Tell me it ain't so.

I must admit that I rather pay $50 or $100 more in taxes for road repair than get slapped with one of these fees. I is just more honest to tax people a low amount than to financially crippled a person who broke a traffic law.

Therefore, I completely understand why Kaine did what he did. And, what he is doing now, in an effort to save some shambling semblance of a transportation policy. Unpalatable, but he is keeping his eye on the ball, so far as he sees it. I imagine the Republicans are cackling in glee, having successfully tarred him with the brush which, given the historical sequence of events, is basically their brush of tar: a revengeful piece of legislation.

When I talked with various Delegates after the passage of the bill, one after another said they held their nose and voted for it (if they did) because "otherwise we would have had nothing." It was the best the Republicans would let them have. Why do not people understand how legislation is made? I know, I know, it's like sausage, you don't really want to know what goes into it, but in this case we need to knock it off and concentrate on WHY Kaine is in this position, and get the message out.

He's term limited - raise the Gas tax.

But guess what?  Now they have public outcry over a really really bad policy, and if the governor vetos any bill to do away with the fees, then what? :)

I'm telling ya.  Crazy like a fox.

Our elected officials need to have the courage to explain to the People the need to raise taxes for a specific purpose and use these taxes for such purpose only.
There is this misconception that taxes are bad, and it has become an established practice for politicians to avoid the phrase "raise taxes".
I guess people haven't figured out that one cannot raise funds to improve an important public good such as the transportation system by cutting taxes...

For  cryin? out loud he?s a DEMOCRAT. How many democrats are at this press conference? Wait, I forgot, this is supposed to be BIpartisian.

I?m completely disgusted now.

  out of staters are zipping up I 81 right now at 95 mph, the virginins are doing 65 o 70.  Its a disater in the making.

Kain will share the bloodshed blame.

If you work in kaines office and read this blog, let him know that  this unequal protection is the R E P U B L I CAN way of doing things.

We will excoomunicate him from the democratic party if he supports this piece of crap law.

Put your thinking caps on and ponder that one for a sec.

"In their political haste to show "progress" on transportation, Delegate Rust and his colleagues gave out of state abusers a free ride."

Herndon, Va. - In the July 18 edition of the Herndon Times, Delegate Tom Rust once again defended his "abuser fee" legislation and expressed surprise at the negative public reaction.

What Delegate Rust fails to understand is that his abuser fee concept violates principles of fairness that most Virginians hold dear. His inability to understand the public reaction strongly suggests he is out of touch with his constituents.

Virginians believe that two people who commit exactly the same violation should face the same punishment. The fact that one offender resides outside the state is no excuse to allow immunity from punishment that Virginians will suffer.

These abuser fees will not generate substantial funding for our roads. As drivers modify their habits revenue will decrease. With the huge number of out of state drivers using Virginia roads, we must explore methods to require they pay a fair share of costs.

I agree with Delegate Rust that this is a lesson in "raw politics". The abuser fee is a small crutch propping up a transportation bill rushed through the House of Delegates in an election year. In their political haste to show "progress" on transportation, Delegate Rust and his colleagues gave allowed out of state abusers a free ride. As a result he increased the burden Virginians, particularly Northern Virginians, must shoulder.

IF VIRGINIA GOV. TIM KAINE was running for re-election, standing firm behind the commonwealth's new ? and much-hated ? "civil remedial fees" for traffic violations might be political suicide. But Virginia governors can't serve two consecutive terms (and even if they could, Kaine's term doesn't expire until 2010). So Kaine won't feel the heat, at least at the polls.

Source:  Washington Express

Now, if the governor says he will veto all attempts to lift these stupid fees, then the republicans can either support a tax, or they can stand by their dumbass fees and see where that gets them.

I'm thinkin we're going to see a tax come out of this in the end.

He would then have to argue that none of this was necessary if the Republicans hadn't been so flat-earth in the first place, therefore they're the bad guys.  Even though they just proposed the popular solution.  That won't hold much water.

Why not just save the day - order a special session and demand taxes instead of fees?  He'll look like a strong leader, he helps the Democratic party, and he gives the people what they want.