WHO YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR AND WHY
WHO YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR AND WHY |
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Do you think that race-gas prices at the pump would impact the value of your bike, pickup, RV or SUV? That?s exactly what Al “Earth in the Balance” Gore wants, to turn your machines into paperweights. The reason the Senate passed this amendment (99-0) was to make a pre-emptive strike against the Clinton/Gore administration?s attempt to drastically raise taxes yet again. Past pre-emptive strikes have kept Clinton/ Attacks on our sport have come so often and from so many angles in this administration that it?s virtually impossible to react to them all, much less win every single battle. But we have won some huge battles, and we have the greens on the run in others, because of our many friends and allies in the 106th Congress and Senate. Regardless of who wins the White House, it?s vitally important that we don?t allow Congress to revert to the tax-and-spend machine it was during the Reagan/Bush years. We need to retain the activists fighting for forest health, public access to our lands, low gas prices, reform of wasteful government programs and retention of bills that work (like the Recreational Trails Program). We looked at many issues and votes on those issues that affect OHVs to see who supports recreation and who doesn?t. Clearly, we?re not talking about a single issue?unless it?s the survival of our Constitution, democracy, lifestyle. SENATE INCUMBENTS Republicans have 19 Senate seats up for grabs, and the Democrats have 14 seats on the line. Now is our chance to thank Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joseph Leiberman (D-CT), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (supporter for HR701/S25), Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) for voting in lockstep to force the California Desert Protection Act (S21) down the public?s throat in 1994. Remember, the Democrats passed S21 so Feinstein could defeat Michael Huffington; the politicization of our public lands has continued unabated ever since, so it?s time to vote out the scum. During hearings on Clinton?s Roadless Initiative, Senate heroes went to bat for us, so it?s time to repay them with our votes (thus assuring future OHV opportunities). Slade Gordon (R-WA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Conrad Burns (R-MT), and Craig Thomas (R-WY) (among others) blasted the Clinton Roadless plan as an attempt to designate Wilderness without Congressional approval. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) is also an OHV hero. She conducted a hearing in Arkansas over the EPA?s efforts to vastly expand its powers over private land (including banning OHV use on our own property!). Also, Western Senators should be rewarded with re-election for keeping the Clinton/Gore/Babbitt Interior Department from overstepping its powers. INCUMBENT STATE RATING A Good friend of OHVs GORE GORES OHVS! Clinton/Gore ran their ?92 campaign with a promise to rebuild America?s infrastructure. When they took office in ?93, the NPS had a maintenance backlog of $2.3 billion, the USFS backlog was $1 billion, and USF&W was $487 million behind. Now, the NPS claims a backlog of $4 billion ($5.6 billion including new-construction delays), the USFS backlog is 11 billion (of which $8.4 billion is road maintenance) and USF&W faces a backlog of $1.06 billion. That?s a 1100 percent USFS increase, 100 percent NPS hike and 100+ percent USF&W rise in maintenance backlogs! Yet Clinton/Gore/Babbitt want $3 billion a year to purchase even more federal land! Gore has also: HOUSE INCUMBENTS Within the halls of the House, there are heroes fighting the war against Clinton/Gore. During debate on HR701, Clinton?s latest landgrab scheme that will cost $3 billion and buy land for conservation (ie. Wilderness), heroes Doug Ose (R-CA 3rd), Richard Pombo (R-CA 11th), George Radanovich (R-CA 19th), Ken Calvert (R-CA 43rd) Helen Chenowith-Hage (R-ID 1st)(sadly, she?s retiring), Michael Simpson (R-ID 2nd), John Shadegg (R-AZ 4th), Tom Trancedo (R-CO 4th), Doc Hastings (R-WA 4th), Ralph Regula (R-OH 16th), John Peterson (R-PA 5th), John Sweeney (R-NY 22nd), and Mac Thornberry (R-TX 13th) all wrote riders seeking protections from green overkill, with Thornberry seeking to force a reduction of maintenance backlog on federal properties before acquiring new lands (which makes sense to us). Beyond registering and voting, we can also sway the election by contributing time and money to help keep the good guys in Congress. Donating PAC money to the Republican National Committee to defeat George Miller and his green ilk is a good idea, too. STATE/ A Good friend of OHVs |
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