Howdy from Texas (Tex)

[Tex]

Thanks for the welcome one and all. By the way, WAKE UP! It is 8:30 A.M. ............. here anyway.

BTW, as far as Alaska is concerned, the people there are like we used to be: frontiersmen. So, my hat is off to them. As far as twisty roads are concerned, the Texas Hill Country supplies plenty of Alpine like roads, but on a smaller and tighter scale. If those roads don't suit your fancy, then northwest Arkansas certainly will, as well as the Talimena Trail in Oklahoma, and Colorado ........ and that is just considering the southwest. I hear Oregon and northern California will fill the need for twisties, but I have not ridden there. Maybe one day I will. Darn, almost forgot: Dragon's Tail in Tennessee and the Carolinas. If you want to see a neat website, check out the Dragon's Tail website. I have not ridden it and don't know if I want to since bikers have a habit of getting run over on that road. Here is a link for ya to look at: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

And here is another link for you: http://www.dealsgap.com/

If you guys have some similar links for NZ, let me know.

Enjoy and thanks again for the welcome.

Tex

[scumdog]

Thanks for the welcome one and all. By the way, WAKE UP! It is 8:30 A.M. ............. here anyway.

BTW, as far as Alaska is concerned, the people there are like we used to be: frontiersmen. So, my hat is off to them. As far as twisty roads are concerned, the Texas Hill Country supplies plenty of Alpine like roads, but on a smaller and tighter scale. If those roads don't suit your fancy, then northwest Arkansas certainly will, as well as the Talimena Trail in Oklahoma, and Colorado ........ and that is just considering the southwest. I hear Oregon and northern California will fill the need for twisties, but I have not ridden there. Maybe one day I will. Darn, almost forgot: Dragon's Tail in Tennessee and the Carolinas. If you want to see a neat website, check out the Dragon's Tail website. I have not ridden it and don't know if I want to since bikers have a habit of getting run over on that road. Here is a link for ya to look at: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

And here is another link for you: http://www.dealsgap.com/

If you guys have some similar links for NZ, let me know.

Enjoy and thanks again for the welcome.

Tex

Google: Crown Range road in New Zealand to see a nice little twisty bit.

Anywhere in the lower South Island has some great roads, great scenery and not too much traffic, ideal for motorbikes.

[MSTRS:Me]

Google: Crown Range road in New Zealand to see a nice little twisty bit.

Anywhere in the lower South Island has some great roads, great scenery and not too much traffic, ideal for motorbikes.

Come on SD, ya one-eyed Southlander. The whole country is covered in bike heaven...
And Tex? If you do end up waaaay down south, beware of dodgy cops. Just ask the people that ride with the above poster.

[Bren]

Come on SD, ya one-eyed Southlander. The whole country is covered in bike heaven...
And Tex? If you do end up waaaay down south, beware of dodgy cops. Just ask the people that ride with the above poster.

Hey Tex, Scummy cant be any worse than those in the backwaters of Louisiana....

[Tex]

Well, I guess I will dive into the waters of NZ biker heaven. See ya in the pits of the forum.

BTW, I might share some perspectives on your apparent motorcycle tax issue only because I suspect it might be a different perspective than you guys have. But, I really don't know, so I will take a shot at it now.

Excuse any wrong assumptions ......... Ok, if the government taxes you for a registered bike, then you pay the tax if your bike is registered whether you ride or not. And you pay the tax on each bike even though you may only use one at a time. That seems to be the way it works from what I have read. Don't know for sure. The alternative perspective is that if the money is raised from the insurance company premiums you pay in order to legally ride, then you have a choice: ride, buy the insurance or don't ride and don't by the insurance regardless of whether you have one or more registered bikes. The problem with a tax is that you don't have a choice: you pay whether you ride or not. The elimination of choice, i.e., freedom, seem to me to be the issue. Is this spot on or off target? Just trying to figure out the political landscape.

FWIW, we cover our similar "expenses" for medical care with insurance premiums for the most part: not totally, but largely that is the case. There are some taxes here, e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, which do not target bikers but target nearly everyone to help the "poor" and "aged" and "disadvantaged" with medical costs. So, if you don't ride you don't buy the insurance. Insurance will pay the "expenses" of what seems to me to be the concern of the NZ government vis a vis costs of healthcare due to the number and severity of injured parties obviously attributable to bikers (lest the tax would not target bikers).

So, the way I see it, the imposition of a tax is always loathsome as the power to tax is the power to destroy, on the negative side of a point of view.

You might have to appreciate, in your toleration of my some of my postings, that the USA is undergoing a political revolution at this time in that the masses of citizens (voters) have risen to the forefront of political activity. That is a first in my life time. So, everyone here is a bit "politically active" and reviving historic prinicipals and maxims of our founders which is nothing more than the age old stuggle of "freedom versus government imposed equality" also known as the "rights of the individual versus the rights of the collective." It kind of ties into to riding, it seems to me, since most riding is an individual activity where freedom is more than an idea which I experience every time I twist the wick. Needless to say, if my position on this subject was relevant, I would likewise oppose the imposition of a targeted tax on bikers. Give me, no...... don't give me ......... let me keep, no ........ don't take away my choice to pay if, as and when I choose to ride instead of taxing me whether I ride or not.

Just sayin........

Off to the pits I go.

Tex

[MSTRS:Me]

You are basically right....but.
ACC stands for Accident Compensation Corporation. It is a unique institution in the world in that it is not insurance. It exists to compensate (pay the expenses of, medically and loss of income) for those hurt in an accident of any kind.
It was set up in 1974, and part of it's purpose was to replace the necessity of taking someone to court if they caused you injury. So, it replaced the right to sue. Every earner pays a set % out of their income to cover work/home/sport injuries, and every motorist pays a set amount as part of their yearly vehicle registration. The whole idea is that the whole community pays into these funds and is entitled to equal recompense.
The trouble is, at times over the years, ACC (usually at the behest of the govt of the day) tries to screw more out of one section of the community. Usually bikers. And usually with statistics which 'prove' the need, but that are debunked as bullshit. And they are trying it on again.
It's complex, but the thing to remember is it's not insurance. And they have forgotten that.

[vifferman]

Darn, almost forgot: Dragon's Tail in Tennessee and the Carolinas. If you want to see a neat website, check out the Dragon's Tail website.

Some of us know about it.

[Winston001]

Yeah Tex, the Dragon's Tail is famous.

As for Accident Compensation (ACC), this will be a difficult and socialist concept for you but its interesting and not adopted by any other country yet that I know of. The Scandanavian countries are considering it and there are partial schemes in Europe.

Essentially in 1972 we gave up the right to sue each other for personal injury. Instead we each (through taxation) pay money to ACC which then pays for medical care and rehabilitation - and loss of earnings. In serious cases this can be for the rest of a persons life.

ACC is a government owned organisation whose sole function is to remedy personal injury.

Originally there were lump sum payments for permanent injury - loss of a limb etc of up to $10,000. However that was changed in 1992(?) because it was believed the lump sums were squandered and instead a small weekly payment was made.

So.....in New Zealand you cannot sue the guy who knocks you off your bike, and neither can you sue the doctor who negligently overlooks an injury or makes a medical error. The driver can be prosecuted by the police and the doctor can be disciplined but thats all.

Its a long long way from normal litigation as you know it.

The current fuss is because one method of gathering ACC levies is through motorvehicle registration - tax. Its proposed that motorcyclists pay an extra $500 per year which you can imagine is not welcomed.

[Winston001]

Incidentally you'll come across feverish and frothing comments that our ACC scheme is not insurance. Personally I don't think this argument is helpful.

However for clarity, an insurance scheme would require a strong capital base to pay costs running 40 years or more into the future.

By comparison, a social contract backed up by government only requires enough money each year to meet current costs. For example, the Unemployment Benefit in New Zealand is obtainable as of right and there is no fund established to pay it. The money comes from general taxation.

You have a different system where you have Unemployment Insurance, and when that runs out, Welfare. Your Welfare comes from taxation too - 6%?

[Tex]

Thanks for the explanations.

Tex

[naphazoline]

Welcome to KB Tex.