Virginia Beach (tunnel) Vision
By Brian Kirwin | Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | UncategorizedDespite my better judgment, JR and I wandered into a forum sponsored by the business community in Virginia Beach that would discuss transportation in a non-partisan, non-political way. They would not discuss legislation, but the goal was a “more informed citizenry.”
The Library doesn’t usually allow popcorn, which is usually my snack of choice while enjoying fiction, so I simply thought I’d enjoy the presentations of big Democratic contributors who were panelists.
It took a whole 12 minutes before the tax advocacy started. We were told how little we pay in taxes. (Oddly, taxes can’t be raised without legislation, so that first little promise about the forum was as flimsy as I thought it was.)
We were told we needed 30 billion dollars of transportation projects. We were told over and over about how the gas tax isn’t high enough, and we could all afford to pay more. And we were told that VDOT is efficient. Really!
Here’s the jewel! We were told that somehow businesses would leave the area because of traffic.
If that had an ounce of truth behind it, Northern Virginia should be a ghost town.
JR and I wondered where the “more informed citizenry” part would come in. The only thing the audience got more informed about was how some wealthy business leaders wanted everyone to pay more taxes. The fact that 69% of Virginia voters oppose raising gas taxes seemed irrelevant to them.
TunnelVision seemed to think that all it takes is elected “leaders” to stand up and do exactly what voters tell them not to do.
I’m amazed that these panelists continue to expect this to happen.
They blame the years of inaction on legislators who actually would rather listen to their voters rather than panelists who give money to their opponents.
Look, I’ve lived this issue for a decade. The longer transportation advocates continue an “education” tour telling taxpayers they need to be paying more taxes, the longer we’ll be wasting a whole lot of time at “educational” forums telling people who are overtaxed already and have less and less money for their own families that they need to give up more to pay for tunnels they’ll hardly ever use.
I’m happy to help organizations find a more effective strategy than handing a microphone to people who write giant checks to Democrats and having them talk about bipartisanship.
Or we can continue to see polls oppose these initiatives by the same overwhelming margins they opposed the 2002 referendum questions.
Strategic gridlock defeats more proposals than political gridlock ever has.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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16 Responses to "Virginia Beach (tunnel) Vision"
Brian,
I pretty much concur with what you wrote, but there are some additional points I’d like to make.
1 – Check out the web site for the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization for more info. Also, as I suspected, it’s a “dot ORG” and not a “dot GOV” as the speaker said it was last night. You won’t impress bloggers if you can’t even get your own web site straight.
2 – The notion that carpooling needs to be incentivized – wasn’t that tried with HOV lanes? And, if we’re talking tax incentives, isn’t that going to be costly as well (meaning it will take more taxes/revenue to provide the wealth transfer?).
3 – They actually said people keep asking them “why aren’t we more like Europe”. Who are these people asking this? Have you heard that question?
4 – They frequently cited that a person travels, on average, 15 mph door-to-door. Again, who are they talking to? Whether I travel into Norfolk, Suffolk, or Virginia Beach, at just about any time, it takes about 30 minutes to travel the 20-30 miles. That’s about 40 mph average. Sure, it’s anecdotal, but that’s been my average for sixteen years. You also have to sometimes be creative and get off the highway. We do have secondaries, people.
5 – They also cited we “only” pay $97 in gas taxes per year, yet we have the third largest road system and are fortieth in revenue collection. How is that a bad thing? We keep taxes low and, yet, are still able to manage our network.
6 – I didn’t hear once anyone talk about any other revenue source besides the gas tax. Assuming that we really do need more funds, shouldn’t other revenue sources, such as corporate and trucking taxes, tolls on the interstates at the border, hotel taxes, lease fees for offshore drilling be “on the table”. Why do we have to fleece the driver? Have we thought about people on fixed incomes?
7 – Interesting stat they pulled out about 80% of the driving NOT being related to commuting. They said it as if it was a bad thing. Folks, we’re a “car culture”. Once again, it seems like folks on high are trying to say we need to change our behavior.
8 – ASCE saying our bridges and tunnels are all getting ready to fall down and that we rank as a D-. I’m sure that there is ~no~ self-interest in their assessment.
9 – They spoke of the region “rebalkanizing” because we can’t commute from one place to another. First – since when have we gotten along as a region? Second, golly-gee…I didn’t really have a problem getting to the Central Public Library in Virginia Beach from Chesapeake. And that we, as in Virginia, are bordering on becoming a “third world country.” Wow…glad they have such confidence in our Commonwealth.
10 – That it’s going to take courage and a bipartisan solution. Read: “Republicans, you need to agree to raise taxes.” There was not an iota of belief in that room last night that government waste is part of the problem.
One point I will give them props on – the potential of privatizing roads and having it managed by someone like VDOT just for consistencies sake. I’d like to explore that idea a bit more. Of course, they diminished that idea by saying that the tunnel proposed for the third crossing will not have adequate ventilation. To which, I’d respond, make adequate ventilation part of the contract!
“ASCE saying our bridges and tunnels are all getting ready to fall down and that we rank as a D-. I’m sure that there is ~no~ self-interest in their assessment.”
That’s like a Barber Association saying people need haircuts.
That reminds me…what happened to your mullet?
Casting Directors aren’t exactly looking for that quite yet.
J.R.,
You stated:
“Assuming that we really do need more funds, shouldn’t other revenue sources, such as corporate and trucking taxes, tolls on the interstates at the border, hotel taxes, lease fees for offshore drilling be “on the table”.”
That is about as unfriendly a statement towards the business community as I believe I have ever heard in public conversation coming from a Republican.
As a self employed truck driver, I think at the end of the year I will have ended up paying (rough estimate) $22,000 in taxes to support transportation funding and now you want me to pay more? I am willing to pay my fair share of increases, but you want to single me out once again?
By the way. McDonnell’s (and your) plan to put up tollbooths on the interstates is just not going to happen. That would be an unconstitutional tax/levy/toll on interstate commerce and it is not going to receive approval from the feds. Toll roads are legal, but tollbooths put up to tax interstate commerce are not.
Google Pennsylvania Act 44 to see how Virginia must get approval to put up tollbooths on interstates. Unlike McDonnell’s plan, Pennsylvania wanted to toll the entire length of I-80 in Pennsylvania, not just at the state line. However because very little of the money collected would have gone to the corridor tolled, the feds said nope. Pennsylvania’s plan had more chance of passing the constitutional check then does McDonnell’s.
Little David’s response is part of the problem. Everyone wants to tell everyone else to pay more.
Brian…what did I tell you? You owe me five bucks. It’s just TOO easy and predictable.
OK, I get it. You guys want me to pay more while you pay nothing additional.
All of us guys engaged in business are obviously left wing commies. I think I am starting to understand where you stand.
Bob McDonnell’s (and your) position on transportation funding stands in opposition to to the trucking industry’s position and the Chamber of Commerce position.
LD – no one said that. Quit being so sensitive. Remember, everything’s “on the table.”
Everything is on the table if Deed’s gets elected. If McDonnell gets elected he has a very specific plan that has as much chance of going through as I have of getting my wife to declare that when I fart it smells like roses.
Sounds then like this will be a personal problem for you and you may want to take some Gas-x.
Today, even more polling data from Rasmussen, PPP, and VCU has McDonnell up double-digits and, by most accounts, the GOP is going to pick up a few seats in the House.
Which means, McDonnell’s plan has a better chance of passing then you think. Hell, at least it’s a plan that can be debated. Deeds has given us nothing.
Take a Rolaids, chill out, accept that McDonnell is going to win, and lets come up with rational solutions for our transportation woes.
You have hijacked the post again and it annoys me.
I made ten points and you narrowed in on one word…just as I mentioned to Brian last night that you would. There’s more to life than your truck.
My wife says I need Beano.
Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to hijack anything. Just seems to me you and Brian were having private conversations about me and involved these conversations in your posts but… my bust.
Where in the post did I even mention you? But we both knew you’d comment if I mentioned the trucking industry. Let’s just say that I was intentionally pushing your buttons.
The problem, LD, is that once you comment and make your point, you keep going.
You remind me of John Candy’s character in “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles”…you never know when to put on the brakes. I sure as heck hope you don’t drive that way.
Let me quote:
Brian…what did I tell you? You owe me five bucks. It’s just TOO easy and predictable.
Remember that one? Actually, your pointing out my problem and then calling me out on that problem actually motivates my problem.
OK, you get the last word. It is your blog after all. I am only a participant in the playground upon which you define the rules.
That’s a comment. That’s not in the post.
I invited a reponse from you there, which you did.
I then thought it was over at 10:27 a.m., but you decided to keep it going.
You had already made your point.
Oh great, what a shame that wisecracks won’t fill potholes, nor that derision won’t pave an inch of highway. Certainly civil engineers are unqualified to evaluate the condition of a bridge, so let’s send Brian and his band of brothers out to tell us the condition of our highways and bridges. We all know what he would say, and then we need not bother with the issue any longer. Doesn’t that make you feel safe? MJB sends!
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