[Via Paul Dorn’s Bike Commute Tips Blog]
Americans don’t want
spending on bike paths.
-Watch video below-
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) weighed in on Obama’s big economic stimulus bill during an interview on the CBS News show “Face the Nation” (his comments were also picked up by TheHill.com).
Saying that the stimulus must happen quickly and in a “responsible way” he shared his thoughts on the infrastructure component of the bill (emphasis mine):
“I think there’s a place for infrastructure, but what kind of infrastructure? Infrastructure to widen highways, to ease congestion for American families? Is it to build some buildings that are necessary?…But if we’re talking about beautification projects, or we’re talking about bike paths, Americans are not going to look very kindly on this.”
Watch the video here:
I’m not sure what the link is between “American famillies” and widening highways, but I bet Rep. Boehner would be surprised to know that a growing number of “American families” go by bike (and many more would do so if they had safe “bike paths” available).
“bike path” in Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)
This is a familiar tone for Boehner. You might remember when he took a pot-shot at the Bike Commuter Act. He likened it to a piece of pork during a speech against the Energy Bill on the House floor in December of 2007 (the Bike Commuter Act ended up failing in the Senate that time around). Listen to him laughing about it here:
[audio:boehnerEnergyBill.mp3]
With stimulus bill talks heating up and with the transportation re-authorization coming this year, you can bet Rep. Boehner will be doing all he can to make sure the status quo is preserved…in the name of “American families” of course.