Citizen Tom

In one respect I have to give John Bell credit.  Unlike most Democrats, he is not running a negative campaign.  Instead, he running a campaign based upon ideas.  Nevertheless, I have no intention of voting for him.  The ideas Bell proposes do not work.

One of Northern Virginia’s most pressing needs is transportation system improvements.   Recognizing that need, Bell has stepped up and offered his “battle plan.”  Since his campaign treasury is well-financed, Bell provided potential voters with a nice glossy campaign ad that tells us all about his  transportation strategy.

What does Bell want?  The main details (scanty of detail, of course) are on Bell’s website (see here).

• Institute a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on I-66 and I-395.
• Ensure revenues collected for transportation actually go to funding transportation improvements.
• Increase transportation investment to get Virginia out of a “maintenance only” status.
• Propose VDOT adoption of the Practical Design Concept pioneered by the State of Missouri in order to maximize investment funding. To view Missouri’s Practical Design Concept visit their website: www.modot.mo.gov/business/PracticalDesign.htm.
• Find solutions that require little to no funding, such as creating a “Slug West” program to export the popular practice of ridesharing used on the I-395 corridors to I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road.
• Pursue policies that provide incentives for companies that offer regular telecommuting and alternate shifts.

In addition, Bell’s ad say he wants us to spend more Federal money, and he wants employers to locate near transit stations and employees to live near where they work.

So what is wrong with Commander-in-Chief (CINC) Bell’s transportation battle plan?  Instead of a bottom up approach that responds to user needs, Bell wants top down approach that responds to the wisdom of the CINC.   That kind of thinking is what created the mess in first place.

As voters and taxpayers, we have failed.  We have behaved with utter ignorance.  Instead of waiting until we have a solution, we have bought what the politicians gave us sight unseen.  We have bought a pig in a poke, and Bell proposes we do more of the same.  To repeat the same mistake over and over again is the very definition of insanity.  Even though Bell advertises himself as fiscally conservative, he is quite ready to spend whatever money he can get his hands on.  That includes Federal funds from a Federal Government that is already spending hugely in the red.

What does Bell know about transportation?  His own biography indicates no special knowledge.  There is no reason to trust him or the vast majority of the people we elect BEFORE we see the road, bus, and rail systems these officials want us to buy and use.  Yet they want our money up front.  Why should we be so stupid as to give it to them?  Toll systems make far more sense.  Moreover, toll systems would ensure revenues collected for transportation actually go to funding transportation improvements, a problem Bell has no reliable way to solve.

Consider how morally reprehensible our government’s “solutions” have become.  Bell offers to creat a “Slug West” program.  This ridesharing program is not a fix; it is an act of desperation.  In better days, the government use to frown on ridesharing, and we called it hitchhiking.  Now, however, the Liberals have found a word with a better connotation.  Now they call it ridesharing.

What has Bob Marshall done?

Marshall has worked to make our transportation system function despite the fact we have given government officials our money upfront.  Thus, his Transportation webpage talks about new roads, the expansion of I-66 (which he facilitated greatly), and citizen input.    In addition, Marshall fights to keep unelected bodies from taxing us and spending our money.  For example, he is fighting the efforts to divert tolls from the Dulles Toll Road to unintended purposes (see here).  Moreover, Marshall has fought for structured growth, growth that pays for itself (see here).

In addition, Marshall has fought for funding new roads with tolls.  For example, the right-wing liberal (here) describes a list of the bills Marshall fought for in 2008.  That list included HB 6030 which would have funded roads with bonds paid for with tolls.  Marshall fought for another such bill in 2009 (HB 1759).

So what is the answer?

Instead of more Bells frivolously spending our tax dollars, we need more Marshalls willing to let us control how we spend our money.

The battle to keep Virginia’s rest areas opened has now become the battle to reopen them.   Who is responsible for this mess?  I just got an email from Delegate Bob Marshall that may help you decide.

Democratic Governor Tim Kaine and Republican Congressman Eric Cantor are each responsible in different ways for the closure of these safety stops.

Gov. Kaine — State Efforts
Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation a few weeks ago cast the deciding vote against funding the 18 rest stops at a meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board.  Yet, Governor Kaine’s spokesmen blames the Virginia House of Delegates for not passing a tax increase as the reason for their closure. Gov. Kaine can keep these stops open by letting the CTB know that he wants the rest stops funded.

I video interviewed (7-20-09) truckers and auto drivers at the Manassas I-66 East safety rest stop.  They want the rest stops OPEN.   Watch the video and contact Gov. Kaine  (p: 804-786-2211;  f : 804-371-6351.

Congressional Efforts
Congressman Frank Wolf offered an amendment to the Transportation Appropriations Act to keep Virginia rest stops open by allowing Virginia, like other states, to contract with private restaurants to operate the rest stops and provide motorists services.  The Wolf Amendment narrowly failed in the Appropriations Committee 32 nays -26 yeas.

The Wolf Amendment would cost not one dime of tax money! This amendment may come up this week on the House Floor when the Transportation Appropriations Bill is considered on Thursday, July 23 and possibly another bill!  AAA has said that closing these stops will contribute to more interstate traffic accidents.

Eric Cantor Opposes Wolf Amendment
I was interviewed by WRVA’s Jimmy Barrett (7-16-09) who informed me that Rep. Eric Cantor OPPOSED the Wolf Amendment because it would lead to competition with existing businesses just off the interstates.  I received a call (7-21-09) from an authoritative Congressional source that Congressman Eric Cantor actively worked to defeat the Wolf Amendment for the reasons that existing business near interstates OPPOSE commercial ventures at these  eighteen Interstate Safety Rest stops.

I emailed a letter to Rep. Cantor (7-20-09) and also spoke to his Chief of Staff about this and left my phone number with her.  I have received NO answer to my inquiry from Rep. Cantor or his staff.  (Gov. Kaine supports the Wolf Amendment.)

Stifling business competition is a normal Republican policy.  IF WRVA Radio and my congressional source are accurate, the bottom line is that protecting businesses is apparently more important than protecting lives on the Interstates.

Contact Congressman Cantor today and ask him to support the Wolf Amendment to allow Virginia to contract with private vendors at Interstate Safety Rest Stops to keep them open.
Richmond:  p: (804) 747-4073 | (800) 438-3793 | f: (804) 747-5308
Culpeper: p: (540) 825-8960 | f: (540) 825-8964
Washington:  p: (202) 225-2815 | f: (202) 225-0011

Sincerely,

Delegate Marshall

(703) 853-4213.

When you consider President Barack Obama’s and the Democratic Party run Congress’ efforts to take over your health care system, remember the rest areas.  These clowns can tax you and spend your money, but they cannot get their priorities straight.  We need the rest areas.  People will die without them, but politicians cannot get their priorities straight.

Imagine what it will be like if politicians take over your family’s health care.

First Governor Tim Kaine decided to mothball almost half of Virginia’s interstate rest areas.

The Virginia Department of Transportation began notifying motorists Monday of impending changes at the rest areas slated for closure later this month.

In June, the Commonwealth Transportation Board finalized plans to scale-back the number of rest areas VDOT maintains and operates from 42 to 23 as the agency grapples with a $2.6-billion revenue shortfall.

Electronic message signs notifying visitors that the facilities will close July 21 are being posted at each location beginning Monday and VDOT has updated its Website and 511 traveler information system to reflect the closures.  (from here)

Then Delegate Bob Marshall proposed a private sector solution.

Del. Robert G. “Bob” Marshall (R-13th District) sent a letter Tuesday to Congressman Frank Wolf and Sen. Mark Warner requesting that they introduce an amendment to the Transportation Appropriations Bill to suspend the federal law for one year which prohibits Virginia and other states from contracting with private restaurants or gas stations to operate at state owned rest stops on interstates.  (from here)

Next Congressman Frank Wolf decided get a waiver from the Federal Government.  Nanny state regulations prevent prevent a private sector solution.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf plans to propose an amendment to the annual transportation spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year that would suspend the federal law barring commercialization of rest stops, Dan Scandling, a spokesman for Wolf, said.  (from here)

So what happened?  The Democrats will not reverse socialism.  No matter what, the vanguard of the proletariat will not allow reversals.

An effort to keep some Virginia interstate highway rest areas open by privatizing them has been defeated in a congressional committee.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, offered an amendment to a bill moving through the House Appropriations Committee that would have essentially exempted the commonwealth from a 1960 law banning commercialization at rest stops, but the amendment failed on a 32-26 vote.

Unless something extraordinary happens, the Virginia Department of Transportation will close 18 rest stops on Tuesday in an effort to save money, including a stop on Interstate 81 southbound at New Market. (from here)

Del. Robert G. “Bob” Marshall (R-13th District) sent a letter Tuesday to Congressman Frank Wolf and Sen. Mark Warner requesting that they introduce an amendment to the Transportation Appropriations Bill to suspend the federal law for one year which prohibits Virginia and other states from contracting with private restaurants or gas stations to operate at state owned rest stops on interstates.

I just got the following from Delegate Bob Marshall.

Amendment Being Offered July 17th, 9:30 AM to Keep Virginia Rest Stops Open

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-10th) will offer amendment July 17 Friday Morning at 9:30 AM to the Transportation Appropriations Act so suspend the federal law prohibiting Virginia from contracting with private vendors to operate restaurants or service stations at Interstate Rest stops as is currently allowed in MD, OH, PA and DE.

Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA-5th) IS OPPOSED to Frank Wolf’s amendment to let Virginia contract for motorist services at rest stops I am advised by a highly reliable source. Perriello’s opposition is being used on Capitol Hill to DEFEAT the Wolf Amendment.

Your immediate action is needed!

AAA Mid Atlantic wrote Congressman Wolf (July 16):

“This issue is already resonating among the motoring public and the trucking industry.  In fact, a growing number of motorists have expressed alarm about the decision to close the rest areas and to cordon off their entrances.

In our view, there is no question that the safety of motorists will be negatively impacted by the closing of rest areas in Virginia. The problem goes well beyond the need to use restroom facilities.  Long haul drivers need to stop to rest, drink caffeine, change drivers, etc. If they do not have a convenient option they may drive when they are too tired to do so.

Nearly one-third of drivers (28%) say that they have nodded off or fallen asleep while driving a vehicle, according to extensive research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

It is estimated that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year, resulting in an estimated 1,500 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  In fact, NHTSA reports that twenty percent of crashes and twelve percent of near-crashes were caused by drowsy drivers.”

Please contact Congressman Perriello and urge his support for the Wolf Amendment.
Washington DC office (202) 225-4711;  Charlottesville (434) 293-9631;  Danville (434) 791-2596;  Farmville  (434) 392-1997

Sincerely,

Delegate Marshall

(703) 853-4213.

To contact your congressmen, go to www.house.gov.

One can only guess what a politician who has been in office a long time thinks of his constituents.  Day after day, he must contend with two problems.  How does he raise money?  How does he spend it?  This little post addresses the former problem.

Consider the article referenced below.  It begins…

Behold, America: the taxman cometh.

Even as taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet in a crumbling, tumbling economy, your friendly neighborhood (and state and federal) government is having a hard time making do with the meager trillions you’re throwing its way, so it’s relying on an old maxim:

If it exists, it can be taxed.  (continued here)

A politician must raise two sorts of money.  He must raise revenues to fill the coffers of the government treasury.  In addition, he must find donors for his campaign.  What is his ideal solution?  He finds a tax that raises money for his projects by taxing somebody else’s constituents.  At the same time the excuse for the tax gives him an excuse to direct government revenues to potential political donors.

It would appear that the Speaker of the House of Delegates, William J. Howell, has hit upon such a lovely, ideal solution.

Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell proposed Thursday that his state construct a sweeping network of highway and road tolls that could be leased to private companies, generating new transportation funding to offset declining revenues from gasoline taxes.

The tolls could be modeled after successful projects that have generated billions of new dollars in the Midwest and would allow Virginia to collect user fees from the millions who traverse its roads – from the Interstate 95 corridor that is a key gateway to the Southeast to the Hampton Roads arteries that lead to the state’s beaches and tourist destinations, Mr. Howell told editors and reporters of The Washington Times.

“I love the concept of tolls,” Mr. Howell, a Stafford Republican, said. “I think we’re going to have to see more tolls in Virginia.” (from here)

While I too favor the idea of tolls and user fees (see here), I see no need for complex, hard to regulate, public/private partnerships that are bound to be abused (see here).  Without giving any rich fatcats any sweetheart deals, we can use bonds to fund the construction and maintenance of roads.  What is important about tolls is that the need to collect tolls discourages the government from building roads that citizens do not want.  Do we need suspiciously cozy public/private partnerships just to build toll roads?  NO!

The point of a toll or user fee is to have the USER PAY for the thing that the user is using.  We do not force people to pay taxes just for the sake of financing the government, giving politicians money to spend, or to give sweetheart deals to Friends of Bill.

We must remember that Speaker Howell was amongst the vanguard leading the charge for HB3202.  Unfortunately, he has proven he cannot be trusted.

What are the likely ramifications for Howell’s tax?  If we implement a system of public/private toll roads for Howell’s sweethearts, we risk having anything that moves taxed as much as Howell can connive to tax it.  Tourists coming into the state will be taxed just to reach their destination.  Your food, clothing, and anything that must be moved will be taxed even before you can buy it — and pay a sales tax.   The net result could be that Virginia becomes a very expensive place to live and do business.

Other Views

Fred2Blue objects to the inconvenience (see here).   Please note the horses.  Toll collection technology has advanced a bit since the horse and buggy era.

Tertium Quids wonders if the numbers will add up (see here).

BlueVirginia proves once again it does not like anything with a Republican label (see here).