By Kurt Feigel
Lynchburg Tea Party President

In the latest communication from the LT Governor Bill Bolling, we are exposed to the insanity that reigns in Richmond, VA among so many of our so called representatives.

The machine is moving full speed ahead to get this absurd transportation package rushed through. The fools that have been elected seem to think we are stupid. That we don’t notice the revolving sales pitch that hits us every legislative session. ” The Sky is falling, If you don’t support this bill the end of the world will be upon us”.

Every year we are told of the “Crisis” that awaits us if we don’t pass X,Y or Z bill. When X,Y, and Z all = $$$. Money we don’t have. Money they want to take from us…those of us that pay taxes at least. Money that flows mostly into the northern part of the state. Money that is either borrowed, begged or stolen from the taxpayers.

In the near term, infrastructure investment is the quickest, most effective action we can take to restart manufacturing. By working with our partners at the federal level, we can invest in critical infrastructure by passing a federal highway bill that is responsibly funded, and we can do the same at the state level.

Funny…just a few days ago at the State of the Union we were told that we needed to “Invest”. It was code for SPEND. It was a LIE and even after a historic election defeat against big spenders, nothing has changed. Americans are still overwhelmingly saying NO! Politicians are still overwhelmingly ignoring the will of the voters. Further, since when is anything that is done “for the public benefit” ever “responsibly funded”?

Here is another gem:

Infrastructure investment is a proven economic engine with lasting results. Not only does it drive growth, it creates lasting benefits. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 30,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on highway infrastructure, yet we are spending less than 40 percent of what is needed to upgrade our surface transportation system nationwide. In fact, only 3 percent of the U.S. stimulus package was dedicated to rebuilding highways, roads and bridges.

$1 Billion devided by 30,000 jobs = $ $33,333 per job Not a very good return on investment.

I’d really like to see someone research where the money went. Where did all the BILLIONS of dollars that were allocated for repair and maintenance go? New Vehicles? Bonuses? Unions? Welfare freeloaders?

For the last 10 years we’ve grown the size of government in VA and in D.C.
Maybe instead of squandering the money on every idiot pet project they can think of it should have been spent on the roads.

Anyone that has driven in Northern Virginia can attest to the fact that the money hasn’t gone into the roads. Unless you count the Asphalt patch jobs on Cement…Genius. I never took materials classes in college but even I know that those 2 materials do not go together.

By fast-tracking new construction projects, we can inject economic activity and create jobs in the building industry. Investing in infrastructure drives job growth, productivity and competitiveness in manufacturing. That’s why I am supporting efforts like “I Make America” (www.IMakeAmerica.com) – a campaign by equipment manufacturers to urge Congress and the White House to work together to pass a federal highway bill.

Sounds like more of the same liberal crap that has gotten us into the mess we are already in. A mess of $14,000,000,000,000 of nationl debt. A mess of billions of dollars in state debt. A mess that we can not pay back. A mess that equates to over $125,000 for every taxpayer in America.

Notice also how we need to “fast track” these projects. Is that so we won’t feel the knife sticking into the back of John Q Taxpayer who thought he was voting for fiscally conservative representation?

For years, Virginia’s leaders have talked about building a transportation system for the 21st century, but little has been done. We must improve our transportation infrastructure so our system of roads, rail and bridges can support the needs of Virginia businesses and residents.

That is because “for years” Virginia’s “leaders” have been robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the private sector we call that “embezzlement”. Politicians call it “fast tracking” and “investment”.

This year, Gov. McDonnell has proposed an aggressive transportation plan that is designed to ease congestion and shorten commutes for working Virginians – and allow state businesses to take advantage of the economic opportunities afforded by a state-of-the-art transportation system.

The Tea Party on Lobby Day was given an audience with the Governor. We do appreciate that. However, it was not really the Q and A session we were expecting, it was instead a sales meeting that is so common with the big spenders in Richmond and D.C.

They were hoping that we would be uninformed and ignorant. They were wrong. We are a lot more politically and economically savvy than they realize. Governor McDonnell’s “aggressive transportation plan” is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. It’s full of all this talk of the “state of the art transportation system” but once again will not deliver. It’s no different than the previous 10 years of stupid plans that have failed us. Only this one further enslaves us with more debt we can ill afford.

Now is the best time in modern history for Virginia to get this done…The time to act is now.

As opposed to the last 10 years? The Voters realize that much of the problems were started because of the theft by Democrat Governors and Legislators. That doesn’t justify a continuation of this practice.

I have an idea. How about they cancel the Metro Extension that is costing us $7 Billion dollars ( $3.83 Billion for Phase 2 + $2.76 Billion for Phase 1 = $6.59 Billion ) and use that money to pay for the “needed repairs” and “infrastructure investment”.

I’ve yet to meet one person that honestly believes that Richmond politicians will “fix the roads”.

Kurt Feigel is a Tea Party Leader in Lynchburg, Virginia and the Communications Director for the Virginia Federation of Tea Party Patriots

Read the idiotic screed from Bill Bolling in it’s entirety here:

Pro-Manufacturing Policies Will Put Virginians to Work
By Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling

Getting our economy moving again and creating jobs are the most important issues currently facing state government. Gov. Bob McDonnell has made me the point person in his administration for creating jobs, and my No. 1 priority is to make Virginia the best state in the nation in which to do business.

While we are targeting a number of strategic economic sectors as a part of our overall job-creation efforts, we want to make certain that Virginia continues to attract quality manufacturing companies. We need to be a state that makes things, not just a state that consumes things.

Virginia has a long tradition of supporting a thriving manufacturing industry. However, during the past decade, the manufacturing sector in America has shed 5.5 million jobs. Here, in the Old Dominion, our once thriving manufacturing sector has fallen on especially hard times.

Unemployment in manufacturing remains high, and our state trails only Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina in the number of manufacturing jobs lost in the past decade. We should be focusing our efforts on the re-establishment of these jobs with smart, pro-growth policies.

In the long term, we will reinvigorate manufacturing by taking a comprehensive approach. We intend to improve the tax and regulatory climate in our state so that we can better compete nationally and globally.

We also want to improve educational opportunities so businesses know that a skilled and educated work force awaits them if they invest in Virginia. And we want to provide the incentives that attract high-quality, advanced manufacturing business to the state.

In the near term, infrastructure investment is the quickest, most effective action we can take to restart manufacturing. By working with our partners at the federal level, we can invest in critical infrastructure by passing a federal highway bill that is responsibly funded, and we can do the same at the state level.

Infrastructure investment is a proven economic engine with lasting results. Not only does it drive growth, it creates lasting benefits. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 30,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on highway infrastructure, yet we are spending less than 40 percent of what is needed to upgrade our surface transportation system nationwide. In fact, only 3 percent of the U.S. stimulus package was dedicated to rebuilding highways, roads and bridges.

By fast-tracking new construction projects, we can inject economic activity and create jobs in the building industry. Investing in infrastructure drives job growth, productivity and competitiveness in manufacturing. That’s why I am supporting efforts like “I Make America” (www.IMakeAmerica.com) – a campaign by equipment manufacturers to urge Congress and the White House to work together to pass a federal highway bill.

For years, Virginia’s leaders have talked about building a transportation system for the 21st century, but little has been done. We must improve our transportation infrastructure so our system of roads, rail and bridges can support the needs of Virginia businesses and residents.

This year, Gov. McDonnell has proposed an aggressive transportation plan that is designed to ease congestion and shorten commutes for working Virginians – and allow state businesses to take advantage of the economic opportunities afforded by a state-of-the-art transportation system.

Now is the best time in modern history for Virginia to get this done. Construction costs have fallen, interest rates are at historic lows and our residents need the good jobs that will come with infrastructure projects. The time to act is now.

Virginians need policies that will help them create jobs. Additional investment in transportation and infrastructure is essential to a healthy, growing economy. We must take these actions if we hope to put our families, friends and neighbors back to work.