Anecdotes aren't proof and people who use anecdotes to prove a point are easily discredited.
If your legislators gave credence to an attorney who built an argument on anecdotes then you need to vote them out. If those opposed to the legislation didn't present refuting or offsetting evidence in a compelling method shame on them.
Very true, but simplistic and lacking any real understanding of the value of one person's vote.
I'm out of state, Wisconsin legislators don't care what I think about their laws, even though, as a Wisconsin land owner, they affect me. I can't vote, but I can influence others that are Wisconsin residents. The more folks I can influence to my way of thinking, the more power I have over this situation.
Voting is not how you get action from your legislators, money, and showing that your position represents the will of a lot of voters is.
To draw a direct correlation between the comments made by the members of this forum and the Wisconsin legislation and the DOT attorney who pushed for it is a real stretch.
I implied no such thing.
You have the right to use air your frustrations, grievances, and share your stories without censure by the government - and when they legislate recklessly you can use both your voice and your vote to protest.
Agreed.
The only reason I comment on this is because I hate to see Americans urged to keep quiet out of fear of the government. I served this nation (as many of us did) to protect the republic and preserve the concept that the government serves the people, not the other way around. When we start being afraid of the State we have lost much of what we, and those that came before us, fought for.
You don't get it yet.
Tell us why you don't speak freely on these forums about how much money is in your bank account; your social security number; where and what your most valuable trinkets are; how you keep your house key under the mat with the duck on it; what guns you have in your house, and where; that obscure little auction site where you always win with such low bids; that dodgy little thing you do on your taxes...etc... .
There is a thing called enlightened self interest.
If you tell enough people about how unsafe HMV's are, and give them enough examples of unsafe activities using HMV's, and tell about the unsafe things you will be doing if such and so happens to cross you, it will become "common knowledge" that HMV's are unsafe, and that people who like them are unreasonable and dangerous. You are in effect lobbying against your own self interests.
Legislators legislate things that they think will attract voters. If great blocks of voters believe (even falsly) that HMV's are dangerous to them and their families, legislators are going to do what they can to alleviate their fears, and attract their votes.
Just because someone in the WI DOT thinks HMV's are mean killer machines that put everyone on the highways at risk, ALL Wisconsin HMV owners will have their use of their HMV's limited to parades.
Don't you think it might be a better use of these forums to promote the wholesome nature of our activities, and what a benefit our owning HMV's is to our communities?
-Chuck