Sunday, July 29, 2012

A Virginia Republican conscious? Randy Forbes may have committed the yearly GOP good deed


Could it be that members of Virginia’s Republican Party are concerning themselves with the disadvantaged of the commonwealth? Rep. J Randy Forbes (R-4th) appeared to buck the VA GOP trend when he recently asked Gov. Bob McDonnell to scrap a proposal to locate a toll along I-95, south of Richmond. Forbes said that he is worried that the tolls “will disproportionately burden the citizens of a region unable to shoulder additional economic challenges.”[1] More of this crazy thinking and he might turn into a Democrat!
Forbes sent letters to Gov. McDonnell and the Federal Highway Administration this week, noting that Virginia identifies several of the communities around the toll location proposed for Sussex County as “economically stressed.”[2]

The National Association of Truck Stop Operators, the Virginia Trucking Association, and the American Trucking Association have already put into play a grassroots campaign to stop the proposal to place a toll plaza north of Emporia, a toll that would obviously hurt truckers that travel through this part of Virginia. Large trucks would have to pay a whopping $12 at the plaza north of Emporia!

According to a spokeswoman for Gov. McDonnell, Taylor Thornley, “Governor McDonnell believes this is a commonsense way to generate more revenue for transportation projects without raising taxes – revenue that would be generated, in large part, by drivers from other states.”
Thus, not only does Gov. McDonnell want to issue a new tax (that isn’t called a tax, but it is!), for driving along certain roads, he apparently wants to discourage travelers from outside of Virginia to travel along Virginia’s highways. Isn’t the old GOP mantra that taxes are “disincentives?”[3]
Randy Forbes did what a political leader should do, fight for his constituency, rich or poor. Unfortunately, many members of the Virginia GOP seem more interested in fighting for the wealthy among their constituents.[4] I won’t be holding my breath for repeat instances of compassion on the part of members of Virginia’s Republican Party.


[1]  http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/jul/27/tdmet01-forbes-urges-mcdonnell-to-drop-i-95-toll-i-ar-2087711/
[2]  http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/jul/27/tdmet01-forbes-urges-mcdonnell-to-drop-i-95-toll-i-ar-2087711/
[3]  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/14/1026339/-Republican-economic-thinking
[4]  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#

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