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"Accountability,
n. The mother of caution.” --Ambrose Bierce
Virginia
House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell,
R-Stafford, announced a package of legislation
that would better position the Commonwealth to
receive additional federal funding for improvement
and upgrades to the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority’s Metro system in Northern
Virginia.
Metro
is the nation’s second largest rail transit
system and fifth largest bus network. At stake is
a $1.5 billion earmark promoted by Rep. Tom Davis,
(R-Virginia). It requires, however, that the
localities serviced by Metro come up with their
share of matching funds for Metro.
This
is one of the largest federals earmarks — some
call it pork barrel — ever voted by the House of
Representatives. It pales by comparison to the
$223 million earmark promoted by Sen. Ted Stevens
(R-Alaska) for a “bridge to nowhere,” which
received notoriety last year.
The
leadership in the House of Delegates undoubtedly
worked hard to come up with a dedicated source of
funding for Metro. Several local pols in Northern
Virginia had been calling for an increase in the
local sales tax in order to dedicate this revenue
stream to Metro.
In
that regard, the House leadership’s plan to
dedicate funds to Metro without raising taxes is
commendable. It even gained favorable comments
from the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, which has
been following a single-minded pursuit of raising
taxes on Virginians.
On
the other hand, the House has fallen into the trap
of those tax-and-spend interests who continuously
call for increased spending on mass transit. Rep.
Davis’ irresponsible earmark is the carrot
designed to entice Virginia conservatives to spend
money on Metro’s failing and mismanaged
operations. And it's working, as the $1.5 billion
dollars appears to have enticed the House
leadership to throw all caution aside.
What
the well-meaning delegates do not realize is that
they are simply proposing to throw good money
after bad. The only way to save Metro is to
privatize it — anything else guarantees that the
Metro bureaucracy will continue its addiction to
government subsidies.
On
September 6, 2006, the Examiner reported
that Metrobus has caused six pedestrian fatalities
in our area in the past 21 months. This report was
followed by Tyler Currie’s “Soul of a New
System” article, an extensive investigative
piece which was published on August 13, 2006, in
the Washington Post Sunday Magazine.
The
list below is a partial summary of some of
Metro’s most glaring operational and fiscal
blunders, as reported in the local press.
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In
June 2006, while the region experienced
torrential downpours, some underground
stations were flooded causing a transportation
mayhem. Earlier floods in July 2004 had
similar disastrous effects. Yet Metro
proponents continue to insist that Metro can
be relied to evacuate the city in case of a
terrorist attack or other emergency.
-
In
November 2004, a dozing operator let an
out-of-service train roll backward, crashing
into an unloading train; 30 people were sent
to the hospital, while the trains sustained
$3.5 million in damage. The taxpayers are also
stuck with the bill for the many lawsuits that
ensued.
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Recently,
former Metro Board member, Robert L. Smith,
drew attention by questioning expenses at the
agency — the only board member to publicly
question Metro’s budget — criticizing
spending on promotional materials and other
luxuries. Smith was later fired from his
position for ostensibly making politically
incorrect remarks.
This
is only a partial compilation of Metro operational
blunders and fiscal mismanagement examples. Given
Metro’s recent history of inconveniencing —
even abusing — its customers, the Post’s
Tyler Currie concluded that it is “audacious”
of Rep. Davis to demand a dedicated source of
funding for Metro.
The
House of Delegates’ leadership is the latest
victim to fall pray to the never-ending cries for
additional Metro funding, while disregarding the
bureaucracy’s total lack of accountability to
the public it is supposed to serve.
Virginia
has only two votes on the six-member Metro Board
of Directors. Unless the Republican majority in
the House of Delegates can figure out a method to
increase Metro’s accountability to Virginia
voters and legislators, giving Metro additional
money is like pouring water on sand.
--
September 25, 2006
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