Mao, Miki, Akiko, and Kozuka Will Parade on Bicycle

[Bennett]

Very interesting idea....
The city of Nagoya will hold a parade for those four and they are supposed to ride a bicycle for three kilo meters..... Cute... But why bicycle? The mayor wants it.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...003-sanspo-spo

[hurrah]

Very interesting idea....
The city of Nagoya will hold a parade for those four and they are supposed to ride a bicycle for three kilo meters..... Cute... But why bicycle? The mayor wants it.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...003-sanspo-spo

Silly idea. It's because he's in no position to legitimate spending money on an extravagant parade. The present mayor of Nagoya is famously demanding a permanent 10% cut on municipal taxation which many on the city council board oppose. Many see this as nice in principle but undoable in the long run given Japan's aging and shrinking population and new measures introduced to give financial aid to families with children.

So he initially said to the media that he was going to plan a huge parade, and he still probably wants to do it, but then realized he couldn't get the city council to agree to budget it without them questioning his 10% tax cut policy.

Mao and all the other skaters should just tell the mayor to stuff it for unwittingly involving her in municipal politics.

[Bennett]

Cutting tax is, IMO, a worst idea in addressing the economic situation. Japan already has far more debts than we can ever return.

Using a car and bicycles would not be that different in costs, esp. given the huge car industry around that area (Toyota). It's more for presentation purpose, I think.

[jasminum]

Miki and Takahiko are Toyota’s employees, right? Can they use their employee discount?

I think Toyota would be happy to lend nice eco-friendly cars for the parade at very low cost if not free of charge.

[ks777]

I would tell the Mayor, thanks but no thanks! what a dumb idea. what if they fall and get hurt?

[hurrah]

If you plan a parade with a car, you would have to mobilize the police force and stop traffic along the parade route. The cost to manage all that would accrue to a great deal. With a bicycle, you could basically go around the town with some police protection and it would be a 'parade'.