A publication supporting the rights, safety and freedom of all motorcyclists through education and legislation
August 2016
VOLUME XXV, ISSUE 2
Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Permit #1662 Phoenix, AZ
remember to vote
try to figure out your preference when you actually get your ballot.
By Johnny D ALMA MC ACMC Designated Lobbyist ABATE State PAC Officer
abateofaz.org
ABATE of AZ. 7509 N. 12th St, #200 Phoenix, AZ 85020
Hello fellow motorcycle riders, welcome to August in Arizona.
This is my favorite time of year on Satan’s anvil. The mornings may start off at a decent temperature then the heat becomes intense. At times moisture will come in from the east and inundate us with an inch or more of rain in less than two hours. This is an especially dangerous time for bikers. You never know if you will be hit with sunstroke or flooded roads. Both are not good riding conditions. We endure this so that we can ride through the winter.
August also brings the statewide and federal primary elections. I hope you have chosen the candidates you will vote for. It is a bad idea to
JR called me recently to ask for a way to word a warning for our Facebook page. It seems that someone was posting disparaging comments about a national candidate. The thing we want to remember is that we don’t want to make enemies of people who may be in a position to adversely affect the motorcycle community. It is one thing to support a candidate, it is quite another to publicly insult that person’s opponent. If you put negative comments on the page it will be deleted. This is not an infringement on free speech as the Constitution only guarantees that the government will not stop your freedom. A page belonging to an organization or individual can require that speech be in a form the entity approves. I would give my picks for those I believe will be beneficial to us but I don’t want to stir up a hornets’ nest. I have been in contact with Megan Eckstrom, the new Legislative Liaison for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. I am trying to get campaign donations for some federal candidates that are friends of ours. It is almost as hard as pulling teeth. I have some ideas on how our money should be spent. At the Board meeting in Star Valley, I will try to get agreement to start a political action committee so that we can donate to state level candidates who support motorcycle issues. We also need to support candidates who run
against those who would regulate our lifestyle out of existence. That helmet law promoter in Tucson is one example.
I try not to anger legislators but sometimes we just need to stand up and be counted. As I may have told you recently there were 199,741 registered motorcycles in Arizona as of December 31, 2015. My goal is to unite all the motorcycle rights organizations in our state. To that end I am asking that as many as possible attend opening day at the legislature on January 9, 2017. At about nine a.m., the groups who have issues before the legislature gather in front of the Copper Dome to announce their presence. In recent years, bikers have been invited to sit in offices, in the gallery, and some even on the floor of either house. It is fun. I hope to see more than the sixty or so that came last year. There will be a press release and if we have enough people, there will be news crews interviewing those present. Motorcycle Day At The Dome will be on February 15, 2017. The MDATD committee had its first meeting on Thursday July 14. There were members of ABATE, the ACMC, MMA, and Christian Motorcycle groups. MMAA was invited but was not present. This year our main goal is to present a united front.
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