This past week, Virginia candidate for Governor, Creigh Deeds (D), outlined his transportation plan in a Washington Post op-ed. Like all op-eds written by politicians, it contained a list of all the wonderful things he would do if elected. Here’s what he said: In the plan laid out on my Web site, I share my views that we need to: — Bring high-speed rail to Virginia. — Reduce congestion (and commute times) in Northern Virginia. — Expand freight and passenger rail. — Maximize economic opportunities linked to the Port of Virginia. — Utilize bus rapid transit. — Expand the capacity of critical Hampton Roads water crossings and emergency evacuation routes. — Reduce rush-hour traffic through telecommuting and flex-time tax credits. — Promote smarter land-use planning. — And expand road and rail projects in Southwest and Southside Virginia. Note his proposal to “reduce rush-hour traffic through telecommuting and flex-time tax credits.” Who is the biggest employer in Northern Virginia (where traffic is worst in the state)? The federal government. How can you give a tax credit to the federal government, which, by law, pays no taxes? Furthermore, a large fraction of Northern Virginia residents also work for non-profits (like me) who once again pay no tax. This is typical of politicians (both left and right): use tax policy to try to achieve some supposed goal because it sounds good, even though tax policy is a terrible and inefficient way to try to achieve the end.
