Tuesday, October 7, 2008
CYCLING BENEFIT FROM BAILOUT
The most dreaded words a citizen wants to hear: "We're from the government, and we're here to help (or, in rural areas "hep") you." Check out http://seniorbicycling.blogspot.com/ and the feature article (and, by the way, mark this as a favorite or follower). Some of the pork in the bailout package includes a $20 per employee, per month tax credit, for each employee who regularly rides a bike to work. I am fundamentally (a recently overused word) against tacking on extras that cannot generate approval on their own merit, and I really don't believe the extent of the bailout was necessary, however will take a "wait and see" attitude to see how it is handled. As for the incentive to ride your bike, that sounds well and good, but the only thing I see is fraud/abuse and beauracracy eating into a good idea. Also, besides regular road rage, the commuting cyclist will encounter tax rage directed upon them. And if you think the employer will trickle that $20/month down to the cyclist, you really are a pollyanna.
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Jerry,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the negative fallout. But as more cyclists get 'out there' and do so responsibly, I think we can overcome, or minimize, the ill effects such as road rage or tax rage.
I am going to link your blog to mine as well. Look forward to some good thoughts down the road.
Tim
Have Bike . . . Will Travel
Financial benefit or no, I am cautiously hopeful that the downturn and gas price hike will start helping the population"self-correct" by encouraging cycling, thus decreasing auto traffic, thus encouraging more cycling, and so on. I know it's a pie in the sky dream, but when I read an article in the Statesman about Williamson County planning for bicycle transportation this summer, I thought to myself, "dreams CAN come true."
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