Virginia motorists convicted of minor traffic violations will face a new, multi-year tax beginning July 1. Led by state Delegate David B. Albo (R-Springfield), lawmakers slipped a driver responsibility tax into a larger transportation funding bill signed by Governor Tim Kaine (D) in April. Albo, a senior partner in the Albo & Oblon, LLP traffic law firm, can expect to see a significant increase in business as motorists seek to protect their wallet from traffic tickets that come with assessments of up to $3000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.

The Newspaper.com

I am just about speechless on this one. I don’t understand the thought process of a person that comes up with this kind of idea. Is this guy insane? Yes, the faster you travel that harder it is to stay in control of your vehicle if circumstances suddenly change, but speeding is not nearly the bogeyman it is made out to be. Texas raised their speed limit to 80 MPH. Between 1995, when the national 55 MPH speed limit was repealed, until 1999 Montana had no speed limit on some of it’s Interstate highways. In 1999 it was set to 75 MPH, but not because of safety reasons. And everyone knows about Germany’s Autobahn, where the suggested speed is 85 MPH, but no limit exists.

The backlash in Virginia has already begun:

Since the Virginia Supreme Court published an analysis of the “civil remediation fees” this month, the blogosphere and talk radio have been buzzing.

“I’ve had people from all around the state calling and yelling at me,” said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), one of architects of the plan to assess the fees, which will eventually raise $65 million a year for transportation projects.

Washington Post

You think? Maybe it’s because you’re a douchebag.

The Virginia General Assembly is up for re-election this year. Hopefully the people there will take out the trash.

So says Joe Erwin, the most recent previous chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. How many more reasons do we need to get a credible challenger for Graham?

Robert Botsch, a University of South Carolina-Aiken professor, said if Graham has a problem it’s likely to be in the GOP primary with its hard-core conservative base.

The general election is safe for Graham, Botsch maintains. “He is the closest thing we’ve had to a Democratic senator in a long time,” Botsch noted.

Even Democrats agree.

Last year, Joe Erwin of Greenville, immediate past chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party, was asked what Democrat might challenge Graham in 2008. Erwin doubted anyone would.

“We already have our best Democrat up there in Lindsey,” Erwin quipped.

Graham has raised nearly $4 million for his re-election bid, enough to discourage many opponents.

Politico

Having donated my time to many campaigns, I fully understand the importance of having a war chest on hand, however, money is not the end all be all. In the Pennsylvania Republican Primary of 2004 then Congressman Pat Toomey was outspent by Senator Arlen Specter by almost a 5 to 1 margin. Although Toomey didn’t succeed in picking Specter off, Specter’s victory was razor thin, about 1 1/2 percentage points.

Additionally, in the PA GOP primaries last year the State Senate President and the State Senate Majority Leader went down in flames, by over 30 points each, to their perspective primary challengers despite having huge war chests to protect their incumbency.

Sometimes it only takes the right issue to set the chain in motion, and no amount of money can save an incumbent then.

The S.C. General Assembly finished its work Friday and left town, dropping 228 overridden budget vetoes at the governor’s doorstep on the way out.Many lawmakers departed Columbia claiming this as one of the best sessions ever as the legislature, flush with cash, managed to spend lavishly and still cut taxes. But Gov. Mark Sanford said the 2007 legislature missed a golden opportunity to better shape the state’s economic future.

Charlotte Observer

As usual, our so called “Republicans” in Columbia continue to undermine our Governor’s call for fiscal restraint at just about every corner. And they think it’s just the greatest thing too. The Republican Party at all levels has stopped being a fiscally conservative party. Don’t let them lie to you.

Sanford issued 243 vetoes against the $7.4 billion spending plan for lawmakers to dredge through, and the legislature sustained 15, with little debate.

“Its All In the Shades”