MRF Rep Report

Occasionally, you may see articles in here from people other than myself. That’s because we are a team. The MRF Reps team is myself, plus all of our awesome Assistant Reps. Cathy, Becky, Rooster, Dave, Hardtail and I work well together because we all have the same goal. We all are individuals and may have slightly different ways of getting there, but we all keep our focus on fighting for motorcycle rights. We are the liaison between the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (federal level) and ABATE of WI (state level). When you add Seven in there, as the MRF Communications Director and WI Club Rep, you’ve got a team of really heavy hitters. Three full-fledged MRF board members, and three Assistants to the Board. We are a state of leaders!

Meeting of the Minds is coming up September 26—29th in St. Louis, MO. Last I heard, four members from ABATE of WI have been selected to be presenters at MOTM. That’s the largest representation from any state in the country. Showing once again that ABATE of WI is a leader in the motorcycle rights organizations. If you want to learn leadership skills in the motorcycling world, there’s no better place than Meeting of the Minds. It’s absolutely the best place to get fired up while learning how to direct that passion into something productive. If you’re interested in attending, let me or Steve Panten know so we can coordinate rides and hotel rooms.

Last week, Becky sent me an article that she wanted to publish in the newsletter, and then she scrapped it. I want to share part of the article with you, as she truly had some valid points. It’s an election year and we all know the political ads will drive us nuts. But we also know that getting involved in politics is the only true way to change anything. You can’t bitch about something if you don’t make the effort to change it. In reference to political candidate events, Becky has this to say, “I ask myself everyday why our members are not there. There’s a few who show up, but in the end it’s on the ones who are exceedingly active in our MROs. I challenge every member to go out there and get to know the candidates, share on social media, and support the ones who support your views. This country will never get better while the passionate are waiting in the shadows.”

Are you sitting in the shadows? Or are you stepping up? Are you asking political candidates valid questions about their stances on emissions and the internal combustion engine, fuel choice, right to repair, the definition of a motorcycle, vehicle data privacy, and other motorcycle-related topics? These topics apply at both the federal and state level, and honestly at more local levels as well. Are you reading your emails and doing the Call to Actions? Are you sharing the information with your friends? How about attending leadership conferences like MOTM and STEAM? There’s lots of ways to get involved, some very simple, others require more work. But if you aren’t willing to put in the work, who will?

Stay vigilant, my friends,

Jen

ABATE of WI

Board of Directors

MRF State Rep