#freedom

Well, this seemingly decade’s-long election cycle is winding down to its climactic conclusion. If we’re lucky, on November 9th, we’ll know who the 45th President of the United States of America will be for the next four years. The really good news is that we will have a couple of Presidential-campaign-free years ahead of us. However, that doesn’t mean that the gears of government will stop grinding. Lots of other issues will be voted on during the election days of this year and those in the future. So, why not make the process of voting fun. Ride your motorcycle to the polls.

It’s something of a coincidence that as I was working on this piece, John Burns’ column on the CDC, helmet laws, Rob Dingman and the AMA broke last week. Some sort of synchronicity I suppose. It affirmed my belief in something positive I have witnessed here at MO for almost a year now. Namely, the powers that be at MO have an editorial vision that allows, encourages even, the editors and contributors to address contentious issues in their op/ed columns. There are no topics that are sacrosanct. I’m of the mind that discourse like this is good, unanimity is best left to Quaker meetings and jury verdicts. And so, onward and upward; there are always more dragons to slay and windmills to tilt at.

Three things happen to me when I’m riding a scooter or motorcycle: I pay closer attention to the world, I taste a bit of riding freedom, and I get just a little bit smarter. At least that’s what I tell myself.