Lisa_Tim Ehlers
Wow! Hey from someone in Salem here, thanks to all those in Portland! J. Maus seems to be on top of this pretty well to keep folks informed and keep in mind the BTA will also be looking at this topic. Maybe think about joining the BTA so they will represent a collective voice but you can also check with your local legislative folks and let them know.
Keep in mind that "IF" this would even move forward it would not just hit those that have many bikes for various reasons but many others as well. I was talking to my spouse about it and we wondered what would they do with all the UGM folks that live on the street but still have a bike? Of course our kids bikes, low income families, the list goes on and on.
Even at the price they suggest, I have three bikes but wouldn't license all of them and probably not any of them so what would be the point of the legislation. I think law enforcement has enough to do, except when they set up 'stop sign' traps in the greater PDX area.
Let the voices be heard but in a collaborative and meaningful way that shows that this kind of legislation is about as good as wanting to get the dogs allowed back into the State Capital.
Tim
----- Original Message -----
From: Jonathan Maus
To: Melissa Boyd
Cc: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Licensing our bikes?
howdy,
If anyone is interested in more details/analysis/discussion of this proposed bill, check out BikePortland.
we broke the news on Friday and then I published a f/u story based on a conversation I had with Rep. Wayne Krieger. There have been over 250 comments on the two stories combined... and stories in The Oregonian, on KATU, and on KGW so far.
here's my initial story - http://tinyurl.com/dhtevq
and here's the conversation with Krieger - http://tinyurl.com/bcjdqh
oh, and if you're wondering.. I think it's highly unlikely to actually pass... for a lot of reasons you can read in the comments on bikeportland.
cheers.
--Jonathan
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On Mar 8, 2009, at 6:40 PM, Melissa Boyd wrote:
I personally believe we should tax luxuries and behaviors we want to discourage, and offer tax breaks to encourage behavior that benefits our society.
Those of us with thousand-dollar bikes can afford to pay a "luxury" tax for the privelage of riding. However, I really believe we are in the minority. Most bikes are owned by kids, students who ride them to school, responsible adults who are saving gas or exercising for their health, and low-income people who can't afford cars. A tax of this sort is going to hurt the people who need help the most.
Please take this opportunity to write to your state legislators, and let them know how you feel about it. Talking to each other at OBRA is interesting, but not terribly productive.
Here is a link to find the email addresses of your Oregon legislators: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/
Here's a list of all the Oregon representatives:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/servlet/XSLT?URL=members.xml&xslURL=members.xsl&member-type=representative
- Melissa
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