Electile Dysfunction (Current students plz look!)

[Steve85]

Well and not only that, but I'd say that a toll hurts the blue collar worker less than a fuel tax. The first proposal was a regional fuel tax which absolutely would have disproportionately impacted the lower income folks, whereas here you pay your 30 dollars (just a single carton of cigs, y'all) and then you can drive all you want on 81 all year.

I don't like it but I like it better than my gas being a nickel more a gallon until the end of fucking time.

And this is where I am on this. I'm on 81 a lot, but generally only a few miles at time. And some of the worst few, with two lanes through all the Winchester exits. I feel like a fuel tax would be like having a toll on all the roads I frequent. 

I'm not sure how much it would impact traffic patterns in the short term, I can't see the Winchester folks that work in Martinsburg jumping on 11 to avoid $30/yr. I could see some of the Winchester folks using 11 to get to the industrial parks in Clear Brook and just across the WV border which would put them on 11 right outside our neighborhood making it even harder to get out. We can forget about it if there is accident on 81, 11 gets completely jammed.

They have made some improvements along our stretch of 81, mainly in the way of improved access ramps but several still need work. It is dangerous to have trucks climbing up to the ramp to the highway unable to accelerate and such short acceleration lanes. And a lot of them are also overweight making them less safe, apparently JB Hunt has a local lawyer on retainer to handle all the tickets they get at the weigh station just north of the 66 interchange.

And yeah, everywhere you look, it's poor planning and not requiring developers to do shit. I was talking to a friend who is involved with all the county planning commissions and what not about a road that is supposed to connect our neighborhood with the north 81 / 37 / 11 exchange area. Apparently it's cheaper for the developer to "hold the bond" (not sure exactly what that means, but gathered they are paying something as a penalty for not building the road) than build the road...so they don't. They just stretch it a half mile or so every year to feed a new development area.

[Kaan]

I don't see how $30 a year is a bank breaker. We're talking $2.50 a month. I would have gladly paid $30 a year if it alleviated traffic on my drives to and from JMU. 81 is a shit show.

I'm going to give you some real life examples... lets say from my church since its a little country church. These situations are normal in this area.

Lady 1: works in hospitality making $9/hr. has to travel the highway to work because the local place pays minimum wage. she gets into a fender bender and is at fault. she was sick to death over calling to find out how much the ticket was going to be... $93. guess what, at her wage level, that's a lot. to her a $30/year additional cost means something. An hourly rate of $9.00 equates to a weekly pay of $360, monthly pay of $1,560, and an annual salary of $18,720.

Lady 2: works for $11/hr!... she's also going to community college. You would think it would be free for her... but its really not. her rent eats up 50% of her take home pay. to afford community college she opted out employer health insurance.

Man: is a retired farmer. he's sold off about 80% of his land to have money in the bank. outside that he takes home about $800/month in social security... and he has to pay taxes on the land he still owns. luckly he is leasing it to a bee keeper and it breaks even for him.

$30/year means stuff to people. Sure I can afford it. There are plenty that can in the area... but there are a TON that cant.

[JPolen01]

Kaan I don't really know what you want then. Do you want those people to pay a gas tax everywhere they go or pay $30 a year as a fee to use 81?

What's done is done. VA politicians dug you guys into this hole and now have to find a way out of it. It's going to be painful one way or another line Rj always says. The man is going to get his money.

Personally I'd rather pay a yearly fee than an increased gas tax.

VA could just legalize marijuana and turn on the tax faucet but you guys have too many old white men making laws for that.

[Kaan]

Kaan I don't really know what you want then.

I wont quote myself and i'll type it out for the 10th time.

Toll the 16 wheelers, don't toll or fee the cars (zip code tied EZpass stuff works all over the east coast just like this). The politicians initial solution that allows enough layers of pass down to spread out the toll love to the end user in a controlled manner.

[JPolen01]

^^ I thought everyone was in agreement on toll the trucks. What are we arguing about then?

[Kaan]

^^ I thought everyone was in agreement on toll the trucks. What are we arguing about then?

that there is still an annual fee or tolls for normal drivers.

[HAULN-SS]

Damn wouldnt it be cool if they could take this "windfall" and put a nice downpayment on the problems with i81.

https://www.watchdog.org/virginia/gop-no...fbdbc.html

[CaptainHenreh]

Live feed from VA politics:

[WRXtranceformed]

Note that the third in line blackfacer hailed from UVA. That did not surprise me even a little bit when I heard it on the news

[BLINGMW]

Slavery used to be "ok" .
Blackface used to be "ok" .


The "Redskins" and "Indians" are somehow still ok....

Some shit from the past that was ok isn't ok now. Can someone please explain to me how upset I'm supposed to pretend to be about this?

[CaptainHenreh]

 Can someone please explain to me how upset I'm supposed to pretend to be about this?

Well that depends.

Is the blackface person in question on your team?

Be a little upset. Maybe tweet about it? 

 Are they on the other team?

[RawrImAMonster]

I kind of doubt Northram will resign. Trump changed the game in regards to being involved in scandals. It just doesn't matter anymore. Who's going to care in 6 months?

[G.Irish]

Thing is, after a thing is no longer ok, do you continue doing it? In the early 80's I can see how a white college student could've gotten it wrong without malicious intent.

But when it comes up again, how do you respond? Problem for Northam is that he admitted it was him, then backtracked and tried to use the Shaggy defense ("It wasn't me"), admitted he was a blackface Michael Jackson for a contest, then admitted he had been nicknamed "Coonman" at some point. Suffice it to say that he didn't handle this scandal as well as he could have.

This really wouldn't have been such a big deal if he hadn't responded like a total moron.

[Ken]

Slavery used to be "ok" .
Blackface used to be "ok" .


The "Redskins" and "Indians" are somehow still ok....

Some shit from the past that was ok isn't ok now. Can someone please explain to me how upset I'm supposed to pretend to be about this?

 Holy wow that is one hell of a hot take. 

None of those things were over okay unless, of course, you were the one perpetuating them. 

There are tons of people who think the Redskins and Indians should change their names. 



FWIW Democrats pretty unanimously have called for his resignation, as i believe he should. Unlike Steve King pretty much just out and out stating that white supremacy is okay, which earned him a slap on the wrist.

[BLINGMW]

Mark Herring said all that needs to be said IMHO:

"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song," he wrote. "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes — and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others — we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup."

Herring also said he's "sure we all have done things at one time or another in our lives that show poor judgment, and worse yet, have caused some level of pain to others." The 1980 party, he said, is a "glaring example" of that.

I just want to know if there are actual people upset about this and can explain it to me or if it's just the press and a handful of loud people on twitter. I mean, I did "West Side Story" in high school and wore brown makeup to look Hispanic. Also my mom has a picture of me as a baby laughing after pissing all over the wall. I guess I better not run for public office?

[Ken]

Thing is, after a thing is no longer ok, do you continue doing it?  In the early 80's I can see how a white college student could've gotten it wrong without malicious intent.

But when it comes up again, how do you respond?  Problem for Northam is that he admitted it was him, then backtracked and tried to use the Shaggy defense ("It wasn't me"), admitted he was a blackface Michael Jackson for a contest, then admitted he had been nicknamed "Coonman" at some point.  Suffice it to say that he didn't handle this scandal as well as he could have.

This really wouldn't have been such a big deal if he hadn't responded like a total moron.

Yeah - this. Had he handled it correctly from the start, it could have served as a teaching moment of sorts. We all have made some mistakes - but after you fuck it up that bad (on initial response), sorry man, you gotta go.

[BLINGMW]

This really wouldn't have been such a big deal if he hadn't responded like a total moron.

Well that I agree with. When he put his lawyer hat on and was like, "maybe that's not me" , that was typical politician dumb and was perpetrated by the CURRENT guy. I can be upset about that just like I am about all politicians. Vote 'em all out. But unless this way-in-the-past act exposes a trail of racist opinions or secret membership to the KKK, I give no shits.

[G.Irish]

The difference is Mark Herring owned up to it, explained himself succinctly, and apologized. And he spoke up before someone showed up with the photo. Not that it would've been much different if he hadn't gotten ahead of it, but in general with scandals big and small, it's better to get ahead of it.

Who knows how things with turn with Northam, but then you have Fairfax with a seemingly credible sexual assault allegation. I say, why don't we just skip all the way down and make JMU alum Levar Stoney mayor. But who knows, maybe he was at the xxxMMass party that one time...

[Gordonovski]

FWIW Democrats pretty unanimously have called for his resignation, as i believe he should. Unlike Steve King pretty much just out and out stating that white supremacy is okay, which earned him a slap on the wrist.

I think there's been what...one democrat publicly stating he should not resign? I, along with every other liberal I've spoken to have agreed that he needs to resign.

Republicans seem to defend each other to the death, while dems don't mind throwing each other under the bus.

[BLINGMW]

Republicans seem to defend each other to the death, while dems don't mind throwing each other under the bus.

None of those things were over okay unless, of course, you were the one perpetuating them. 

If you could expand upon that statement a little more maybe that'd be helpful to me. Maybe "ok" means something different to us. Just given the Judy Garland example, are you saying that anyone in 1938 that saw her in "Everybody Sing" and didn't cringe at her in blackface should be judged a racist?