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Photo credit:\nSupply route Vermont in the Kapisa province of Afghanistan Feb. 5, 2008.
\nU.S. Army photo by Sgt. Johnny R. Aragon<\/p>\n
Photo credit:
\nSupply route Vermont in the Kapisa province of Afghanistan Feb. 5, 2008.
\nU.S. Army photo by Sgt. Johnny R. Aragon<\/p>\n
Article: Perry Gaskill
\nIt’s interesting how sometimes when it appears California or New York politicians might have a bull-goose lock on petty and dictatorial goofiness, a wild card can show up as a contender.<\/p>\nAs it happens, a story making the rounds among the motorhead community this week is that of a recent legislative veto by outgoing Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. The measure he rejected would have made it legal for former military vehicles, such as HumVees, to be used on the street including for events such as parades. Michigan Senate Bill 1040, further stipulated that such military vehicles would need to be more than 25 years old to qualify as “historic” and that track-laying and half-track vehicles were not included.<\/p>\n
Personally, I can understand how the track-laying exemption might be due to concerns over how all that armor might be hard on the pavement, but it’s also possible to appreciate how driving an M60A1 main battle tank might provide a certain calming effect during, say, those pesky commute-hour incidents involving road rage. But maybe that’s just me.<\/p>\n
Collectors of the wheeled military vehicles said a plan to make them legal was reasonable considering that safety features such as lights, turn signals, and seatbelts were already installed on what generally amounted to more spartan variants of what could be bought in a dealer showroom. They also said the Michigan National Guard routinely uses public roadways without problems.<\/p>\n
In making his rejection of the state senate measure, Snyder, a Republican, issued a brief public statement which said somewhat cryptically, “I do not believe it is appropriate for such vehicles to be used for anything other than off-road uses.” Which amounts to, when you think about it, like when your mom used to say, “Because I said so.”<\/p>\n
It gets better.<\/p>\n
An additional relevant fact is that in making his veto, Snyder was dog paddling against a strong political current. The military vehicle measure had passed in the state senate with a 35-1 margin, and in the legislature at 106-3. What’s also evidently relevant is that Snydery signed his veto on December 28 just as he was being term-limited out the door. With the legislative session already ended, that meant he couldn’t be overridden with a two-thirds majority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A tip of the Stetson to: Hemmings Daily Blog.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"