fashion. Had these people mistakenly overlooked the skateboarders, bicycle riders, athletes, skiers, and others that are afflicted with this injury or was there malicious intent to single out the “no helmet wearing bikers”? This bill passed as a rider on the state budget that passed merely minutes prior to the close of the session. It was added after it failed to ride the back of another bill (which ABATE of Indiana helped squash) but could not stop the state budget. We were disappointed but we vowed to win in 2008.

ABATE of Indiana holds an ABATE day at the Statehouse where we lobby our legislators on issues coming up in session. This is normally held in January or February and we have members sign up and spend the day at the capitol building. 2008 was the largest turnout that we ever had! Motorcyclists were passionate about this issue and it showed. During the year, ABATE of Indiana Executive Director Jay Jackson worked with Governor Mitch Daniels’ office to discuss this matter with the bill author, Representative Carolene Mays. ABATE members had called her office and written letters and emails to her as well and she had agreed to approach the appropriate committee during this session and ask for a modification. We agreed that there was a need for the research to be funded and that a more fair approach would be to add a $.50 fee to all motor vehicle registrations rather than singling out the two wheeled crowd. Besides, this would raise a much larger total.

There were people there on both sides of the issue at the committee meeting which was held in a small committee meeting room in the basement of the state capitol. There were enough motorcyclists there that we spilled out into the outer foyer area and even out into the main hallway. How could they resist? Needless to say, the Hoosier motorcycle nation is no longer handcuffed by an unfair, discriminatory fee.

In summary, strength in numbers. Next time your local, state, or federal government tries to tread on you, get off your lazy rear ends and stand up for yourself. If you are not an ABATE or other state motorcyclist rights organization member, I urge you to make that your first step off the couch and join up. Don’t forget, there are brain dead legislators in Washington too so throw a little money to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (http://mrf.org) or the American Motorcyclist Association (http://ama-cycle.org). Get off the couch. You enjoy the victory when we win so earn your piece of the victory!

……you gotta fight…for your right… to paaarrrrrrttaayy!!!!!

Steve “Bullitt” McQueen