Citizen Tom

Well, some of them are elected, but no one elected any of them to serve on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). Nonetheless, they voted on our behalf, and they suffered so grievously. Certainly they told us that (here from the Washington Post). Undoubtedly, some of them could show a crocodile how to shed tears.

As he reviewed his opportunities to wisely spend hundreds of millions, thus suffered Chris Zimmerman.

“The pain of acting is immediate; the pain of failing to act is in the future,” said Chris Zimmerman (D), chairman of the authority and an Arlington County Board member.

“Today’s problems, bad as they are, are nothing compared to the future,” Zimmerman said. “Congestion, pollution, degradation of quality of life would be worse if we failed to act now.”

Gerald Connolly, Chairman of the Fairfax Board of County Supervisors, however, was more self admiring.

“Politics is the art of the possible, and at the end of the day, we have to make tough choices,” Connolly said. “I choose to act.”

Aren’t you glad to know it still requires toughness to take the People’s money from them? Nonetheless, they were those who could not contain or disguise their tax happiness (here from the Washington Times).

“I think it’s a great plan,” said state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, Fairfax County Republican, who voted in favor of the taxes-and-fees package. “We have entered into a great partnership. For years, I have heard Richmond bash local government and local government bash Richmond.”

What refreshing honesty! Stupid (unless you just love to spend other people’s money), but refreshing. Dennis Daughtery, Vice Chairman of the PWC GOP, put it this way (WP).

Dennis Daugherty of Prince William County said the law establishing the NVTA was the state legislature’s way of saying ” ‘You suckers, pay more taxes!’ And we are saying ‘Thank you for the opportunity.’ “

Fortunately, there is opposition to the NVTA’s new tax and spend powers, and the Washington Times provided coverage. Stalwart Republican conservatives such as Bob Marshall and Jeff Frederick lead the opposition. Bob Marshall questioned the NVTA’s constitutional authority (see Marshall’s email).

“There are some clear provisions in the state constitution that the [authority] has to overcome,” said Delegate Robert G. Marshall, Prince William Republican. “Only governing bodies can levy a tax, and the [authority] is not one.”

Exercising his conscious and a sincere respect for the rights of his fellow citizens, Frederick rejected his new found powers as a voting member of NVTA.

Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick, Prince William Republican, was the only authority member to vote against all seven taxes or fees.

“It seems like the easy thing to do these days is to raise taxes,” he said. “The hard thing to do is to roll up your sleeves like families and small businesses …and determine what [your] purpose is.”

Note that Below The Beltway is tracking this issue too (here).