|
|
|
P.O. Box 160223 Nashville, Tn 37216-0223 615 262-1119 - Office
|
January 2003 For a moment I want to revisit the past. Here is something that was published almost three years ago by our then Assistant Director and current, newly elected Legislative Officer, Wayne Shaub. March 2000
FROM THE ASSISTANT... Section 3: Objects and
Purposes ..."The members of the corporation shall be dedicated to promoting
fair motorcycle legislation and shall insure their freedom by working to prevent
enactment of, or to repeal/modify existing unfair motorcycle legislation." This verbiage comes
directly from the "CMT/ABATE, Inc. By-Laws Article I. Sadly, for many of
you this may be the first time you’ve ever seen these words in writing. Well
here it is, a finite statement as to the true reason our organization exists.
Surely, you say to yourself, this isn’t the only thing the by-laws say about
our objectives. Well correct you are. ‘Section 3’ also says "The
corporation’s members shall promote motorcycle safety programs." and
"...form a united motorcyclists’ organization at the individual local
level and at the state level." Why is it that we, as a
"united" organization, have such a hard time accomplishing the very
"Objects and Purposes" our own By-Laws direct we exist to perform.
LACK OF FOCUS. Over time we have become so caught up in being what we are not, a
club, that it has left very little time to perform the tasks that are the
cornerstone of our existence. We spend far too much time ‘making a good name
for ourselves’ and far too little "...promoting fair motorcycle
legislation." It’s time we came to realize that the best publicity we can
get is to be acknowledged as an effective legislative force within the state of
Tennessee. When will we, as
Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee, step up and apply ourselves to these
corporate goals? The day has come to take to heart the cause that the founders
of CMT and ABATE came together for years ago. Every member needs to make their
voice and actions heard and "...insure their freedom" today. I’m not trying to get out from under my privilege of writing a column to communicate with the many motorcyclists in this great state by reusing Wayne’s comments. Believe me. I love this part of the job. But, I couldn’t say it any better than he did. Let me reiterate a few things, however. We do a great job of raising money. I’d encourage every charter to keep track for one year of all the money they raise for every cause. Then tally up how much goes to charities and good causes and how much goes to us and our stated goals. I’ll bet you that it is somewhat lopsided. Many people out there think that our purpose is to put a good face on motorcycling and fight the stereotype that Hollywood gave us. It isn’t. There are lots of organizations out there that do this better than we can. They’re bigger, better organized, have better contacts and basically do a better job. We, CMT/ABATE benefit from this good will and I’d encourage every one of you to be involved with charitable and social biker organizations. But, that’s not our purpose. These types of clubs and groups are a dime a dozen. There are manufacturer sponsored clubs, rider groups, local clubs and many, many others. Charity, good will, toy runs and a positive face are what they do best. It IS their purpose. However, there is only one Motorcycle Rights Organization in this state (two if you count the COC and I encourage their participation in the process). Let’s stop trying to ‘out charity’ the charitable organizations and start focusing on our goals. We benefit from what they do by giving bikers a better name and image. They will definitely benefit from what we do – protecting their right to ride and their ability to do what it is they do. I’m not suggesting that we stop being charitable, helping those less fortunate or participating. It is good for us to do so as this helps us gain sponsorships, support and participation. But, as Wheels of Thunder recently concluded, we have to understand why we are here. Let’s see Legislative Fund Raisers, Products Sales, Membership Fund Raisers and other moneymaking efforts go to us and our efforts. I couldn’t even begin to tell you the difference we could make with $20,000 in the bank and 2,500 members! Just a thought. Until later, just ride… Steve |
Send general questions and comments about CMT/ABATE to
.
|