Bicycle Commuter Act and Rep. McHenry

This was previously linked to in the Comments, but I decided to make it it's own post after a few people sent it to me. This is Rep.Patrick McHenry showing himself to be kind of, well, stupid.

"A major component of the Democrats' energy legislation and the Democrats' answer to our energy crisis is, hold on, wait one minute, wait one minute, it is promoting the use of the bicycle.

Oh, I cannot make this stuff up. Yes, the American people have heard this. Their answer to our fuel crisis, the crisis at the pumps, is: Ride a bike.

Democrats believe that using taxpayer funds in this bill to the tune of $1 million a year should be devoted to the principle of: "Save energy, ride a bike.'' Some might argue that depending on bicycles to solve our energy crisis is naive, perhaps ridiculous. Some might even say Congress should use this energy legislation to create new energy, bring new nuclear power plants on line, use clean coal technology, energy exploration, but no, no. They want to tell the American people, stop driving, ride a bike. This is absolutely amazing.

In a $14 billion bill, $1 million hardly constitutes a "major component." It is a trifling (though 8 times more than Christmas ornaments for the "Perfect Christmas Tree"). And yes, it is about time our energy policy actually included conservation. 

Apparently, the Democrats believe that the miracle on two wheels that we know as a bicycle will end our dependence on foreign oil. I cannot make this stuff up. It is absolutely amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the Democrats, promoting 19th century solutions to 21st century problems. If you don't like it, ride a bike. If you don't like the price at the pumps, ride a bike.

Stay tuned for the next big idea for the Democrats: Improving energy efficiency by the horse and buggy."

Seriously, this guy is an idiot - no wonder he's the baby of the house. I don't even feel like responding. Some thoughts - oil wells date back to the 16th century and windmills go back to the 1st century - by that measure bikes are downright modern. Perhaps Rep. McHenry will let us burn his strawman for energy. What Rep. McHenry is talking about is the watered down Bicycle Commuter Act. Steve Eldrige writes:

Up until now, you could get benefits in the form of pre-tax deductions for taking public transportation or for carpooling, but that was about it. Yes, there are still companies that discount parking, but those are becoming rarer. Now, there is a chance that you can get a small fiscal benefit for riding your bicycle to and from work.

According to the League of American Bicyclists, as noted on CommuterPage.com, an element within the House Ways and Means Committee’s energy bill provides a benefit of $20 per month for employees who bike to work. It’s an add-on to section 132(f) of the IRS code that includes bicycles in the definition of transportation covered by fringe benefits.

With transit benefits and parking benefits of more than $100 per month, the nod to bike riders may seem like small potatoes. The benefit will help bikers purchase new equipment, but is probably not enough to persuade some people to leave the car in the garage every morning. I doubt the streets of Washington will end up looking like those of Saigon anytime soon with bikes outnumbering cars, but it may make a small difference if it becomes law.

The Senate still has to sign off on the provision, and then the whole energy bill would go to the White House for the president’s signature. The problem is that the energy bill contains a number of other things that are not likely to be approved, such as an elimination of some of the tax credits for sport utility vehicles (the SUV loophole) and many of the tax credits for the big oil companies. As a small part of the whole, the biking credit may not have a chance to get a thumbs-up or -down based on its own merits.

It’s an uphill battle to get tax credits for alternative commuting such as bicycles, but it’s one that can be seen as a moral victory and perhaps an important first step.

Comments

[Biko]

Who is running against this guy? I will send them money.

[Steve]

thanks for posting. i meant to view the video when i saw it in Comments a few weeks back. now i will. i am envisioning a t-shirt that has a drawing of a bicycle with a caption that reads, "19th century solutions to 21st century problems"

[freewheel]

Stupid, arrogant, smarmy. Probably spends a lot of time with Larry Craig in the mens room.

[Bonzai Buckaroo]

To quote Forest Gump: "Stupid is as stupid does."

[Murph]

This moron can bloviate all he wants, but I hope the darn bill passes. It is so counter-productive to subsidize parking in DC (there should be a tax, used to fund transit), but this might help incentivize people a tiny bit in the right direction.

[Ken F]

As I posted before, 19th Century author Mark Twain had a few choice comments for this fellow.

[tsvidogg]

I must have missed there earlier posting. Has WABA or the League put together a letter campaign for this bozo? Even after reading the quotes I still had to watch the video because it is so absurd.

[w]

people like this guy are the idiots keeping the grounds around the US Capitol building a wasteland of surface parking.The anti- transit mentality of so many of these people is what is holding our country back and it is a very closed mindset.If he were truly conservative- he'd be in favor of rail and transit- as they were the main options back during the "ideal" small town days in the 40's so often mentioned by conservatives and sentimentalists, etc. when most people didn't drive.I wonder how much weight this guy displaces-[ does he ever walk anywhere except to and from a parking lot?] and how big his SUV is. That is where the "manhood" of most of these guys is tied up- their surrogate- the car or truck identity that makes them who they are.

[Jackie]

This is a video response to the energy bill speach. I'd like to send it to McHenry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Nk2fI_rvg