For the Common Good

by Chubby

I have spent the last fifteen years being the voice of ABATE of WI Inc. Our organization has a diverse membership at least as far as political party affiliation goes. I’ve always appreciated this and learned from this. We’ve had many pieces of legislation passed because we could work with all stakeholders and all political parties. I have friends, and nemesis’, on both sides of the political aisle with some even being on the same “team”. I believe the strength of our organization comes from sticking to our mission statement and sticking to motorcyclists’ rights. That being said, our organization and the entire country is reeling from the current pandemic COVID-19. It has changed and will continue to change\ life as we know it. Next month you will see a lot less content to this newsletter because meetings, events, fundraisers, and basically life as we know it has been shut down in the name of “safety”. I consider all of our members patriots and am honestly surprised by the different reactions that many of us have had to current events and policies enacted by our government. I understand that this is not “the flu” but rather a novel virus that has the ability to spread like nothing we have ever seen. Currently no one truly understands how much of a disaster or how deadly this could be. Our organization will comply with the rules and suggestions set forth by the State of Wisconsin. We will be making decisions concerning our rallies and events for the summer with as much notice as possible, most likely in next month’s newsletter. Above all, no matter what our government decides, we will be allowing you to decide how seriously you take current events, and how you decide to share such information. With that being said, and with memories of the CDC declaring the lack of motorcycle helmet use as an epidemic within the last decade I would like to share my personal opinion of how I believe this situation is being mishandled.

My mind has been cluttered trying to organize two households, kids home from school, and work being shut down after an already slow winter with bills piling up. So, rather than push myself and organize those thoughts I would like to share something that a friend of ABATE of WI wrote about the situation. Although it is somewhat partisan, not in the normal realm of my personal political viewpoint and in part lacking information that we now know, I think former Sheriff David Clarke, a democrat from Milwaukee County, was pretty spot on with how I am viewing the nature of our current government’s actions and inactions. The following is a slightly edited piece that he wrote titled “For the Common Good”.

Reprinted excerpts from the article “For the Common Good”

“Where are the libertarians when you need them? They usually recoil when the government overreaches into the daily lives and private affairs of others. And where is the ACLU? All this hysteria created by COVID-19 has everybody walking lockstep following government orders—orders that started with telling everyone to wash their hands and ultimately culminated in the shutdown of America. We are now obeying as if we are under remote control by the government. We are at the precipice of a police state. Where is the pushback?

Citizens are figuratively under house arrest; private businesses are shutting their doors in the name of the “common good.” While everyone is caving in, I refuse to buckle under social pressure, social signaling, or group pressure. I am not wired that way. So, I ask the same questions every American citizen should be asking. Yet, we don’t get answers to valid questions like, what is truly necessary here to control the spread of coronavirus? Or what are the tradeoffs? Are we willing to accept them? What long-term damage will result if we are overreacting and over-correcting? Where is the tipping point where we accept that some will get this flu, and some will die? This happens every flu season. Asking these valid questions and pushing back gets you shouted down. Immediately you are told that you don’t take this flu seriously and that you want people to die. Really? Is this the same country built on fundamentals like individual freedom and liberty, questioning government authority to keep them in check and having a dissenting view?

I am programmed differently. I am often curious and not trusting of the government. I poke, prod, and demand answers to basic questions, and I encourage pushback if we don’t get those answers. To me, that’s a sensible way to live in a free society. However, like oppressed people, we do what we’re told?

Let me parse this further. When I ask probing questions about the Coronavirus, why is that all I get are platitudes like, “out of an abundance of caution, it’s the right thing to do,” or “to do nothing would be irresponsible,” and “safety first?” Okay, but how about the answers to my questions? My favorite response is that it’s for the “common good.” Since when is it in the “common good” to put people under house arrest and crash the American economy? Every year 15-30 thousand people die as a result of influenza in the United States. In 2009, 60 million Americans were infected by the swine flu, and about 270,000 required hospitalizations. Yet, no government official saw that as a reason to crash the stock market. So why now? Is this the new normal? This is different, we’re told. Okay, show me evidence of it and hold the doomsday scenario anecdotal responses. Every year about 50,000 Americans die in automobile accidents. Is that reason to stop travel by vehicle? No. We leave that decision to the individual to make. Life is full of risks. We Americans assume that risk every day, knowing that we could be the next casualty. We don’t for the “common good” ban cars and force people onto mass transit.

Another question people should ask themselves is who said that the government should lead this? Do you trust them not to screw this up? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) already did by not being prepared to control the disease. Maybe because they have been too busy lately studying childhood obesity, racism, and gun ownership as diseases in need of a government cure. They get millions of dollars in tax subsidies for studies on disease control. The CDC failed us. Where are the calls for congressional hearings about this colossal failure? Poling statistics show Americans feel the private sector is better at solving problems than their government. So again, why then do we want the government to take the lead here? Play a role, sure, but lead it? All we will get out of them is a massive spending bill that will dole out a trillion dollars and add to the national debt, for the “common good.” Obama’s economic stimulus didn’t work in 2009, what makes people think this one will?

I prefer to use a risk-base model just like insurance companies do and take reasonable precautions over COVID-19 like washing my hands more frequently. Let me, as a private individual, decide if I think it’s too risky to go to a bar or restaurant or if I should “self-separate.” I do so every cold and flu season, and yes, some at-risk category people still die over the flu. And stop the “don’t you care rhetoric.” I am deeply concerned about the unborn, but my caring for them doesn’t stop the mass murder of babies by abortion. I care for people in the inner cities, but that doesn’t stop the street violence that kills and injures tens of thousands of people. Some want to obliterate the US Constitution’s Second Amendment as a government solution. This is what happens when we blindly go along with government orders even in a time of crisis. Why? Because in a time of crisis, the government can rationalize anything for the “common good.” As former Obama Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” We’re seeing that in action right before our eyes.

Rule one, when dealing with a crisis is, don’t make it worse. We might be unknowingly letting the government do that here. Rule two is to not let the cure be worse than the disease. So, rise up folks and take our country back. It’s time to reopen businesses, get the students back in school, go back to work, take reasonable precautions, and let’s start repairing the unfortunate damage done to this republic. We’ll get through this. America will survive.”

– by former Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee, WI.

ABATE of WI has been around for over forty –five years because of the passion of our members and our ability to overcome any obstacle that has been thrown before us. No matter what your opinion of the current situation is, I hope you are safe and healthy, and I hope you are able to make informed decisions for your future. Whether it’s what you ride, what you wear, or where you travel to. As an adult we believe only you should be in charge of these decisions. I hope our members continue to question everything they hear and make decisions on information and practical knowledge that they have learned through a lifetime of being patriots and citizens. More information will be coming soon on how ABATE of WI will be dealing with the aftermath of this pandemic and the rules of guidance associated with it as to how it will affect all of our members. Summer weather is right around the corner, we still have a lot of work to do to keep ourselves safe this riding season, and I’m sure we could all use some wind therapy.

Until next month…Ride Free