Legislative Updates and Information

August 2007 - NEW ABATE Legislative officer - Don Creamer

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Please allow me this opportunity to introduce myself. The name is Don Creamer, the new State Legislative
Affairs Specialist for ABATE of Colorado. To provide you with some history: my first time driving a scoot
on the road was as a teenager in 1968. Purchased my first bike in 1976. Have been riding regularly since
about 2000. My wife and I now both own Harleys (our second each.) I’ve been interested in government
(local, national and international) throughout my adult life. In the spirit of full disclosure, most times I wear
a helmet but enjoy the option of not having to when I choose not to.

Recently I was working the ABATE booth at the bike rally in Woodland Park where I live. When folks
would stroll past I would greet them and ask how they were enjoying the rally. This would be followed
with, “You know, we have a helmet bill coming.” (It is not on the legislative calendar yet, but one IS
coming!) Most times that would get their attention and, from my perspective, a positive response.
However, one gent surprised me with his reaction. It appears that he was from a mandatory helmet law
state and (I’m assuming) he moved to Colorado fairly recently. He was quite comfortable wearing a
helmet when he rode, and felt VERY strongly that it was such a good idea everybody should be made
to wear one. Now, as I said I was surprised, especially since he got pretty hot under the collar very quickly.

I don’t debate with people like this. They are beyond that. So I just nodded my head, and let it go.
He started to walk away, then turned around and said that “It’s just like seat belt laws.” We agreed
on that one, but from radically different positions. He apparently did not understand that many folks
do not like being forced to conform to his position (helmets or seat belts.) He didn’t understand that
very basic concept that we are adult Americans and have Freedom of Choice. This is not a safety
issue; it is a Freedom of Choice issue.

When you talk to folks about the rights of motorcyclists (much more than just helmets), and they say,
“What can I do?” tell them to join ABATE of Colorado. Keep some membership forms with you, and
get them to fill one out. Our voices must be heard, and the more voices, the louder we will be.

As we get closer to January when our Legislature comes back into session, you’ll be hearing much more
from me, and your help will be critical. Should a helmet bill raise its ugly head again, as I expect, e-mails
will be flying. Remember, the legislature need only remove these five words: “under eighteen years of age”,
and we will ALL be wearing helmets whether we like it or not!

Since this may become a difficult legislative year, we need to be prepared NOW. As the late John F. Kennedy
said, “Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens
who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to
consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.”

I’m fired up and ready to face the dragon. Are you? Together we can raise that “nation of Minutemen.”

By the way the only motorcyclist running for President has dropped out of the race. Tommy Thompson was
Governor of Wisconsin, where his trademark phrase about the dairy state was, "Where Eagles soar, Packers
score and Harleys roar." As MRF Vice President of Government Relations Jeff Hennie said, "Thompson, who
has a firm grasp of the challenges and joys that every motorcycle rider experiences, is a seasoned political
veteran with a positive legacy going strong. I don't think we have seen the last of Tommy Thompson."

See you next month. Feel free to drop me a note at legislative@abateofcolo.org.