Whackingday.com

Try to understand this elementary principle of collectivist politics: you are not yours. Your life does not belong to you. You are a “resource” to be employed at the discretion of others

- Billy Beck

I forgot to mention this near-comical piece from the Sydney Morning Herald, where the reporters are all in a tizzy over the Ultimate Fighting Championship coming to Australia:

THE sport described by critics as “human cockfighting” is coming to a stadium near you, despite warnings that US-style cage fighting will fuel more violence on the city’s streets.

‘Fuel more violence on the city’s streets’? Sweet mother of god. Go read the rest. The usual parade of politicians, doctors and other nanny-statist bastards all howl with idiotic indignation.

What is wrong with these fucking idiots?

Mmmm…..looks-wise…..Kolabati?

Yes or no?

A bombshell was dropped on the motorcycling world last week, when Harley-Davidson announced the end of Buell motorcycles:

NEW YORK–With motorcycle sales still sluggish, Harley-Davidson Inc. said Thursday it is leaving the sport-bike market in a back-to-basics strategy that focuses on its core lineup of heavyweight bikes.

The company, which reported an 84 per cent slide in third-quarter profits, said it will discontinue its Buell motorcycle line and sell its MV Agusta brand in order to focus on its namesake motorcycles.

The decision to sell MV Agusta marks an about-face for Harley, which bought the Varese, Italy-based company last year for $109 million (U.S.). At the time, Harley touted the purchase as an expansion into the premium sport-bike segment. Now, the company will focus on its roots: big, noisy, heavyweight hogs.

“The return that we generate from a sale of an MV Agusta or even a Buell, it’s far less than the return we get on a Harley-Davidson,” CEO Keith Wandell told The Associated Press.

The Milwaukee-based company will sell off its remaining Buell stock, including motorcycles, accessories and apparel, through its dealerships. Dealers will continue to offer replacement parts, warranties and service for Buell bikes.

Awful news. Erik Buell’s innovative, odd motorcycles provided a welcome alternative to Japanese blandness and Italian arrogance. (My review of the XB12 can be seen here)

Erik Buell himself seems understandably heartbroken:

As Dean Adams points out in his excellent opinion piece though, Erik’s boast about competing with the Japanese in racing is utter nonsense:

Just because he’s gutted, it didn’t stop Buell from spinning his company’s saddest accomplishment. In the video, Buell says that, in 2009 “… in competition at the highest level, the Rossmeyer Geico team took the AMA Pro SportBike championship, competing against the much larger, factory-backed teams from Japan and Europe, proving to all that (Buell) innovation and technology is world class.”

There was, of course, no mention of the fact that the Buell is 1200cc while the Japanese brands entered anemic 600s, bikes so slow that one factory rider termed his 600 not just the slowest 600 he’d ever ridden, or the slowest race bike he’d ever ridden, but, in fact, the slowest motorcycle he’d ever ridden. Let’s be real, the bias in the DMG Daytona Sport Bike rules destroyed any chance Buell had at racing credibility in 2009.

[...]

In a wider scope, Buell folding up shop signals another bad business decision by DMG. Here is where they sit after sticking their index finger into the eyeballs of the Japanese manufacturers. All that conflict, all that turmoil, while they stood shoulder to shoulder with Erik Buell against those “Japanese factories’ barely disguised race bikes”.

DMG sacrificed all remaining credibility when they allowed the clearly illegal Buell 1125 Superbike into the Superbike class and bristled at the suggestion that it was anything but legal. All that skullduggery, and for what? All for the champion in Daytona SportBike, DMG’s star class to now be riding a motorcycle made by a defunct company. All those relationships burned willingly, almost gleefully, by DMG so they could pledge allegiance to their pace bike, the Buell, which is as of today, no longer being produced.

Frankly, I’m filled with joy at the prospect of seeing DMG going down the toilet after their shameless fucking around with the once-great AMA roadracing series.

As for Buell though, their end is a sad day for motorcycling.

I despise ‘consumer groups’. The role of information provider is in most cases a cloak for gangs of lazy dimwits who demand the government coerce companies to give them what their cheap arses aren’t willing to pay for.

The NRMA does this better (ie. louder and more obnoxiously) than most. Usually in the form of whinging about petrol prices. Their latest press release is typical drool:

Motorists over-charged for higher grade fuels

Research by NRMA Motoring & Services has found that a widening gap
between the price of regular and premium unleaded petrol has resulted in
motorists being over-charged by up to three to four cents per litre on
premium fuel.

The typical empty claptrap of the nanny-statist: their definition of “over-charged” is “more than we’d like to pay”. It is of course on this basis that these ghouls determine that they are entitled to someone else’s property without paying the price asked for by that property owner.

Here’s something these tools should wrap their head around: you are never entitled to what someone else owns merely because you want it. And they are never obligated to sell it to you at any price. It belongs to them. You want what’s theirs? Then pay the asking price.

The NRMA research analysed average weekly price movements for regular
unleaded in Sydney against premium unleaded petrol (95/96 and 98 Octane)
from 28 June 2006 to 13 September 2009.

When the gap between regular and high grade fuels hit its peak in August
2009, motorists were being charged almost eight cents per litre more for
95/96 Octane and almost 12 cents more for 98 Octane.

The NRMA believes the gap between the various grades of fuel should be
at least three to four cents less per litre than is currently being
charged.

And I believe Bugatti should sell me a Veyron, for oh, let’s say $10.

NRMA Motoring & Services President Wendy Machin said the widening gap
between the costs of fuels was disturbing and worthy of an investigation
by the ACCC.

Yes, let’s get those statist idiots to investigate the concepts of private property and production.

“On 29 July 2007 the weekly average gap between regular and 98 Octane
petrol was around nine cents per litre. On August 30 2009 the gap was
almost 15 cents,” Ms Machin said.

“Clearly something is not right. We have taken the extra cost associated
with refining high grade fuels into consideration and there is still a
considerable gap.

“Many motorists have no choice but to use high grade fuels for their
vehicles and it appears they are being over-charged unnecessarily.

That’s where you’re wrong, dummy. Petrol companies never forced these people to buy a car, or to drive it as often as they do, and as such the petrol companies are under no obligation whatsoever to provide them with fuel at any price. Those drivers made a choice to drive cars which need high octane fuel, so they can bloody well pay the asking price for a product they cannot produce themselves. You are taking something somebody else has to produce. Got that?

That’s why the NRMA has written to the Petrol Commissioner asking for an
investigation into the price discrepancies.”

Let me save you some time and the taxpayer some money, darling: the fuel companies are providing fuel because they are a business which needs to make money. Were it not for this, they would be selling you none at all.

Yes, this is a rather strange concept for today’s Eloi to wrap their heads around, but there’s really no way around it.

The gap between the two premium grades against regular unleaded
continues to widen.

Ms Machin said unless action is taken motorists who use high grade fuel
would be forced to pay higher prices in the future.

Here’s some action they can take: sell your bloody car and ride a bicycle. Oh wait, but that’s not convenient is it? Other people ought to pay for one’s conveniences.

“NRMA is concerned that this gap between different fuels will continue
to widen, especially after E10 fuel becomes mandated from July 2011 and
regular unleaded petrol is phased out of the market,” Ms Machin said.

“This means motorists will be left with even fewer choices at the pump
and the NRMA fears many motorists will be required to pay relatively
more per litre for premium unleaded petrol.”

Yeah, people having to pay for what someone else produces. It’s enough to make me lose sleep at night.

Of course, the elephant-in-the-room these imbeciles would prefer not to mention is the massive chunk of each petrol dollar that goes straight into government coffers. Not a peep about that in this press release. People making money for something they produce is apparently a great evil, but the government stealing money from a product they didn’t produce is apparently OK.

Still, for the nanny-statist, it doesn’t pay to criticise your thieving sugar daddy. Hypocritical, gutless bastards.