A hearing on Assemblyman Don Gustavson’s (R-Reno) “Let Those Who Ride Decide” bill (AB 300) which would repeal Nevada’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law for adults is scheduled for this coming Tuesday before the Assembly Transportation Committee. And it’s rumored that a bureaucrat named Bill Gossard may testify against the bill at the hearing. Here are some things to know and expect from Mr. Gossard.
Gossard “is employed by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board as a national safety program coordinator.” He has worked for the government since 1969. And according to his published biography, Mr. Gossard’s claim to fame is writing government reports and studies and testifying at government hearings.
Hey, beats getting a real job right?
In short, Mr. Gossard is a federal bureaucrat who will be paid with taxpayer dollars to come to Carson City and tell us local yokels what to do. That is his “job” – the kind of “job” Barack Obama wants to create more of. So unlike all the volunteers and average citizens who support this bill, Mr. Gossard is a paid “hit man.”
It should also be noted, again according to his published bio, that Mr. Gossard is an “expert” on boats, not motorcycles. “Bill is an honorary member of the United States Marine Safety Association, the United States Power Squadrons, the Canadian Safe Boating Council and the Italian National Sea Rescue Society of Genoa, Italy. He played a prominent role in the formation of the Italian Coast Guard Auxiliary.”
And not only is he a bona fide, card-carrying, government-knows-best Nanny-Stater, he’s a Commanding General of the government-knows-best Nanny-State Army. Get a load of this…
“Bill is a speaker for boating and water safety improvements and has lectured in the United States and abroad. Recently, he has testified before numerous State legislative committees advancing the Safety Board’s recommendations for mandatory education for recreational boaters, mandatory personal flotation device wear for children, operator licensing, and improved safety for personal watercraft including technical improvements and more information to be provided to renters of PWCs. Through aggressive formation of States’ boating safety grassroot coalitions, Bill has been able to shepherd about 300 State laws through State legislative bodies dealing with recreational boating safety including alcohol and boating initiatives, children and lifejackets, boating safety education and rental safety instruction for PWCs.”
Three hundred nanny-state laws? Lovely.
So if Mr. Gossard does grace Carson City with his presence on Tuesday, bear in mind that this is what he’s paid to do, that he is not objective, is pursuing an agenda, and that freedom, individual choice and personal responsibility are as abhorrent to him as a crucifix is to a vampire.
