California Helmet Law

The bill to repeal California's helmet law (AB695) failed again. While it was a good bill, there wasn't enough political will to get it past the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Some folks believe that if bikers had written more emails, it might have passed. Others may think it failed because it was a party-line vote. But the plain truth is that California bikers don't have enough political power to get the job done.

So how do California bikers get that kind of power?

In the world of politics, there is no power greater than the ability to win elections. If you have that kind of power, no amount of letters, protests, or even an army of lobbyists can stop you. Self-preservation is the most convincing argument there is. In fact, it's the ONLY convincing argument there is.

One person has the power of one vote. Just one. But on the campaign trail, each volunteer can generate one vote per hour. So each weekend, during the campaign season, each biker can produce 10 votes. And a dozen bikers (times ten) equals 120 votes.

Every year, there are a few races that come down to less than 500 votes. Our task is to find those close races, and take down the most vulnerable nanny-crats. If we can do that ... win one or two close races ... during each election cycle, the results will be different next time.

Our campaign efforts will pay off, and in more ways than picking up a couple of seats. We will be sending a clear message to our legislators:

We will be waiting on the campaign trail ... that you must travel.

Only then will our voices have an impact on the legislature. Only then will we be worth listening to. Only then will we change the way the game is played.

Now that's something to write home about.

- Ride2Repeal@gmail.com

Dear Santa

Politics is not a matter of who writes the most letters. It is a matter of who gets the most votes.

The campaign volunteers who get behind candidates and help them win are the ones who get what they want. Because they help send their legislators to the capitol, their wishes are granted.

If you only rely on writing to everyone at the capitol -- without helping anyone win elections -- don't expect much more than a lump of coal. The reason is that you can't expect to get something without first giving something. Your pleas will otherwise fall on deaf ears.

Might as well be writing to Santa.

Which side do you want to be on? Our campaign volunteers chose to make a difference instead of hoping for a miracle. They are walking the walk, and not just talking the talk.

Do you want to get rid of the helmet law, or just write about it? Click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  button at the top of RepealMachine.com to get started. And if there's a biker-friendly candidate near you, you'll know what to do. WIN.

-Ride2Repeal@gmail.com

Oregon Rally: May 7

ABATE of Oregon and BikePAC of Oregon will host their annual May Awareness rally on May 7. I have the honor of speaking at this exciting event, and look forward to being in the company of such fine activists.

Here is the flyer for the rally, which will be held on the steps of the capitol. The bike show starts at 10:00, and the rally will follow starting at 11:00.

I strongly encourage activists from near and far to attend. You won't be disappointed!

Path or Goal?

What do motorcycles have to do with political power?

It's an easy enough question. Most bikers rights activists would probably say EVERYTHING! That's why we have poker runs, protests, parties, and the venerable SMRO to pull it all together.

That's also why we strive to get better at it. And to accomplish this, we recruit more people, seek better participation, and provide more motorcycle-oriented activities to restore our rights. It would only make sense for us to work harder at going in the same direction we've been going all along.

But wait a minute, and think about it...

If motorcycling was genuinely the path to political power, then why are WE the only ones going in this direction? And why have we been losing ground, year after year, helplessly watching our rights get attacked and eroded with each new legislative session? And why have some of our most motivated and dedicated activists thrown in the towel, never to return?

The truth is that we rely on becoming better bikers because that's what comes naturally to us as bikers. We like motorcycling activities, so that's what we do. In other words, we automatically think that with a Better Bikers Bureau, we'll get what we want from our legislature.

This is far from the truth.

The logic behind this is that we LOVE motorcycling. And if we can somehow convince more people (like our legislators and their constituents) to love motorcycling too, we will somehow prevail in the political arena. But if motorcycling was really the path to political power, then everyone seeking political power would simply become a biker.

The truth is that bikers need to become politically powerful first. Not by getting better at motorcycling activities, but by getting better at political activities. And political activities have NOTHING to do with motorcycles.

So ...

Instead of trying to change your legislator's mind on bikers rights, find a candidate who supports bikers rights and change the legislator. There is no way a nanny-crat will ever defend our rights. But there will always be a few close races, and it is up to us to find them ... and then to take down our most vulnerable opponents.

Instead of recruiting as many motorcyclists as possible to do everything imaginable, recruit the right kind of motorcyclists, and then focus on what gets the most results. So rather than beating the bushes to motivate apathetic bikers, rely on the self-motivated activists that we already have (that's us) to restore our rights.

Instead of asking your legislative candidates to come to your meeting, ride with your fellow motorcyclists to their meetings. And then volunteer. Once bikers become a reliable part of the political machine, only then will it make sense for candidates to come to us ... when they believe we can help them win.

Bikers rights is the goal we seek, but motorcycling is not the path to get there. Only political power can deliver everything we want, so building political power is what our first and foremost activity must be.

The Repeal Machine connects biker activists with biker-friendly candidates. Nothing more, and nothing less. So if you want to restore your rights, don't expect your motorcycle to get you there. Instead, take a ride on the Repeal Machine.

-Ride2Repeal@gmail.com

Call the Shots

Many states are considering bills to repeal the mandatory helmet law to restore an adult's right to decide.

Running their normal course, the first stop for these bills is the Transportation Committee. So bikers rights activists are sending emails to committee members. So far, so good.

And as always, some comittee members will vote against passage, and they will do so because they have nothing to fear. But thanks to many of our Alert Subscribers and other bikers rights activists, that is changing.

Why?

Because these forward-thinking bikers are also veterans from the front lines of the political battlefield, which is the campaign trail. When we do our part there, where it counts, our letters to committee members become friendly reminders that we are more than just talk.

The day will soon come when a few of the most vulnerable nanny-crats will try to squeak through the spring primary elections. That is a sure thing, as sure as the sun will rise. And we need to be right there, waiting for them in a small handful of districts, with sleeves rolled up, helping their biker-friendly opponents carry the day.

Once we have a couple of notches under out belts, and we can rightly claim to be the deciding factor in who wins these primary elections, we will have political power. And even those legislators who would normally oppose us will nonetheless respect our power, and think twice before casting their fateful votes.

With political power, we call the shots. But without it, we can only plead to deaf ears.

-Ride2Repeal@gmail.com

Moving Mountains

Repealing the motorcycle helmet law is like trying to dig a tunnel through a mountain. We know that once built, the road will be smooth and easy.

But that's a big mountain.

So far we've had limited success, digging with our hands and whatever else we can get a hold of. Shovels, pick axes, pry bars ... and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears. If only we had more helping hands.

That's why we spend a lot of time and effort looking for more people. Skills and aptitude don't matter, as long as we can increase our numbers. And it doesn't matter whether you actually dig, since we need more recruiters, safety inspectors, team supervisors, eloquent preachers, trash collectors, and even a dog catcher.

So to keep the operation going, we created a whole mining town, complete with a Board of Directors to keep everything under control. But running the town takes a lot of time and money, too. In fact, we need more resources for running the mining town itself than we do for actually digging.

The current state of bikers rights is that we spend more time on the mining town than we do at actually digging that tunnel. There's got to be a better way.

Fortunately, there is.

We now have a powerful tool at our disposal, called the Repeal Machine. So instead of digging with our hands, dealing with constant cave-ins, and getting sucked into the drama of life in a mining town, we can quickly drill a clean, wide hole straight through to the other side. Best of all, we can complete the job with the people we already have.

If you're like me, you're tired of digging ... and ready to ride.

-Ride2Repeal@gmail.com