Where to begin? This is, of course, a "win/win" for the politicians. They can appear concerned and pro-active to their majority constituencies, while risking nothing, as the % of bikers in their districts is inconsequential. What of the bureaucrats who write and implement this bilge? They get to justify their jobs by writing reams of meaningless regulations that clarify nothing and resolve nothing, while assuring approval of their agencies inflated budget for next fiscal year. None of this Catch-22 mindlessness should come as a surprise to any of us. We've all watched from the side lines as this whirlpool descent into legislative chaos has evolved. Lewis Carroll could not have imagined it on this scale. Regrettably, many (motorcyclists included) have abetted the process in the naive belief that more and more intrusive government is the answer. The result is now an out of control legislative mania in which any issue, small or large, real or imagined, can be legislated into law by politicians who are either corrupt and/or easily intimidated by pressure groups. The founding fathers would no doubt look at what we've created and shake their heads in dismay. We've abandoned the fundamental belief in rational, limited government, serving the interests of what used to be an essentially self-reliant population. The subject under discussion here is merely a microcosm of a system wide affliction, in which not a single elected representative can rise up and state unequivically that he wishes to be measured by how little paper he produces, rather than by how much. The irony here is that my position, once considerd mainsteam, now exists only on the polar end of the political spectrum - considered by the current mainsteam of opinion as almost counter-revolutionary. Nevertheless, while cynical about this process, I remain completely optimistic about motorcycle industry capabilities in finding technically innovative end runs around the dunderheads we've empowered to run (ruin) our lives, with regard to performance, sound, and yes, even emissions compliance, whether necessary or not. Keep the faith, bros!
