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The
Republicans in the Virginia Senate re-packaged
the Transportation Tax Scam of 2002 as the
Hampton Roads Transportation Authority. Same
projects, same tax, same opportunities for
political patronage cleaned up a little, but
not much.
It’s
nothing beyond the same rejected plan to pour
a lot of concrete for 20 years and end up with
more congestion than today... except the right
lawyers, engineers, builders, suppliers, etc.
will feed well at the public trough for a
working lifetime on the regressive tax that
punishes the poor and seniors. (See
the
Republicans’ Senate
Bill 5014, Hampton Roads Transportation
Authority.)
The
Republican senators insist that they're not
adding another layer of government. But SR
5014 begins by creating the Hampton Roads
Transportation Authority, "a body politic
and a political subdivision of the
Commonwealth.” As long as "the
Commonwealth" refers to Virginia's state
government, you don't have to be a
constitutional scholar to understand that
"a political subdivision of the
Commonwealth" also is a government -- in
this case, an unelected, regional government.
In
fact, the
Authority would have the power to impose, collect, control and
operate tolls on any new or improved highway,
bridge, tunnel or transportation facility,
including the independent, profit-making
Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel. The Senate wants to
milk the Bay-Bridge as a cash cow.
The Authority wouldn't take over until the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission
pays all of its debt, but it would take the
profit.
Among
the other powers it bequeaths, in addition to
the power to sue and to procure insurance, the
bill refers to the "sovereign immunity to
which the Authority, its officers, directors,
employees, or agents are otherwise
entitled.” News flash: Only governments have
"sovereign" immunity. The HRDA
looks, smells, walks, and talks like another
level of government.
Furthermore,
the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority
would not be accountable to anyone. The bill provides
for no entity to review any
tolls the Authority might establish. The
Auditor of Public Accounts would audit financial
accounts only. There would be no policy review or
court of appeals.
The
only way in which the Authority is dissimilar
from a unit of government is that none of its
representatives are elected. Eleven
cities and counties would send one member from
each of their governing bodies to the
Authority. The House of Delegates would
delegate three voting members and the Senate
two. Given
the fact that there are five delegates for
every two senators in the General Assembly, the House would be short
changed by at least one seat. Likewise, some communities, including Poquoson, New Kent, and
the counties straddling U.S. 460 (Southhampton,
Sussex and a tiny bit of Surry), would have no
representation at all.
The
Senate bill would empower the Authority to
create all sorts of financial mischief. All 16
representatives “shall be reimbursed for
their actual and necessary expenses incurred
in the performance of their duties and, in
addition, shall be paid a per diem.”
Additionally,
the Authority may “employ
employees, agents, advisors, and consultants,
including without limitation, attorneys,
financial advisers, engineers, and other
technical advisers” and “determine their
duties and compensation”. In other words,
the 16 politicians have a piggy bank to hand
out jobs and make up salaries.
Until
the Authority is in a position to set up its
own offices and hire its own Bubbas,
the “staff of the Hampton Roads Planning
District Commission shall serve as its staff,
and the Hampton Roads Planning District
Commission shall provide the Authority with
office space and administrative support.”
Must
be the HRDC staffers don't have enough to do
in their day jobs so they can do two jobs at
the same time. Maybe the HRDC just wants more
income to provide higher raises to employees
or to hire more contractors. It's a sweet deal
-- getting paid by local government and the
Authority at the same time -- if you can swing
it.
How
would all of this be financed? Each city
and county would have to impose a local retail
sales tax of one percent or it wouldn't get to
join the Authority. That is the same one
percent tax the voters rejected resoundingly
in 2002. And it's in addition to the 0.5
percent, surplus-producing, sales tax increase
that the Senate stuck us with in 2004.
If
your city council or county board of
supervisors votes to increase the tax, it
wouldn't matter if you threw the bums out. No
locality could opt out of the tax a long as
the Authority had bonds outstanding. In
effect, tax would last forever.
The
Authority wouldn't have to vote to raise your
taxes until Nov. 30th, 2006, which would keep
it from becoming an election issue. If the
voters threw out any of the Authority
representatives during the November election,
the politicians could be hired by the
Authority as consultants. The laugh is on the
suckers, the voters.
(Note
to York and James City County: This would be
an opportunity to NOT raise taxes and then
encourage high ticket-item businesses to
relocate to your jurisdiction and undersell the competition across
the county line by one percent with no loss of
profit. What an easy way to increase your tax
base.)
The
Authority would be established Jan. 1, 2007 if
only eight cities and counties decide to stick it to the
voters. If the political deals fall through
and the localities reject the tax, there would
be no
provision for an alternative.
This
is the third run at unelected regional taxing
government. No priorities on spending. No
innovations to reduce congestion. But what do
expect from Republican Senators who are "stuck on stupid”?
--
May 15, 2006
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