The little paper's at it again

EuanB said:

It started with yesterday's editorial:

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17319374%255E24218,00.html

Basically trotting out the same tripe that cyclists should start paying their way. Then today there was a letter to the editor supporting such a splendid idea, claiming cyclists get a free ride.

Here's my missive. Probably a bit too long for the Herald Sun but what the heck?

Paul reckons cyclists don't pay for roads. As an earner in the upper 5%, home owner and a cyclist I want to know where my tax rebate is?

Roads are funded from consolodated revenue, not rego. I pay heaps of taxes and use a lot less road than a motorist does.

Cars are registered for the same reason firearms are. They are capable of inflicting death and serious injury, something motorists do all to frequently. On average two people are killed every 3 days because of cars. It's taken cyclists ten years to achieve that.

There is no case for registering cyclists.

Good. There's a couple of typo's you might want to fix. Consolidated and the wrong "too" As in "something motorists do all too frequently" You might also wnat to put in something about how cycling is healthy and therefore cyclists use less health money. But if that makes your letter too long maybe someone else can write with that angle

'Hit send'

not sure the 'Upper 5%' earner bit will hit a chord in the little paper tho. Maybe just call yourself a 'longtime taxpayer' ? (or just ignore me 😄)

flyingdutch said:

'Hit send'

not sure the 'Upper 5%' earner bit will hit a chord in the little paper
tho. Maybe just call yourself a 'longtime taxpayer' ? (or just ignore me
😄)

I hit send before copy/paste , but my response was something short
(ideal for the Sun) and to the point, along the lines of Rego doesn't
pay for roads it pays for TAC ins and rego, state/fed taxes pay for
roads which cyclists all pay.

Last time I responded to a Herald-Sun letter (many many years ago) I got
people ringing my house and abusing me. Wonder what will happen this time.

DaveB

EuanB said:

It started with yesterday's editorial:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17319374%255E24218,00.html

And continues with todays latest instalment of tripe:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17334984%255E2862,00.html

First I heard of it. The Hun trotting out & concocting utter bollox again ...

cfsmtb said:

And continues with todays latest instalment of tripe:
heraldsun.news.com.au0,5478,17334984%255E2862,00.htmlOpen ↗

First I heard of it. The Hun trotting out & concocting utter bollox again ...

Well you wouldn't hear anything would you, 'cause CM is not organised ;-)

EuanB said:

Well you wouldn't hear anything would you, 'cause CM is not organised ;-)

Funny that. :o

cfsmtb said:

And continues with todays latest instalment of tripe:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17334984%255E2862,00.html

First I heard of it. The Hun trotting out & concocting utter bollox again ...

Here is what I fed-back on the feed back box...

Heavy traffic congestion is an every day occurance here in Sydney. As a cyclist, heavy traffic impedes me, rather than me impeding motorists. When will the authorities move to prosecute these dangerous motorised road-hogs?

🙂

Ritch

EuanB said:

It started with yesterday's editorial:

heraldsun.news.com.au0,5478,17319374%255E24218,00.htmlOpen ↗

Basically trotting out the same tripe that cyclists should start paying their way. Then today there was a letter to the editor supporting such a splendid idea, claiming cyclists get a free ride.

Here's my missive. Probably a bit too long for the Herald Sun but what the heck?

Paul reckons cyclists don't pay for roads. As an earner in the upper 5%, home owner and a cyclist I want to know where my tax rebate is?

Roads are funded from consolodated revenue, not rego. I pay heaps of taxes and use a lot less road than a motorist does.

Cars are registered for the same reason firearms are. They are capable of inflicting death and serious injury, something motorists do all to frequently. On average two people are killed every 3 days because of cars. It's taken cyclists ten years to achieve that.

There is no case for registering cyclists.

Dear Mr B,

I respectfully beg to differ. There is a very strong case for registering cyclists. That way the Government will know where to send the cheque refunding taxes to cyclists because our bicycles do not cause the same wear and tear on the roads, do not require the roads to be constructed to take such heavy loads and we do not consume the same level of health services as those lazy fat [censored] in cages. Register me and give me back my tax overpayments.

Yours humbly

SteveA

SteveA said:

Dear Mr B,

I respectfully beg to differ. There is a very strong case for registering cyclists. That way the Government will know where to send the cheque refunding taxes to cyclists because our bicycles do not cause the same wear and tear on the roads, do not require the roads to be constructed to take such heavy loads and we do not consume the same level of health services as those lazy fat [censored] in cages. Register me and give me back my tax overpayments.

Yours humbly

SteveA

That's gold. I've just been told that it's getting published tomorrow so maybe tomorrow you can send it in? You never know, it just might get published too ;-)

Don't forget the fact that motorists don't come close to paying their way too.

In NSW the total roads budget is about $4 billion

The total receipts from rego, licences etc are about $1 billion.

So for motorists to claim they pay their way, we'd need to quadruple rego.

Scotty

PS

If you include petrol taxes (which you shouldn't), we still need to more than double rego licences and petrol taxes.

SteveA said:

Dear Mr B,

I respectfully beg to differ. There is a very strong case for registering cyclists. That way the Government will know where to send the cheque refunding taxes to cyclists because our bicycles do not cause the same wear and tear on the roads, do not require the roads to be constructed to take such heavy loads and we do not consume the same level of health services as those lazy fat [censored] in cages. Register me and give me back my tax overpayments.

Yours humbly

SteveA

May I please put my name to that and send it, with another couple of gems from this thread, to the Local paper.
We have had all that boring bike Rego [censored] for the last 2 weeks but no one ( sensibly) has taken the bait. The tone of your gem should shut them up for a while.

Cheers
Hugh

EuanB said:

It started with yesterday's editorial:

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17319374%255E24218,00.html

Basically trotting out the same tripe that cyclists should start paying their way. Then today there was a letter to the editor supporting such a splendid idea, claiming cyclists get a free ride.

Here's my missive. Probably a bit too long for the Herald Sun but what the heck?

Paul reckons cyclists don't pay for roads. As an earner in the upper 5%, home owner and a cyclist I want to know where my tax rebate is?

Roads are funded from consolodated revenue, not rego. I pay heaps of taxes and use a lot less road than a motorist does.

Cars are registered for the same reason firearms are. They are capable of inflicting death and serious injury, something motorists do all to frequently. On average two people are killed every 3 days because of cars. It's taken cyclists ten years to achieve that.

There is no case for registering cyclists.

in print! 😄

flyingdutch said:

in print! 😄

Any chance of a scan? Apols, I don't often purchase The Hun. :o

cfsmtb said:

Any chance of a scan? Apols, I don't often purchase The Hun. :o

I can't scan the letter but the exact wording from today's (Nov 24) Herald Sun is...

All taxpayers own the road

Paul Ballantyne (November 23) reckons cyclists don't pay for roads. As an earner in the upper 5 per cent, home owner and a cyclist, I want to know where my tax rebate is?

Roads are funded from consolidated revenue, not rego. I pay heaps of taxes and use a lot less road than a motorist does.

Cars are registered for the same reason firearms are. They are capable of inflicting death and serious injury, something motorists do all too frequently.

On average, two people are killed every three days because of cars. It's taken cyclists 10 years to kill two people.

SuzieB said:

I can't scan the letter but the exact wording from today's (Nov 24) Herald Sun is...

All taxpayers own the road

Paul Ballantyne (November 23) reckons cyclists don't pay for roads. As an earner in the upper 5 per cent, home owner and a cyclist, I want to know where my tax rebate is?

Brill! Don't think any daft phone calls are going trouble Euan in anyway...
🙄

cfsmtb said:

Brill! Don't think any daft phone calls are going trouble Euan in anyway...
🙄

I just wish we felt like upper 5 percent earners, it must be a mistake. :eek:

HughMann said:

May I please put my name to that and send it, with another couple of
gems from this thread, to the Local paper.

If any of my post is useful, go for it Hugh. I'm in BrisVegas, so the
SunDon'tShineHerald wouldn't publish me.

Donga

cfsmtb said:

Brill! Don't think any daft phone calls are going trouble Euan in anyway...
🙄

12 letters published to date and not one 'phone call. Must be because my logic is unassailable ;-)

I'm not overly happy with the title of the piece. Roads belong to society, whether you pay taxes or not is irrelevent. Still it's a better message than rego pays for roads so I'll take that :-)

EuanB said:

12 letters published to date and not one 'phone call. Must be because my logic is unassailable ;-)

I'm not overly happy with the title of the piece. Roads belong to society, whether you pay taxes or not is irrelevent. Still it's a better message than rego pays for roads so I'll take that :-)

That's The Hun 'spinning' away. 😄 Also, it's not only the little paper, friends have also incurred the wrath of dipshits reading The Age letters page. Fcuk 'em I say. 😄