Keeping fit and the economy

The lighter side of keeping fit.

The bicycle is the slow death of the planets economy.
This has the got economists thinking:
"A cyclist is a disaster for the country's economy: he does not buy cars and does not borrow money to buy. He does not pay for insurance policies. He does not buy fuel, does not pay for the necessary maintenance and repairs. He does not use paid parking. He does not cause serious accidents. He does not require multi-lane highways. He does not get fat.
Healthy people are neither needed nor useful for the economy. They don't buy medicine. They do not go to hospitals or doctors. Nothing is added to the country's GDP (gross domestic product).
On the contrary, every new McDonald's restaurant creates at least 30 jobs: 10 cardiologists, 10 dentists, 10 dietary experts and nutritionists, and obviously, people who work at the restaurant itself."
Choose carefully: cyclist or McDonald's? It is worth considering.
P.S. Walking is even worse. Pedestrians don't even buy bicycles.

Don't know where you get those facts Derek.

He may not buy a car though cycling often a hobby/sport rather than sole means of transport but given the price of some bikes a loan etc is quite likely.

Some do take out insurance (even though not compulsory) particularly against theft or damage

Indirect fuel as in food and there are many bike shops doing a roaring trade in repair and servicing and many of these bike shops have a cafe

I'll give you the parking one unless you count driving to somewhere to ride

Cyclists have killed pedestrians

Cycling can give you ailments and falling off your bike may need treatment

Edited By JasonB on 19/08/2021 13:05:38

I never said this was fact as my first line stated the lighter side of keeping fit.

Hi Derek,

Isn't hospital treatment expensive? It certainly is where I live. So if a cyclist is less likely to need medical treatment, might have fewer sick days etc., so wouldn't the UK save money that could be used on other parts of the society? I'm with Jason.

Thor

I got the joke Derek!

There is no lighter side to keeping fit, which is why I'm off for a nap rather than a brisk walk...

Dave

I'm also not sure about some of the Mcdonalds "assumptions" either

If a new one opens then people in that area will not have to travel so far which means less petrol or risk of a traffic accident so one boost to teh local economyis cancelled out by the other reduction.

What did those people going to the new Mcdees do for food before the new one opened? I suspect a lot just want to another fast food chain or the nearest Mcs so their health would not suddenly suffer needing all those doctors etc.

Then again if the old Mcs was a long way off and they had to cycle or walk there they may now be worse off as they will still be eating junk food and not getting any exercise..

well, the post made me smile.
I remember reading an article many years ago - in a cycling magazine of all places - were the author questioned the wisdom of the car hating lobby as to what would replace all the lost tax revenue as well as the millions of jobs connected to the car trade, if the car was abolished.
but I am afraid the pedant in me has to point out that if a cyclist is paying tax in any form then he is actually paying for the upkeep of the road system.

I admire the brave people on this forum who are prepared to stick their head above the parapit and get shot at!

Peter

JOKE WARNING!!

Think of the queue at the 'pedal through' then riding home in the rain watching the paper bag disintegrate as it swings from the handle bars.

Lighten up, JB, there is always an opposite or alternatives. Was it Confucius who said ‘many hands make light work’ - and also ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’.

Another pair of opposites that comes to mind - ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ versus ’Absence makes the heart grow fonder’.

We try to eat reasonably healthy meals. I can’t eat all the runner beans coming off while my wife is away, so I gave some to a close neighbour the other day and they were very appreciative and were clearly going to consume them PDQ.

Today, I offered some to another neighbour and I was quietly surprised that, while the lady gladly accepted them, she did not know how to prepare/cook them, so I had to relate how I prepared and cooked my runners at lunchtime (string the edges, if necessary - I cannot put up with ‘stringy’ beans - slice diagonally (mum did that) or lengthways and cut shorter, as preferred, then boil for about 10 mins (slightly less with fresh beans).

No-one ever gives warnings about the dangers of cycling. I bought one several years before it was the new fitness fashion and within a week had ruptured myself thus giving the private surgical community a large injection of cash.

In the days before cheap petrol and electric mowers it was recognised that the first weeks of warm weather coincided with a huge increase in cardiac cases.

And when i see the number of cars plastered with bicycles tied to them cruising down my country lanes it's self-evident that this new fashion has destroyed aerodynamics and fuelled climate change with fossil fuel.

devil's advocate

But cyclists DO spend gobsmackingly ludicrous amounts of money on fancy bikes loaded with exotic materials and rare earths, fantastic lycra superhero costumes, and alien space-monster helmets.

So they do power a specific economic niche.

The bicycle has done more for genetic diversity than any other invention. That has to be good for the economy.

;0)

Martin

Ndiy my runner beans when i grew them i nip the ends off as walking up the garden and place in mouth and chew nearly all gone by the time i got to the kitchen and very nice in salads cooking spoils them

And for anyone unaware, there are stringless runner bean varieties. I favour Polestar..
Also like them cut diagonally and I haven't used one but there are hand crank machines for that. 'Bean thing' in my simple recipe for a pan of steamed runners topped with large amounts of caramelised onions and throw a handful of breadcrumbs into the frying pan when cooked to soak up all the onion flavoured oil into crisped bits as topping.

pgk

Lycra has to be near the top of the list of fashion crimes plus there should be counselling available for some of the sights you cannot unsee.

Mike

I ride a motorcycle as a hobby or sport , or whatever. Every weekend you get round a corner & there they are. 2 & 3 abreast completely blocking the lane. Huge que of traffic behind. Surely they all have cars themselves , but get in the pelathon & sod everyone.

Steve.

lycra... runner beans...

No good, we're going to have to have Fashion and Gardening groups!

Pgk Pgk - I note you advise the hand-cranked bean-slicer. Fitness and the environment sorted in one go and not even holding up a single motorcyclist.

And for anyone unaware, there are stringless runner bean varieties.

Yep, I sowed half ‘Princess Diana’ and half of a stringless bean. Only half germinated, so no stringless and the second sowing of P. Di is just starting to produce. Beans galore for a while, so maybe some will get frozen.

Nice one Derek. After spending an hour stationary on the M25 this evening I wish more of the dunderheads would stick to cycles instead of cars.

NDIY have you got any peas to give her - if she doesn't know what to do tell her they are just a fat variety of beans.

It is amazing how many people don't know what we think of as common knowledge. A few years ago I witnessed my neighbour's visiting mother who had been sent down the garden to sort out the bonfire pile trying to light the corner of the neatly folded complete copy of the Guardian.