In article <[email hidden]>,
Mike Kruger said:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6313238,00.html
"Payment for cycling to school
Press Association
Sunday December 31, 2006 6:43 AM
Parents could be paid to get their children to cycle to school rather than
take the bus under new plans to help tackle obesity.
The Government said the proposals would improve school transport, cut
congestion and encourage children to lead more active lives.
But parents' groups raised concerns over the safety of children cycling up
to three miles to school each day, and warned that the payments would "send
the wrong message"."
* Note that this "payment" might likely be less than the cost of bus
transport. But there are a lot of options being considered, and obviously
not all of them involve exercise -- such as this one:
"Another option would be a "mileage allowance" paid to a parent driving
their child to school instead of the local authority arranging a taxi for
the child."
Up here in Canada, our federal gov't has come up with an
income tax credit of $500 for parents of kids of up to 16
years of age, involved in sports/activities that improve
cardio-vascular fitness (extended to kids of up to 18
with physical disabilities.)
Trouble is, no list has yet been drawn-up of such
sports & activities that qualify. Bowlers and golfers
want in on the deal. Others argue it should extend to
other activities like piano lessons that get kids out
of the house and away from the PlayStation-3/Wii.
I suspect the people who came up with this idea were
thinking in close-minded terms of organized,
community-based hockey, soccer and maybe lacrosse.
{\sarcasm
You know -- the only /real/ sports. And "activity"
is synonymous with "real sports".
}
I'll bet dollars to donut-holes they never even considered
cycling.
Meanwhile our federal gov't is also suddenly endeavouring
to appear environmentally conscious. I expect they'll come
up with some stupid recycling program that glibly makes them
look "Green" to a lot of folks, without actually costing the
gov't $$$ or popularity, or benefiting the cause of cycling.
But it'll give 'em some ammo for the usual lip service and
Weasel Room when their feet are put to the fire for not
being Green enough.
Governments all over the world only care about their own
survival and well-being. They toss us plebians an occassional
bone only to placate us and get us off their backs.
Our job: get as many of those bones as we can.
cheers,
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
