It’s good to know that there is at least one member of
Virginia’s Republican Party who is looking out for the “economically
disadvantaged.”
On Tuesday, Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-4th), sent
another letter to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) requesting that it
reject Virginia’s application to construct a toll in Sussex County on I-95,
near the commonwealth’s border with North Carolina.[1]
Forbes’ most recent letter to the FHA constitutes his third
such letter, the first being in 2010 and his second in July 2012. The second
letter argued that Virginia already designates a number of the communities
surrounding the proposed new toll to be “economically stressed.”
Forbes also argues in his most recent letter that access to
I-95 is “critical” for the economic strength of this area.
Forbes wrote, “With these acknowledgements, it has been made
clear that VDOT plans to impose a costly new toll that will restrict access and
dilute the economic benefit that I-95 provides to the citizens of Southside
Virginia whom are ill-equipped to shoulder these burdens.”[2]
This is language that should even be unambiguous to other Republicans: new toll
equals bad news for economically disadvantaged Virginians living in the
Southside.
Spokesman for McDonnell, Tucker Martin, responded that the
2006 General Assembly voted for legislation to collect tolls on I-95 and
claimed that McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign in 2009 ran on a platform to
implement this legislation.
First off, however, raising more revenue through additional
tolls is not Virginia’s fiscal solution to economic shortfalls. What Virginia
needs instead are more politicians less willing to line their pockets and help
out their friends, that is, politicians that are capable of making sound fiscal
policy for the good of Virginia as a whole.
Secondly, McDonnell ran on a number of issues during his
campaign for governor in 2009. Has he effectively addressed every issue he ran
on in 2009?[3] No!
If McDonnell wants to add more revenue to Virginia’s balance
sheets, why don’t we just implement one of McDonnell’s great ideas and allow
police drones to roam the skies of Virginia.[4]
I’m sure all of the fines that would be accrued would more than make up for the
money not gained by not implementing a new toll!
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