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@DismalScientist 10997 wrote:

Unfortunately, Uncle Warren has a problem confusing average and marginal tax rates.

I disagree. Reading the original op-ed, he is referring to his effective tax rate, i.e. what he paid in taxes divided by his total income. This takes into account the progressive income tax rates, the differences in tax rates for regular income and income derived from capital, and all of the various deductions. I agree that this measure makes more sense to look at for the purpose of his argument.

In case you’re looking for the original, it’s here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html

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@WillStewart 10972 wrote:

On that subject, there’s a much bigger picture – the top 1% tax cuts that drive (and keep) the deficit up means that the repayment will merely come due later, which our children will have to pick up so that millionaires and billionaires can have their 10 houses and 3 yachts today.

Don’t forget the artificially low cost of driving (gas tax and other fees on cars), so the rest of us have to bear the cost of the externalities of driving (polution, roads, etc).

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@KLizotte 10962 wrote:

Wow, good thing you’ve steered clear of political stickers (e.g., who you’re going to vote in the next election) – now those could generate some unwelcome reactions!

Given the stance of one of the two major parties towards bikes and cyclists, I think riding a bike implies a political sticker…

Why doesn’t “Pro-Life” include the protecting the lives of pedestrians and cyclists?

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@gtownbikedude — If you’re looking for a business opportunity, look into family and commuting/dutch style biking. There’s very little retail aimed at those markets in this area (or even on the East Coast), and from talking to folks, there’s lots of pent up demand. A local bike shop with, e.g., bakfiets and cargo bikes to test ride would be particularly valuable in this area, since we’ve got hills, and most of the online reviews of those bikes are from Portland, Chicago, the Netherlands or Denmark (i.e. flat, flatter, flattest, and flat).

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@MCL1981 10675 wrote:

I didn’t think I was crossing the line given he posted that he is by default a professional and does not make mistakes. I agree with your assessment of this forum’s decorum and I don’t want to change that. However I am having difficulty finding a more appropriate description of this individual’s apparent attitude toward the world. I could probably have done without it. But for the discussion in general, he opened the door to this by creating a post about it.

Thanks for writing back. From your other posts, you seem like a good cyclist. I just thought the leap from “I disagree with what planetmike wrote about a police officer in this particular interaction” to “planetmike is so arrogant” was a step too far. You disagree with the point, fine. Just don’t attack the person.

Additionally, you seem to be reading an attitude into statements posted on a forum, which is dangerous territory.

FWIW, I didn’t read what planetmike wrote as “I never make mistakes”. I thought he (I’m assuming that he’s a guy) was trying to say (1) there’s a specific definition of a “profession” and police officer doesn’t count; and (2) he confers with others before he acts in a way that impacts others in his job, while this officer seemed to have pull him over without consulting a colleague or the books. I don’t agree with everything planetmike has written here, but I think he’s correct on (1) (though what public servant needs less respect these days) and it does seem like the police officer abused his authority in that he was wrong on the law.

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Sperm bike.

Sorry. Had to be said.

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@MCL1981 10664 wrote:

your arrogant jerk attitude

To this date, I have been incredibly impressed by this forum and the general decorum here, even when we disagree with each other. MCL1981, I believe you are out of line here. You have expressed that you disagree with some things that planetmike wrote. That I can respect. But you have devolved into assuming you know traits about planetmike (that he’s arrogant, has an arrogant jerk attitude) that apply more generally than to his post.

As they say, we can disagree without being disagreeable. I think you’ve crossed the line.

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BTW, my guilty conscience feels the need to admit that one night last week my bike light batteries died. Both front and back (though I had a backup back blinky, so I wasn’t totally invisible). About 2 blocks into my 3 mile ride home. The worst parts were (1) the completely ninja (nothing reflective, no lights) couple walking on the wrong side of the trail along the cemetery two abreast and (2) having to navigate the horrible trail by 110, being blinded by car’s headlights. Needless to say it was a VERY slow ride (I didn’t see the couple until I was about a yard away — they never moved!).

Anyway, next time you see a ninja cyclist, there’s a small chance it wasn’t a conscious choice. And sorry to anyone who past me…

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To avoid the GW round-a-bout (aka Washington Circle), you could fake like you’re going to take the trail South, then cross at Virginia, which doesn’t have a ton of cars*. That will take you to 18th and you can work your way over to the Ellipse, where you can ride on the road that’s really a parking lot and end up at the E Street/Penn Ave bike lanes.

*though I confess I’ve never commuted this way in the morning, I’ve ridden this route in both directions a number of times both in the afternoon and evening commute.

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I’ve been wondering the same thing about Virginia Ave under 23rd Street. I believe that particular stretch is even safer for cyclists (rarely 2 lanes of cars) – not the DC traffic laws have a perfect correlation to safety.

I am of the mind that police should not use their authority (e.g. to pull someone over) unless (1) they are certain of the law or (2) someone is in imminent danger. It’s sounds like neither was the case here, so I understand the disdain. Since you have identifying information on the police officer and his car, maybe you should report him to his precinct.

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Thanks to the people who worked hard to make this happen.

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Sorry that happened and really happy you’re ok.

My initial reaction was “file the report! throw the book at him!” though, Dirt is right – talking to a lawyer is smart. The question seems to be whether you did anything wrong (I doubt it – I don’t know that area well, but it sounds like the driver was in the wrong stopping in the cycletrack. I’d guess you were a “pedestrian” because you were in a cycletrack, and couldn’t be in a hit and run). You wouldn’t want a ticket on top of everything else.

I do hope you’ll file a complaint against Mr. Badcop.

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Wow! What part of Constitution are you on? I cross it every day (at either 20th or 21st) and drivers are HORRID – running red lights, stopped in the crosswalk/intersection, oblivious to the need to look when they start from being stopped in the crosswalk/intersection.

A lot of money could be made by ticketing red light runners on the western end of Constitution.

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@Rufino 10361 wrote:

Finally, even if nothing comes from the official law enforcement unit, I plan to do something about this.

I fully support you doing as much as you can about this.

I came across this tidbit here http://dcbac.blogspot.com/2011/11/dr-gridlock-chat-11-7-11.html:
“Regarding the question about the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) enforcement of bike lane infractions, contact Lt. Nick Breul of MPD’s Traffic, Safety and Specialized Enforcement unit. Lt. Breul met with the D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council Wednesday, November 2 to discuss the District’s efforts regarding educating police officers and bicyclists about the laws involving bicycling. “

Maybe Lt. Breul can help you get a response from the local precinct…

Glad you’re ok. Keep us posted!

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@OneEighth 10365 wrote:

How about a searchable database that captures license plates, vehicle/driver descriptions, date, time, location, concise nature of incident, whether a police report was filed, etc (to the extent that info is available)? I would definitely have concerns about privacy and the quality of the information put in, for starters, but something like that could become a very useful tool.
Lots of details would need to be worked out, but what do y’all think?

YES! I’ve been thinking this could be a very useful tool, even for close calls. It could help to establish a pattern of behavior for aggressive drivers that would be very helpful in civil suits. It could be something simple: users (cyclists/peds) report accidents or close calls including: location; description of incident; identification of car (make/model/plates) and identification of driver (whatever you remember). Helmet cam footage could be attached. If that car is involved in another accident the victim/police would be able to contact the users making other reports against the driver to help make the case.

Plus, it would make me feel better to be able to report some of the insanely ridiculous drivers I encounter every morning.

@RESTONTODC – glad I could help. I’ve been very happy with Joan at the Erie Spicer Agency

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