Hitskin.com

Way to fuck it up for the rest of us, Shale!! LMAO!

(And before you go ranting because there's an "R" by his name, the Democrats have a hand in this too.)

Quote :: Washington state Rep. Ed Orcutt (R–Kalama), a ranking member of the State Transportation Committee, argues that bicycling is bad for the environment and says bike riders should have to pay a tax to help maintain the state's roads.

Update March 6, 2013 at 12:30pm:

In an email to constituents, Rep. Orcutt apologized for his comments that riding a bicycle contributes to pollution. "My point was that by not driving a car, a cyclist was not necessarily having a zero-carbon footprint," Orcutt said in the email, according to Reuters. "In looking back, it was not a point worthy of even mentioning so, again, I apologize."

Previously reported:

Orcutt made his comments in an email, which was posted by the Cascade bicycle club blog on Saturday. In the message, Orcutt states bike riders pollute the environment because they produce more carbon dioxide than car drivers.

The email from the lawmaker, which was written to bike shop owner Dale Carson, goes on to say that because bike riders have an "increased heart rate and respiration," the act of riding a bike "results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider."

"Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride," Orcutt wrote in the message, which Carson provided to The Huffington Post on Monday.

Carson had originally written Orcutt an email arguing against a proposed 5 percent bicycle tax on bikes that cost more than $500. He said biking is good for the environment as part of his argument for why bicycle riders save taxpayers money.

In his email response, Orcutt said a bike tax makes sense because currently drivers are the ones paying for roads and for the bike lanes on them. Cyclists, on the other hand, don't pay for roads because they don't pay a gas tax "or any transportation tax," the email states.

HuffPost reached out to Orcutt's office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

The proposed bike tax would be added to the normal Washington state sales tax (6.5 percent) and local sales tax rates, which vary depending on where one lives in Washington.

In Seattle, for example, the combined local and state sales tax rate is already 9.5 percent, meaning that if the bicycle tax is implemented, people buying a bike that costs over $500 would pay a 14.5 percent tax there. For a $600 bike, that would be an extra $87.00.

As the Seattle Times notes, Washington's bike tax was part of a 10-year, $10 billion transportation package that was introduced in February by state House Democrats -- legislation that would also impose a tax on purchases of cars, trucks and gasoline. The bicycle tax is expected to raise $1 million throughout a 10-year period.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/ed-orcutt-bike-riders-pollute-environment-washington_n_2805658.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Actually, he should be told that methane is more detrimental to the environment than carbon dioxide and because he is so full of shit he is one of the biggest polluters of all and should be right behind BP in paying fines.

I guess he was informed of how absolutely STUPID his comment was (unless he can prove sarcasm). Fact is joggers create more CO2 than bikers. I hardly get out of breath while biking and have to really intentionally pedal fast to make it aerobic anymore. Which is one of the reasons I jog a couple times a week - which really gives my heart and lungs a workout.

Did I say STUPID? Has this dipshit any idea of the quantity difference of a 200 pound human consuming hydrocarbons and turning it to energy & CO2 compared to a multiple HORSEPOWER automobile engine moving half a ton or more of weight. A bicyclists carbon footprint is minuscule compared to even the smallest car.

Runners also subject the roads to more wear and tear than bicycles. I sent him an email recommending that he impose an additional tax on the sale of athletic foot wear to help cover the cost of repairing pot holes caused by joggers. I was almost able to keep a straight face.

Environmentalist whackos. Razz

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» Bike riding

Hitskin.com

Washington State Rep. Ed Orcutt Says Bike Riders Pollute The Environment, Should Be Taxed