More Metrobus

I still don't understand how Metrobus drivers need additional training to not mow down DC citizens but like it or not we are paying for their re-education.

I think the best approach would be to go through each drivers' file and see the complaints against them, as I am sure there are many.

Nanny State Insanity - You Can't Make This Up

OK, first let me say thank you to the folks at To the People who do a phenomenal job of blogging on nanny state insanity. Secondly, let me say that one of the stories To the People covers today may be the most outrageous and unbelievable nugget of nanny-state insanity that I have ever read (and my God that is saying a lot).

Apparently, not to be outdone by the Maryland or DC nanny states, a legislator in Virginia is hell bent on protecting the good people of the Commonwealth from - oversized, plastic testicles. I am not making this up. From The Washington Post (via To the People):

As the General Assembly debates global warming and the death penalty, Myers (R-Washington) has something else on his mind: the outsized plastic testicles that truckers dangle from the trailer hitches of their pickups [ellipsis] His bill would prohibit motorists from displaying anything resembling or depicting "anatomically correct" or "less than completely and opaquely covered" human or animal genitals, human buttocks or female breasts. The offense would carry a penalty.

Thank God for the Nanny State, protecting people everywhere from the dangers of oversized, plastic testicles dangling from the back of pickup trucks.

Red meat from the High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth

That's how Neal Boortz - LibertyDC's favorite radio talk show host - describes his new book that just hit the stores. Neal's new book was briefly ahead of Barack Obama's audacity of whatever book yesterday on Amazon.com, and I plan on doing my part today to help move it back into the top slot.

For those of you who don't know, Boortz is the author of the Fair Tax book - the bible for LibertyDC!

To get a copy of Neal's new book - go here!

Felon's Rights Lobby Strikes Again

Once again, I feel like I am waking up in Bizarro world. Who the heck knew what a powerful lobby the felon's rights movement was? First, the DC Council outrageously proposes legislation that would prohibit employers from performing common sense background checks on prospective employees, and now Maryland wants to expand the voting rights of convicted felons.

These types of proposals are insulting enough, in and of themselves, but the language proponents of these measures use in defending their positions simply defy logic.

Check out how felons rights proponents in Maryland describe the situation:

Bishop Adam J. Richardson Jr. said it is "unconscionable" that 140,000 former offenders... are disenfranchised because of the voting laws.

....

Del. Justin D. Ross (D-Prince George's) said that current laws are "punitive and discriminatory" and that it is time for a change.

Unconscionable? Disenfranchised? Discriminatory? Give me a break. What's "unconscionable" is that legislators in Maryland and DC think that felons rights is a priority. The 140,000 felons in Maryland aren't disenfranchised because of voting laws and they aren't discriminated against, they are denied the right to vote because they commited a felony. Don't want to lose your right to vote? Don't get convicted of a felony.

Public Money Folly

The DC government raised hotel and restaurant taxes to pay for the Taj Mahal of convention centers, an $850 million building that not only created a permanent traffic nightmare on New York Avenue but requires $180,000 per year just to clean the glass facade, paid for by DC tax payers. The theory was that conventioneers would pump so much money into the DC economy that the DC Taj Mahal would be an ATM machine. But it hasn't worked out so well.

The Washington DC convention center is a total disaster.

Nearly four years ago, city officials opened the $850 million Washington Convention Center with a string of superlatives. The largest publicly financed project ever built in the city, they said, would attract more than a million visitors a year, fill hotels and set off an economic boom.

Instead, DC convention attendance is dropping, the surrounding neighborhood is yet to be transformed by the promised new development, and conventioneers are filling fewer hotel rooms than expected.

Even worse, the new convention center is drawing fewer conventioneers than the old decrepit razed facility did in its peak, if you can believe that.

But DC wants to double down on its bet and build a tax payer-financed hotel. The cost would be about $550 million and would require a $135 million tax subsidy financed by District tax payers.

Metrobus Takes Another Life

Metrobus took yet another victim this weekend.

A 21-year-old woman who was fatally struck by a Metro bus Saturday night has been identified as Angel C. Walters, 21, Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said today.

Walters was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle and stepped out of the rear driver's side of the SUV Saturday night around 11:10 p.m. with boxes or packages in her hand when she was struck by a W2 bus on Congress Street, in the Congress Heights section of Southeast Washington, according to Farbstein.

The driver was not charged in the incident, Farbstein said. The bus, number 3941 was headed toward Washington Overlook. Farbstein said it was not clear if the driver hit the brakes and that information would be part of the investigation.

You have got to be kidding me. Not another one after the tragedy of last week, in which two women were killed by a Metrobus as they crossed on the green in the crosswalk.

Run for Your Life It's Metrobus!

Metrobus continued terrorizing DC citizens yesterday by mowing down two women who were crossing the street within the crosswalk at a green light in the Penn Quarter. The two women died, only a month after a woman was killed by a Metrobus on 16th St and six months after one died in Friendship Heights.

Never fear, Metro has a plan: to install strobe lights on buses.

Metro plans to install strobe lights on 100 buses that operate in the District to help alert pedestrians to their presence, officials said. The special warning lights, which will be affixed to the front of the buses, are scheduled to be installed in the next 60 days.

Metro also says they will need more money for driver training, though most normal citizens learn to avoid running down pedestrians as part of regular driver education, or something called common sense and decency.

I have a hunch that these killer drivers have a long list of warnings prior to the deadly incidents but that Metro was unable to fire them because of their union contracts. The bus driver in my neighborhood is a psycho who runs red lights, slams on the brakes so hard that elderly women take flight through the aisle and actually laughs when she refuses to open the door for people waiting at the bus stop and then zooms away, still laughing, while the desperate passengers try to run to the next stop. Sometimes she doesn't let them in then either. I am sure that scads of people have reported her but Metro has done nothing. Therefore I am not hopeful that additional (taxpayer-financed) driver education will be the answer to cleaning up shop at Metrobus and improving passenger and pedestrian safety.

At least this tragedy has distracted Phil Graham from the Smarta Club tragedy, which was leading him to destroy DC nightlife once and for all. I would rather have Graham busy policing Metro versus nightlife and liquor licenses.

A Way to Solve DC's "Structural Imbalance:" Start a Gay Refugee from VA Program!

I have never bought the argument that DC suffers from a "structural imbalance" of tax collections due to the fact that so much of DC property is government-owned and ergo not taxable. Without the presence of the federal government DC would be, well, something resembling Baltimore, if not worse. Because of the presence of the feds, and the benefits from the expanding federal budget, DC and its suburbs rank among the highest in the US in terms of income and those suburbanites spend a ton of money in DC.

To me, the "structural imbalance" argument is an excuse passionately made by an inefficient government as to why they are so bad (see: DC schools) and a cloak for my most unfavorite organization in the world, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, to argue for more tax money in general. Here is the latter's take on the "structural imbalance."

In 2001 Alice Rivlin produced a paper for Brookings that is unfortunately no longer viewable online, so you have to trust me on this. Her paper was the blueprint for Tony Williams' plan to attract 100,000 new DC residents. When I read the report in 2001 I was gripped by its data: the District loses about $13,000 per year net on a couple with two children and makes about $9,000 net per single resident. So, in essence, the DC government has created an expense structure that needs more single residents to support it. That is why DC residents see so many cranes in the sky building one bedroom lofts. Of course the DC Council likes to posture that they want more families in the city, but the fact is that the city cannot afford families anymore.

Fortunately for DC, Virginia has become the least friendly state in the nation to gay people, so gay VA residents, who typically have no children, are contemplating moves. Also lucky for DC, Montgomery County is just about as bad in terms of taxes and has a horrible 10% non-family inheritance tax that the District does not have. I have a gay female friend who is planning to move from VA to the District because of the heinous new VA laws. So she and her partner will generate a net gain of $18,000 for DC!

Of course the outrage, and the point of this post, is that DC spends so much money on education, while ranking dead last in national standings and first in spending, that the city can only support its wasteful habits by attracting more people without children. The next time that a Council Member postures about making DC more family-friendly, ask them how they are going to pay for it.

DC and HPV

I mentioned last night that Leonardo and I are likely to agree more than disagree, however, as this entry will make clear - that's not always going to be the case.

Leonardo, posting on To The People, came out swinging on Texas Governor Rick Perry's decision to make the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine mandatory. According to Leonardo,

Immunizations were traditionally limited to diseases that were contagious through ordinary contact, such as measles, mumps or smallpox. To force immunization upon citizens for a disease that is only spread through sex is a whole 'nother view of the role of public health. Perry's view of the government is that it ought to protect us from ourselves, a view that manifests itself in drug laws, seat belt laws, trans-fat bans and helmet laws.

Leonardo also raises the specter of evil big PhRMA pulling Governor Perry's strings:

Perry's motivations might be also be Abramoff-esqe:
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

I couldn't disagree more with Leonardo on this issue. Here is the bottom line, the "mandatory" vaccinations in Texas - like those proposed here in DC - aren't "mandatory" at all. Unlike the seat belt laws, drug laws, trans fat bans, and helmet laws that Leonardo likens this too - this legislation isn't actually mandatory. Indeed the Texas provision, as well as the proposed DC provision, provide generous opt-out provisions for any parent not wanting their child to get the vaccine. The legislation proposed by DC Councilman David Catania makes it clear what a paper dragon this barking about "mandatory" really is:

Catania insists that the legislation doesn't target any particular group and the vaccination wouldn't exactly be mandatory. "What we are doing is we're forcing the conversation. Either you are going to have your child vaccinated, or you will make an informed decision to opt out," Catania says. In the District, parents would not have to provide a reason for their objection.

Would anyone argue that our draconian drug laws were actually draconian if they provided an "opt out"??? Who could complain about the nanny state if seat belt laws included an "opt out" for folks who just don't feel like wearing them???

Indeed, making this vaccine "mandatory" is really about making it available to low-income, under-insured, and uninsured families:

In order to maximise the coverage of the vaccination programme in Texas, the Governor has ordered that the vaccine will be free for girls aged 9 to 18 who are either not insured or not covered for the vaccine. And Medicaid will be required to offer it to women from 19 to 21 years old too.

The bottom line is that most of the opposition to this has nothing to do with HPV, cervical cancer, or personal freedom. Leonardo, and other libertarian minded opponents to this measure, make up only a tiny fragment of the real opposition to this legislation. The bulk of the opposition comes from the knuckle-dragging far right that is hell bent on making everything about sex. The Texas Eagle Forum - not exactly a leading light for personal freedom - has been leading the parade of puritanical zealots. Joined by a motley crew of theocons:

"We cannot overlook the moral dimension," said Scarborough, president of the Lufkin-based Vision America religious group. "The governor's action seems to signify that God's moral law regarding sex outside of marriage can be transgressed without consequence."

Ugh. These folks never stop. Never mind that 14,000 women a year get cervical cancer as a result of HPV. Never mind that 4,000 women a year die as a result of cervical cancer. At the end of the day it's all about sex.

Let's make it clear, I would not support an HPV vaccine that was actually mandatory - ie legislation without an opt out for parents. However, the legislation in Texas, and proposed here in DC, provide generous opt out provisions and as a result do nothing to limit individual liberty. Accordingly, DC should join Texas in passing this common sense legislation.

DC Council - Fighting to Defend Felons (and Not Just Marion Barry)

OK, seriously, I think the DC Council has officially lost it. If its not bad enough that the DC Super Nanny inserts itself into every possible portion of our lives and fleeces us in the process, now the Council seems hell bent on passing legislation to protect FELONS! That's right, your Council at work. Apparently, the Council is just giving up on working to protect taxpayers and families, and now will turn their attention to protecting felons.

I only wish I was making this up. According to The Washington Post, the City Council is considering legislation - supported by Mayor Fenty - that would "prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and education" for convicted felons.

The Council previously passed the felon protection legislation (which I think should be called the Barry Bill), but it was vetoed by former Mayor Anthony Williams.

According to The Post, this outrageous piece of legislation would:

[B]an employers from looking into an applicant's criminal background until a job offer has been made. At that point, it would allow them to check the previous 10 years of a criminal record for offenses that have a "rational relationship" to the job. For instance, a person with a record of embezzlement legally could be rejected for a job as a cashier.

In case anyone is interested, here is the link to the DC Board of Elections website, which describes the process for recalling elected officials in the District. Honestly, any elected DC official who thinks that this piece of legislation makes sense should be sent packing by the voters.

UPDATE (8:17 AM) - I emailed my Councilman, Jack Evans, urging him to oppose this legislation. I will let you know when and if I hear back from him.

Welcome Leonardo!

Cut DC Taxes is no longer a one pony operation... LibertyDC now has some company! I am thrilled to have Leonardo (who blogs regularly at one of my favorite blogs To the People) as a contributor to Cut DC Taxes. Like me, Leonardo is a long-suffering Redskins fan and a tax-hating DC resident. Leonardo's first post is the post below this one. I suspect that often Leonardo and I will agree, though not always - indeed I plan on highlighting our first disagreement in a post tomorrow morning.

Welcome Leonardo, Cut DC Taxes will be a better place with you on board!

DC Taxes Kill the American Dream

The DC Council talks a lot about how housing should be affordable, yet they have made the city much less affordable over the past few years as home assessments soared and the Council did not adjust the rate down.

As Chris pointed out, the city now has a $1.4 billion surplus. Much of that is from the increase in property values.

A cornerstone of the American dream is that if you can pay off your mortgage then you are all set for retirement. But the DC Council is standing between DC residents and the American dream. If my property taxes keep going up by 10% a year and assuming I never move and get dinged even more I will be paying North of $60K per year by the time I retire.

How the heck can anyone afford that?

If I Can't Get a Rudy...

Last week I asked where our Rudy was? In my post I asked:

How is it that the overwhelmingly Democratic city of New York can manage to elect a Republican who cuts taxes, fights crime and improves the quality of life across the city, while the best DC can manage is a Democrat dominated Mayoral process that boils down to a pathetic game of who can promise the most and deliver the least?

Well this morning I am thinking maybe I set the bar too high. Maybe asking for a DC Rudy is like hoping for a Redskins owner that puts a commitment to winning above stuffing dough in his pockets. So I ask, if we can't find a Rudy - yet - where is our Ron Paul? Where is our Dr or Mr or Mrs or Ms No? Where is the conscience of our Council?

Where is the City Council member who will consistently advocate for DC taxpayers, property owners and small businesses? Dr. Paul (who is considering a long-shot run for the GOP Presidential nomination) has never voted for a tax increase, refuses to accept his Congressional pension, and has consistently opposed any expansion of the influence of the federal government.

As broken as the system is here in the District, I am realistic about how long it will take to really change things. We will never achieve real change, however, unless we start to see political leaders emerge who will fight for that change.

If I can't get a Rudy, can someone at least send me a Ron Paul?

New Blogger and More

OK, so this morning blogger forced me over to the new and improved blogger. I resist change at just about every corner and then often find when I am forced to change (forced to get an email account by a college professor, forced to get a cell phone by the managing partner at my old law firm, forced to get a blackberry by a former employer) I actually like it. So here is hoping that the new and "improved" blogger will be just that.

I know last week I mentioned that I might be getting some company on this blog and this morning I got confirmation that it's going to happen. It will definitely be nice to have company :)

Where is our Rudy?

How is it that the overwhelmingly Democratic city of New York can manage to elect a Republican who cuts taxes, fights crime and improves the quality of life across the city, while the best DC can manage is a Democrat dominated Mayoral process that boils down to a pathetic game of who can promise the most and deliver the least?

Rudy won in New York despite the fact that Democrats outnumber Republicans by better than 5 to 1 - indeed Rudy was re-elected with 60% of the vote. Meanwhile the District's GOP nominee for Mayor in 2006, while admittedly a nice guy - garnered an embarrassing 6%.

While Mayor of New York, Giuliani cut taxes. In fact, Rudy cut taxes more than any Mayor in NYC history by reducing or eliminating 23 taxes - for a total savings to taxpayers of more than $8 billion! The Giuliani tax cuts help spur the creation of 425,000 NYC jobs to boot. Imagine that, a Mayor who cut taxes and created jobs. What a novel concept.

Under Rudy's leadership crime fell dramatically in NYC. Murders were cut from 1,946 in 1993 (the year Rudy inherited the keys to a city broken by years of Democratic mismanagement) to 649 in 2001. Overall crime fell an astounding 57%. Indeed, according to the FBI, NYC went from the crime capital of the country to the "Largest Safe City in America."

My question is, where is our Rudy? Isn't there a tough as nails tax cutter living in the District who can cut through our Democratic dominated political system that has failed the people of DC?

Hey Looks Like I am Getting Company Here

Don't look now but it looks like LibertyDC is about to get some company here - and God knows I could use the company of someone who blogs a little more frequently than me... More to come soon!

Marion Barry - "B*tch Set Me Up Again"

Honestly, Marion Barry really is the gift that keeps on giving. Today's Washington Post reports that crackhead, turned Mayor, turned felon, turned DC Council Man, has turned down a plea offer from prosecutors relating to two traffic stops. From the Post:

Barry (D-Ward 8), a former D.C. mayor, has rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to operating a motor vehicle while impaired in an incident in which police said they detected the smell of alcohol. Had he accepted the offer, prosecutors would have dropped the other charges, including the more serious offense of driving under the influence. Prosecutors also would have dropped charges in connection with a subsequent traffic stop.

According to Barry these charges are just the latest in a long line of set ups, shake downs and conspiracies all aimed at him.

"It's undue harassment," Barry said after the hearing. "They know they don't have a case."

More Insanity from the DC Super Nanny

Over at To the People, blogger Leonardo has run into yet another worthless law compliments of the DC Super Nanny - aka the DC City Council.

From To the People:

Last week I was in California and bought four bottles of wine to be shipped home. En route home I got this email:

When you placed your order last Sunday for a total of 4 bottles to ship to Washington DC, I didn't realize at the time that DC has a shipping restriction whereby we can only ship 1 bottle per month to an address. Therefore, we cannot ship your order from Ridge.

Yes my friends, this is what your taxpayer dollars are funding - the DC Super Nanny. No wonder they feel the need to sit on an extra $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars - you never know when Super Nanny will need an extra stash of cash to confront pressing issues of the day like the shipment of wine.

Today's DC Forecast: Snow?

Honestly this post has nothing to do with District politics, taxes, fiscal sanity or anything else remotely related to the stated purpose of this blog. But heck, I love the snow and love the corny Rankin-Bass created Snowmiser character and the ridiculously catchy song he sings from the classic "A Year Without a Santa Claus."

Enjoy.