Why Do Republicans Hate Bicycles So Much?

Ugg... well... way to go Rep. Patrick McHenry for insulting the vast majority of Europeans who are cycling and kicking out buts economically. You would think that most republicans would be pro-bicycles as it would mean smaller government.

It's very simple. Once you buy the bike, you can get from point A to Point B for free. Republicans do not like anything that they can't profit from.

This guy is a riot. I hope he turns on C-Span tonight and realizes how stupid he sounds.

"Wait, you mean if we ride bikes to work or, hey, take the Metro, we could, like, uh, save gas and reduce our dependence on foreign oil? Really? But...wait...that's so...cost effective and good for my health! It can't POSSIBLY WORK!"

Oh no, 1 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. God forbid we use a dime to help out a little. Maybe he's unsure about exactly how much a nuclear power plant costs to build. I believe the number is somewhere between 3 and 7 BILLION dollars. That's not even considering the site planning and environmental after affects.

Not to mention he's overblowing how much bicycles factor into planned measures to combat the problem and completely missing the point of factoring in small changes to make bigger effects. It makes him look like an idiot, saying things over and over as if it were true. Nobody anywhere has been saying bicycles will solve all our problems, which is what he'd like to rant about.

What a retard. He should be removed from office for his stupidity and waste of our government tax money.

How about the Rhodes car, Mr. McNulty? You've got plenty of extra asphalt to set aside room for bikes down in Sprawlville... too bad the grocery stores are so friggin' far away and your constituents think it's normal for every kid to be at a different activity every night instead of, like, doing things together as a family.

Because they sold their soul to the oil industry a long time ago.

Mothers and fathers in Netherlands are bringing their kids to school (when they are older then 10 they go themselves on the bicycle with a group of their classmates) and yes they are doing their shopping on bicycles every single day (even when it rains). I do all my shopping on my bicycle as well.

And my local district council helps too - they just invested 1 million euro to build 5 km long lighted bicycle lane.

Or in the words of future president Obama: YES WE CAN !!!

Greetings from Netherlands

It's idiots like him that are a very good reason most of the thinking world hates the bloody republicans whose primary concern is raping the world of resources whilst filling their pockets with ill-gotten gains.
How does a man like that get to the age he is without someone taking a gun and putting him out of our misery?

Because they're a bunch of fat-asses.

I live in NC not far from this wanker's district and I can say that his views reflect a majority of his constituency.

NC is a fat-ass, redneck, bend-over-for-the-business-community state that lives on Hardees and Ford F150s with Jesus fish on the back.

There's no arguing with someone who can stand on the House floor and state that bicycles are not an answer for reducing energy consumption but "clean coal" is.

Unfortunately there isn't much hope going forward as Barack and McCain are pretty much two sides of the same coin.

Um ... no wonder we have a such a fat nation, someone actually argued against exercise. Not to mention the 21st century bikes have come a long way since the 1950's let a lone the 19th century.

Actually, when I ride to work in the mornings along the bike route I often see parents take their kids to school by bicycle. And I don't think that it is inconceivable that the parent would then go to the grocery store and fill up their panniers.

Not to surprised to see a Republican with tunnel vision.

Well, as a father that bikes, I can tell Rep. McHenry this:

They're called bike trailers. If your kids are too small to bike on their own, (and if you have 3 kids, at least one of them can by that time, unless you're the kind of idiot that has no concept of birth control) you can usually take up to two in such a trailer.

But I don't think Rep. McHenry is thinking in those terms. He's probably thinking in terms of older kids, kids too big for bike trailers.

In which case, the advice I have is probably the same kind of advice his own grandpa probably gave him when he was 8.

"You damn kids these days are lazy! Getting driven everywhere in your damn fancy automobiles! When I was a child, we walked everywhere! And we liked it that way! It built character!"

It sort of makes you wonder how the hell people survived without cars for the past 10,000 years. According to Rep. McHenry, they didn't.

"You would think that most republicans would be pro-bicycles as it would mean smaller government."

You might think that, but republicans left the "smaller government" idea behind a long time ago. Republicans are no longer conservatives. What do they conserve? Let's see...
Money? Nope, 500 billion on the war so far.
Fewer government programs? Nope, I can't even begin to list all of the republican sponsored programs(not all are bad)
Liberties? Nope, they generally want abortion, homosexuality, and pretty much everything that doesn't reflect "Leave it to Beaver" banned
The ONLY conservation they want is of a lifestyle that is oppressive and outdated, even when it was "normal".
Not that the democrats or any sociopolitical party is really any better. Sometimes just more up front about it.

Distances are too large in rural Colorado to make bicycling practical. Its easy for folks like me living in an eastern city to use a bicycle to commute and do groceries, etc. So perhaps the comment reflects the different constituencies democrats and republicans usually represent?

I think the real problem is not the person driving the gas guzzler in Montana, but the person driving it in Boston. We need progressively larger 'taxation' in cities here (New York failed in their attempt to tax cars coming into the city) rather than out in the middle of the country.

I dont think any politician, Republican or Democrat, would try this tho in fear of alienating their constituencies.

In other words the problem is us, as usual

I somehow doubt that the entire "solution" that was being presented was to simply ride a bike. As if the document had a cover sheet titled "How to Solve the Energy Crisis" followed by one page with the sentence "Ride a Bike".

Even more amusing was the response to invest the $1million dollars (a joke of a dollar amount) toward Nuclear and Clean Coal (oxymoron) research. Classic.

I went to high school with Frank McNulty. He's got a point, his district (Highland Ranch) is pretty much unnavigable by bike. If this keeps up, the solution many of his constituents will adopt will be to move somewhere else. I manage to drive my car less than 100 miles a week.

I had just written Rep. McHenry,
Here is my letter,

J Rich

Dear Rep. Patrick McHenry,

I found that your speech on the promotion of using the bicycle to help with the gas crises was disingenuous and lacking understanding of what the average American faces in today’s economy. I rode my bike to work, to the store, to see movies, to restaurants for a month and I save both money and gas. In that month I drove just 126 miles and used a little under a half or tank of gas. It saved me around $200.
Why can’t a mother of three go to the grocery store to buy what she needs? It takes effort and imagination to try and find solutions to difficult problems. It is easy to fall back to un“clean” coal, or nuclear energy. It is much, much more difficult to think of new solutions, local solutions, and clean solutions for complex problems like the energy crisis facing average Americans.
Why not give a million dollars in a multi-billion dollar energy bill to study and help build bike trails, to find solutions for today’s problems. Step outside the Republican banter, step outside the conservative box and think about what will help out the average Americans. By studying the usages of bikes to help out Americans who are willing to conserve energy, you will be helping to find a solution for this crisis that Americans face today. If you are unwilling, Rep. Patrick McHenry to do so, then your not helping Americans, your not representing your nation, your state, your local citizens, your standing in the way of progress and finding solutions to difficult problems.
Help out to find a way out of the strangle hold that oil has on Americans. This very small part of the energy bill is not a total solution, but it is a part of the solution. Help Americans mobilize to fight back against rising fuel costs. Help out Americans in their time of need.

J Rich

It's like...they want to solve the energy crisis AND the obesity problem at the same time! Oh Democrats...surely you jest!

Please be careful with the generalizations, I am a republican that rides to work via pedal power. I think that politicians, like this one, that feel that their reality is the only reality should be allowed to pursue other opportunities.

Superbad, I actually think it's quite the opposite. I've been to Highlands Ranch several times for triathlons. The biking portion takes place on nice wide bike lanes. In addition they have one of the best cycling stores in the Denver area. However, Highlands Ranch is full of new McMansions and strip malls, so my guess is most of the people drive long distances to work.

Either way the guy is a complete moron. Apparently 19th century bikes aren't modern enough to compete with 19th gasoline engines, and 19th century coal power plants.

There are idiots belonging to every political affiliation. I'm a Republican and as a matter of fact, we have taken our kids to school and swim lessons, etc. via bicycle on a regular basis.

Mr McNulty's comments are a perfect example of how we, the citizens of the US, are being misrepresented. While bikes aren't the perfect nor are they the only answer to our energy problems, they redpresent out of the box thinking which is exactly the kind of thinking that this energy problem will require in order to get us out of this mess. Mr. McNulty is an idiot. Period.

It wouldn't matter what he was saying- it's his attitude and tone of voice- so condesending and jerky. Makes me sad to think that this is how politicians get in power- with charisma that pushes to intimidate rather then discuss.
I just bought a new bike- it's awesome!

There is an Autozone car parts store radio ad here in NY where the announcer says "You wanna save gas, go ride a bike..." in a pejorative manner. Total Doochbag attitude.
I am a right-leaning Independent. I do 110 miles a week on my bike when I am in the office full time. I am happy when my car collects dust and I don't have to give petrodollars to fascist throwbacks who like to chop off heads.
Yes, get off your fat duff and get in shape.

Hays is right on ... more bikes, less regulation, less government.

Is this trip really necessary?

vsk

Ha, what a douche! 19th century technology? Oh, they had carbon fiber frames, disc brakes and shock absorbers on their bikes in the 19th century? How about that. By mr mcnutly's [sic] logic, he's must think cars are a 19th century technology as well.

PROMOTING is the key word here McNutley. I think Americans could use the exercise as well. Jeez, what an ass.

And you know a bunch of mindless repubes are all agreeing with him. Maybe we should call them freedom cycles and then the repubes would be interested.

I was going to write a letter to this representative as well, but then I realized this video was posted on August 04, 2007...

david-

I'm sure the roads in Highlands Ranch are great, but as you alluded to, the distances are just too great for most people to cover on bike. Most of those people work 10-20 miles from home, the schools are 5-10 miles away, and stores are another 5-10 miles away in a different direction. A mother of three could manage just fine in Amsterdam with a Bakfiets, but Highlands Ranch?

I dislike Frank's tone (or at least the tone I get from reading his quote), but I concede that in his little corner of the world, bikes are not much of a solution to high gas prices. The truth is, his little corner of the world should probably still be the ranch that it was named for, rather than a vast plain of shoddily built houses. This is a big part of the reason house prices in Highlands Ranch are plummeting, and house prices in Highlands remain strong.

I live in what could be considered a rather liberal town (for the south)--Athens, GA. I hear this same sort of rant here, so don't think that his rant is somehow isolated to the hyper-conservative folks. I bike to work, but out of 100 or so in my office, I'm the only one...they other guy moved away. But the places that most of these folks live are not conducive to riding to work...many live 20+ miles away; and that ain't pleasant in the summer in GA. Which means, as many commenters have state, we'll eventually have to change how we live, where we live, and where we work. Commuting 20 miles (or more) just don't make all that much sense but it seems to be the norm...I don't get it, never have, but I live less than 1 mile from work (by choice).

@Cybercat "Maybe he's unsure about exactly how much a nuclear power plant costs to build. I believe the number is somewhere between 3 and 7 BILLION dollars."

I'm sorry, but that just isn't accurate. Most 1GW nuclear plants cost between 2.5 and 3 billion dollars to build, and are cheaper to operate, so that the eventual price per kWh is lower than even that of coal, after the first few years in which the plant pays for itself. The instances in which the cost has been pushed up higher than that, toward the upper end of the range you state, are usually because public opposition delays construction. This is a problem that afflicts coal as much as nuclear (at least it should, since the effects of coal on the local and global environment and on public health are far, far worse than those of nuclear). And a "modern" 1GW coal plant costs about $2 billion to build. Also, any attempt to capture CO2 from such a plant would drive the construction cost higher than that of a nuclear plant.

And keep in mind that NIMBY opposition to nuclear often comes not from the people right near the plant, who benefit from a massive influx of tax dollars for their local government, but from people several towns away with terrible misconceptions of the relative safety and costs of nuclear and other power plants.
Additionally, the cases in which such public opposition has caused built or partly built plants not to open at all has driven up the interest rates on loans for anyone trying to finance a nuclear power plant, artificially inflating the cost of doing so.

At the moment, after coal and nuclear, wind is the next cheapest energy, followed by oil and natural gas, then solar (the relative costs of wind and solar on the list vary by location, of course). Somewhere in there are geothermal, wave, and tidal, whose price varies greatly based on local geography. In terms of global supply, these are bit players compared to other renewable sources.

So while we must vastly expand our use of wind and solar, if for no other reason than to drive the price down and to encourage us to keep working to solve the intermittency problem with realistic large-scale energy storage solutions, industry should be allowed to take advantage of the fact that at the moment, nuclear is cheaper and more reliable than any renewable source.

Once renewables reach price parity with fossil fuels and nuclear the point will be moot anyway, and the economists will force the politicians out of the way.

One million dollars doesn’t go very far, these days, I am sure the time spent by all those congress men, listening to the attack on cycling, combined with the cost of the premises and the energy spent making it a viable place to speech cost more than a million dollars.

The truth is cycling is a health promoting mode of transport that doesn’t require copious amounts of energy. It should be promoted. FYI I save in excess of $30 per week riding to work and I keep fit at the same time, (not to mention I release less Co2 and burn up less of a non renewable resource).

If you are apposed to making my trip safer or encouraging others to do the same you are not serving the interests of the public. You could always go and fight in the Gulf to secure your energy need. Just for reference you think cycling a has been technology, why not apply that approach to the invention of the wheel as it precedes history, its so old we shouldn’t even think about using it anymore. (There’s a though, no wheels no need for much else, who would have imagined a solution in that speech.)

Republicans hate bicycles because they cause damage to dogs and car doors... :)

Unbelievable !!! HE IS the one ridiculous.

Afraid to wet his shirt maybe ? What am I saying ? with an electric assisted bicycle, you don't even wet your shirt !

It doesn't mean stop using cars all together, just don't use them when they aren't necessary!

I'm only 18 and I simply can't afford a car (or gas). I have two perfectly good legs for walking, and a decent bicycle. That gets me around.

And hey! Ever think that riding a bike might be good for your health too?! (Unlike some of my friends driving their SUVs to Dunkin Dounuts every morning to get their coffee and sugar fix.)

Cycling isn't for everyone (Heck, I haven't found a way to include it in my simple lifestyle yet!), but it *is* definitely part of the solution. Bicycles are less expensive to make, repair, purchase, and require no "fuel" to operate.
For him to generalize (assuming everybody lives in expensive homes in the suburbs with large families) is ridiculous on his part, and shows Republicans in a bad light. If cycling is an option (even a partial option for you), I'd say go for it!
I'm curious...how far would $1 million go in promoting something that we all knew as *fun* as children anyway!

Ah yes, 18th century solutions to 21st century problems:

Exercise - no diabetes epidemic back then - we lived outdoors more.

Civil discourse - reasoned thoughtful exchanges like Abraham Lincoln did. sarcasm was considered small-minded.

Strong families - work hard on the farm, neighbors helping each other

Clean air and water - no "whitewashed" coal or yucca flat nuclear waste dumps

And that big one - the Bill of Rights. that old 18th century favorite we still push on others.

18th century solutions indeed.

I like bikes. Safer bike lanes, especially in downtowns, zoning for pedestrians, signage & lighting. $1M seems a small amount and definitely worthwhile. People get around dense areas faster, they feel better, the world is good.

Representative McHenry is the poster child for why the republican party is so poorly regarded.

This is nuts! Riding a bicycle to work was by far the most fulfilling part of my day when I was able to do it. My commute is now too far, but the job I am in is only for 3 months. You had better believe that at the end of these 3 months I will be getting a job much closer so that I can ride again.

Calling bicycles 19th century technology is ridiculous, especially when you turn around and say that we need to be looking at things like "clean" coal. There were people like Henry Ford that realized all the way back in the 30's and maybe even before, that we needed to stop using fossil fuels. Maybe this guy should ride a bike just to see how fun it is and how good it makes him feel. I guarantee after a nice little bike ride he wouldn't be in the same mood that he is in during this video.

Because they're a bunch of fat-asses.

I live in NC not far from this wanker's district and I can say that his views reflect a majority of his constituency.

NC is a fat-ass, redneck, bend-over-for-the-business-community state that lives on Hardees and Ford F150s with Jesus fish on the back.

There's no arguing with someone who can stand on the House floor and state that bicycles are not an answer for reducing energy consumption but "clean coal" is.

Unfortunately there isn't much hope going forward as Barack and McCain are pretty much two sides of the same coin.

@Anthony

Sorry I wasn't clear enough in my post. I'm ok with spending on nuclear plants, I think they can help offset a large portion of the growing energy crisis in the short term. I was mainly criticizing his analogy of having to spend a million dollars that "could go toward other energy, like nuclear", even though it wasn't even close to being an accurate comparison in usage much less cost (3 billion is still quite a bit more than 1 million).

I'm not defending Representative McHenry here, however let me clear things up. He is not bashing bicycles, instead he's just sunk to the level of his Congressional peers - that of a snooty partisan legislator.

That being said, I'm a conservative that carpools to work every day, and would ride public transit or my bike to work daily if I could afford to live close enough to it (work). Please don't generalize and think this schmuck from North Carolina speaks for all of us.

I would love it if there were a tax break for people who do not own a car. It is a hybrid vehicle after all. This senator is a moron who probably drives an SUV 5 miles in each direction to get to work and has a second one for the maid to drive 3 miles a day to get groceries.

Can someone please tell me where that man parks his car? *grins*

Congressman McHenry's little spiel made me want to puke. I remember during the mid to late 1980's when I lived in St. Louis, Missouri, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, or Katy Railroad went bankrupt. Suddenly, a 200-mile railroad right-of-way was opened up and rails-to-trails groups sprung into action. The bike club I was a member of urged everyone to write the Governor and the Missouri State House and Senate to secure this trail. I wrote to the Governor and my State Representative and State Senator. I got a very nice letter from the Governor who was very supportive of it. The fight to get the Katy Trail was only. Lots of