WHAT ATV CLUBS REALLY WANT IS THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY
While we all see the daily and obvious struggle over access to public and private land, what MRR also sees is a struggle over access to public funds. What MRR sees, and should be seen by all Minnesotans, is a for now hidden $15 million political-economy that is filling the pockets of snowmobile and ATV clubs and fueling the unwanted expansion of motorized recreation.
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE!
The simple truth is, everytime you buy gas in Minnesota you are paying the salaries of Trail Administrators and members of your local snowmobile, ATV, dirt-bike motorcycle and four-wheel drive truck club. And you are paying for more motorized recreation. You are paying local clubs to trespass on your property. You are paying local clubs to bulldoze public and private property without accountability. You might even still be paying for $440/month Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance for Rep. Dave Dill.
Also see:
MRR Case Studies of Abuse of Public Funding of Motorized Recreation
Taxation without representation: DNR is designating publicly funded ATV routes in Minnesota's but your rights to challenge these routes has been suspended
Citizen Audit of Public Funding of Motorized Recreation in St. Louis County
CHALLENGING PUBLIC FUNDING OF MOTORIZED RECREATION
This is why Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation, celebrating 10 years of David and Golliath victories, is now determined to reform or abolish public funding of motorized recreation.
Some Minnesotans might say, I'm willing to pay at the pump for public and environmental review, adequate enforcement, funds to repair all the damage and oversight and accountability to accomplish these goals., other Minnesotans are already saying I simply don't want to fund motorized recreation. I don't want any of my tax dollars going to more snowmobiles and ATVs. Operators of these machines are non-paying customers in Minnesota's right-of-ways and doing significant damage.
Its time to either use public funds to mitigate the unwanted effects of snowmobiles, ATVs, dirt-bike motorcycles and four-wheel drive trucks or to abolish public funding of motorized recreation.
CHANGING POLITICAL-ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIPS OF MOTORIZED RECREATION IN MINNESOTA
As long as the DNR and motorized clubs have $15 million in public funds annually flowing into their budgets - snowmobile clubs get $5 million annually whether it snows or not -there will be in Minnesota, an annual, ongoing and relentless barage of unwanted motorized recreation to keep the public putting out fires for decades. MRR wants our public funds to be used to mitigate the unwanted effects of these machines and if not possible, to abolish public funding of motorized recreation.
While it might not be nice to talk about in Minnesota and difficult to accept in a nation founded on the principle of equality, economic relations - whos' giving and whos' getting- are relations of power - who gets to decide key questions related to that political-economy.
Relationships between the DNR, local units of government and publicly funded snowmobile, ATV (often both), dirt-bike motorcycle and four-wheel drive truck clubs involving $15 million in annual public funding are relationships taxpaying Minnesotans need to better understand and to question for a host of evidentiary reasons. Help MRR change the political-economic relationships of motorized recreation, public funding and land use in Minnesota to mitigate the unwanted effects of motorized recreation.
Do we use the tobacco tax to distribute cigarettes to kids at the school door? Of course not! It is time to use our family, local and state resources to protect our environment, provide for the quiet majority and encourage a sustainable economy and way of life for generations to come.
VOLUNTEER! GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
Help MRR Challenge Public Funding of Motorized Recreation at the local level. Contact MRR to initate a Citizen Audit of publicly funded snowmobile and ATV clubs and their local government sponsors in your area. Check out MRR's Toolkit for the Quiet Majority! Contact MRR to host a Toolkit Workshop or a presentation on a host of thought-provoking topics. Hold your local unit of government and snowmobile and ATV clubs accountable and help shift public funding from promotion of motorized recreation to mitigation of its unwanted impacts.
