Solving problems that don’t exist
By Brian Schoeneman | Thursday, July 14th, 2011 | Politics, VirginiaOne of the most common tricks of the political trade is the strawman argument. Want an easy way to win an argument? Create your own argument, attribute it to the other guy and knock it down. You win the argument because you’re really just arguing with yourself.
The same thing is true with legislation. One of the easiest things for a legislator to do is create a problem and then solve it. There’s no risk, because you’re not really doing anything – you’re arguing with yourself. There are no opponents, no one lobbying the other side of the issue, little risk and the reward of being able to say you got something done. Unfortunately, the time you wasted on strawman legislation is time you could have spent on issues that matter.
My opponent has been touting a bill he patroned that was signed by the governor yesterday, HB 2105. The bill allows small businesses to charge for electricity, in an effort to remove a “regulatory obstacle” to electric vehicles. Under the current system, only public utilities could charge for electricity. Now, thanks to this legislation, any small business can buy a charging station, throw it out front and charge folks to juice up their Nissan Leafs and Chevy Volts.
Sounds great, right? Sure. That’s the point. But does it really solve a problem? No.
The regulatory burden is not what is keeping the electric car down. A lack of charging stations is not what is keeping electric cars from sweeping the market. And not being able to directly sell the electricity is not what is keeping small businesses and others from installing charging stations. The reason why we don’t see more charging stations in Northern Virginia is simple and obvious: lack of demand. No one is driving these cars because they’re hard to find, expensive and not practical enough for Northern Virginia commuters.
Right now, Nissan and Chevy combined have sold fewer than 10,000 electric cars nationally. Even throwing in Tesla and the other electric car manufacturers, there simply aren’t enough cars on the road to justify local businesses installing the stations. Have you seen a Volt or Leaf on the road? If there was actual money to be made here, I am confident that the entrepreneurial spirit of our small business owners would have led them to find a way to charge electric car owners to use a charging station without running afoul of the public utilities law. It took me about five minutes to realize that you can charge someone for a parking spot for half an hour that just happens to be next to an electric vehicle charging station without having to sell them the electricity – throw that in for free. You’re just paying for parking. Problem solved. No need to engage the legislature. How many “charging stations” do we see in coffee shops and airports for cell phones? Did they need legislation to ensure they weren’t being regulated as public utilities for providing that service? No. Why? They just don’t charge for the electricity. They make up the cost of providing that service by charging for things they can charge for, like coffee and peanuts. That’s the real “common sense” solution to this problem. Common sense says don’t pass a law you don’t need.
We’ve got crumbling transportation infrastructure in Northern Virginia, and legitimate transportation and energy issues that require innovative solutions right now. Saying this bill promotes national security and paves the way for the rise of the electric car just doesn’t hold up to closer scrutiny. David created a problem to solve. That’s not leadership. That’s politics.
We should expect effective leadership from our elected officials – meaning they focus on solving real problems that affect the day-to-day lives of our citizens. We have plenty of problems that need solving in Virginia. The last thing we need are politicians desperate for accomplishments running around creating new problems to “solve.”
David’s bill is a strawman and that’s not what we need in Richmond. It’s time for a new direction.
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About the author
A veteran political professional, a long-time Republican party activist and new attorney, Brian W. Schoeneman has been offering his opinions at Bearing Drift since 2010. He serves on the Board of Virginia Line Media, LLC, which operates Bearing Drift and spends his days representing the U.S. Merchant Marine in Washington, D.C. He hails from Fairfax County, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and son.
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25 Responses to "Solving problems that don’t exist"
Brian,
Chuckle.
There are merits to your argument. If you charge for the parking space, then you will not have customers uninterested in charging hogging the parking space while customers that want to use the service can not get into the charging station.
However, this means you need to have an employee police the parking space or come up with some expensive system of ensuring only paying customers occupy it. While demand is light, it is not worth it to pay an employee to enforce the parking fee. I know this from my experience in the trucking industry and the attempts by some to impose parking fees for trucks. When demand for the parking space is high enough, it warrants paying an employee to enforce it. While demand is low, the costs of labor are too high.
In my estimation, during the infancy of demand for charging stations, this is a problem that in fact does need to be solved. Eventually it will all work itself out as demand increases, but if we are trying to encourage blossoming we might need to give the seedling some help getting started.
Brian,
You got my brain working. How about if you did not charge for the electricity or the parking space? You slide your your credit card into the slot and pay for the use of the equipment that converts 110 volt AC power into the DC power needed to charge your batteries? The customer could use as much electricity as they want, they just pay by the hour to rent the equipment needed to convert it?
LD, I think that works too – like I said, I get the feeling that if there was actual money to be made here, the public utilities regulatory regime wouldn’t stop an entrepreneur and his favorite lawyer with coming up with a way to do this legally.
You could use the “pay toilet” method. A covered & gated parking space. (Rain and electricity don’t mix, it protects your car from bird droppings & weather, it also prevents theft and most damage while parked.
Slide your car to unlock the door & pay for parking. There just happens to be an electricity hook up there too.
Don’t want gas guzzlers parking there? Place signs saying electric vehicle parking only. Others towed at owners expense. If there is ever a problem wity gas users paying for parking, you local tow company will be happy to enforce your policy since the charge the towed owner big bucks.
Britt Howard,
Your solution does not work. Can you show me one parking garage that operates without an attendant to enforce the fee charged? Some municipalities have parking meters, but the charges are enforced by the government through the actions of the meter maid employee.
Brian, it was great seeing meeting you at the Fairfax Fourth of July parade. You had a great showing, and I am looking forward to helping out on the campaign, and voting for you in November.
Little David,
The parking garage at the Shirlington Harris Teeter uses towing to enforce parking measures because the tow trucks drive by all the time. If they see someone parked in a spot that is reserved for some other purpose then they tow it. Harris Teeter doesn’t have an employee that just goes around checking cars, because the towing companies have an incentive to enforce the rules, i.e. “cars will be towed at owners expense”.
I believe what you are speaking of is often called predatory towing and often leaves the owner of the establishment liable for when mistakes are made. You are correct, give the towing company motivation to tow and they will tow as often as possible. However if enough money is there to be made, it is because they will inflate the numbers of vehicles that need to be towed. It often works initially to stop the offenses, but after the offenses stop occurring the tow truck operator still needs to make a living.
LD, you use a credit/debit card to enter or you don’t enter. No employee needed to enforce anything. Think automated car wash.
It isn’t predatory if signs are posted and the tower is required to take a picture showing the date and license plates. In this case, the make of the non_electric perhaps. Worked pretty well for the apartment complex I once lived in.
If you wanted to get hi tech, use a weight sensor, live cameras, and track electricity consumption during the length of car occupancy. A zero draw could page someone to look through the camera and determine if a tow needed to be call. Maybe the contracted tower would be paged and would go online to check the camera.
People can be pretty innovative. It can be done. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t make it impossible.
Britt Howard,
You are getting too far out of line with the real world.
Some facility chooses to offer charging stations. Should they put up the toll booth that every customer must pull up to just like the customer at the parking garage? Why not just pull into the competitor where there is no delay and you can get that cup of coffee without dealing with the inconvenience?
We are talking about an infant industry here and not a mature one. Eventually we might find demand for valet parking with the recharge. But the market for such specialized services does not currently exist.
Brian,
It’s great to finally see someone showing real leadership on issues here in the 37th. We need real solutions to our transportations issues, not legislation that doesn’t address nonexistent problems. I am looking forward to voting for you in November. Keep up the good fight.
Little David,
I believe that Britt Howard said, “use a credit/debit card to enter or you don’t enter. No employee needed to enforce anything” in regards to entering the charging station areas. How does that require a toll booth? She literally made a point to that it’s feasible without the need for an attendant; however, you have made it a point to attack her credibility by saying “You are getting too far out of line with the real world” and “your solution does not work”. I was unaware that you were a self appointed expert regarding this matter.
We all have life experiences to share, and frankly Britt Howard is contributing to the deliberative process and engaging in civic activity, I couldn’t think of many things that are more democratic than that. Please be respectful of others opinions on this matter and cut out the smug remarks and we will be sure to do the same for you. In addition, employing this approach would allow us to make greater headway on this topic rather than getting bogged down.
Also if you could please provide references for some of the facts you are sharing, as you asked of us with your request “Can you show me one parking garage that operates without an attendant to enforce the fee charged?” I provided the example of the Shirlington Harris Teeter parking garage to assist with clearing up a vague area of the discussion. If you could do the same, it would greatly assist all of us with fleshing out what it is you are trying to get at here.
Brian-
It sounds like you have a more common sense approach than our current elected representative for the 37th. This legislation just seems to be a bit too California-esque for my taste. Your approach is just what we need, a breath of fresh air. Not to mention it is great we finally have a viable candidate that will give Bulova a run for his money…or should I say mommy.
Brian,
Thanks for bringing useless legislation like this to our attention. I’m tired of my delegate representing more trees then he does citizens of the 37th. It’s time we reminded David who votes for him.
Brian,
It just seems like Delegate Bulova doesn’t understand how barriers to the marketplace work. Your keen eye for what drives business is desperately needed in the Fairfax area. I am fed up with our current do-nothing delegate. You can count on my support at the polls.
Old Dominion, I appreciate your points. Don’t worry, though, LD is being tame compared to some of the rhetorical knife fights here on Bearing Drift.
Just as an aside, I am a male. Think of Brit Hume of Fox News. That Brittany Spears just ruined everything for me. Lol.
LD, how far out is an automated car wash that you use a credit card for? Nothing I suggested is out of the realm of being realistic.
I have to ask, are you connected in anyway to parking lot attendants unions? Do you have a family member that tickets parked cars? I don’t understand how you find my suggestions to be so far fetched.
When there is a market for a charging station period, my ideas are very possible. If they are unrealistic, then it is because a charging station isn’t feasible, yet.
You also have to consider location and other premiums that such potential consumers might consider. Also, there will probably be differences in introducing it here or introducing it in a Democratic politically “green” area.
I know you’re a trucker, but take your wife’s car through an automated car wash. This is very possible. My opinion.
Brian,
Thanks for bringing useless legislation like this to our attention. I’m tired of my delegate representing more trees than he does citizens in the 37th. It’s time we reminded David who votes for him.
Why should the government be telling me what I can and can’t sell at my business.
If I have the means to install a charging station why shouldn’t I be able to charge people for using it. Get your big government off my back.
I would also argue that you’re incorrect in stating that there is a “lack of demand. No one is driving these cars because they’re hard to find, expensive and not practical enough for Northern Virginia commuters.” These cars are certainly more expensive that conventional vehicles but I don’t see how you can say there is a lack of demand or not practical for NoVa drivers. Have you talked to any dealerships? Do they have tons of these cars they can’t move? Have you spoken to any EV/hybrid drivers? Do they not love them?
Why don’t you contact any dealership in NoVa and ask them about their EV and hybrid sales, see what they have to say. Then you could contact a few customers and see what the people who drive them have to say about them. And how long have these cars been on the market? 10,000 seems like a respectable number for a car that goes for $33,000 to $40,000.
Why is it that Republicans are anti-regulation but then a Democrat sponsors a bill that would enable the free market, deregulate, and allow businesses to generate extra income and all of a sudden they are against it? Doesn’t make sense to me, a little hypocritical.
@ Britt
For one, your installation costs just doubled and now you have to pay more for insurance because you’re “protecting” someone’s car. Oh, and you think the engineers at car companies haven’t figured out how to charge cars while it’s raining?
@ Olivia,
Just curious to what issues you’re talking about in the 37th; how has Brian shown leadership?
@ Terry,
So you’re against a business from being able to develop it’s product and provide more to customers? But you’re right, it’s just too California, a state that the world’s 9th largest economy, the home of Google, Apple, Facebook, Gap, Levi’s, Tesla, Chevron, HP, Disney, Northrup Grumman, Intel, Cisco, Oracle, SAIC, Sun, eBay, WD, Disney, Dole, Visa. Why don’t you just stop using anything made or developed by a Californian company, if its such a bad place?
@ Latrice,
Useless legislation that allows a business owner to do what? Sell things, provide products and services? What’s wrong with that?
ToR, yes, I’ve looked at the numbers and checked out the dealerships. We’re not talking about hybrids. I drive a hybrid – an American made, union built hybrid. We’re talking about electric cars, specifically. According to the sites I’ve read, 60% of Nissan’s 4000 or so Leaf sales have been in California. I couldn’t find the Leaf in the inventory of any Northern Virginia Nissan dealerships, although I have heard anecdotally that Pohanka Nissan has the charging stations installed. As I understand it, they aren’t being sold on the east coast yet.
Same with Chevy Volts. They are actually being sold – the Ourisman dealership near my Maryland office has them according to their website. There have only been a few thousand sold, and I have yet to see one on the highway anywhere in Northern Virginia. I see Smart Cars all the time, but those are gas powered, not electric.
10,000 units is not a lot for a six month+ time period. In October 2010 alone, Chevy sold 5000 Camaros. And they retail at around $22k for the cheap version, $30k for the convertible and up from there.
My criticism of the legislation isn’t that it’s bad – it would have to have some substance to be bad. My issue is that we’re fixing a problem that doesn’t exist. No one is telling anybody they can’t install the chargers and let folks use them – because nobody is doing that yet. My opponent created a problem and solved it.
Why can’t we solve problems that actually exist? Why can’t we reduce the regulatory burden on small business owners who are engaged in business now – who are actually struggling now?
When we waste resources solving problems that don’t exist, we waste time and energy. There’s nothing responsible about that.
“Solving problems that don’t exist”
Then there’s the ever-popular “Using valuable editorial space to write articles about problems that don’t exist.”
Old Dominion,
There was nothing disrespectful in my comment. My reference to “real world” I will explain below.
Britt,
I am just comparing this to my observances of real life attempts to charge for truck parking in places where parking is tight. I have seen many different attempts to minimize labor costs, but the only method that ever seems to work is to have a manned parking toll booth. For a number of reasons, all attempts to automate parking fee collections fail and if there is not an employee present to enforce the fees, the truckers just will not pay. Some do effectively use automation to increase the efficiency of the operation, however when the automated system fails there is an employee available to either fix the problem or take over manually if need be.
Perhaps when demand is high enough for the service, there will be justification for the expense of the manpower required; however the demand is nowhere near high enough yet.
ToR,
First, you display an incredible ignorance of public utilities laws. The government can tell you what you can and cannot sell at your business be it electricity, legal services, medicines, counterfeit designer goods, alcohol, or manicures. And all for a good reason.
Second, all the companies that you cite as being California home-based are not. Northrop Grumman and SAIC, for example, have their corporate headquarters in Fairfax County. I won’t waste my time researching the rest of them because I really don’t understand your point. “California-esque” refers to a state-of-mind and not to California-based companies. It describes a situation in which laws that support the common good have gone beyond what is necessary and entered the realm of “nannyism,” something that you yourself seem to decry in your rant.
TOR, the one point I grant you is that initial installation costs will be more expensive than painting lines on open concrete and running an electrical cord.
But you know…..automated carwashes have the same thing and yet……they still make money and still get built.
Your insurance would only go up if you sold it as protecting something. Hell, post a sign saying you’re not responsible for damage if somebody crowbars your door to vandalize/steal your vehicle. Still………a customer would see the enclosure as a bonus. No door dings! Sounds nice to me!!!
As for your little remark on engineers figuring out how to charge in the rain, maybe you are right. Still given the choice I would still rather charge in a dry area if possible. Wouldn’t you?
LD, I say it is a different scenario, cost, and size structure, but if you walled off the parking area and only had the gate open after submitting a credit card, could you not automate that “toll booth”?
You are right. There would be a need for technician service. A temporary real person fill in for emergencies would still be far cheaper. I think the whole thing would be easier still for electric vehicles.
I agree with Brian’s point. It isn’t bad legislation. Just not solving a real problem. At least it isn’t a problem yet.
Britt,
You stated:
“I say it is a different scenario, cost, and size structure, but if you walled off the parking area and only had the gate open after submitting a credit card, could you not automate that ‘toll booth’?”
It seems we are both looking at the same scenario and coming to different conclusions. I am saying that while demand is small, there is not justification for the expense of a small time business to wall off part of the limited parking he has available and come up with the support mechanisms to keep it operating. Later, after demand picks up, the potential profits will provide the justification for adding the labor required.
I believe the availability of charging stations is an impediment to those who might want to buy an electric vehicle. For anyone interested in providing charging, demand is going to be weak and after demand picks up competing supply sources are going to appear. I did provide how a person might be able to charge for the equipment used to provide the electricity without charging for the electricity itself, but then I am not a lawyer and suggest anyone seeking to do so to consult with one before trying it.
Looking at Brian’s post, we need not solve the problem. Governor McDonnell signed into law a measure that would allow those seeking to provide for the service to be charged for the amount of electricity used.
That problem is solved.
Now we can get down to allowing entrepreneurs to provide the service. We have only provided them with an additional option. Some will win, some will lose, but if the demand is there, somebody will make money on it.
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