Virginia Freedom Riders :: Freedom Forums

MissPenny · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject: West Virginia is asking for help

ABATE of West Virginia is asking that each of us send a message to the Finance Committee members of both houses condeming the practice of stealing their Motorcycle Safety funds. They've made it easy for us. Below is a link that Hawk from SoLR has provided that will BCC each of the members we need to write, along with a letter from Rainmaker that you may copy and paste into the email. So copy the letter, click the link, paste the message, sign your name and hit send. Simple as that! If you're a member of ABATE of West Virginia, include that in your signature:

http://www.solriders.com/wv.html

The Motorcycle Safety Fund is a self imposed tax on motorcyclists, No other
tax payers pay into the fund. The Motorcycle Safety Fund has one specific
purpose. MOTORCYCLE SAFETY AND AWARENESS! A little history lesson seems
appropriate here. In 1993 the Motorcycle Safety Fund had over $500,000
misappropriated from it by the DMV. No restitution has ever been made. Later
legislation championed by ABATE of West Virginia set up the Governors
Motorcycle Safety, and Awareness Board to watch over said funds. Then
Governor Cecil Underwood had to rescue the Motorcycle Safety Program during
his last year as Governor due to unreasonable contracts between the DMV, and
the former vendor Dale Radcliff which ran the fund dry. ABATE of West
Virginia, and the Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Board again had to get
further taxes legislated on motorcyclists to make the fund solvent once
again.

Thru good management practices the Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Board,
and Chairman Joe Tyree (304-558-1041) have managed to create a surplus
in this dedicated fund (paid into by MOTORCYCLIST, and no other taxpayer) to
hedge against future costs, and (during a time where 40% of motorcyclists fatalities are unlicensed, untrained riders) direly needed program expansion. Suddenly the fund becomes a target for the general revenue fund. We find this to be
taxation without representation.

We find combining this fund with any other account a prelude to a raid on
the fund. The Motorcyclists of West Virginia are the only citizens in West
Virginia who have ever legislated taxes upon themselves to create safety
programs for their own benefit. With recently passed legislation at the
federal level (the Highway Bill) West Virginia also stands to loose $100,000 in federal funds if the funding levels drop below current levels. We find it unconscionable that our Motorcyclist Governor would even consider such action. With actions such as these, the Motorcyclists of West Virginia, and ABATE of West Virginia have
very good reason to distrust the Government Combining this fund with any other fund is totally unacceptable and unthinkable.

Sincerely,

SIGNED Your Name
_________________
Penny Adams
Virginia Freedom Riders - Legislative Officer

"Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians."
Chester Bowles (1901 - 1986)

Wild Flower · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject:

UnFreakinBelievable! Of course I'll send letters and thanks to them for asking.

~Wildflower
_________________
"We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization." ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Sharon · Road Warrior Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 249

I can't get either the legislature or the governor's link to open
_________________
Sharon Keaton
VA Freedom Riders
ABATE of VA

Guest · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:32 am Post subject:

I just clicked them and had no problem. What do you mean "can't get it to open"? Do you get an error?

MissPenny · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:26 pm Post subject:

Sharon - the links should open a compose page on your email program and all addresses should be filled in. You may not be set up to do this on your computer - try your home computer tonight. If neither works, here are the addresses to write:

Walt Helmick, Chair Senate Finance Committee

whelmick@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:whelmick@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Billy Wayne Bailey

E-mail: bwbailey@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:bwbailey@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Donna J. Boley

E-mail: donnaboley@charter.net<mailto:donnaboley@charter.net>

Name: Edwin Bowman

E-mail: jwazell1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:jwazell1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: H. Truman Chafin

E-mail: htchafin@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:htchafin@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Larry J. Edgell

E-mail: edgell@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:edgell@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Karen L. Facemyer

E-mail: kfacemyr@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:kfacemyr@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Jesse O. Guills

E-mail: jguills@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:jguills@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Shirley Love

E-mail: shlove@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:shlove@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Brooks McCabe

E-mail: brmccabe@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:brmccabe@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Joseph M. Minard

E-mail: jminard@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:jminard@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Sarah Minear M

E-mail: smminear@aol.com<mailto:smminear@aol.com>

Name: Robert H. Plymale

E-mail: bplymale@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:bplymale@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Roman Prezioso

E-mail: cglagola@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:cglagola@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Vic Sprouse

E-mail: vic@vicsprouse.com<mailto:vic@vicsprouse.com>

Name: John Unger II

E-mail: unger@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:unger@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: John Yoder

E-mail: jyoder@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:jyoder@mail.wvnet.edu>,

House Finance committee e-mail contact

Name: Harold Michael, Chair

E-mail: hmichl@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:hmichl@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: John Doyle, Vice Chair

E-mail: jhndoyle@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:jhndoyle@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Mike Hall, Minority Chair

E-mail: mikehall@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:mikehall@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: William Anderson, Minority Vice Chair

E-mail: eanders1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:eanders1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Bob Ashley

E-mail: bashley@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:bashley@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Brent Boggs

E-mail: Boggs34@aol.com<mailto:Boggs34@aol.com>

Name: Larry Border

E-mail: bordel@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:bordel@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Richard Browning

E-mail: rbrwning@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:rbrwning@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Samuel J.. Cann Sr.

E-mail: whocann@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:whocann@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Mitch Carmichael

E-mail: mcarmich@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:mcarmich@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Allen V. Evans

E-mail: aevans@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:aevans@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Eustace Frederick

E-mail: efreder1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:efreder1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Nancy Houston

E-mail: nhouston@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:nhouston@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: K. Steven Kominar

E-mail: kominar@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:kominar@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Margarette R. Leach

E-mail: mleach1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:mleach1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Corey L. Palumbo

E-mail: cpalumbo@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:cpalumbo@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Bill Proudfoot

E-mail: bproud@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:bproud@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Douglas K. Stalnaker

E-mail: dstalna1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:dstalna1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Sally Susman

E-mail: ssusman@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:ssusman@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Ron Thompson

E-mail: ronthomp@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:ronthomp@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Scott Varner

E-mail: svarner@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:svarner@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Christopher Wakim

E-mail: wakim@comcast.net,<mailto:wakim@comcast.net,>

Name: Harry Keith White

E-mail: hkwhite@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:hkwhite@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: L. Gil White

E-mail: gwhite1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:gwhite1@mail.wvnet.edu>

Name: Larry A. Williams

E-mail: lwillia1@mail.wvnet.edu<mailto:lwillia1@mail.wvnet.edu>
_________________
Penny Adams
Virginia Freedom Riders - Legislative Officer

"Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians."
Chester Bowles (1901 - 1986)