Math for Bikers

To be a successful activist, it helps to do it by the numbers. If "time is money," there is an easy way to get the most bang for your buck.

Here is a short video that explains how it works: http://youtu.be/iD3d5DKkmFE

Nobody likes to waste their time. Bikers are no different, which explains why so many have thrown in the towel when it comes to repealing the helmet law. After decades of trying, something's not working.

It's not for lack of trying, and it is maddening. But something's been missing for all these years, and that's a proven method of getting out of it what you put into it. Here's an easy example:

Let's say you and some riding buddies get together for an hour almost every month. Using round numbers, that's 10 bikers, meeting 10 times per year, for a total of 100 man hours. Let's also say there are 10 identical meetings going on around the state. That gives us a grand total of 1,000 man hours.

What did that 1,000 hours produce, strictly in terms of getting results on the helmet law? Pretty hard to say, and that's because it's pretty hard to find a connection between the investment and the return it was supposed to produce.

In the political world, a campaign volunteer can produce about 1 vote per hour. Doesn't sound like much, I admit. But it adds up quickly.

There are always a few close races in every election cycle. And if you add in special elections (where voter turnout is small), the margin of victory is usually in the hundreds of votes.

Now if those same 100 bikers put that much effort into one or two key districts, 1,000 votes (the product of 1,000 man hours) makes a difference. The same amount of investment produces a solid return. After all, it takes a legislative majority to win any issue, whether it's helmets or not. And that's the power of campaign volunteers.

How you spend your time is entirely up to you. Are you ready to get something back on your investment? If you are, the Repeal Machine has got your number.

See you on the campaign trail!