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Many
Richmond-area residents have followed the story of
the government workers in the City of Richmond who
have been double-dipping for their
official-business transportation. I don't know the
details of how this transpired -- perhaps their
pay stubs don't show the transportation
reimbursement as a separate component, in which
case it didn't occur to them they were getting it.
I don't pay much attention to the items on my pay
stub, either.
I
don't particularly care, either way, because
ending double dipping is akin to putting a lace
curtain on a broken window. The best way to
prevent abuse of government funds is to eliminate
bureaucrats' jobs.
If
Richmond taxpayers simply can't live without
government workers interfering in their everyday
affairs, perhaps the next best solution is to
require government employees to use the same
transportation system for their commuting and
official business as they force all taxpayers to
subsidize: The
Bus!
Employees
should be given free tokens for their troubles --
and they should pay an "impact fee" if
they choose to drive instead.
Crazy,
you say? Hear me out.
According
to the Virginia Employment
Commission, 10,840
employees get a City of Richmond paycheck.
(Interestingly, the city's own budget website says
there are only 8,493. Must be some secret agents
in there somewhere.)
Let's
say half of all city employees -- about 5,000,
Hizzoner among them -- work downtown. Then, let's
adjust for the number who carpool. There aren't
many. Just spend 10 minutes marveling at the
aggressive driving during the commuting hour and
take note how few cars carry more than one person.
Making a generous allowance for ride sharing,
let's say 4,500 city employees drive to work
downtown every day, taking up 4,500 parking
spaces.
Many
in government regurgitate the garbage science of
anthropomorphic climate change. They do so quite
happily -- and hypocritically, I might add --
because nothing is asked of them to save the
world. To the contrary, they collect fat bonuses
to subsidize their meddling around town and
unspecified activities at cheap hotels.
Here's
where the rubber should meet the road: If
government is going to clamp down on private
resource use and carbon dioxide emissions, it
should be the first to "go green."
Government should set the example rather than
preach, "Do as I say, not as I do".
Municipal employees should be required to use GRTC
(or ride a bike, or walk) to commute between home
and office, and for the conduct of all official
business.
Think
how this would open up downtown to productive
uses. Businesses require low-cost parking to
produce the taxable wealth that supports
government. Shoppers who once avoided downtown
would find thousands of welcoming parking spaces
so they can do business in a thriving commercial
area, rather than in a place where thousands of
government workers' cars crowding them out.
Think
also of other potential benefits. More walking and
biking would improve city workers' health. That
would mean lower medical insurance costs. Taking
thousands of cars off the roads would reduce the
demand for fuel. That would put downward pressure
on gas prices, a good thing for everyone. And
reduced gasoline combustion would cut carbon
emissions. That would offset the Global Warming
caused by Al Gore's global jet-setting, the
conspicuous consumption of his residence, and his
periodic effusions of hot air.
Government
employees normally contribute little to society
other than the looting of the productive private
sector. For that reason, their impact should be
minimized or eliminated wherever possible. With
one bold stroke, the City of Richmond could
re-open the downtown commercial district, get more
mileage out of its loss-plagued bus service, and
avoid several million tons of dangerous CO2
emissions.
Once
we've demonstrated the plan's effectiveness with
city workers, we can turn our attention to 29,449
state workers and 5,942 federal workers, and get
their cars off the streets as well.
-- May 5, 2008
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