This morning's Washington "Moonie" Times reports that House Speaker William J. "Bill" Howell wants Virginia to "construct a sweeping network of highway and road tolls that could be leased to private companies." "I love the concept of tolls," Mr. Howell, a Stafford Republican, said. "I think we're going to have to see more tolls in Virginia."
[...]
Virginia currently has several toll systems set up, including the 14-mile Dulles Toll Road in Fairfax County, but Mr. Howell said more expansive efforts could lead to more state revenue and provide a potential replacement for the gas tax, which he referred to as a "dinosaur" funding source.
"We're talking about leasing the concession to collect the tolls on those roads," Mr. Howell said. "It can be a tough political argument to make, but it's an argument worth making because it's a sound political concept.
"It's like the lottery," he said. "If you win the lottery, would you take $20,000 a year for the rest of your life or would you take an upfront payment? This is just getting a present value for a future income stream. It makes a lot of sense."
Of course, this is the same Bill Howell who pushed "abusive driver fees" and who denounced rail to Dulles as an "incredible waste of money." More substantively, do we really want a network of toll roads across Virginia, or do we want to focus on smart growth solutions, mass transit, high-speed rail, and other 21st century solutions to our economic, energy and environmental challenges? Something tells me we won't be getting that from Bill Howell or the House Republican "flat earth" Caucus.
