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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126333
Bob Hayes ~ 1-0 cu ..0 . o .... u o· "The maJ·ority isn't silent -government isn't listening. I'd like. to change that. " By Bobi Scott Back in 1976 J. Robert Hayes, thoroughly fed up with what he calls "bureaucratic mangling of our American rights," jumped onto the political bandwagon and ran for the California Assembly in the 39th District. He was a newcomer , "a political novice ," and lost the race by a mere 800 votes . All things con - 10 sidered , not too sha b by for a first time showing. He 's trying again , although he admits professional politicians are generally held in low esteem, but this time he expects to WIn . . Hayes was born in .Gle nd a le , California and . grew up in the San Fernando Valley area . Entering the Big Bear Hare & Hound back in 1951 , he's been competing ever since and presently holds D-37 competition number 07c . Bob is a member of the Socai ·M.C . , served on the D-37 Competition Committee in 1966 'a nd the Rules Committee in 1972. A long time member of M.O .R.E.. he was Southern California Land Use Director for that organization in 1973· 74. Bob is currently a member of the board of directors of National Outdoor Coalition and a recognized authority on recreational land use. Involved with land-use problems since 1964 , Hayes has given testimony to the Congressional Interior and Insular Affairs Sub -committee on Land ' use: helped defeat Senator Cranston's version of the " O rga nic Act " : served as ad visor to the Department of Interior's National Advisory Board for the BLM and was instrumental in obtaining Governor Reagan's veto of the Sierra Club sponsored bill which would have prevented OHV use in the Red Rock Canyon area . -' . Hayes resides in San Fernando with his wife Kathy and their daughters, owns his own business (he holds a ' Ca lifo rn ia Heating Contractor's license), belongs to the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce and is president of Sylmar Republican Club . Besides his role as an "off-road multi use activist" his stands on the issues are as follows. Taxation: "W e need a whole new concept; our present trend toward over -taxing our middle -income Americans must be reversed . Less taxation means more money for the private sector and that means more jobs." Environment: " I am not opposed to protection of our environment, but man is part of our ecology. Too many land-use policies today do not consider the needs of man ." Gun Gontrol: Imprison criminals not guns . Our right to bear arms must not be violated. " Crime: "The Death Penalty is not cruel and unusual. Murder is cruel and unusual." Energy: "Altern a te organic fuels such as methyl alcohol , clean burning and non-polluting, must be made available -.Clean burning fuels can and must be produced now ." Busing: "Buy books , not buses ." Bureaucracy: " Go ve r n m e n t by bureaucratic dictatorship must stop . Public control over these governmental monsters must be restored." Briefly, what programs are on your agenda once elected to the California Assembly? I want to introduce a bill to set up a space on environmental license plate applications for people to earmark that $10 spending either for environmental ' purposes or the OHV Fund. OHV advocates are supposed to get direct benefits from the money now, but this bill would serve to assure that the money would go where it's suppose to . I want to remove the entire OffHighway Vehicle program from the California State Parks & Recreation Department. They are far too environmentally oriented. They cannot impartially administer these programs. I would like to create the California Department of OffHighway Recreation. It would probably fall under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service but there are various other agencies that would be applicable. Now there's a big difference between the California , State Forest Service and the U.S . National Forest Service.: The U.S . Forest Service is one of the phoniest. environmental groups in the world, in my opinion. Their RARE II program is an abomination! But the'California Forest Service has only two very small State Forests and their policies toward OHVs have been very good, very reasonable. They've protected the land yet at the same time maximized the multi-use concept. Right now they don't have much influence .because of the small amount of land they control , but a new department under them would give. -. them a growth factor they don't have today. With this new department their growth factor would be predicated by creating new opportunities for OHV recreation. Unless they gain new areas and parks to use they will no longer have a chance to grow. Pull the existing OHV areas from the California State Parks and Recreation Dept. into the new Department of Off: Highway Recreation and the Forest Service could triple itself in size which would work as an automatic incentive. Money would still be provided by the Green Stickie Fund and the environmental personalized license program so the whole program would be self-supported. It won't cost the taxpayers any additional money, so we have nothing to lose and they have nothing to lose. ' Right now, we're getting screwed. When the people finally see governmental agencies working with them instead of against them, only then will they start. generating progress. The present director of California State 'Parks and Recreation su~ted that perhaps the ultimate answer to the ORV problem was for the wen . to syndicate and actually purchase their own land. What do you think? It's not going to happenl It 's a good pacifier for someone who's running an agency that should be creating these opportunities to use on the people so he can get them off his back which in turn will get the Sierra Club off his back also . I think it's a total cop-out. Why should we be singled out as one segment of the American people to be denied our rights and' privileges of the use of public land? On the other hand , in the case of RARE II, why should the environmental elite be given the exclusive use of 90 % of public land. That's what the Wilderness and RARE II proposals do: they provide private preserves for the environmental elite, which excludes 99% of the American public. \ The California State Chamber "of Commerce has estimated that new lands to be added to the RARE II, this is not counting existing wilderness, will cost approximately 27,500 jobs and one billion dollars a year from business revenues. What that means in taxes you pay now, instead of taxes, jobs and businesses which would be . created by multiple, use. of what is now proposed