Letters to the Editor

News Virginian
Published: July 24, 2007

What's in a quote-

Our learned vice mayor's letter published in The News Virginian on July 12 quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson as saying, "Where there is no vision, people perish." Nancy Dowdy is in error. This quote comes directly from the Bible, Proverbs 29:18. Check it out. Makes you wonder what else Ms. Dowdy misquotes for public consumption, doesn't it-

Perhaps two better quotes from Emerson come from his essay on self reliance: "He who would gather immortal psalms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but MUST DO if it be goodness" and "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen."

William Lyle

Waynesboro

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Abusive-driver fees are abusive government

Our local "conservative" delegates to the General Assembly have been taking quite a beating recently. Even the Charlottesville-based, ultra-conservative Rutherford Institute, which became famous taking cases against President Clinton, will be going to court to overthrow the motor vehicle "abuser fees" that Chris Saxman, Steve Landis and Ben Clyne fought so hard for.

All three of these Valley delegates worked for these "abuser fees," with their $1,150 fine/fee for reckless driving, for example - which don't even apply to drivers from out of state.

Saxman has sent a defense of this law (he would say an "explanation") to his constituents. It's available online, among other places, at "The Mason Conservative."

In it, Mr. Saxman gives a justification that all of us should find worrisome: "While the Court has no ability to suspend fees if a person were to be convicted of a qualifying offense, an officer does not have to charge a person with reckless driving for all activities and depending on the nature of the situation, can charge them with lesser offenses."

WHAT- The court "has no ability to suspend fees"- The police officer decides-

Maybe it's because I've been in too many countries where drivers routinely paper-clip currency to their driver's licenses in case they're pulled over, but this strikes me as a dreadful potential temptation. Weren't we taught in school that the police enforce the law, but the courts decide guilt or innocence-

This "abuser fee" legislation is "conservative" politics at their very worst.

Instead of doing the "honest thing" - paying for road building via gasoline or other user fees - they came up with this harebrained "no tax" idea.

Instead of using the very efficient gasoline tax system to raise revenue, they are clogging up both the local courts and our Department of Motor Vehicles offices with new tasks and responsibilities (while allowing big law firms to make a killing on "collection" work).

And instead of giving the courts discretion to determine penalties, the bill foists this enormous responsibility on every individual law enforcement officer.

Bad law. Bad politics. And absolutely not the "representation" our area's citizens deserve.

Bob Dickerman

Buffalo Gap