I yield to no one in my dislike of taxes and fees. But motorcycle riders converge on the capital to protest a $10 fee?
A bunch of bikers converged on the Statehouse last week, sporting black leather jackets, impressive Fu Manchus and a beef with a law that legislators passed last year.
The law funded spinal cord and brain injury research by slapping a $10 fee on motorcycle registrations. Lawmakers passed the measure in the final days of the 2007 session, tucking it into the massive state budget bill.
They passed the fee quietly, but motorcyclists across the state have been complaining loudly about being singled out ever since. They've fumed to the media, to lawmakers and to the governor, a Harley rider himself.
On Wednesday, dozens of motorcyclists, looking like middle-aged extras from "Easy Rider," came to the Statehouse to support House Bill 1318, which would eliminate the $10 fee. They showed up on the same day the House Roads and Transportation Committee held a hearing on the bill.
Big, bad motorcycle riders. Boo-hoo, please don't make us pay that $10! It's so unfair! Hey, how much would that motorcycle helmet cost, you know, the one the state does not make you buy to protect yourself, even though they make us wimpy car drivers protect ourselves with seat belts?
