Don't get me wrong... the president is in great shape. He can run a 5k in 20:29, and has a resting pulse of 47. Those are stats that I as a 26 year old have a hard time matching. But the man seems to just love pork... the budgetary kind. I complained two weeks ago about the pork being spent in Wisconsin for bike and pedestrian paths of all things. Now, as I read the November issue of Bicycling Magazine, I see who encouraged it. They have a pretty cool article called "Hangin' With POTUS", where one of the editors road with President Bush in "Peloton One" at his Texas ranch. Overall its a very good read, and insight into how much of a biking enthusiast the President is. Along with that article, the editor had a chance to interview the President, and this really stood out:

In fact, when we gathered for a mini-press conference before the ride, I asked Bush if his newfound love of cycling had played a role in his decision to pass a transportation bill that earmarked $1 billion for cycling-related projects, almost as much as the previous 10 transportation bills combined. "Absolutely," he said. One reason people don't ride is fear of getting hit by a car, he explained. "The more accessible [streets and paths] are for bikes, the more likely it is people will use them. But it's got to start at the local level."

It's got to start at the local level, but the federal transportation bill sets aside $1 billion to cycling projects?! And here I was blaming my Senators and Congressman for this particular piece of pork, when I should have been directing my ire at the President. Don't get me wrong, my representatives still should come out publicly and say they want to give it back... but come on George... if it has to start at the local level, that means you shouldn't be involved. I love bicycling... and I'm fully aware that a great deal of this money will benefit me as a resident of Wisconsin (one of the three where the majority of this money is directed). You can have it back.