Virginia used to be for lovers. Now it is for those facing “civil remedial fees,” the staggering surcharge being added to traffic violations, starting Sunday.
Of course, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine supported this transportation bill only to save the lives of the lead foots and their victims. Saving lives is inevitably the first refuge of politicians looking to grab an ever-greater share of our money.
The good governor pretends not to want the $65 million the new fees are expected to generate each year. He makes his good-driver proclamation while knowing the penalties have been instituted to address the transportation woes of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Not that building more thoroughfares is necessarily the answer. Those thoroughfares will be outdated before they are completed, if the demographic projections of the next generation are to be accepted.
The good governor wants it both ways. He wants you to drive safely, but he also wants the $65 million in revenue each year. You have nothing to fear, so long as you never drive too many miles over the speed limit or have one too many glasses of wine after a hard day”s work in the city.
The good governor might as well tell Virginians that the sun rises from the west. Who has not barreled down Interstate 95 at speeds greater than 70 mph, including the good governor himself? Who has not had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner before hitting the road? Most of us have been guilty of both infractions at one time or another. And that includes those who are imposing these draconian measures on the people of Virginia.
Politicians are gluttonous sorts with our money, ostensibly to do all these wonderful things that will benefit us. They never have enough money, and they never take great care of it. If they cannot impose more taxes on us, they devise elaborate plans with other names to take more of our money.
There is no end to it, because there is always the sucker faction of the electorate that is willing to hand over more of its money and decision-making power to lawmakers.
There undoubtedly will come a time when the sucker faction will implore lawmakers to start a taxpayer-funded program in which wet nurses come to our homes to wipe the drool off our faces. This will be deemed a necessary program because of its life-saving possibilities. And if just one life is saved, then all the monies spent will have been worth it.
Why the sucker faction believes in the vision of big government is one of the great mysteries of our time. Examples of government inefficiency and waste abound. Yet the sucker faction is always ready to send the fools more of its hard-earned money.
The term “civil remedial fees” is merely a punitive tax that will fatten state coffers and those law firms that mine the traffic-penalty lode. It promises to be a legal nightmare for the poor soul who lacks the means to come up with a fine totaling as much as $3,000.
There goes the fellow”s license, and here comes the driving-on-a-suspended-license charge.
The transportation system in Northern Virginia is ill-equipped to handle the vehicular crush of today. We can all agree on that. More light rail is essential in Northern Virginia, as the good governor proposes. Some of us just don”t think the answer is through steep penalties. Some of us think it would be nice if a state roadway project occasionally could be completed on budget and on time.
The good governor”s land-use plan to restrict development and ease further strains on the transportation system is apt to create an artificial housing shortage and, with it, increase prices of existing homes.
That is not an appealing prospect before the potential home buyers of Northern Virginia.
Good luck, Virginians. Your next driving fine could exceed the value of your vehicle, and your property taxes are certain to keep on climbing.
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