From NeoCons to NeoCars
March 17, 2008 at 7:32 am
Well, as they say, if you live long enough, you’ll see everything.
But would you believe you’d ever live long enough to see neocons get the blame for — transportation policies?
Probably not, unless you read today’s Washington Post article: Letting the Market Drive Transportation, Bush Officials Criticized for Privatization.
The two personalities you need to know:
- Tyler Duvall, assistant secretary for transportation policy
- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure highways and transit subcommittee
How do they fit together? This quote:
“Tyler Duvall is a little pointy-headed neocon with grand ideas about the future of transportation, and they all involve tolling,” DeFazio said. “He’s bright, young, energetic — just totally wrong, and has a bizarre, neocon view of transportation.”
And what, pray tell is the “neocon view on transportation”? Perhaps it’s Jews who want America to battle for private roads in Iraq to somehow benefit Israel?
Tough to tell. We’re just waiting for the neocon influence to rear its ugly, traitorous head at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Michael D. Setty said,
March 17, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
“Tyler Duvall is a little pointy-headed neocon with grand ideas about the future of transportation, and they all involve tolling,” DeFazio said. “He’s bright, young, energetic — just totally wrong, and has a bizarre, neocon view of transportation.”
Good accurate description, methinks. Their view on transportation come down to “combat congestion by privatizing the roads and lining the pockets of our friends where we can get jobs after our turn at the public trough screwing up public policy.” The WaPo article pretty much sums it up.
But in the real world that the neocons don’t inhabit, congestion is hardly the most important transportation issue, and ranks down a ways in the list of costs of automotive transportation. “The Trends Are Also A Changin’ ” as documented at http://www.vtpi.org/future.pdf
dmoynihan said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Buried in the story:
As a consequence, private equity funds focused on transportation attracted an estimated $100 billion to $150 billion in 2006, according to industry analysts
Curse you, privatization! Curse you, neocons!
buzz said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Dumbass (and I mean Michael, not Mortman):
“Neocon” refers to a particular school of thought regarding FOREIGN POLICY. It doesn’t mean “any idea proposed by any republican, regarding any issue whatsover, that I don’t like”.
That is the gist of the post.
JorgXMcKie said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
Sure, Michael, and DeFazio is just a bright, vote-grubbing, demagoguing collectivist pseudo-Greenie with a bizarre, Stalinist view of markets. That is an equally valid argument, I presume.
Larry said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
Defazio is a one trick pony: the left foot stomp. We used to be pretty independent in Oregon, but now that every suburb in America as drained its technoid apparatchiks in to our “hipper” population centers we’ve become a one party state. And that party spots fascism everywhere but within itself mono-cellular world.
TPrewitt said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
What exactly is wrong with tolling?
I don’t like the inconvenience, but I do like the fairness associated with the idea that the ones who benefit from the roads pay for the roads.
This is much preferred over the “fairness” of having those who pay no taxes receiving a tax “rebate” or the top 25% of taxpayers paying the overwhelming majority of income taxes.
Thankfully, we have a liberal Democrat, Rep. DeFazio, who will take control, and with typical Democratic aplomb, secure a logical, responsible, and fair solution, as intellectually and morally superior liberals can do.
I can wait.
toadfish said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
As I am a conservative from Oregon, I feel I must point out to you that Peter DeFazio is and always has been, a maroon. DeFazio blames everything that annoys him on these “neocons” (his favorite buzzword from the MSM as well). In fact, just about everything annoys him and it’s all about how the neocon’s are at fault.
john kelly said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Irving Kristol was the original neo-con. His disillusion with liberalism ran the gamut from foreign to domestic policy. He’d surely recognize that ludicrous report referenced above as the utopian wishing that it is. Hey DeFazio, when was the last time you were stuck in Portland traffic?
Brian Lutz said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
Anyone know where we can get some of these neocons to run transportation policy for us over here? All we seem to have around here is utopian socailist types who think they’re doing the public a favor by letting the roads crumble while they build billion-dollar light rail lines that’ll serve at most 5% of the population of the area on a good day.
Narniaman said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
I thought “Neo-Con” was an indirect way of saying “Jewish Conservative”. As such, it needed to be stated with an appropriate sneer.
So what the good lib-Demo Fazio was stating was:’
“Tyler Duvall is a little pointy-headed Jew with grand ideas about the future of transportation, and they all involve tolling,” DeFazio said. “He’s bright, young, energetic — just totally wrong, and has a bizarre, Jewish view of transportation.”
Steven said,
March 17, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
After reading the article, I have to say this approach sounds terrible. On the other hand, they’d probably get a lot less flak from the left if they threw the word ‘carbon’ into their congestion-pricing proposals.
eddieoknow said,
March 17, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
If toll roads are the only way we get more freeways so be it…It is better than adding carpool lanes that increase lane capaicity by 25% and that only about 5% of the motorists can use. And those are the federal, state, or city employees who get a free van and another subsidy to ride in together or soccer moms taking their kids to school..
At least toll roads are an alternative to the 95% of us who subsidize public transit for the 5% who actually ride it….Did you know that the fare money that is paid by the riding public only pays for 15-20% of the total costs of the public bus or rail trip?..The taxpayers subsidize the rest of it..What other transportation model would survive if that was how little the public thought of the service that they are only willing to pay 15-20% of the actual cost to operate it?
And people wonder how road rage starts…
Kurmudge said,
March 17, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Hmm. The Prtland not-too-smart growth gang has made the city completely unaffordable by real people, so I guess that there are no traffic issues there.
Oh, I forgot. The Little People have to drive in to town to tend the gardens and clean the houses of the egalitarian lefties who can still afford to live there (that would be primarily politicians and trust fund babies).
MarkJ said,
March 17, 2008 @ 7:53 pm
“Hmm. The Portland not-too-smart growth gang has made the city completely unaffordable by real people, so I guess that there are no traffic issues there.”
Indeed. I think the info on this link pretty much says it all:
http://www.movingtoportland.net/homes_price.htm
joated said,
March 17, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
Both Governor Rendell of PA and Governor Corzine of New Jersey have played about with the idea of privatizing highways already collecting tolls or of tolling highways that do not yet have them. But don’t tell DeFazio that. They (Rendell and Corzine) are both Democrats and that might make DeFazio’s head spin.
rockdalian said,
March 17, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Just a word about tolls from a trucker. If you people don’t believe you are not paying the tolls in the goods you purchase, then you don’t shop.
An average cost in tolls, from Chicago to New York, is approximately 150 dollars. Of course this is passed along in higher costs to consumers.
Nor does paying tolls excuse the trucks from paying motor fuel taxes that are supposed to pay for the roads to begin with.
Just to keep this short folks, tax money that is collected to fund roads, on the Fed level, can be used for myriad projects, including bike trails.
Paid road use taxes should be used on roads.
And, if you purchased it in a store, a truck got it there.
Owen Love said,
March 17, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
While he might not have meant to, rockdalian made a good case for toll roads. He noted that road use taxes are often used for purposes not originally intended.
TallDave said,
March 17, 2008 @ 8:46 pm
Great little video on this from Drew Carey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVMAP0zVgo
Believe it or not, we could have virtually no congestion at no cost to the taxpayer. A lot of people are willing to pay $10 to get home an hour earlier. A lot of private companies are willing to build the roads to do it.
Pillbox said,
March 17, 2008 @ 10:09 pm
I look forward to the day that Minnesota’s new and horrifyingly expensive light rail project figures out a way for me to transport two dozen sheets of rock from the supplier to a job site, or better yet thirty bags of Quikrete.
As it stands, the light is really only good for one thing: giving Bloomington burglars a quick ride back home to Minneapolis.
buddy larsen said,
March 17, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
A lot of those Neocars look just like Fords, Chevys, Toyotas, etc. You have to keep a sharp eye out to recognize ‘em.
schmuck said,
March 17, 2008 @ 11:21 pm
You think you got it bad? I’m a conservative in Oregon. Tomorrow DeFazio is going to visit my workplace. Grrr.
I don’t think he would if he knew the regard with which most people there hold him.
But I promised the boss that I’d just smile and bite my tongue. The boss has to bite his too. I told you that DeFazio is loved here.
DeFazio and I last had harsh words with each other on Lars Larsen’s radio show when he was touring the state lobbying for State ownership of PG&E. He is a died in the wool collectivist and goes berserk when anyone points that out to him. His answer for every problem consists of a new bureaucracy and a tax increase. On “the rich” of course.
Andrew V said,
March 17, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
Unfortunately Representative DeFazio’s seat is the 4th Congressional district here in Oregon. So thanks to the voters of Eugene Mr. DeFazio has a job for life.
Bobby B said,
March 18, 2008 @ 1:21 am
“I look forward to the day that Minnesota’s new and horrifyingly expensive light rail project figures out a way for me to transport two dozen sheets of rock from the supplier to a job site, or better yet thirty bags of Quikrete.”
Minnesota’s post-yuppie-greenies didn’t build those tracks for the kind of ignorant, backward, sweaty, grubby, no doubt bigoted, certainly sexist redneck troglodytes who might be seen transporting sheetrock, or conduit, or (ugh!) even maybe forest-killing plastics(!) from some mega-neocon-immigrant-cheating CHAIN STORE out to their own quaint and trendy NewFauxCity enclaves! Those working toads of hate can find their own way about!
Bandit said,
March 18, 2008 @ 8:15 am
“Tyler Duvall is a little pointy-headed neocon
Trolling for votes with the Kos crowd always involves the personal insults
don meaker said,
March 18, 2008 @ 8:35 am
One reason for congestion; city planners who support the wealthy by banning any housing near industry or commercial centers, or any industry or commercial centers near housing. This increases housing values, and hence property tax rates. This is a form of corruption, as it benefits the few real estate barons who build the new high value housing.
Another reason for congestion; city planners divert money from gas taxes to bus and rail systems, rather than expanding and repairing roads. This is a form of theft. Gas taxes are passed with the idea of using the money to allieviate congestion, but then are diverted away from the programs which would actually benefit the payers.
Such is fascism. Corrupt and evil.
‘no land is beyond our claim when the land I seize is in the people’s name, by evil men who rob and maim, but war is hell, I’m not to blame’
Fraidy said,
March 18, 2008 @ 10:16 am
I didn’t even know that Tyler was Jewish.
Jenny Moos said,
March 18, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
I’ve known Peter DeFazio since he was a Lane County commissioner. He’s the operational definition of a demagogue. If you think his transportation views are out there, read what he wants to do about free trade. Sadly, no one has even filed to run against him this election cycle…the Eugene dominated 4th District gets what it deserves and those of us unfortunate to live in his district [the trees and mountains are really nice, just not the politics] have to put up with this nonsense daily!
satyr9us said,
March 18, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
Buzz at 6:10, see the first two sentences of John Kelly’s comment at 6:26.
There is a range of colorful terms for those who are so eager to point out the folly of others that they wind up tripping on their own proverbial tongues. The term you direct toward Michael is one.