Letter: Tougher laws needed to stop illegal riders

Fred Akers

As the New Jersey state Legislature moves to protect the public from rampant illegal all-terrain vehicle riding, Sen. Jeff Van Drew is working hard to protect his special interests in the off-road vehicle industry by voting against a desperately needed registration and enforcement program that would protect taxpayers and save them money.

His lame argument against registration and increased ORV enforcement is that the registration will require a fee to administer the program, which he is calling a tax, and he is now saying he is against taxes because the state is being taxed to death.

However, adding more taxes to the state was not a problem for Mr. Van Drew when he sponsored a bill in 2006 to require a new special sales tax for the public to subsidize motorsports park developments.

Meanwhile, the public costs of the rampant illegal use of ATVs is well over $3 million annually, and the fact that the nonriding public has to cover these increasing costs each year is the real tax that Van Drew chooses to keep in place to support his special interests, instead of voting for increased law enforcement to stop illegal ORV riders.

So if you want private and public property and public safety protected from an industry built on illegal ORV riding, you will have to find a state senator outside of the 1st Legislative District who will represent you.

For real leadership to protect the public from rampant illegal ATV riders, please contact the following sponsors of the ORV Registration and Enforcement Bills A823/S2055: Assembly members Reed Gusciora (D-15),, Paul Moriarty (D-4), John Wisniewski (D-19), Ruben Ramos (D-33), Caridad Rodriguez (D-33), and Sens. Robert Gordon (D-38) and Brian Stack (D-33).

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Source: http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20090805/OPINION03/908050371

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