Politics

Updated December 26, 2004

Politics cannot be removed from bicycling in the US. Where we ride and how safe we are is directly related to political action. Is a traffic pattern too dangerous? Is that bridge off limits to cyclists? What bicycle related laws get passed, how they get enforced, and what bicycle related concerns are included in new roadway plans, is up to our political system. Fortunately we have a say in it, and it is getting easier to find out how to have a say in our political system thanks to computers and the internet.

Advocacy has a new set of tools in computers and the internet. We can build a network to be alerted as soon as news needs to be spread. We can tell our leaders what we think about any pertinent issue. The Transportation Enhancement funding, of which a portion goes for bicycle and pedestrian trails, sidewalks, scenic beautification and historic preservation that looked to be lost one day gets reinstated only a few days later. Why? It was because our representatives heard from us and the count of concerned citizens was in the thousands.

As bicyclists find out too often when riding on roads we are sometime not seen even though we are there. So it is also politically that we can appear to be invisible until we speak up. Bicyclist don't have much of a traffic impact until they are in number. Even then we use very little space and there is little wear put on roads by bicyclists. "Is there anything big coming?" a motorist might ask his passenger. Only when thousands of bicyclists speak up do we get noticed.

In the 1880's bicyclists (League of American Wheelmen) helped good roads get built that made it easier for cars to get a start. Bicycles were in many instances the test bench for inventions that later became very important to the designers of cars. See How Bikes Invented the Car. Without shock absorbers, a drive shaft, and differential gears, the early cars were made more like a power driven lawn mower, of course without the blade, than today's automobile.

Keep informed about politics dealing with bicycling.
If you aren't watching the politicians there's no telling what they may try to get away with. For things related to bicycles the various bicycling advocacy groups can help you. But that is only one aspect of political activity.

But don't forget that we need to maintain a watch about all politics.

Scroll up for BuzzFlash Headlines

At the left is an alert to political headlines. While they are not necessarily about bicycling they could be important to bicyclists. The atmosphere of politics for big business is not good for the individual. It is also not good for businesses of the size that most bicycle shops are, whether the owners of those shops know it or not. Some business owners think that what is good for business is good for them. It isn't if government has slanted it to favor their largest competitor.

While I don't necessarily agree with all points of view expressed by these links presented at the left, it makes for interesting reading and will draw you into a more knowledgeable understanding of what is going on in politics.

There are other sources for the truth. In these times I don't think we can afford not seeking the truth.

Here in the United States of America we are proud that The Constitution of the United States of America starts "We the people". How many citizens of other countries when asked who runs their country can honestly answer "We the people". But I am afraid it is getting less so even in the US. It is leaning too far towards "them, the corporations". Part of the reason is that they have the time and the money to study what it is that they need from government to help them take care of themselves. We need to keep that kind of watch on government for ourselves.

Just an example - There doesn't appear to be any relation between bicycling and proposed FCC changes that would allow media companies to own more radio stations, television stations, and newspaper businesses. But one of the companies that could benefit from the relaxed rules of radio station ownership, and already owns a high percentage of radio stations, is accused of having been the employer of "call-in talk-show" hosts who conducted shows that appeared to condone discussions and encouragement of such things as using cars and trucks to run bicyclists of the road, throwing bottles at bicyclists as they drive past bicyclists, and shooting pellet guns at bicyclists' tires as they ride by. Here is a link to a Google search of "Clear Channel cyclists".

The website of the League of American Bicyclists also has more about that story.

In the United States, whatever our job, whatever our pastimes, we need to at least know what is going on and vote using the knowledge of what is going on. That is the very least. Getting involved beyond that is better of course. There are many organizations that you can help so that they can help make bicycling a safer and more enjoyable pastime. Some are listed on my bicycle advocacy links page.

Political Influence
More and more it is looking like political influence is linked to financial influence. Many individuals and organizations donate to the party or candidate of their choice. To look up who has given financial assistance to whom you may search the database maintained by Open Secrets at http://www.opensecrets.org.

It helps to know what is going on
Information is opening up all over the internet, you just have to look to see the groundswell of information that is there. But that is not the only place where you can find information that opens what corporations and our leaders are doing to the light of day.

There is an excellent book that exposes what is wrong and it also exposes what is right about the political, and corporate situations. Well, ok, it's more about what is wrong than what is right. Unfortunately there seems to be more wrong, more in need of repair, than what is right

The book is called "Thieves In High Places" and is written by Jim Hightower (www.jimhightower.com). Just read this please. It should be read by anyone who wants to vote in the United States. I'm not saying that you have to believe all of it just consider it. If you you find many people saying the same thing, and proof that what he says are is true from other reputable sources then action seems to need to be taken. In this age of electronic communication it is quite easy to tell our leaders what we think. We can also tell the heads of corporations what we think. If it means something to the profit of their corporation they will even take notice. The primary responsibility that a corporation has is to make a profit for its shareholders. If enough people are dissatisfied with a corporation it will have an effect on the corporation's profits. So the next time you are tempted to express your dissatisfaction with some big corporation remember that it is because enough people are making it easier for the corporation to make money the way that they are doing things than the way you want them to do things.

We need to all be responsible for the world we live in. We may not have the greatest wealth or power individually but when the majority speaks the most powerful must listen. So find out what is really going on and vote. An easy place to start to find out what is going on is to read. If a book is too much of a jump away from a computer then there are many places on the internet to start reading. But if you start in the search for knowledge and truth on the internet, be sure the site is indeed interested in spreading knowledge and truth before you start believing what you read there.

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Vote - It matters

Maybe you thought a Christian can't be a liberal Democrat? Click here if you want an explanation. How about one that belongs to a fundamentalist apocalyptic Christian church? How about one that is a cycling enthusiast and semi - vegetarian? (That means he avoids meat whenever possible/convenient and is moving toward total vegetarianism someday, but don't hold your breath).

You may read on. This is a free website, well at least for you. I've got to pay to have all these pictures and words offered here. Don't feel sorry for me. It doesn't cost much.

But do you really want to take the risk of finding how much has gone wrong because of the George W Bush administration? If you don't that's like saying you don't want to go to your doctor for a physical because you are afraid of finding out something is wrong. Isn't it better to find out so you can take action against what's wrong?

You could read the Buzzflash headlines above every day and then you would get a daily update of what trouble the George W Bush administration has caused his own country.

You could go look over the Jim Hightower pages on the internet. He's been sifting through the stuff that the George W Bush administration has been trying to hide.

Can we make a difference by where we choose to shop? Click here for more about this.