It doesn't get any better.
According to Business Insider, Oregon is the third most liberal state in the nation.
But as Oregon cyclists see it, the Beaver State might as well be number one, given that it just became the first state in the nation to slap a tax on bicycles.
BikePortland editor Jonathan Maus is incredulous about the bike tax, for obvious reasons, as reported by The Washington Times:
“[It's] an unprecedented step in the wrong direction.
We are taxing the healthiest, most inexpensive, most environmentally friendly, most efficient and most economically sustainable form of transportation ever devised by the human species.”
As The Washington Times reported, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is expected to sign a $5.3 billion transportation bill, which includes a $15 tax on every bike sold in the state costing more than $200 with a wheel diameter of at least 26 inches.
Yeah, I got nothin' on the wheel diameter thing.
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Anyway, Romain Bonilla, writing for The Street Trust — a Portland, Oregon, organization dedicated to “open minds and roads in bicycling” — tried to play both sides against the middle:
Let’s be frank: this bike tax is very disappointing. It’s also well worth the investments in bike safety and accessibility.
There are more opportunities ahead for us to stand up for our shared priorities and mitigate the negative impact of the bike tax.
While the 2017 Oregon legislature imposed new — or increased — taxes, fines, or fees on marriage, divorce and the purchase of automobiles, it also extended health care benefits to undocumented immigrant children, according to the Statesman Journal.
Oh, I almost forgot: the governor also signed a bill providing free abortions to all, which raises the somewhat humorous question to Oregonians who are upset with the bike tax yet strong supporters of abortion: Got hypocrisy?
Liberalism: it's the best. Except for liberal cyclists in Oregon, that is.
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