Cure for Inaction

Do you suffer from Narcotizing Dysfunction, also known as ND?

This condition has spread throughout the bikers rights community, since it is highly communicable.

ND is spread primarily via email. While most sufferers are totally unaware that they have contracted ND, there is an easy way to find out whether you've got it or not.

> Do you regularly email others with info about important issues?

> Do you believe that you've taken action by sending these emails?

If you answered YES to both questions, you've got ND!

Fortunately, help is available. And despite what some may believe, ND can easily be cured.

All you have to do is get out from behind your keyboard, and actually do something about the issue you care about. Or at least recommend a solution to the problem. Merely telling others about the issue is not enough, since this only makes the problem worse.

Ultimately, only your actions (not your emails) can cure yourself of ND. It's not enough to know about a problem. You have to actually do something about it.

Fallen Warrior

Richard "Dick" Floyd passed away on August 11, 2011. He is widely known for bringing the mandatory helmet law to California in 1992. For that alone, he is probably hated by a lot of frustrated motorcyclists.

Not me. I respect him for what he accomplished. Heck, I even admire him.

Don't get me wrong. I hate the helmet law more than your average motorcyclists. In fact, I've never met another biker who opposes the mandatory helmet law more strongly than I do.

But I gotta give credit where credit is due.

Floyd knew how to fight -- and he especially knew how to win -- the helmet law battle. He didn't get sidetracked, and never lost focus. He never gave up, and never took his eyes off his goal. But it was more than his single-mindedness that took us down. It was his winning strategy.

Dick Floyd didn't fight hard ... because he didn't have to. Instead, he fought smart. He picked his battle, and made his own rules. He played his strengths, and took advantage of our weaknesses. And we fell right into the trap he set for us. In fact, we're still running around in the same circle to this very day.

Even from the grave, he's still beating us.

Floyd drew us into a war of words, a dueling debate, a stalemate of statistics. And as long as we played his game, by his rules, on his home turf, he won. It took him only two seconds to plant a single lie, and bikers have spent the last two decades trying to prove him wrong.

Funny thing is, California bikers actually did beat Dick Floyd (once, temporarily). Not in a war of words, but by taking our fight to the campaign trail. When bikers mobilized against him, they kept him out of office. And that unified action took away the only real advantage Floyd had, which was his ability to legislate. All the rest was just a smoke screen.

But that valuable lesson was somehow lost. We abandoned the strategic high ground we held, and instead fell into his spin cycle of debating the issue. As if we could somehow say the right words or email enough letters to ever put the genie back into the bottle.

Floyd is dead, but life goes on. Redistricting is here, key legislators are termed out, and the 2012 primary elections are just around the corner. Will we keep trying to talk the talk? Or are we ready to walk the walk?

California bikers will determine whether Dick Floyd has the last laugh. And that's no joke.

Stack the Deck

Nevada is a state with a term-limited legislature. While it's debatable as to whether term limits are a cure-all for state politics, there's no question that it gives bikers a huge advantage towards repealing the helmet law.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, helmet laws are NOT decided during the legislative session. Election Day is when it really happens, and the results are merely added up when the Senate and Assembly vote on a repeal bill.

So the key to victory is not to email your legislators during the session. This approach relies too much on luck. And in this game, you need more than luck to win. If you disagree, look at how long bikers have been mass-emailing, year after year ... with no luck.

So how do term limits help the repeal effort?

By letting us stack the deck.

Incumbents are notoriously hard to defeat. Well over 95% of legislators win reelection. It's only when a seat becomes vacant that there's a real chance of making progress. This is especially true during the primary phase of the elections, where voter turnout is low and margins of victory are small.

Nevada has an additional advantage beyond term limits. Almost all of its legislative seats are located in two areas: Las Vegas and Reno. That's where all the people live, after all.

But it's also where the bikers live.

Imagine the kind of impact we'd have if a dozen bikers got involved in the few districts that are termed-out. With a little effort, we could turn those districts into "yes" votes on repeal.

Like Bon Jovi sang, "Luck ain't even lucky ... gotta make your own breaks." We need campaign volunteers to stack the deck in our favor. Click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  button to get started.

How to Score

Strength in numbers is a good thing. But if you plan on repealing the helmet law by any tactic that requires numerical superiority, you are going to have a hard time scoring. But the bases are loaded, and the winning run is standing on third.

Bikers are a tiny minority of the voting population. Strike one! Most bikers aren't politically active. Strike two! Politicians know this. Strike three ... you're outta there!

Let's pretend you DO have a lot of biker activists, ready to take action. What do you do with all that talent?

Raise money for political donations? Biker's aren't flush with cash. Strike one! Write a lot of letters to legislators? Politicians already ignore bikers. Strike two! Have a massive show at the capitol? Politicians know you will go back home at the end of the day. Strike three ... you're outta there!

Okay, you have only one out left. Will you keep swinging for the fences, or are you going to surprise them? Maybe it's time to catch them off guard, and hit where they least expect it. You gotta play smart to win at this game.

Play your strengths. You live near a district where a vulnerable nanny-crat is running for reelection. The race will be close because there's a strong challenger who supports repeal. It won't take much effort, and it doesn't require a whole lot of bikers Just a little tap in the right place will do...

So you bunt.

By nudging the vote, you forced a run home. And yes, you scored. Not because you worked your tail off, but because you played it smart.

You played to win.

Get Ready

Now that late summer is upon us, the political calendar shows that many states will soon gear up for primary elections. This is the most important time for biker activists to get involved.

I know that's contrary to "the way we've always done it." Most bikers are more inclined to focus their attention on repeal bills. But that's too late in the game to make any real difference.

When politicians are running for office, they need help. After they're in, they already have all the help they need. And while nanny-crats are running for reelection, they are vulnerable to primary challengers. Otherwise they're safe behind the castle walls.

So the first step is to find out who is running for office, as well as what legislative seats are coming open (due to term limits or retirement). That's pretty easy, and most of that work is already done for you.

The part where YOU can make a difference is to find out who the candidates are, and ask them what's their policy on the helmet law. Don't try to lobby them just yet ... what we need are their unbiased opinions. The less you steer their answer, the better.

Once we know where they stand, we're ready to take action. Our whole operation is focused on putting campaign volunteers where they can get the most results. That's how we will repeal the helmet law, once and for all.

Political Freeway

QUESTION: Anyone can volunteer for any candidate regardless of which district they live in correct?

ANSWER: Absolutely.

Since coming to California in May 2010, I've worked for six different candidates. Some were nearby, and others were over 100 miles away.

Five of these candidates won office, and they know me on a first-name basis. They also know how reliable I am. And I know where they stand on the helmet law, since I asked them ahead of time and only then volunteered.

I can't vote in California. Not yet, anyway. That's because I'm still a legal resident of another state. But despite that fact, I have more political power in my pinkie than 100 California voters.

Why? Campaign work doesn't require you to do anything other than show up. And that's 100% of the battle. While citizens can only cast a single vote, and only in their voting district, campaign volunteers produce one vote per hour where ever they work.

Politically speaking, the campaign trail is a freeway. Anyone can ride on it, and it's the road to freedom.

Talk is Hot Air

Yes, the debate over helmet laws will never end. But all that talk is just a bunch of hot air.

Repeal doesn't depend on debating the issue. It's a matter of political action.

So the choice for bikers is whether to prolong the debate, or repeal the helmet law. Talk is not action.

The elections are coming around soon. Find a candidate who supports repeal, and then join their campaign team. Otherwise, you have no say in the outcome.

Click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  button to find important races near you.

Pop the Question

Now that summer is winding down, it's time for biker activists to pop the question:

"What's your position on the mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists?"

If you pay attention to politics with a mind to make a difference, check out the candidates who are looking to move into the legislature. Incumbent segislators will also be trying to hold onto their seats, or move up to higher office.

With all this activity, it's important to know which candidates are biker-friendly and which ones are not. If you wait until after the election to get involved, the bouquet has already been tossed ... and you didn't catch it.

The easiest way to find out is to simply ask. And I do mean simply. Don't give away your position by telling them what you think about helmet laws. What you want is an honest answer.

Once you find out, record your candidate's position. This will help bikers can take action where it matters.