One of the most scathing editorials I've seen on the new Virginia "abuser fees" that kicked in yesterday appears in today's Washington Times. It's not pretty for those who came up with this nutty idea, most of whom are Republicans (Dave Albo and Tom Rust are culprits #1 and #2). Here's the Washington Times:*"This is a colossal abuse of public trust well before it is either a safety boon or a budgetary salve."
*"...$1,050 for driving 20 mph over the speed limit is predatory, tax-and-spend government at its worst."
*"Government is supposed to serve the people, not fine and tax them toward the poor house for what amounts to ordinary behavior."
The Washington Times concludes with the following, which lays the blame for this exactly where it belongs:
The story of how Virginia got here goes something like this: Downstate Republicans have repeatedly refused to compromise with Northern Virginia over transportation funding. This led Northern Virginia lawmakers to view fees as the only means of balancing revenue and spending. Not wanting to pass unpopular tax increases or cut rapidly growing but allegedly untouchable unrelated programs, lawmakers in Richmond quietly tucked this into a transportation bill. They now have the gall to complain that no one criticized the plan earlier. Meanwhile, some are calling this the "Lawyer Full Employment Act of 2007." Little wonder, since some of the idea's backers work for law firms, which will see more business as these fines increase the court caseloads.Contempt for ordinary people is the spirit of this kind of governance. It views Virginians as lemmings, economic entities to be herded, taxed and fined into submission. Voters should not stand for it, not for a second.
"Contempt for ordinary people?" A "Lawyer Full Employment Act?" Yes, that's what this is. And just remember where it came from: the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, with Dave Albo (R) and Tom Rust (R) leading the way.
As Thaddeus Furlong of Springfield, Virginia says: "When Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class find out what they have to pay, there's going to be a backlash like you've never seen."
A backlash at the polls in November, most likely. And Republicans will have nobody to blame but themselves when they are shown the exit door by voters.
I?m disgusted with the lot of them including our locals here in C?Ville. No more $, no more endorsements, no more campaign work. Zip, zilch, nada. And whenever I get a chance I will slam these pols for abandoning us to the wingnuts who appear to completely run this state. So someone tell me why we just didn?t go ahead and elect Jerry Kilgore?
Blah blah blah..had Governor Kaine vetoed the entire package you conservatives would be delerious with rage. Devising a way to treat Virginia drivers unfairly is different than swallowing a bitter pill that goes with a large transportation compromise (which sucks I'll admit). Albo thought this up, it's his to deal with.
Exactly. And the Republican House of Delegates more broadly.
and where was the democrats plan again???
oh thats right they didn't have one
but wait...
kaine had one you say... oh yeah he had abuser fees as well
this is all in good fun by the way nothing personal :-)
Kaine and the Democrats aren't blameless because they did end up deciding that this bill was better than no bill. You'll recall many of us preferred the "no bill" option - so we aren't exactly ecstatic over what happened.
But to say that the Democrats had an equal shot at constructing their own transportation bill, or had any say about how funds would be raised to pay for this one, is completely ludicrous. Republicans, primarily from the House, simply didn't allow alternatives and were not open to honest discussions on the matter.
This is a Republican show and the Democrats had to either go along with it (if they wanted any transportation bill passed) or rely on the Governor's veto which would have killed the effort entirely.
Kaine 04
Webb 06
2008 McCain but then who knows
One thing I won't handle though is hypocrisy from either party
For the record I do lean Republican. For some strange reason I don't want my taxes raised and I want the government to run more efficiently. Also, I don't cry about "robbing" from the general fund.
I knew Kaine was a partisan hack from the beginning and he was and never will be even close to a shadow of Mark Warner.
1. Higher taxes/more (or better) services
2. Lower taxes/fewer (or worse) services
I opt for #1, to a degree, because I want top-notch services. And yes, those "services" include things like a strong military (used wisely), a healthy environment, health care coverage for all Americans, and a top-notch education for every kid in this country. I presume you're not willing to pay for any of that?
Folks are furious-they're going to have to "revisit" this little issue.
In general, yes, I think government should be smaller. Remember, in general, I am a fiscal conservative among my many wide and varied views first.
I also think more can be done on doing some of the things you said better; which could result in cost savings. Also, limiting government roles in other areas also reduces costs.
While I hope you agree that taxes are a necessary evil, I tend to think more about how can we make program x more efficient or is it really necessary before raising taxes as a last resort.
P.S. raising taxes is still a huge issue. There is a very strong chance that if the D is elected in 2008, taxes will be raised. With Bush gone, that will be much harder for me to look past as I decide who to ultimately vote for.
have a great day
After saying this....watch me be the first one in our family to get a ticket.
Still, these fees are excessive and unfair.
But thanks for playing NovaMiddleMan.
Q: Which political party believes in "fees", but hates "taxes"?
A: The Republican Party.
Q: Who is responsible for executing the Commonwealth's transportation operation, and how?
A: The Governor, using funds provided by the legislature.
When Governor Kaine suggested to the Republican legislative leadership that he wanted "a dedicated and sustainable source for transportation funding", he was not referring to $3500 speeding tickets.
He's the governor for cryin' out loud. Obviously with no power, no compassion.
There will be hell to pay. People are pissed. So I hope it was worth it to sell out the citizens of Virginia.
Oh wait-he doesn't have to worry about getting re elected.
Currently in Virginia there is a slight majority of voters, mostly rural, that get their advice on the funding and management of government from Rush Limbaugh, Niel Boortz, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Grover Norquist, and other anti-government types. And they vote for candidates that pledge "no taxes" - hence "user fees", and "abuser fees" have wide support. Especially when the "user" can be reliably predicted to be someone else.
If the Republican hamsters in Richmond could practice Reagan "trickledown" deficit spending, they would, I promise you, borrow all government costs against that "shining day in the future", when a rising economy magically pays off our debts. But as it is Virginia, like you and me, must balance our budget on the backs of all, or a few.
The traffic fee fiasco is classic Republican - screw the powerless and less fortunate, and turn a tin ear to any notion of fairness or common cause...mumble some bigotry about other people's "bad habits" and "character". To have this litigious legislation sponsored by a litigator illustrates my case. These people have no shame. They think they are better, and smarter than me and you. You gonna take it?
Having said that, I think Kaine's hands were honestly tied. If he had vetoed it, Republicans would have painted him an obstructionist and trumpeted it from every roof top. Indeed, I think that's what at least some of them were hoping for. There were some Republicans rubbing their hands together in glee over the thought of having no transporation bill as an election year issue.
Kaine was backed into a corner. This was a case where the good couldn't be the enemy of the perfect. The Republicans wrote the bill and they wrote the dumb abuser fees into it and now that even their own fellow conservatives are furious about it, they want to blame Kaine for signing it.
That's plain dishonest.