I never got around to writing about the egregious fines (multi-year fines for minor infractions to “generate revenue”) for traffic offenses that went into effect in Virginia July 1st. As expected, they’ve already been struck down as unconstitutional, although not for the reason I would’ve guessed. There’s still a long path before the fines are history, but the political nature of the discussion is fascinating in exposing exactly how uninterested politicians are in leadership.
Del. David E. Poisson (D-Loudoun), who voted for the transportation package, said he expects the fees to surface in his race against Republican challenger Lynn Chapman.
“I was never a fan of the abuser fees,” Poisson said. “I spoke against them when the session ended and continue to maintain that they’re not a reliable source of transportation revenue. But it was very, very clear to me that this was, at least in the view of the majority, an essential ingredient in the overall package. Had we opposed any element of the package, it all would have failed.”
If the majority (Republicans) supported it, I don’t understand why it would’ve failed if the minority (Democrats) had opposed it. What I see is political shenanigans on both sides. Republicans wanted to get something done without raising taxes to pay for it. Democrats wanted money to spend, period. I won’t accept “I voted for it but I really opposed it.” Principles, principles, principles. This is more conspiring than opposing forces compromising.