So are you truly naïve enough to believe that a representative democracy truly equates to the “will of the people”. Since when does a politician’s constituents have more say than the power-hungry lobbyists over how he or she votes? Our government is incredibly corrupt and yes, it is in part the corporations fault, but it is mostly the fault of the voters that allow it to happen time and time again. We give away our rights so freely because everyone thinks that more laws must be better for us and no one ever stops to think about what made this country so great in the first part. This country came to power because people were sick and tired of loosing their rights and personal freedoms. It’s bad enough when it happens due to a lack of representation – it is far worse however when it occurs specifically BECAUSE of your representation.
Soon enough, it will be illegal to think for yourself, to voice dissent, or to attempt to defend you and your loved ones. At that point, you will have a representative dictatorship, rather than a representative democracy.
It is a very slippery slope we’re on and it starts small, with a minor right infringed here, or a minor right completely taken away there, and it soon becomes just as Hashbrown described, that we’ll be boiling before we even realize we’re sitting in warm water. This goes far beyond who thinks what decibel is too loud for pipes, this is a direct reflection on an Americans right and ability to control their own lives without interference from government bureaucrats thinking they’re “here to help”, when in reality they are neutering the sentiments of independence that made this country great once.
BuckRYCA wrote on 08/24/10 at 10:55:26:We live in a representative democracy. (If there's any 'raping of rights' going on it is far more by corporations who have their own perverted ideas of their proportion of representation than it is by our governments.)
Now where do laws and rules come from in a representative democracy? They come from the will of the people. They do not materialize out of no where.
There are laws at all governmental levels on vehicle noise generation. If there weren't I believe most of us would be a lot unhappier. Remember it's about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
But here's the complicated part. It's not these three things
just for you, it's these three things for
everyone.
Now just because you can get away with loud piping your motorcycle, and just because others are doing the same, it doesn't make what you are doing right. It doesn't make the law any less valid or the will of the people any less clear.
Riding a motorcycle is a personal choice and one you should make in full awareness of substantial additional risks. You can improve your odds by wearing a helmet and bright colored protective clothing, using a headlight modulator, mounting a loud horn, and riding sober and smart (make sure intersections are clear, dont' tailgate, don't pass left-turning vehicles on the right, keep out of driver's blind spots, drive at the right speed for the conditions, go into turns slow and go out fast, etc. etc. etc.). These measures together make a loud pipe not only illegal, but unnecessary.
P.S. I've got to admit this debate is more enjoyable than an Oil War or Seafoam thread.