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Health & Fitness

Raging Debate.

Good Morning Campers!

OY!  Another semi-sleepless night! This does not bode well for me, and in extension, Angela.  Last night was movie night and I sent Kaleb to Wally World to get a copy of Despicable Me 2 that the kids have been dying to see (OK...yes...me too).  We got started a little late as I got held up at the shop.  But when it was all over and we turned in early.  Midnight is early for us lately.  But here's the problem.  For almost 22 years we have grown accustomed to being secure in the knowledge that all our little ducklings were safe and snug in their beds before turning in ourselves.  Last night Elijah was allowed to go out for the evening and hang with friends.  Around 10 pm he called and asked if he could crash at his friends house as they were droning out to video games and wanted to play until their ears bled or they passed out.  I acquiesced, but didn't take into consideration that the nagging "missing duckling" effect would hit so hard, and I tossed and turned all night fading in and out of sleep.  And considering the width and girth of the bags under Angi's eyes when she briefly woke this morning as I was dragging my but out of bed, tells me I kept her awake as well!  OY VEY!  I have NO  idea what will happen when he goes off to work next year!  Of course in true manly fashion I did not express this sentiment when he text me this morning stating he'd be on his back home after he had waffles for breakfast but instead chided him by stating "How sweet, after a night of passion your boyfriend makes you breakfast!"

Yesterday was another humdinger of a day!  Sent home several to new homes as well as  a lot of parts!  This all highlighted a real serious problem we have this time of year, lack of stock!  Oh we still got a few goodies left, and a couple to get in the rack, but nowhere near enough to fill the demand!  It's simple; folks are not thinking about cleaning out their garage or their back yard, purging them of unused bikes as they are too busy with family, presents and pie!  So if you, or someone you know, has got some bikes suitable for horse trading or sale?  COME ON DOWN!!!

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Uncle Chippie sent me an interesting article this morning.  Give it a read, then, if your interested in my two cents, I comment after!

CHICAGO (AP) -- Early blasts of snow, ice and below-zero temperatures haven't stopped a surprising number of Chicago cyclists from spinning through the slush this winter, thanks in part to a city so serious about accommodating them that it deploys mini-snow plows to clear bike lanes.

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The snow-clearing operation is just the latest attention city leaders have lavished on cycling, from a growing web of bike lanes to the nation's second largest shared network of grab-and-go bicycles stationed all over town. But it also spotlights questions that have been raised here, a city wrestling with deep financial problems, and across the country.

Who is paying for all this bicycle upkeep? And shouldn't bicyclists be kicking in themselves?

A city councilwoman's recent proposal to institute a $25 annual cycling tax set off a lively debate that eventually sputtered out after the city responded with a collective "Say what?" A number of gruff voices spoke in favor, feeding off motorists' antagonism toward what they deride as stop sign-running freeloaders. Bike-friendly bloggers retorted that maybe pedestrians ought to be charged a shoe tax to use the sidewalks.

"There'd be special bike cops pulling people over? Or cameras? What do you do (to enforce this)?" asked Mike Salvatore, owner of Heritage Bicycles, a new Chicago hangout that neatly blends a lively cafe with a custom bike-building workshop in a 19th-century building.

Chicago is by no means the only place across the U.S. tempted to see bicyclists as a possible new source of revenue, only to run into questions of fairness and enforceability. That is testing the vision of city leaders who are transforming urban expanses with bike lanes and other amenities in a quest for relevance, vitality and livability - with never enough funds.

Two or three states consider legislation each year for some type of cycling registration and tax - complete with decals or mini-license plates, National Conference of State Legislatures policy specialist Douglas Shinkle said. This year, it was Georgia, Oregon, Washington and Vermont. The Oregon legislation, which failed, would even have applied to children.

"I really think that legislators are just trying to be as creative as possible and as open to any sort of possibilities to fill in any funding gaps. Everything is on the table," he said.

It's not a new idea. The Netherlands, where a cycling lifestyle has long been the norm, had bike taxes from 1924 to 1941, when the Nazis did away with it in a gesture meant to win over the Dutch.

Hawaii has had a statewide bike registration law for decades, as has the normally tax-hating city of Colorado Springs, Colo., though in both cases, they are one-time fees and all proceeds go toward bicycle infrastructure.

In the case of Colorado Springs, the proposal came from the cycling community itself. The $4 tax on the purchase of new bikes has been in place since 1988, and no one seems to mind. It only raises up to $150,000 a year, but it's useful as a local match for federal grants. And it gives cycling advocates leverage when pushing for bike projects. For one thing, it has revealed that 25,000 bikes are sold each year, a big number in a city of 430,000.

"The idea was to legitimize bicycles," explained Al Brody, a cycling enthusiast and retired Air Force officer who once coaxed a city councilwoman on a trek up Pikes Peak to lobby for opening up the mountain roadway to bicyclists. "It's in your face: We're paying taxes, this is how many bikes we're selling."

Portland, Ore., is handing over entire traffic lanes to cyclists downtown, irritating some businesses.

Robert Huckaby, who owns a moving company, tried but couldn't raise $1 million to get a measure on Oregon's statewide ballot requiring a bicycle registration fee and licensing. He acted after the city permanently closed a road that was a main entrance for his business because cyclists blowing a stop sign were getting hit by vehicles making turns.

"The unfortunate part is that we want to be known as the bike-friendly city of the United States, but no one's listening to John Public," Huckaby said. "They're just listening to basically the city of Portland and the bicyclists."

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made bike lanes and bike programs a signature issue, believing it makes downtown an attractive place for bright young people and innovative companies. More bikes means less pollution, less traffic congestion, practically zero wear and tear on the city's roads and a healthier population.

Nevertheless, the idea that cyclists aren't paying their fair share has resonated. But many bike riders are also car owners who pay the fuel tax that helps fund highway construction, or home owners who pay property taxes, which go partly toward road construction.

The city councilwoman didn't do herself any favors by trying to sell her bike tax idea as an alternative to a hike in cable TV taxes; opponents accused her of wanting to subsidize coach potatoes at the expense of healthy cyclists.

Good or bad policy, some bikers feel the debate heralds cycling's re-emergence into the American mainstream.

"Who would have taken (the councilwoman) seriously 10 years ago?" Salvatore, 32, said. "Seriously, 10 years ago, there was (only) a handful of nutcases who biked around Chicago."

Chip was very adamant in his opposition to this measure and would be up in arms if ever they tried to implement something like this in our town.  I find myself in the rare position of being on the other side of the debate on this one, and I'll explain.

As a devout bicycle rider I would willingly pay to register all my families bikes (for adults).  Riding a bike for a kid, who does not have the option to drive, is unjust.  However, as an adult, especially one who relies on it completely for transportation why shouldn't I be subject to a registration fee?  I use the roads and sidewalks that the city maintains and I should be held liable for my share just like every car driver out there.  And think of it on the positive.  You have a registration!   You have YOUR bike on file with the state just like every car.  If it gets stolen it will give you an edge if ever recovered.  No more "Can you prove this is your bike?"  HELL YEA!  Here's my registration!  Not only that, but nowadays whenever the city council is making judgment on street or infrastructure improvements or changes, they call town meetings but rarely listen to the "Freeloading, helmet wearing, spandex clad cyclists"  Having paid taxes, however, will allow us to stand up and be heard!  Perhaps we could do more to improve the condition of the bike lanes, or install more?  Implement bicycle share programs, more bike parking, more security and an improve response from the police in regards to bike theft.  And think of the tenuous relationship between car drivers and cyclists?  The car driver wouldn't have anything to complain about if they new we were paying our fair share.  I'm just saying, helping foot the bill helps everyone.

Special shout out to me mum!  She's always keeping abreast of the goings on in the cutest little town in the U S of A, Exeter NH!  My place of birth and old stomping grounds!  Seems an ex English teacher ha set up a Comic Book Shop in the bottom floor of the Exeter Book Store!  This new joint called "Stairway To Heaven" is only a stones throw away from my old comic shop!  I just had to give him a ring yesterday and wish him the best of success as that town deserves the Fanboy culture! 

ANYWAY!

I need to start digging and find some more goodies to make!  Check out the newbies below and I'm off!

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