State Lawmaker Defends Bike Tax: Says Biking Not Good For Environment
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And he doesn’t think it’s good for you, either.
Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) does not think bicycling is environmentally friendly because the activity causes cyclists to have “an increased heart rate and respiration.”
This is according to comments he made in an email to a constituent who questioned the wisdom of a new bike tax the legislature is considering as part of a large transportation package…
“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said. However, he said he had not “done any analysis” of the difference in CO2 from a person on a bike compared to the engine of a car
h/t to Liberaland reader William
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D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 9:02 pm
i’m so over it.
allison1050 May 16th, 2015 at 9:04 pm
Me: sigh
tracey marie May 16th, 2015 at 9:10 pm
what have the teabaggers done to our country
labman57 May 16th, 2015 at 9:15 pm
Well, since methane is a significant carbon-based ‘greenhouse gas’, the next step should be a “Fart Tax”.
burqa May 16th, 2015 at 9:28 pm
NOOOOO!
Chris May 16th, 2015 at 9:24 pm
And the Republican War on Science opens a new front…
I won’t ask if they can get any dumber. Yes. Yes, they can.
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 9:33 pm
challenge. what do you think they’ll say next? c’mon. think of the stupidest thing, if you can outside of this.
Chris May 16th, 2015 at 9:34 pm
I can’t come close. I wouldn’t have guessed THIS one.
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 9:40 pm
lol. laws against flushing unless you crap maybe.
burqa May 16th, 2015 at 9:57 pm
.
……………………………………………………………………drawing a blank…
jasperjava May 17th, 2015 at 12:48 am
Didn’t Reagan say that trees cause pollution?
whatthe46 May 17th, 2015 at 1:08 am
yes he did. more than cars. good jasperjava. so, he’s competing with the dead.
Robert Kennedy May 19th, 2015 at 8:41 pm
Yeah, but he was senile. This guy had no excuse.
burqa May 16th, 2015 at 9:27 pm
RWDC judges all simultaneously look up from their soup, all thinking we may have another candidate for the 2016 GOP nomination…..
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 9:27 pm
cracking up laughing.
Mainah May 16th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Hey, what about all those damn walkers? They aren’t paying and they’ve got the nerve to breathe heavy!!! LOOK! Damn joggers! Huffing their CO2 all over the friggin’ place! Tax those sneakers! Tax those shoes!!!!
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 10:32 pm
you should have posted under my posed question. that was good.
Mainah May 16th, 2015 at 10:47 pm
Yes I should have! LOL!!!
StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Just curious..
Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama)
Where is Kalama?
And should I be concerned?
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 11:20 pm
i googled. it’s in washington.
StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 11:26 pm
Thanks for doing what I should have done…
makin supper right now…
And soon to be calling it a night.:)
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 11:33 pm
now you’re making supper? oh, who am i to talk, i’m gonna call for pizza. lol
StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 11:36 pm
Takin the easy way out…:)
whatthe46 May 16th, 2015 at 11:43 pm
oh yeah.
Talkin_Truth May 16th, 2015 at 11:46 pm
>>Where is Kalama?
>> And should I be concerned?
And who cut his hair?
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 7:27 am
Washington state and these idiots are coming closer to your area..be afraid be very afraid Stoney!
Talkin_Truth May 16th, 2015 at 11:31 pm
Can we tax the hot air coming from these idiot conservatives?
whatthe46 May 17th, 2015 at 12:28 am
they’d go broke.
Talkin_Truth May 16th, 2015 at 11:45 pm
The main argument for a bike tax is bicycle paths must be paid for.
But, I’m generally against special taxes. Everyone benefits from the roads even if they don’t drive or bicycle.
whatthe46 May 17th, 2015 at 12:27 am
“The main argument for a bike tax is bicycle paths must be paid for.” his argument isn’t about the roads. his only argument is about the environment. which is kinda hard to understand if you think about it. they don’t believe in science. also, since bicyle paths are being used and should be taxed, then why not the side “walkers” or walking paths? there are walking trails everywhere that get used on a daily basis. more so than bikers. and if you think they should be taxed based on your argument, then that’s sad. just go on ahead and tax tax and tax. it’ll only hurt the working or poor class. should we tax homeowners with children who ride their bikes in the neighbor?
fahvel May 17th, 2015 at 4:40 am
they would if americans decided to take care of their health environment and community and worked withing a civilized distance from their caves.
starskeptic May 17th, 2015 at 1:28 pm
..likewise, Everyone benefits from the bicycle paths even if they don’t drive or bicycle.
rg9rts May 17th, 2015 at 3:00 am
A road use tax…how about taxing people for walking on the roads ,,,or better yet joggers who definitely put out more CO2….has anyone checked to see if this imbecile has a pulse?? His major output is methane
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 7:25 am
I clicked on the provided link and there was more info and the comments were quite interesting also. People refuse to think about local and county then state elections and who it is they’re voting for. It’s amazing to me as things are getting worse state by state.
rg9rts May 17th, 2015 at 7:47 am
Always been that way…how do you think the gopee has control of so many statehouses?
robert May 17th, 2015 at 3:41 am
i think this idiot is trying to say a car releases the same co2 as a motor cycle
a bicycle got lost in his translation
starskeptic May 17th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
That’s being generous – it seems clear from repeated attempts to clarify that he means bicycles.
Sy Colepath May 17th, 2015 at 2:11 pm
I think we’d be talking more about co, rather than co2, though humans do put out their fair share of methane, which appears to be coming out of both orifices of this asshole.
robert May 17th, 2015 at 6:22 pm
my bad I meant to say carbon monoxide
better ?
fahvel May 17th, 2015 at 4:38 am
as a former pro cyclists and still riding I am proud to say that this person/thing/orcutt is an absolute fkn moron and any one electing sht like him should breath in the same looney bin that orcutt (hellofaname) exhales in.
@HawaiianTater May 17th, 2015 at 4:39 am
I thought people in the NW were supposed to be smarter than this.
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 7:28 am
They have their pockets of assholes also.
Larry Schmitt May 17th, 2015 at 7:15 am
Is there a Stupid Test to be a qualified member of the republican party? This guy would have aced it. He deserves an SPD. Doctor of Stupidology.
Gindy51 May 17th, 2015 at 9:45 am
he asked god for the answers, just like Bennie Carson.
MarcoZandrini May 17th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
Is Bennie related to that Brit comedian, Benny Hill?
Wilfred Yoos May 17th, 2015 at 7:16 am
Moron alert. People actually voted for this moron.
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 7:29 am
And therein lies the problem Wilfred. People don’t really pay attention to who it is they’re voting for.
MarcoZandrini May 17th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
Nah! They’re just as moranish as the candidate: a RWNJ!
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 5:55 pm
They are rather dumb aren’t they?
Wilfred Yoos May 17th, 2015 at 3:32 pm
He was contacted by someone running The Lumber Yard for Kids bike camp about his statement and got this reply.
First of all, let me apologize for the carbon emissions line of an e-mail which has caused so much concern within the bicycle community. It was over the top and I admit is not one which should enter into the conversation regarding bicycles.
Although I have always recognized that bicycling emits less carbon than cars, I see I did a poor job of indicating that within my e-mail. My point was that by not driving a car, a cyclist was not necessarily having a zero-carbon footprint. In looking back, it was not a point worthy of even mentioning so, again, I apologize – both for bringing it up and for the wording of the e-mail.
Rep. Ed Orcutt.
Second, please understand that I have not proposed, nor do I intend to propose, any tax – and certainly not a carbon tax – on bicyclists. There is little in the Democrat tax proposal that I support. However, the one aspect of the Democrat tax plan that has merit is their proposed $25.00 tax on the purchase of any bicycle $500.00 or more. I am willing to consider this because I’ve heard requests from members of the bicycle community that they want more money for bicycle infrastructure. The idea of bicyclists paying for some of the infrastructure they are using is one which merits consideration.
Since I have heard concerns about doing this via sales tax due to the impact on bicycle shops, I am very willing to work with the bicycle community to determine an appropriate way to enable bicyclists to pay for some of the bicycle-only lanes and overpasses. It is my intent to seek out your advocates in Olympia to see if there are other ways to accomplish this.
Again, I do apologize for the carbon line in the e-mail and any confusion it has created. I look forward to working on reasonable solutions to the problems cyclists are having with infrastructure.
Ed
Representative Ed Orcutt
20th Legislative DistrictYou got it Allison.
allison1050 May 17th, 2015 at 5:52 pm
And he’s still a dumb ass.
Suzanne McFly May 17th, 2015 at 9:23 am
If we start taxing stupid statements we would have enough money to pay for healthcare and college for everyone. Pretty sure we can get a majority of citizens to support this.
Dammitjim May 17th, 2015 at 1:36 pm
What the actual….? I’ve heard some dumb things before but that is WAY up there.
MarcoZandrini May 17th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Bought and paid for by the oil industry.
Btw, biking is the most efficient means of transportation in the world. It’s about 12x more efficient than walking.
Hard2find May 17th, 2015 at 4:22 pm
OK, OK, we get it your a moron, no need to advertise the fact.
thinkingwomanmillstone May 17th, 2015 at 4:47 pm
okay…that is the dumbest statement by a republican that I have read in a very long time. Give him a trophy not just a participation ribbon.
Robert Kennedy May 19th, 2015 at 8:37 pm
How can you tell, there are so many and you can’t remember them all. (Unless you’re Marilu Henner)
mrbigstuff May 18th, 2015 at 6:22 am
Maybe we should stop walking too?
atunionbob May 18th, 2015 at 1:20 pm
As Bugs Bunny used to say…”What a maroon”!!!!
atunionbob May 18th, 2015 at 1:42 pm
OH boy…
cecilia May 19th, 2015 at 9:57 am
There should be a Stupid Tax – we’d make a fortune