Posted on 07/24/2007 11:42:06 AM PDT by JZelle
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — This small Shenandoah Valley town must wait to become a battleground for the growing public debate about whether the General Assembly overreached in assessing high fees for Virginia drivers who break the law. The Town Council last night postponed a decision on whether to stop its 36-officer police force from enforcing most "abuser fees" laws for motorists.
"It seems to me it may be appealing in a kind of small guy versus big guy way, but I'm not sure that is the answer here," said council member Stanley W. Brooks Jr., who proposed postponing the vote. "There is no sense using a hammer when a feather will do."
The decisive vote from the five-member council, vice mayor and mayor was settled by Mayor James M. Eastham, who said the issue had taken on a life of its own overnight.
Shortly after the 4-3 vote last night, a small group of Front Royal residents returned to the Town Council chamber with makeshift signs that read "Not in our Town."
"We didn't want it," Malia Wells, 41, a stay-at-home mom, yelled at council members. "There are 26 people tomorrow who are going to be hurting. Who is going to pay?" Ms. Wells was referring to the drivers who could face the new fees this morning in District Court.
"Real lives will be affected by this in ways that perhaps this town council and perhaps the state assembly don't appreciate," Jim Naccash, 47, a computer-training teacher, told The Washington Times. "Maybe to some of these high-paid politicians a $1,000 or $3,000 penalty doesn't mean anything, but to a lot of people that can be life-changing in a very negative way."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
It’s becoming a national trend, along with red light cameras.
In Chicago you can receive a $10,000 fine for hitting (NOT KILLING) a highway worker. I don’t know if that absolves your insurance from paying anything in the accident or protects you against civil lawsuit for more money.
The sky is truly the limit for tickets on citizens now.
Follow the money:
“The fees are part of the multibillion-dollar plan the state lawmakers approved this year to improve transportation around the state, particularly in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.”
I just read about these fees for the first time after reading this article. They want over $1,000 just for going over 80 on the interstate?!? Who’s voting these clods into office?
Having said that, the fines are unconstitutional and the first driver who bothers to challenge them will get the law overturned, eventually. Georgia’s old window tint law was overturned by the GA Supreme Court as unconstitutional because it only applied to Georgia residents. Unfortunately, our state legislature passed a new tint law applying to everyone, but the Virgina law as it stands will never fly.
Hitting a highway worker is a totally different crime from merely speeding. Someone who willfully hits anyone on the road should have the book thrown at them.
They must need the graft money really bad.
Since the fees kicked in July 1, lawmakers have been inundated with complaints. More than 150,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a repeal, and Democratic challengers in the Nov. 6 election are using the complaints to cut into the credibility of Republican incumbents.
When will republicans learn: "bipartisanship" means the rats get the credit if it goes well and the pubbies get the blame if it flops.
I sent off a letter to my senator, Steve Newman. Here is the reply from his office:
” Thank you for your letter. Senator Newman wanted me to let you know
that he strongly agrees with you and will work to have this section of the
Code of Virginia repealed.
As you may know, Senator Newman was the only senator on the Senate
Transportation Committee to vote against this measure in committee. Further,
he voted against the proposal on the floor of the Senate. However, when the
full transportation compromise bill was reconsidered he voted for HB 3202 so
that the rest of the transportation package could be taken up by the full
House of Delegates.
As of today, it appears that Senator Newman will become the new
chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee in January 2008. If this
matter is not repealed by then, he plans to help lead the Senate toward
repeal. As you may know, much of the transportation package is a strong
improvement for our commonwealth and will secure better roads for the next
20 years; however, this section must be repealed while keeping most of HB
3202 intact.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this important matter.
Senator Newman hopes to report that this matter has been resolved in the
near future.
Sincerely,
Patti Dempsey, Legislative Assistant
Senator Steve Newman
Virginia Senate, 23rd District
P.O. Box 480
Forest, VA 24551
434.385.1065”
So, I guess he is voting against it after voting for it after voting against it. Nice to have it both ways Mr. Newman. You’ve gotten your last vote from this Virginian.
> The sky is truly the limit for tickets on citizens now.
That should be the limit for non-citizens driving around without a license.
Waiting for the “If you don’t break the law, you’ve got nothing to worry about” FReeper posse to show up.
Waiting for the “If you don’t break the law, you’ve got nothing to worry about” FReeper posse to show up.
It isn’t maliciously hitting a worker, it is clipping someone. It happens to police officers when they write tickets too.
In my hometown, the public transportation bus drivers hit pedestrians who have the right of way but they don’t face a $10,000 ticket for each infraction.
That may seem so. But politics sucks, and at least he had the backbone to stand against the deal before giving a vote on the final measure. I live in TN but follow some VA news; this highway bill was like the BLOB movie; HUGE. The people west of Alexandria had no clue about what the beltway bunch had launched in this case. Frankly, I wouldn’t be so quick to toss Newman under the bus; the letter sounds like he was up against the wall and will do what he can to get the repeal through (which, as I know, does not solve the original problem that it passed in the first place.).
They ALWAYS have an excuse. It boils down to this, he voted for it and he didn’t have to. It could have passed without him and he would have been clear of it but he decided to say yes. He can go out with the rest of the trash.
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