Helmet Bill Amendment

Phew.. telephones and E-mail have been flooded at my house since Saturday..
Damn.. I need an assistant to help me to keep up..I didn't even make it to
Elgin, but I know that the TMRA II district advisors meeting was a success..

From all the reports I have received, that meeting was attended by TMRA II
brothers and sisters from all over Texas.. Non-members showed up as well..

I've been studying the Helmet Bill Amendment that will be proposed .. It is
a strong Bill and contains more than just an address to the helmet issue..

We were advised by the chairman and all the district advisors, that the
first amendments to the Helmet Law, were imperfect and would need to be
revisited.. True to their word, the chair and the DA's have chosen this
upcoming legislative session to revisit and complete the difficult task of
leveling this playing field for Texas Motorcycle Enthusiasts..

There is much in this Bill that affects anyone who rides, whether it is the
freedom of choice to ride with or without a helmet, or the endorsement on
your license which permits you to ride legally, or not.. There are many
pocketbook issues which affect everyone..

The most recent and nearest attack on motorcyclist, came from our neighbor
state of Lousiana.. The legislators there betrayed our brothers and sisters
of that state.. All of us who have enjoyed the visits to Lousiana must
conform to the rigid state requirements in order to ride there..

Anticipation of the same betrayal from our own legislators, have forced our
leaders and TMRA II, to choose this session to pre-emptively engage the
insurance industry and the legislators who are in their pockets.. Support of
this proposed Bill should be a given, by anyone who rides..

I fully intend to be in Austin during one full week in January.. Legislative
Day and that week, will be crucial for us all to declare our support to ride
with freedom of choice and the liberty to exercise our rights, as Texans and
Americans to have citizens influence in the legislation that affects us
all..

There is no doubt, the support in Austin will be overwhelmning and that city
will be flooded with riders .. The world famous attendance at the Republic
of Texas rally should pale in comparison.. Be seeing all of you in January,
2005.. at our State Capitol..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

The course is well worth it.. Whatever my reason for not taking the course,
I should also have that right.. I've been operating a motorcycle for well
over twenty years and never had an accident claim of any kind.. Are you
going to force me to take a course to renew my license ?

Take a look at what has happened in Lousiana.. It can happen in Texas just
as easily..

Better get real busy, real fast.. What do you think the HIPPA (?) Bill is
all about.?? TMRA II and ABATE have been concerned about that Bill for a
couple of years, now.. Matter of fact .. it was briefly talked about in the
DA meeting which you were present..

Amend it... The proposed legislation is on the TMRA II website.. Take a
look..For that matter, Beemer .. read my post in it's entirety.. I tried to
cover the proposed Bill and summarize it.. The Bill as it will be presented
is detailed on the TMRA II website..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

BTW.. I was disappointed to learn that you didn't attend the DA meeting in
Elgin, this past Saturday.. I specifically asked about your sons and you..

 

That is one point of view, alright.. Far be it from me to disagree (although
I do) or to try to convince you that your viewpoint is wrong..

Not a thing..I am not opposed to motorcycle safety courses, matter of fact,
I recommend the courses to many riders that I encounter.. I am definitely
not an adversary.. However, I resent being legislated to take any course.. I
am opposed to any law that makes that course a requirement.. Licensing of
motorcycle operators are mandated and required .. When we take the
examination for that license we are tested by the examiner.. After that ..
operator discretion to take or not take the course should be his choice, not
the choice of legislation..Some of the best motorcycle handlers that I've
known, fail miserably when placed under examination..

I want

You can't vote unless you attend the critical meetings or at least send
someone to make your voice heard.. I understand why you didn't attend.. I
didn't attend either..

I suspect that if the requirement to take the

Bills will not dead end because of someone being pissed.. They will dead
end, however when we all lose interest or become too busy to make our
opinions known and vote..

Both Bush's passed the helmet

HUH ? When George Bush was governor of Texas, TMRA II in collaboration with
ABATE got the amendment to the Helmet Law, which partially removed the
requirement to wear a helmet .. I'm not familiar with what has happened in
Florida.. Meantime .. if you'd like to make this a strictly partisan issue,
by pointing out that the governor in Louisiana is a democrat, we can go
there, if you wish..

Again, I would heartily recommend that you become present and make your
opinion known.. The effects of the Bill that is being proposed by TMRA II is
to give you the choice to decide.. Other benefits that affect your freedom
are also incorporated in the Bill.. Your opinion will be well received and
your voice heard.. Nothing is being forced on you..

There is a great deal that is wrong with the Bill as it is applied.. When
TMRA II worked on this legislation in '97, they pointed out that it is not a
perfect Bill and would need to be revisited.. That is what is happening..The
chair and the DA's are keeping their words to us..

Now if texas

Waiting until the compliance amendments are removed from the existing helmet
law, will definitely be too damn late.. That is why the support for the
proposed Bill is crucial.. January legislative session in Austin will be
very important to us all.. If you don't manage the time to make your voice
heard during that month, your voice will just be noise in a racket.. Think
about it..

<Beemer, my fine friend .. I respectfully snipped this part of your
response, because this is not a partisan issue..>

We can get real partisan, if that is what you want.. If so .. create another
thread and let's do it.. This newsgroup is well aware of yours and mine
political differences.. They are also well aware that we've always
maintained respect for one another.. Why not just keep it that way and
continue our good relationship... LOL

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

I disagree. If you choose to take the course, that's fine. I shouldn't
have to. I've been riding for many years and would be far beyond
taking that course. I wouldn't gain anything out of it.

But, why should I be pulled over to show I'm within compliance of the
law? The problem you're not seeing is that it's illegal in Texas to
ride without a helmet. It's also illegal to ride with a helmet that
does not clearly show the DOT sticker in the back.

Do you have $10k you can give me for that bond? Do you have $10k bond
yourself? Do you have medical insurance? How many people in Texas
riding without helmets do you figure have health insurance? Most are
self employed or unemployed...or just simply have no coverage through
their employer. They can't afford health insurance on their own. So,
how many do you figure are actually in compliance?

Is that what it takes to get you interested?

BTW, you just won my bet with Mike. Actually, we didn't have a "bet",
I just told him that the biggest hurdle on this would be getting
support of the riders currently out there who don't know the law. I
said (in the TMRA2 meeting...that you weren't at) "most of these
people don't see a problem with the law as it currently stands and so
they won't see that anything needs to be changed". I went on to say
"the legislators aren't the problem to worry about, the biggest
problem is getting people with the mindset that there's a
problem...and we only have until January to do it".

Now, if we can get through that much, we'll have it easy with the
legislators.

Actually, they currently can't deny coverage...only the benefits. If
the sons of liberty site says they are denying coverage, then they're
wrong. It's sorta goes into the gay marriage thing. The problem isn't
"gay marriage". The problem is that insurance companies don't want to
pay out the benefits to people who aren't "man and wife married
couples". Even though they take the money for the coverage, they don't
pay the benefits. That's where we have the problem now with "gay
marriage".

Lose the caveats within the law...not bill. The law puts too many
restrictions and makes it where you're breaking the law and it's up to
you to prove you're within the law. If a cop wanted to be a real ass
about it, he could (under the AG opinion) still write a ticket for
non-compliance and let you go to the magistrate and prove you're
within compliance.

Is that enough to get you involved?

 

Your arguments are real good Beemer.. If you are that content with the way
the helmet law is structured, then by all means.. don't support the position
of TMRA II.. I'd advise you to at least give the proposed Bill, a good read
and compare it to the existing helmet law and amendments.. In addition, you
might find the time to go to a TMRA II meeting, ask some questions, voice
your opinion or just listen..

All the newsgroup discussion is just adding more conflict to some minds that
have no clue what we are talking about.. Don't you think ?

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

I'm astonished. I never realized that Texas, on the whole, was so dirt
poor as described.

 

LOL... you astonish quite easily..huh, speedo ? Please refer to the comment
of Beemer or anyone else who astonished you with such an observation..

 

Yeah, whatever.

In Texas, being pulled over for their helmet (or lack of) IS cause.

Maybe. Go ask Sputnik how many he's visited lately...since Cornyn's
opinion was issued.

What I'm getting at is what you later answered yourself. Your wife
didn't pass, so she has to resort to the medical insurance policy.
That same medical insurance policy can deny benefits paid out if your
wife is injured in a motorcycle accident...even though that's the
insurance she's required to have to ride without a helmet.

Be that as it may, even if you're within compliance you can still be
pulled over for not wearing a helmet...or even wearing a helmet.
Because, just because you're in compliance, you're still breaking the
law.

Then you don't understand the AG opinion.

It's a good thing you *don't* show up to meetings and place your input
into the mix. I'd hate to think that the only way I could get a
motorcycle endorsement is to pay $150 and be placed on a waiting list
for six months to take a course that something else might come up and
I will be out that $150...even though I've passed the tests for
written/driving with the state.

You talk about this "course" like it's some magical potion out of a
bottle. The only thing it is, is basic riding experience packaged up
and given within a single classroom and riding course.

I don't have that problem. I don't have warrants, and I have
insurance. What I don't have is the patience to be pulled over for
"riding my motorcycle" and have the time taken away from me for a
little cop to "go fishin'"...and maybe cause me to have to go back
away from home to appear or pay a ticket.

But, I'm glad you know just how "loud" my bike is...when you've never
seen or heard it.

 

Sunday January 23rd we meet to discuss the issues, usually around 6pm.
Monday January 24th we go in to talk with our legislators on the issues.

 

That's what I said, alright.. Kinda misleading comment.. those genuine
bikers who only ride a couple of hundred miles per year have also ridden
hundreds of thousands of mile during their lifetimes.. They should be
mentors for every rookie who climbs on a motorcycle.. They've survived all
these years and all those miles.. Most have designed, detailed and built
their own motorcycles..Now.. we will require them to attend a motorcycle
safety course, in order to keep the motorcycle endorsement on their driver's
license.. I don't think so..

At that rate one would take 10 years to accumulate

Yep... but it is ok to demand that they take a course before they can renew
their license..

Quite

The State Representative from Paris, Tx. introduced two Bills on the floor,
this past year.. You would probably have supported them both.. Neither made
it to the floor..
One of those Bills ..required anyone with an endorsement on the license, to
take the motorcycle safety course..

The other Bill.. authorized the State to harvest the organs of anyone who is
killed during a motorcycle accident or boating accident .. or an accident
involving other recreational and high risk activity..

Knowing you, I doubt seriously, that you would support such legislation..
When it passes and goes into law, you'd probably be amazed when the law
affected your family, directly.. "How the hell, did such insanity become
law"? Right ?

Those two Bills were detected by a very alert Warrior of TMRA II,
otherwise.. chances are, they'd have been quietly debated and passed into
law, unnoticed.. Incidentally.. they mysteriously disappeared ..

The point being, Beemer .. my friend..some of the legislation that we see,
cannot be thoroughly debated and clearly understood on this forum..All of us
have lives that are separate from political issues, but political issues
affect virtually every aspect of our lives.. Pick and choose the issues that
please you, but do not make the mistake of summarily dismissing those that
are being examined by the ones who have demonstrated their dedication to
make everyone's quality of life a little easier.. ROTFL... end of lecture..
Thanks for your attention..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Many thanks Elmer.. you've come to my rescue, again.. I wasn't sure about
those dates and needed to talk to you or Mike, before responding to my good
friend, JailCall..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

I will probably be freezing my arse off in MT on those dates.

--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!

 

Hey Bill.....

I was just thinking, I know a guy that can build you an extra sturdy
soap box that should last you a lifetime. LOL

BTW - if you haven't picked up on it, yet, I think I am going to be
gone for about three months starting in Jan. :-(

--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!

 

LOL... ah well.. What we need is all the bikers with big dicks to go to
Austin, anyway... BWAAAAAA....

Damn.. son.. it does get cold up there.. whew.. I got an idea.. just don't
go...

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

It better be strong and sturdy.. <chuckle> Tell him to make sure the size of
my balls and that dick of mine are considered in the structure.. Sheesh..
some are taking bets that I won't make it another year...Ain't that a hoot
?? I've got some long range plans..

Yeah.. I got that idea..Dammit..Fullstate.. How the hell do you expect to
grow up and be just like me, if you don't stick around and pay attention..

Be safe pard.. no matter where you wind up..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Yeah, we all know how you "straight pipe" guys really are.....

I had a talk with my boss today. I told him that I missed most of the
riding season (Spring) last year and I had no intentions of missing it
this year. We'll see what happens.

Maybe I'll fly down and just ride the 'Priller up to MT??


--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!

 

<>I was just thinking, I know a guy that can build you an extra sturdy
soap box that should last you a lifetime. LOL
BTW - if you haven't picked up on it, yet, I think I am going to be gone
for about three months starting in Jan. :-(
--Fullstate
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
I believe fulstate knows you, Bill, pretty good...are we gonna miss
fullState...please advise....(grin)

<>haveAgoodDay-Bjay<>

 

<>I will probably be freezing my arse off in MT on those dates.
--Fullstate
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
i just realized, yourre needed up there, because of a company meeting,
that you're the CEO of: I got it!!!

<>haveAgoodDay-Bjay<>

 

Settle down.. Bjay... Fullstate can't go anywhere until he gets my box
finished.. He's got the spec's for it already.. He just needs to stop
playing long enough to get 'er done..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Oh, I'll still be around on the group, just not in the state. At
least, not very often.


--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!