South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

Harry Reid has announced that he will not seek another term as Senator in 2016. Reid denies the claims that he is stepping down due to the blindness in his right eye, which is the result of either an exercise band mishap, or he was roughed up by the mob almost five months ago, depending who you ask.

The heir apparent to the leader of the Democratic party in the Senate has arrived, and it is New York Senator Chuck Schumer.  Senator Durbin (D-IL) is the most senior Democrat in the Senate, and that is usually who gets the leader spot. Durbin has stepped aside and thrown his support behind Schumer, all but ensuring that Schumer will get the leader post.  Schumer is a Harvard educated lawyer from Brooklyn and has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 1998. Schumer is a bit of an enigma. He regularly changes his position on issues and policy with out warning or reason.

For instance, he is a well-known bicyclist and is often seen riding around his Park Slope Brooklyn neighborhood. However when the borough of Brooklyn wanted to install a bike path that ran in from of his house, something that one would think a bicyclist would enjoy, he and his wife successfully had the route changed to not go anywhere near his home. A real head scratcher… He is of Jewish decent and has long been a strong supporter of Israel and their ability to arm themselves. But he has sat idly by as the Obama administration continues to marginalize concerns that Israel has with its neighboring countries. Schumer, who generally does not have a lack of things to say about any issue, is surprisingly silent on this one. Schumer can contribute effectively, though. In 2010 he helped usher the CALM Act into law. The Commercial Advertisement Mitigation Act required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make it illegal for commercials to have a louder volume than regular programing. So thanks for that, Mr. Schumer. Schumer also voted against the last attempt in the U.S. Senate to put a mandatory motorcycle helmet law in place back in 2005. So did his sitting junior Senator at the time, Hillary Clinton.

You would have had to be living in a cave for the week if you don't know that Hilary Clinton, has officially launched her bid for the Presidency. Things are off to rough start for Hillary Rodham Clinton but don't count her out yet. This is where HRC excels, under the microscope. It’s tough to think of a single living politician who has been under more scrutiny than Hillary, and she is still alive and kicking. This is shaping up to be a vicious campaign cycle. Like they say in the exciting world of monster truck rallies, "You have to pay for the whole seat, but you will only need the edge!"

You always hear about how some lawmakers get rich while in office, or come to office sitting on a personal fortune. What about the other end of the bench? Here is a list of the top (or bottom) ten poorest members of congress. http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/poorest-members-of-congress-2014/

With forging policy dominating the conversation in Congress right now, there has not been much substantive transportation talk this week, which is a shame because the federal funding runs out at the end of May.

Make your plans for Bikers Inside The Beltway. It is fast approaching. 5-14-15 WDC.