A publication supporting the rights, safety and freedom of all motorcyclists through education and legislation
November 2016
VOLUME XXV, ISSUE 5
Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Permit #1662 Phoenix, AZ
Open Dialogue
to share this month.
Mike Infanzon ABATE of AZ Designated Lobbyist
abateofaz.org
ABATE of AZ. 7509 N. 12th St, #200 Phoenix, AZ 85020
By the time most of you read this, the election will be over and we will know who are our representatives are at the state capital. I for one and really happy this election cycle is over. It’s been nasty. Now the time to get down to business is upon us.
I have had the opportunity to speak with a lot of the candidates for the state house of representatives and the state senate from districts all over the state. Such a diversity of people who, in their heart, want to make Arizona a better place for all. I may not agree with their politics, views or methodology in doing that, but that brings me to what I wanted
A few weeks ago, while preparing for this article, I began calling all the candidates who did not respond to our candidate questionnaire. As I wrote last month, I felt slighted by that. Again, being who I am, I decided to call them out on it. Starting with the incumbents I began to call and email. I then moved on to the challengers in the districts. You could almost hear the “Oh $%&%!” going through their brain when I introduced myself and explained that ABATE fights for the freedoms of over 192,000 motorcyclists in Arizona. I spoke to many of the candidates and most “did not realize they did not respond”.
Two conversations really stood out. The first one was with a candidate who did not respond because she thought her “answers would not be what you wanted to hear.” I went on to explain to her the reason for the questionnaire and maybe it could open a discussion on several topics. Within a few minutes I had her responses. We discussed the mandatory helmet laws in many states and she stated she agreed with that because she lost a friend in a bike accident. But she also stated she would not attempt to change the existing legislation either if elected. We spoke on a variety of issues and she
realized that there are issues that she would support and help with. I counted that as a huuuuuuge win. And I didn’t use my own server. OK enough joking about the two POTUS candidates.
The second candidate returned my call and we spoke for almost 20 minutes. She explained that she did not respond to ANY candidate questionnaires or surveys. She went on to state that she would rather speak to HER CONSTITUENTS and see where they felt on issues. Again, a win for that district if she wins.
I share this with you to not give a nod toward one candidate or legislator over another. I share this with you because this is just two examples of what can be accomplished when we open a dialogue with our elected officials. I am here for all of ABATE of Arizona but it is you and only you who can talk to what is happening in your neighborhood. Communication with our representatives is imperative in order to fight for our freedoms. Webster defines open dialogue as an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue especially with a view to reaching an amicable agreement. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? Open dialogue! Hmmmm.
Visit us on FaceBook facebook.com/AbateofAZ and facebook.com/pages/Too-Broke-For-Sturgis-Rally