How to Pay For Metro -- "..install large vacuum cleaners"

If you don't think anybody gets what is going on with the Dulles Toll Road/Silverline scam, reading some of these comments to the article might convince you otherwise.

Keep in mind VDOT could retake control of the Dulles Toll Road and restore order by cutting MWAA out of the process. That would require that leaders exert the political will and act on behalf of the people instead of the many special interests who would resist that action.

How? Go here to see the operating permit

The MWAA waste factor, read it and weep:

click on the title to go to the article

Dulles toll could double by 2015

We should install large vacuum cleaners to automatically suck out our wallets as we pass notable raodway landmarks, then ticket people for not having their wallets. When will this nonsense end!


This is one of the  most avoidable premeditated mistakes of all time


You're not "in" traffic. You are traffic.


A good road ruined by a government boondoggle. The silver line is correctly named. It will line the pockets of lots of inside the beltway thugs with silver.


This is really just a revenue grab wrapped in whatever rationalization makes you feel better. At the end of the day, $4.50 for tolls will probably be less than the fare card for the same trip. Someone did the math and realized that without the toll increase, there would be a disincentive to use the Metro line to Dulles.

No to Metro Say Ashburn Broadlands Leesburg Sterling

 

These are just two of many people who live in the areas that will be most affected if Metro... Metro taxes, Metro crime, Metro toll increases, Metro gridlock come. 

Their voices are being ignored. 

Dear Mr. Reid and Ms. Volpe:

Not now, not ever...please don't bankrupt Loudoun w/the Silver Line.  We are counting on you to do the right thing for the citizens...not the big businesses.  Exactly who stands to benefit from a mile or two of rail, at how much, for how many years to come, with maintenance ongoing till the cows come home?  Not our citizens. 

Please don't be blinded by the talk, the smoke and mirrors...check it out for yourself... is Metro a boon, or a boondoggle?  Having used it on and off for years...I've hated it!  Hated the bums at the entrances, urinating on walls, turning people into animals as they push and shove to enter trains that are hot, dangerous, and poorly maintained.  Do we want to buy into a system that has a PROVEN Track Record of mismanagement, accidents, insufficient budgets, operators that fall asleep at the helm, text and chat while on the job?  Nope.  No thanks. 

Loudoun has always been the kinder/gentler County.  Why ask for the rif-raff that comes with Metro.  Why fund a problem that has been festering for years?  They grew it...let them lift it.  Please do the right thing for those of us who have long been part of the heritage of this great County.  Take a pass on Metro...OPT OUT for our good, and the good of our grandchildren.

Sincere Thanks,

-------------------

Ken-

Just to throw in my two cents on the Metro Project, there really is no funding option which appeals to me, because I don't favor Metro in Loudoun at all.  I like and want to maintain the bedroom community which Loudoun is.  I moved from just down the street of a Metro station out to Leesburg to get away from exactly what could be happening here now. 

Study after study shows the Metro out to Ashburn will be severely underutilized by the population it's trying to serve.  I could see a potential usefulness in going out to Dulles and could compromise there, however beyond Dulles seems ridiculous.  As a Loudouner I don't want to be part of the metro area.  What I experienced in Sprigfield, I don't want to see again. 

For those in favor of Metro, I would suggest they seek a good real estate agent, and uproot themselves to a Metro stop, the same uprooting I did to get away from it.  In the letter below you state Metro out to Loudoun would not alleviate congestion nor would it be utilized by more than 10% of Loudouners.  Adding insult to injury, Leesburg would be losing $1 million from the gas revenue, even with this special class of tax payers the Board is considering.  

I would hope under NO circumstances would the Metro out to Ashburn be built, and under NO circumstances would you support it. 

Name removed

Leesburg, VA  20176

Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:12 AM

To: Clarke, Janet; Volpe, Suzanne; Buona, Ralph; York, Scott; Williams, Shawn; Higgins, Geary; Letourneau, Matt; Reid, Ken; Delgaudio, Eugene

Subject: Silver line view from the center left

Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 10:05:26 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: BOS
Subject: Your Election Year Campaign Pledge to Lower Taxes

Dear Board of Supervisors,
It is now known that four supervisors will break their election year campaign pledge to be fisically responsible and LOWER TAXES on July 3, 2012.
Which of the five remaining supervisors will join in breaking their commitment to lower taxes during their election year campaigning?
Don't Fairfax Loudoun. If you or the people you represent like Fairfax so much -- MOVE THERE.
Don't be known as the supervisor who promised lower taxes but gave Loudoun its biggest tax increase in the history of the county.
Vote NO to Metro. We don't need more housing, more crime, and more cars on the road. We don't need to pay for West Virginia's Metro stations anymore than Fairfax wants to pay for Loudoun's.
Now, we have supervisors who don't want to tax those closest to the stations even though their home values may increase and they are more likly to use Metro.  How is this fair to residents of Leesburg, Western Loudoun, Northern Loudoun, Sterling?
Mike Hudak
   -- anyone of you can call me. I would enjoy the conversation. Afterall, I am just a dumb finance executive who does not "get it."
Loudoun Resident since 1992.  I moved to Loudoun to escape Fairfax. Don't Fairfax Loudoun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear members of the Board; 
   Duty will again have me out of the country during next week’s meeting on the extension of the Silver Line, so I thought to provide my thoughts via e-mail.   Initially, I did not pay much attention to this issue, as I see little impact to my family’s commuting arrangements (we carpool and/or use the Loudoun County bus service.)  However after listening to my neighbors, I sought to learn more about this extension. Let me add that on no other issue have I heard such anger expressed by those in my neighborhood (Broadlands).
I agree Dulles IAD could benefit from a rail line, but that would not be used by most of the people in Loudoun, many who live in close driving distance to the airport anyhow.  The anti-rail group has circulated a flyer stating the two-mile Rail District proposed tax rate of .09 to .21 would increase our taxes (I believe my Broadlands residence falls into this proposed tax zone) by $450-$1050. My family cannot afford this.  (Has the board provided home-owners any information on funding this project to the contrary? )  To push this ahead without identifying how the Country is to pay for it is reckless; business and development will benefit and should pay, if there is to be a tax levied it needs to be universal for the County, and not targeted to an handful of the unwilling. 
I have to agree on this point; to hear my neighbors, the imposition of a tax burden unduly leveled on a selected geographic area from which questionable benefit will accrue will in all likelihood generate a class action suit against the Board and possible individual suits.  The irony is of course, that our present tax dollars will go towards defending the Board members as well as challenging this decision.  Tax-payer losses either way amid the cost and legal gridlock.
There must come a point where this Board stops viewing constituent taxation as an bottomless well.  Many of you were in fact elected to curb the excesses of the previous Board to include some of the current incumbents.  Please stand by those principles.  We are so upside down on our mortgage to market value that we cannot afford to move out of Loudoun County, much less pay forward for a questionable project of which we will never see the benefit.  My realtor advised me that the additional tax burden may further negatively impact our ability to sell our Broadlands residence while the benefit of metro proximity will not be realized until the installation is complete in the coming years.  This is of key concern for already distressed homeowners. 
Please be sage and transparent with our money. 

name deleted
Broadlands VA
20148

_______________________________________________

Board of Supervisors, As a homeowner and taxpayer in Loudoun County and as an Ashburn resident I ask that you VOTE DOWN THE METRO COMING TO LOUDOUN.  The costs far outweigh the benefits of this proposed Metro expansion for Loudoun County. Stop the Metro at Dulles and build some commuter lots - done! Why would you want to put the Metro into a beautiful suburban area such as Ashburn. No one moves to Ashburn saying "I want to move there for the Metro". People move to Ashburn to get away from the congestion the Metro will bring, they move to Ashburn to raise a family in a safe and quiet environment. If we wanted to live near a Metro we would be living in Fairfax, Arlington or Montgomery Counties. Leave Loudoun the way it is and leave the Metro at Dulles Airport! Those of you on the BOS in favor of the Metro speak how it will bring profit and make Loudoun more appealing to businesses. How does that work for the whole county when the metro will only go to part of Ashburn?  Not Leesburg, not Aldie, not Purceville, etc... It is clear that those BOS members in favor of the Metro are looking out more for their best interests in the political arena, not those of who you represent. Who will be paying for this project - the taxpayers!  Raised taxes, higher tolls, more contruction, more traffic - why not use these funds to work towards lowering the tolls to take traffic off such roads as Rt. 28, Rt. 7 and Waxpool. That would be met with great acceptance county wide. Let the residents make the decision on this particular issue - WE VOTE NO TO THE METRO EXPANSION INTO LOUDOUN! Sincerely,name deleted

Metro-Loudoun Crime Wave Coming...Unintended Consequences?

From a former prosecutor...

"Loudoun will draw its first serious crime wave ever just from people riding the Metro from D.C. and P.G. County"

Daniel M. Gray, Esquire 

There is an possibility that Metro will have an impact on the quiet neighborhoods that surround the stations. If crime does increase, how far will it reach beyond the station areas? Hopefully Supervisors are weighing this as they form their opinions on whether Metro is good for Loudoun or not.

$600 Million Bonus If Loudoun Opts Out of Metro - Pay $0... Risk 0...

---

Loudoun Board of Supervisors: Public Input July 2 (Monday) 6:00pm Board Room, 1 Harrison St, Leesburg Opt Out and Loudoun Gets a $600 Million Bonus When Metro Comes to Dulles Airport $600 Million in new revenue is forecasted from development around the Rt. 28, Rt. 606, and Rt. 772 station areas with rail ending at Dulles Airport. Loudoun can use this revenue for road improvements, schools, buses, and parks Loudoun can expand commuter and local bus service as needed Parking garage and bus dropoffs at the Rt. 28 station provide convenient access from Loudoun If Loudoun Opts Out, less rail is built and that should reduce future toll hikes Without paying for Metro, financing is made available for roads like Rt. 606, Rt. 7 and Rt. 50, and for schools, parks, and things that improve your quality of life Opt In and You Will Get Buried in Debt and Taxes Currently, Loudoun lacks a way to fund Rail. Special Tax Districts are proposed, but may fall through, shifting ALL the $1.5 billion expense to homeowners and businesses Residential development at Rt. 772 terminal means massive needs for costly new roads, schools and other government services Without federal funding, tolls will increase rapidly to fund Phase 2 of Dulles Rail Rail will take much of Loudoun’s transportation funding, including gas taxes, for at least 30 years. Much-needed road improvements may be postponed indefinitely Current  commuter and local bus funding will be shifted to funding the entire Metro system

Ashburn 2 Mile Tax Update Thursday, 6-21

Ashburn Update Tuesday 6-19: The Tax Pig, Opt Out and David LaRock were chastised and called liars on Tuesday evening by the Three Blank Check Boys; Buona, Williams, and Letourneau, for informing their constituents that Ashburn and Broadlands are the ground zero of the tax zone. They swore no 2-mile tax zone; it is gone they said. 

Ashburn Update Wednesday, 6-20: Tax Pig was on location at Cascades Senior Center for Tim Hemstreet and Suzanne Volpe's Metro presentation. In the 22-page summary/handout, 


THE dreaded 2-MILE ZONE IS BACK. It was one of only two funding scenarios in the presentation.  You can't have it both ways now Blank Check Boys; Buona, Williams, and Letourneau. Ashburn BEWARE.


Ashburn Update Thursday, 6-21: from Ralph Buona mass email:

"There is not going to be a 2-mile tax district and the Board of Supervisors never gave it any serious consideration. Some hard-core rail opponents having been putting flyers on doors all over Ashburn trying to scare people to believe there will be a 2-mile tax district. Supervisor Williams and I have constructed a tax district that focuses on the areas very close to the actual proposed rail stations and based upon the way we've drawn the lines, it excludes virtually ALL residential properties"

Bouna Fact Check: Tax Pig and the Opt Out group saw that Ralph, Matt, and Shawn were considering placing the tax burden right on the backs of those whose taxes they promised to lower. We alerted Ashburn and Broadlands  before they got away with it. The 2-mile ground zero district is a very real scenario, and it can be chosen at ANY time. It was shown to the people of Cascades less than 24 hours after The Blank Check Boys denied it exists. Do they think the Tax Pig prints the presentations and puts maps up on the County website? Go see it and decide whether you can trust people who deny their own information. 

Ashburn Update Thursday, 6-21: from Ralph Bouna mass email: 

"I firmly believe the Board can finance this project without an increase in the tax burden on residents. We are considering a mix of a commercial and industrial tax (C&I) and one or more special tax districts surrounding the planned stops."

Fact Check: Over half the land in Loudoun falls into a category that may be taxed by a Commercial Industrial Tax, including many rural residents.


David LaRock


Loudoun Opt Out Group

If the U.S. Government Can Opt Out, Why Can’t Loudoun?

Could it be That We Have Something Backwards?

"How will Loudoun County pay for the Silverline now that the Federal government has opted out?",  This question has yet to be resolved, and probably never will be. That is because everyone wants the Metro when it is free but nobody likes it  nearly as much when they get a glimpse at the price tag.

In the last few weeks the Loudoun supervisors have studied this important decision, which they inherited from another time and another Board who bought into an idea without any set terms or costs. Some Supervisors are willing to do what the Board should do; they are questioning this proposal. 

The fact is we are not getting good answers.  Its time to start asking the right questions. Just forget what the pro-rail press releases say for a minute and think about these questions.

1. How can the transportation needs of Loudoun be addressed efficiently?
2. Does Rail to Dulles and Loudoun work for us?
3. Are there benefits that justify the costs?
4. Should the public be burdened with the costs?   

Gabriel Roth

 Randall O’Toole, 

Loudoun Opt Out Group offers this information from Gabriel Roth and Randall O’Toole, who have studied similar projects all over the world. Analyzing and reporting on tranportation is what they do. They have offered input that should carry a lot of weight considering Loudoun is now looking for ways to buy a tranportation product that may be a poor fit for the County's needs. Randall O'Toole also has  the novel idea that transit could be privatized and the users would be the payers.

The RCLCO Study said no net increase, just a shift of business. The 2004 FEIS said no significant improvement in traffic for $6 billion. A purchase that is a mismatch and that will become a permanent liability is nothing to rush into.

Here are some suggestions to get around  some of the problems with the project:

Metro to Loudoun - Ashburn and Broadlands Speak Up

The fearsome foursome of Loudoun Supervisors is joining forces with other familiar icons to push for Big Government - Big Spending induced "Metro Hope and Metro Change." Yes we can baby!

It is now or never they sing in chorus as they push to  pass this thing. 

Why hurry? They are nervous because Loudoun Opt Out and our many friends are working hard to inform the public of the very real possibility that we will be awash in new taxes if they succeed. They think that pesky little detail of "Who Pays" is just a minor glitch the team can iron out. 

Will they stick it to the whole county with massive property tax increases? Will they put up a new sign that says, "Open for Business Taxation" with a Countywide Commercial Industrial Tax or will their trusting and ill-informed people in the 2 mile Tax Penalty districts be the ones who pay dearly for this under-funded pork project? People of Loudoun, cast your vote soon because if you don't speak up that will be interpreted as saying 

"Go ahead, tax as much as you need ... whatever it takes"


Matt, Ralph, Shawn, Scott, please contact these people to let them know that all we need to do to pay the $50 to $100 million/year that this WILL eventually cost,

Ashburn Mom Says Loudoun's Metro Scheme Will Harm Families-

Please read this letter from an Ashburn woman who has been alerted to what is going on. It is a glimpse of the harm that will be inflicted on hard working people, families, the little people if this goes through. The willingness on the part of some elected representatives to deliberately prey on uninformed but trusting constituents literally makes me sick. Please spread the word, the tax man commeth.

From a mom in Ashburn:

"I live outside the 1 mile proposed special tax rate area but within the 2 mile radius.  Let me put it into prospective for you:I am a working mom.  My spouse also works.  We both commute which means tolls.  We pay a lot in tolls for two cars each way 5 days a week.  One of the proposed way to pay for metro will be to increase those tolls.  So I am already going to be paying a lot for my two car family.  We don;t have the luxury of commuting together.Add to that a proposed increase in my property tax.  Yes it's great that my home is worth more, but I still have to pay for that in taxes.  Add on top of that a special tax for living within a two mile radius.  I am not having to budget way more money then ever between the tolls, property tax, and now a special tax.  My family simply cannot afford that.  When I moved out to Ashburn we had to budget very carefully what we would pay in tolls (which have since on the Greenway gotten out of control and will only get worse).

You are basically going to price out of our home.In speaking with my neighbors it is very clear to me many of them do not understand how metro is  being paid for which leads to false results of who is really "pro metro".  Many are pro metro - but once you explain the cost you get - NO!!!  So believe me when I say MOST of your voting public do not want metro at this cost. Please vote No.  Many, many, many families live in your district.  Many of them are two parent working families and you are going to put a HUGE financial burden on them.  These are not the people that will be using the metro most of all. 
Please review the facts and costs.  Please understand your district and the people and their situations that make up that district."  

(emphasis added)

 posted by David LaRock

Loudoun Opt Out Group

Janet Clarke "...Questions That Still Need to be Answered"

Great job Janet for getting at the nuts and bolts of this thing. It is a shrewd person who can sort through so much information to come to the conclusion that the unanswered questions are what make this so risky.The questions that are most relevant are these:


1. Is it the role of a county government to consider entering into such a proposition? If you get past that question next is


2. What is the cost? The answer to this is that cost is very high and uncertain. If you get past that then


3. What is the risk? According to the experts, the risk is enormous. The next question is


4. What is the benefit? It FAILS as a transportation project, FAILS as an economic stimulus, generally 
FAILS to hold promise of improved quality of life, now or in the future. 


Janet's explanation is a wonderful breath of fresh air. She does not attack the proposition of Metro coming, just the terms and conditions that exist largely because the federal and state governments are offering to be minor or non-participants in Phase 2.


There has been a leadership failure on the run up to bringing Metro to Loudoun. Consequently, our current Board has inherited a mess. 


There are two major errors that have been left uncorrected. One is that the public has been kept in the dark as to the extent of costs and effects. Second, is the "Who pays?" As structured now, the profit will go to a few wealthy developers and the taxpayers bear the cost. This supervisor did her job.


We all owe a "Thanks" to Janet for shining bright on this not so savory matter.

Supervisor Janet Clarke's Summary Letter

The Board of Supervisors has held a number of Dulles rail work sessions over the past two months with presentations from staff and various rail entities. Two weeks ago we held our first financing meeting walking away without knowing what financing mechanisms the BOS is going to apply to our citizens and businesses in order to pay for this project if it is approved. Tonight we are meeting again, in an attempt to figure out how and when we will pay for this expensive project.

Based on public comments and emails I have received, it appears that many people think that the county’s decision centers on whether or not rail is good for the county.  In my opinion that is not the issue.

The Letourneau Plan - NO TAXES - CUT SERVICES

Quote of the Day: "I believe in the power of free markets to create jobs and generate growth." Supervisor Matt Letourneau

Matt, we Need Some Answers NOW..what will you cut?

Supervisor Matt Letourneau's Plan to Fund Metro

" ...the county does not necessarily have to increases taxes to pay for the project.  At the end of the day, five of us have to decide that this is a project worth doing as a county,’’ he said. “And if we believe that, then we can find a way to make it work without really impacting the tax rate.” he said.

Since Matt may not plan to provide specifics on the what-where-when of this cost cutting exercise, we thought we should get the conversation going now.

Question: How do you increase spending by at least $30-$50 million a year in taxpayer  dollars and not raise taxes?


Answer: Matt has the answer. Cut spending... more than the Supervisors have already cut spending, a lot more.

___________________________________________________

Good luck folks.
The battle of the red shirts is coming.

Matt, we've heard a rumor that schools will get whacked first and hardest as you propose to remove forever all non-essential public school programs, like school sports and special education.

Question: Is this true? 

___________________________________________________

Matt, my source said...

Loudoun Metro Tax Advisory Committee Formed

Loudoun  Metro Tax Advisory Committee

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

Summary of Proposed Loudoun Taxes and Alternative Scenarios

Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Tax

Board-presented options: $0.10- $0.17 (8%-13.7% increase over $1.235 base rate)

Note: statutory limit of $0.125 until June 30, 2013, then increases to $0.25

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Resolution: $0.10/$100 (8% increase over $1.235 base rate)

Problems with this proposed tax:

-Most of the western 2/3 of Loudoun is zoned AR1 or AR2, which has been declared by the Zoning Administrator and County Attorney to be commercial. The county is only allowed to exempt up to 15% of potentially impacted properties, so AR1 and AR2 will be hit by the C&I tax if this option is chosen by BOS.

-This funding proposition amounts to asking all businesses countywide to finance a shift of business development to rail station areas.

-A county-wide C&I property tax will be passed on to consumers, increasing the costs of all goods and services purchased in Loudoun County, and driving business out of Loudoun County.

-You may be told these taxes will go away eventually. The promise was made that the Dulles Toll Road tolls would go away. Instead DTR tolls will be soaring to new highs, as these taxes will in the future.

1-Mile Rail Service District

Board-presented options: $0.09- $0.20 (7.2%-16% increase over $1.235 base rate)

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Resolution: $0.20/$100 (16% increase over $1.235 base rate)

Problems with this proposed tax:

-The 1-mile tax district will cause businesses to consider locating just outside the line, reducing the projected revenues from the tax district, while undermining the intent of transit-oriented development to consolidate in high-density cores. Loudoun has not studied this; tax districts were not factored into RCLCO’s Dulles Rail Fiscal Impact analysis.

-You may be told these taxes will go away eventually. The promise was made that the Dulles Toll Road tolls would go away. Instead DTR tolls will be soaring to new highs, as these taxes will in the future.

-Creation of a tax district would likely require approval by the Virginia General Assembly, meaning any districts could not go into effect for some time, probably mid-2013 at the earliest, if ever. (waiting for official verification)

Conclusion

-Loudoun’s Supervisors were...

Loudoun Opt Out Group EXPELLED

Chairman Scott York Slams Door on Loudoun Opt Out Group 


Hamilton, VA—May 23, 2012

An Informed Public is Dulles Rails Worst Enemy

Last night, near the end of the May 22nd Loudoun Board of Supervisors Dulles Rail finance meeting, Chairman Scott York announced a unique prohibition on distribution of printed material within 40 feet of the meeting entrances of upcoming Dulles Rail Public information sessions and inside the meeting rooms.

David LaRock, speaking on behalf of the Loudoun Opt Out group, calls this “outrageous” and said it is obviously targeted at Opt Opt's efforts to inform the public. “York has chosen to leave the public in the dark for most of his 20 years of involvement with the Dulles Rail project. Now, weeks before a final and permanent decision by Supervisors, it is apparent York wants to stifle release of any information contrary to the County’s benefit-focused views.” LaRock said he objected immediately, “I asked County Attorney Jack Roberts and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet what the legal basis for restricting citizens from interacting with the public was. The response they gave referenced election laws, school policies, and Loudoun policy.” According to LaRock, Hemstreet backed down and quietly rescinded York’s prohibition. If public access to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors 'Public Outreach Sessions' is selectively restricted based on viewpoint and Loudoun citizens are denied access this is a clear 1st Amendment violation. If anyone from Loudoun Opt Out, or any citizen, is denied access, we will seek remedies to protect our 1st Amendment rights. According to LaRock, “There is a pattern of limiting Opt Out’s access to meetings.

Pro-Metro Zone- Others Keep Out

This is similar to an incident that took place at a recent Loudoun Chamber meeting on Dulles Rail where Opt Out representatives were barred from a meeting that was booked as being open-to-the-public." Loudoun Opt Out has led the effort to inform the people of Loudoun on details of this complicated and expensive decision before the approaching July 4th deadline.

David LaRock

Hamilton, Virginia

Loudoun Budget Report: Schools To Be Cancelled?

If You Want This...

Expect this...

Bringing Metro into Loudoun County sounds good but do not overlook that you absolutely will give up plenty to pay for it. It is not free, in fact the payments will be huge, and they will never stop, NEVER.

If Loudoun opts in to Rail to Loudoun, each and every year after it is completed, Loudoun County will get a bill from Metro for $100 million or more. Loudoun will also write a $25 million check every year for about 30 years to pay the mortgage on the construction costs for Rail to Loudoun. That is roughly equal to the cost of 4 new schools every year. It is time to do a reality check on this spending because our accounts are already overdrawn.

$175 Million - is the cost per year to service Loudoun's current debt.

$1.4 billion - Loudoun’s current debt plus approved bond issues.

Tim Hemstreet just proposed a $1.27 FY13 Tax Rate. That sounds good. But what happens when the big rail bills start coming in? It’s pretty clear from our supervisors’ recent campaigns that raising taxes is off the table.

Dulles Rail: Call it Kaine's Katastrophe w/video

President & CEO Tony Howard (L), Tim Kaine (C)
Chairman of the Board , Kurt Krause (R)

Tim Kaine gave away our paid-for Dulles Toll Road to MWAA (The Metropolitain Washington Airports Authority) for the grand total of NOTHING just as it was about to become a free road. Now, MWAA is planning to milk the users for every dime it can to build the Metro line to Dulles. 

Tim Kaine and the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce are working together.

Taxpayers of Loudoun, look out!

If Loudoun plays into their scheme by opting into Rail to Loudoun, the shackles will be clamped onto Loudoun forever and we will join Dulles Toll Road commuters on Kaine’s  list of biggest losers.

The Loudoun County Chamber is promoting the Rail to Loudoun project to Loudoun’s public and business community while ignoring the obvious fact that it will cost Loudoun vastly more than it will ever recoup. Why? Follow the money to the few Chamber members whose businesses stand to reap windfall profits.

                                        

The US Chamber of Commerce is warning us about Tim Kaine.

In contrast, the local Chamber isn't giving us very good advice
by asking us to play along with Tim's Rail scheme.

Tim Kaine’s bad ideas have cost Virginia billions of dollars and many, many jobs. Now,Tim Kaine and the Loudoun Chamber are teaming up to promote more bad ideas like Rail to Loudoun.

So far Kaine has gotten away with his Toll Road Giveaway Katastrophe. Let’s not hand Kaine and the Loudoun Chamber their next big win by opting in to Rail.

Before the special interests got to Tony Howard, he
was outspoken in his stand against Rail to Loudoun being driven by union-favoring terms. Is Tony a special interests pawn or guided by principle? You decide. Maybe its time for Tony, Kurt and the Crony Club to move on?
Read what Tony Howard, President & CEO Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce said in July.   In his July 5 Letter to the Editor: flip flop that makes the Chamber look pretty silly.

"Given that 90 percent of Phase 2 of the Dulles Rail Project is funded by Virginia's taxpayers, commuters and businesses, I can not fathom why a Loudoun Supervisor would support this type of discriminatory treatment against Virginia's contractors and construction workers.
Consistently voted the top state in the nation to do business, Virginia enjoys this reputation in part because of our "Right to Work" laws that prohibit forcing an individual to join a labor union just to keep their job.
A mandated PLA on Phase 2 is completely contrary to these and other policies that have given Loudoun County an unemployment rate that is now below 4 percent, compared with double-digit unemployment that reigns in much of the country. There should be no confusion about that."

Thanks Tony, you put it so well.

David LaRock

Hamilton Virginia