But I swear this time it's relevant.
DailyKos ran this article yesterday, Republicans Are So Petty They Want to Cut Bike Safety, and while, yes, that is a sensationalist title, it's also damn accurate. For example, direct from the horses' mouths, Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Paul Ryan will only pass the infrastructure initiative in Obama's American Jobs Act if the 10% of surface transportation funds required to be set aside, in part, for the safety education of cyclists and pedestrians, is struck.
Yup. That's what they're saying. We'll only pass the money America needs to fix its roads if you promise you won't teach cyclists how to survive the streets.
How does this, in their words, eliminate waste? No I will not go so far as to suggest that they see cyclists as "waste" to be eliminated because that's freaking crazy talk and that is solidly Bachmann's territory, but seriously? The safety of the average American citizen is suddenly waste? What the hell are they going to use that 10% for—paving their driveways with Italian shoe leather?
Yes, please, help teach Americans bike safety. Please, teach Americans that bikes are safe, and that bikes are a reliable and practical form of short (or long) distance transportation. Teach Americans that there are ways other than their cars.
Then we won't need so much money for infrastructure. Bikes and pedestrians don't create a fraction of the wear and tear on the roads that cars do, calling for far less repair and construction. And adding cyclists cuts down on healthcare costs across the board. I could go on, but TreeHugger already did such a beautiful job so I'll just send you their way:
5 Good Reasons the Tea Party Should Love Bikes
It is pedestrians that will be the losers. While I CAN ride most anywhere safely, those guys got no other choice and education is unlikely to help pedestrians a whole lot. My perspective differs from yours, however. It proves there are clueless idiots in politics on both sides of the spectrum. Or didn't you hear Weiner say he'd rip out all those Bloomberg bike lanes?
ReplyDeleteActually, the uncensored Weiner quote is at:
ReplyDeletehttp://thenycdelegation2011.journalism.cuny.edu/2011/03/14/anthony-weiner-goes-both-ways-on-bike-lanes/
As I said, supports my thesis that clueless politicians are a nonpartisan phenomenon. Hmm, and isn't the liberal Dallas City Council that keep mandatory helmet laws for cyclists in place so they can shake down minority kids?
And no, I'm not a Mica fan, either.
Can we just never discuss Anthony Weiner again? I actually adored him. He called people out on their bullshit and was actually passionate about something. Then he had to go send college kids R-rated pictures they never asked for (sexual harassment, anyone?) and lie about it like the low-down scumbag he accused everyone else of being.
ReplyDeleteI used to believe there was good left. Anthony Weiner, 1. Idealism, 0.