The suit which Arlington County is promulgating claims that building the toll lanes was the result of public officials using tax dollars to further the interests of wealthy and white residents outside of Northern Virginia, to the detriment of minorities who live near the highway. On Thursday Virginia Democratic Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Colgan (Prince William) and Republican House Speaker Bill Howell (Stafford) signed a letter urging Arlington County to drop this silly lawsuit. In their letter Howell and Colgan said:
"It is disappointing that a County which has an important place in the history of civil rights -- one opposing Virginia's misguided policy of Massive Resistance -- would distort the intent of the Civil Rights Act and personally attack honorable public servants working in their official capacities on a project that has been subjected to local, regional and state scrutiny since 2005.”They also point out that Arlington County officials have supported the plan in the past.
3 comments:
The Arlington lawsuit could not be more absurd. As an Arlington resident, I am embarrassed and outraged by the actions of our County Board.
The lawsuit claims "racial discrimination", with the ludicrous assertion that HOT lanes would benefit white commuters from Stafford & Spotsylvania, to the detriment of minorities in Arlington. But in fact, Arlington is whiter and wealthier than Stafford & Spotsy. Moreover, HOT lanes would reduce traffic congestion on I-395, which would benefit communities near the highway, as well as commuters. The nonsensical claim is a flimsy cover for the "we hate highways" mantra of many Arlington politicians.
Arlington County and its out-of-control lawyers have spent more than $1 million of local tax dollars on this lawsuit. They continue to file groundless, harrassing legal actions against anyone who stands in their way -- including threats of personal monetary damages against a mid-level federal civil servant in FHWA's Richmond office, and against current Obama Administration appointees who weren't even involved in approving the project.
Speaker Howell (R) and Sen. Colgan (D) are absolutely correct in standing up to Arlington and its outrageous antics. The County Board deserve to be rebuked harshly, and on a bipartisan basis.
The courts should come down hard on Arlington's lawyers, for abusing the system with frivolous legal actions. And Arlington voters should hold our County Board accountable at the polls -- starting with the defeat of Chris Zimmerman this November.
Jeff,
I agree. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about this suit. What can I say, Arlington is politically speaking, a crazy place.
The county should approach this as an equal protection issue, instead of throwing the Civil rights Act at it.
Building roads with taxes paid by everyone, then offering special access to a certain segment of society who can pay more, or who happen to be in a multi-citizen household, could effectively be argued as a violation of the equal protection clause.
We could end the congestion in NOVA with a stroke of a pen. By dispersing our federal agencies and their various lobby groups away from DC, Washington would return to a manageable District and our future enemies will be denied an easy strategic target.
The Government Agency Strategic Relocation Act (GASRA) that was submitted over ten years ago, and before 9/11, would have mandated that cabinet level headquarters would be required to move at least 180 miles outside of the DC area.
Post a Comment