Journal Blog

Virginians and Visitors Have Multiple Transit Options for Inauguration Day

Virginia Provides Free Bus Service to Metrorail on Jan. 20, 2009

RICHMOND, VA., January 12, 2009 - The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Transportation today announced that transit details are now available for people traveling through Virginia to Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009.

Since personal vehicles are restricted from traveling from Virginia into Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day, motorists planning to drive or carpool to the event must use an alternative form of transportation to enter the city.

Virginia has the following public transportation options available for access into Washington on January 20, 2009:
•    Reserve a ticket on Virginia Railway Express (VRE) or Amtrak for service into Washington, D.C., and drive to the appropriate rail station
•    Drive to a Northern Virginia Metrorail station and take Metrorail into the city
•    Drive to a local bus stop that offers free service to Metrorail
•    Drive to a local bus stop that offers free shuttle service to a pedestrian bridge
•    Drive to a park-and-ride lot to be served by transit and take a shuttle bus to Metrorail
•    Hire a taxi or other for-hire vehicle for service into the city
•    Reserve a seat on a charter bus

Metrorail, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Amtrak are the primary transportation choices for travel from Virginia to Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day. A key feature of the Commonwealth’s plan is that all Virginia bus routes that serve Metrorail stations will provide free service for the day.

“Providing free bus service to Metrorail will make travel easier and encourage more people to take advantage of Virginia’s transit options on Inauguration Day. The normal flow of transportation into Washington, D.C. has been adjusted for January 20 to help accommodate a significant increase in traffic, so it’s important for travelers to review the choices available, create a detailed plan and stay tuned for transportation updates as we get closer to the event,” said DRPT’s Chief of Public Transportation, Corey Hill.

Bus Service and Metrorail Options
Virginia transit operators will operate service on Inauguration Day, but many systems will have a modified schedule. For transportation into Washington, D.C., bus operators will primarily provide service to Metrorail stations, where travelers can transfer to Metrorail for transportation into the city. Some operators are also providing bus service to bridges that are accessible for pedestrians to walk into the District. The Memorial Bridge, Chain Bridge and Key Bridge will be open for pedestrian and bike access on January 20.

Bus service will also be provided to Metrorail from designated park-and-ride lots in Northern Virginia. Motorists traveling to park-and-ride lots are encouraged to carpool to maximize parking availability and to help manage highway congestion near the lots. Lots will fill up quickly, so plan to arrive early. Some transit operators will begin operating service as early as 4 a.m. on January 20. Not all park-and-ride lots will be served by transit on Inauguration Day. Contact transit operators to confirm service availability.

All Virginia bus routes that serve Metrorail stations, pedestrian access points and park-and-ride lots in Northern Virginia will be free on Inauguration Day. For those who must drive to access transit, parking is limited and available on a first-come first-serve basis.

In addition, Metrobus is offering free shuttle bus service from Virginia directly into Washington, D.C.

Metrorail will operate between 4 a.m. on January 20 and 2 a.m. on January 21, with rush hour service between 4 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Inauguration Day. Metrorail will charge peak fare during rush hour service and standard fare at other times. Visit www.wmata.com for additional information.

Listings for Northern Virginia transit operators by locality and designated park-and-ride lots are available online at www.vsp.state.va.us/Inauguration_2009.shtm. Hours of operation, schedules and routes may vary by transit operator. Please visit operator Web sites or contact transit operators by phone for detailed information.

Passenger Rail Options
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will initiate service routes into Washington, D.C. at 5:05 a.m. and will initiate return trip trains at 1:30 p.m. on Inauguration Day. Tickets are available through mail-order only and must be reserved in advance. No one will be permitted to purchase VRE tickets at VRE stations on Inauguration Day. Visit www.vre.org for additional information.

Currently, Amtrak trains from Virginia to Washington, D.C., that will serve the Inauguration Day events are sold out. Tickets may become available as reservations change. Visit www.amtrak.com for additional information.

Planning Ahead
Creating a personal transportation plan is essential to ensure the safest and most efficient travel experience in the Northern Virginia region on Inauguration Day. Travelers should take the following steps to create a transportation plan:
•    Consider the transportation choices and choose the best option.
•    Visit the transit/rail operator Web site or call to determine schedules, routes and fares.
•    Create an itinerary with route numbers/names, pick-up locations and times, fares, transfer locations and drop-off locations for both your destination and return trip.
•    Determine the round-trip fare (if applicable) and follow the transit/rail operator’s instructions for fare collection. For example, some services require exact change.
•    Consult transit/rail operator guidelines regarding acceptable carry-on items.
•    Check the transit/rail operator Web site frequently for changes and adjust your itinerary accordingly.
Those in the Northern Virginia region not attending Inauguration activities should anticipate and plan for significant traffic congestion and delays. Those needing to travel are encouraged to also seek alternate means of transportation or alternate traffic routes. Local Web sites should be checked in advance for city and county road closures and traffic restrictions.

Employers in the Capitol region are encouraged to consider offering telework, flex time and/or other leave options for their employees on January 20.

More Virginia-specific Inauguration information is available on the Virginia State Police Web site at www.vsp.state.va.us/Inauguration_2009.shtm.

Sunday at the White House

Sunday January 11, 2009  3:50pm
As we pulled up to the guard at the entrance to the Ellipse parking area, I couldn’t help but notice all the tents erected across the grassy area in preparation for inauguration day.  After entering the Ellipse area, I noticed the crew of workers diligently working at their tasks under the tents.  Proceeding to the gatehouse on Executive Drive I spotted the police motorcycles preparing for a motorcade.  We could only speculate who might be on the move as we began to notice the security detail all dressed in black at various points around us.  As we proceeded to walk the sidewalk, the iron gate opened and the motorcade proceeded toward us.  We stopped out of curiosity to witness who was riding in this limo.  It turned out to be Dick Cheney.  Guess he was working on Sunday just like those on Capitol Hill today.  Wonder if he was cleaning out his office too?!?
Over the years I have spent numerous Sunday afternoons at the White House in the West Wing, but today was the busiest I have seen it.  Normally Sundays are very quiet with few folks found inside their offices or walking the halls.  Today was very different with boxes packed full of items from offices being carried out by staffers, groups of interns posing together for photos to capture those lasting memories of their time at the White House.  Even the press briefing room was overflowing not with press, but rather interns with their friends seated together and standing in front of the President’s podium for those photo op moments.
Out on the North Lawn, one lone White House correspondent was broadcasting for her network, but the view of the review stand for the inaugural parade could not be missed as it loomed very large and lit up outside the fence surrounding the White House property.  Turning back to face the White House you could see into the offices of the West Wing as the lights were all on and folks were busy inside continuing the transition out of this President’s administration.  Bookshelves were barren and some desks were already empty.
Inside the Oval office, it took a minute to register what was different.  I kept looking around the room and then I realized.  The top of the Resolute desk was empty!!   Out in the hallway leading to the Rose Garden, where photos of President Bush with heads of state used to hang on the walls, now have been replaced with photos of major events that have highlighted his time as our President to include Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina. 
As we departed the White House grounds we realized our next visit would be under the new administration and we couldn’t help but to speculate about what changes to the decor that might bring with it.

Ruby Brabo

Information about reaching the District from Va. for the inauguration.

Roland Burris's appointment

Editor’s Note: Some of the more interesting and intriguing news at the moment involves the appointment of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama’s former US senate seat. As this week opened, Burris was presenting himself to the Senate to be seated and Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid was refusing to seat him. Reid said the appointment process had been “tainted” because the appointment was made by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell the appointment.
Another intriguing and developing story is the effort to stop US Supreme Court Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., from using the phrase “under God” when he swears Obama in as President. The following letter deals with the role of the US Constitution in these stories.

The more I listen to what the “Talking Heads” say on the various “shows” which purport to inform those who listen to them on the issues of the day, the more convinced I become that most of them have never either read the Constitution of the United States or have failed to understand what they have read. 
I learned the fundamentals of that document more than 60 years ago from F. D. G. Ribble, a respected authority on that subject and Dean of The School of Law at the University of Virginia.  He was neither a liberal nor a conservative.  He was a pragmatist. 
He said that, with regard to any subject, the Constitution means exactly what a majority of the Justices of the Supreme Court participating in the decision of a case say it means at the time their opinion is rendered.
I was prompted to write this letter because of the large amount of misinformation currently spewing from the mouths of the “Talking Heads” with regard to the political situation in Washington.
First, let us look at the subject of the next President taking the oath of office and the relevance of the First Amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” 
Those who would prohibit any reference to God in the inauguration process focus on the first phrase in the language quoted and ignore the next two phrases “ or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech...”.
Next, let us look at the powers granted the Judiciary by Article III.  Section 2 states, “The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution…”  Where does it give “the judiciary” power to regulate the manner of conducting the inauguration process?  Many of the powers of the judiciary exist because of usurpation.
So much for having the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court be able to use the phrase “under God” when he swears in Barack Obama.
That brings us to the subject of the right and power of the Senate to regulate its own affairs and whether or not Seantor Reid or Burris will prevail.   Article I, Section 5 states, “Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members…”  There is nothing in the Constitution which grants the Judiciary the right or power to review and rule on the validity of the rules which either house of Congress adopts for its own governance. 
A number of years ago, when the House undertook to exercise its powers to regulate its affairs, the Supreme Court usurped this power of the House and directed that Adam Clayton Powell of New York be seated as a Member of that body.  The Members of the House thus did a disservice to themselves and the nation by pusillanimously acquiescing.  Perhaps the Senate will show more fortitude. 
Many members of Congress complain about the encroachment of the Executive branch on their powers.  Now may be their time to begin to reclaim some of their lost power. It will be interesting to see how the seating or non-seating of Roland Burris proceeds as the days go on.

 By Louis Herrink, King George
Herrink, an attorney, is a graduate of the University of Virginia and a former member of the Virginia General Assembly.

Your economy - finding ways to cut gasoline usage

We received this press release and thought it would be of interest. July 16 was "Ride to Work" day. Our reporter Marty van Duyne is working on stories about how rising gas prices are changing the ways local commuters get to work.

Increased Motorcycle Use Tied to Soaring Gas Prices

Allstate Survey Finds People Riding Their Harleys to Work

Fairfax, VA (Grassroots Newswire)- As more Virginians hop on their motorcycles today in honor of the annual "Ride to Work" day, a survey by Allstate finds that even more motorcyclists are driving their bikes to work to escape the high cost of fuel.

According to the Allstate survey, 63 percent of respondents name "the fuel economy" as a top reason why they are riding their motorcycles to work more frequently.

The data came from an online survey of 500 male bikers nationwide, weighted to represent the total population and commissioned by the Northbrook, Illinois based insurer earlier this year.

"Not only is a motorcycle a pleasurable way to travel, it is extremely fuel efficient and less expensive to operate than a car," said Gordon Combs, an Allstate agent in Fredericksburg and motorcycle advocate, one of 600 Allstate agents nationwide who ride motorcycles.   Combs is a member of the Battlefield Wings   Goldwing Road Riders Association which conducts charitable rides.

The Allstate survey found that seven in 10 bikers ride at least once a week, including almost 45 percent of the participants who ride several times a week.

Their greatest concern when they are on the road was other drivers of cars (82%), road conditions (55%) traffic (42%) and trucks (30%).

In a related survey by Allstate also found that its insurance business among individuals who own motor scooters has also increased tremendously over the past several years.   Although no specific data was available whether that rise was due to the cost of gas, officials concede the mileage scooters get—especially in urban areas—make them a coveted mode of transportation.

Among other findings in the Allstate biker survey:

31% consider themselves "weekend warriors"

17% said they were a "Sport Bike Enthusiast"

12% consider themselves as "Stressed Out Exec"

11% consider themselves as "Hardcore Biker

Biking to School

Everything old is new. I was in Portland for a few days and we enjoyed using the light rail and riding the street cars. My father used to talk about riding the street car in Richmond - yeah, was that back in the dark ages?

Now Gov. Kaine is bringing back the idea of riding your bike to school.

~

Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced more than $1 million in Safe Routes to School funding to 13 school systems, local governments and not-for-profit groups across the Commonwealth to make bicycling and walking to school safer and more appealing to students.

“Walking and biking to school offers a host of benefits to students, communities and the environment,” said Governor Kaine. “We want to encourage alternative means of transportation for Virginians of all ages, and these grants will help ensure that our children can get to school safely by foot or bike.”

The Safe Routes to School program is designed for localities, schools and not-for-profit groups seeking to improve walking and bicycling opportunities for kindergarten through eighth grade students. Funds can be used for promotion, education and law enforcement activities. Local governments are also eligible to apply for funding to improve infrastructure in the vicinity of schools.

~

Sounds like a good idea to me. I used to ride my bike to school through high school. In elementary school we walked to school. (I can remember my big sister got in to SO much trouble when she left me sitting on the steps of the elementary school while she walked home.) We didn't have school buses; you made your own way to school.

And in case you are thinking this was some small town, we lived in the Northside of Richmond, so we had traffic and busy streets to cross.

Those of us who grew up on the 60's and 70's will remember that one year Pres. Carter decided we would stay on Daylight Savings Time through the winter. I rode to school in the dark with a bicycle light that was powered by the spinning wheels on my bike. The sun did not come up until we were already in to the first period class. Oh, and I did this without a bike helmet. I wasn't trying to be reckless and self-destructive - if there were bike helmets available, I didn't know about them.

Somehow we survived walking and biking to school through the streets of Richmond.

I actually thought my neighborhood was okay, though my high school was another matter. So I was taken aback when a few years ago one of my employees said his car had broken down in a not-so-nice area of Richmond. "Where was that" I asked. "Chamberlayne Ave.", he replied. That was where I went to high school.

Maybe it is not practical to send kids off to school on bikes in a lot of areas of King George, but it would work for some neighborhoods. And drivers are just going to have to get used to sharing the roads with bikes and scooters and other means of transportation, now that the cost of gas has gotten ridiculous.

Are we in a recession?

Editor’s Note: Those who have been long-time readers of The Journal may remember that David Kerr at one time wrote a regular column about the economy. But he was busy with his job on Capitol Hill, and let’s face it - times were good, so writing about the economy probably was not that exciting. Well, now the economy has gotten exciting. (A little too exciting!) So we asked David to put back on his economist hat and start writing again about the topic that is on the minds of many. So here is the first of what we are sure will be several articles about the national and local economy. ~

By David S. Kerr

A recession is defined as two quarters, back to back, when the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the wrap up of all the consumption and investment, everything that goes into our economy, contracts.  So far, that hasn’t happened yet.  The first quarter of 2008 showed a one percent rate of growth.  This isn’t anything to get excited about, but it did surprise a number of economists, many of whom were expecting the growth rate to go negative.  That, if it does happen, and it probably will, will likely come later in the year.

Americans have been through recessions before.  But, what makes the current economic situation so disconcerting isn’t so much the question of whether we’re headed towards a recession or not, but rather, that several disruptions to the economy are occurring at once.  Two, the mortgage crisis and the increase in oil prices, are the most dramatic.

The mortgage crisis is still playing out.  Foreclosure rates have soared, large banks have taken massive write offs, housing prices are down, and the housing industry, always a powerhouse in the American economy, has slowed dramatically.   Foreclosures continue, and Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two government chartered companies most responsible for supplying the nation’s  mortgage money (their combined portfolio is nearly $5 trillion), are in serious trouble and may shortly be coming to Uncle Sam asking for a bailout.

However, that’s just part of what’s going on.   

The mortgage crisis may have a deep impact on national economic growth, and hurts several important sectors in our economy, but alone it probably wouldn’t be enough to drive us into recession.   To do that, and what may tip the balance, is the impact of oil prices. 

A year ago, a barrel of oil, now sized at 42 gallons, and not what many of us were taught, 55 gallons (they changed the standard several years ago), costs $70.  Today that’s doubled.  The price at the pump was $2.90 at this time last year, and now, at my corner Exxon is $4.04.  Diesel fuel, which powers trucks and trains, critical to moving goods, is running closer to $5.00. 

While Congress may be blaming this on speculation – it’s always easy to blame Wall Street and futures traders – there is a lot more going on than a little investment hedging.  Unlike the 1973 or 1979 oil shortages, which occurred simply because OPEC turned off the tap, we now have a major supply and demand problem.  It’s economics 101 as pundits like to say.  India and China, which 30 years ago, weren’t players on the world oil market, are now buying crude oil at a tremendous rate.  This increase in demand from emerging nations, along with our own insatiable appetite, is bidding up the price.

The immediate impact has been a reduction in driving, the near collapse of the SUV market, with the loss of thousand of jobs and a significant increase in the cost of the once easily affordable American aviation system.  However, that’s just part of the effect.  Energy prices across the board, from utilities (Dominion Power for example has been forced to significantly increase its charges) to the price of home heating oil, are up sharply.

However, what many of us don’t realize is just how much the cost of oil impacts the price of everything we consume.  For example, the staple of any American kitchen, eggs, as innocuous a product as I can think of, involves significant energy costs.  From the electricity used to process and package them, and don’t forget the packing material itself, to the trucks needed to haul them, there is a petroleum product is involved.  The result has been a steady increase in their cost.  The same is true for a host of other staples, to include bread, meats, and milk. 

These two major disruptions in our once bubbling economy result in a reduction in our consumption of goods and services.  When we don’t consume as much this means that sales go down, inventories increase and eventually, our economy contracts.  That means the loss of income and jobs.

However, perhaps staving off this dark picture, temporarily at least, is the value of the American dollar.   It’s at an all time low overseas, and while that may not be good if you’re visiting Europe, it’s great if you’re selling American goods in foreign markets.  It means overseas purchasers, because of our weak dollar, can buy more American products.  In other words, our goods have gotten more competitive in foreign markets and that’s keeping a lot of people here in the U.S. working.

However, while most of this isn’t that reassuring, what with several bits of bad news hitting at once, the good news is that none of this is probably fatal.  The U.S. economy is massive in size and this means it can take a lot of hits.  This downturn may last a bit longer, and will likely force some long term changes in our economy, but over the years we have proven to be remarkably flexible in adapting to change, developing new markets and applying new technologies.  Just as we’re likely to do this time.

Now that David Kerr has told us about the economy, maybe you want to chime in about your economy. What are you doing to save money? What does the state of national economy mean for your home?

Here’s a couple of options:
1. Send us a letter to the editor.
2. Go to our website and register for our PotomacChat message board. We don’t want to chat about every topic on the world, just those of local interest, and the economy is of local interest.
3. Post a comment on this blog.

We'd like to hear from you!

Cap-and-Trade: The Debate Matters

The following opinion piece by Al Weed of Public Policy Virginia was submitted by that organization. We are not sure it would make it in to The Journal, but thought it might be of interest to readers.

The Senate debate on the Lieberman-Warner bill to reduce carbon emissions was the first serious national recognition of the challenge of climate change.  Al Gore’s Nobel Prize notwithstanding, until an effort to change our energy culture through public policy is made, the US is not even in the game.  It is a sad statement on the readiness of our political leadership that the debate so quickly collapsed.

Sure, this is a bad bill that would have led us down a dead end, delaying a useful national – and global – response for years.  This is time we do not have.  Some have said, however, that this debate could have been a dress rehearsal for serious legislation in the next Congress.  Perhaps we can use elements of the shortened debate to shape truly effective public policy.

With one exception, the best answer to all the objections to cap-and-trade is “revenue neutral carbon fees.”  That exception is that the amount of carbon emitted in the US can be specifically quantified by the emission allowances envisioned in the bill.  Carbon fees probably cannot be tuned so finely.

Corporate executives, academics, economists and investors all agree that carbon fees levied at the source – mine head for coal or well head/ port of entry for petroleum – will be a more effective and equitable way to reduce carbon emissions by raising the cost of all fossil based energy.  It is only politicians, as recently remarked by George Will, who are afraid to have the inevitable rise in energy costs attributed to their taxes.

So, let’s use the debate to enlist public support for policies that will lower carbon emissions, provide long term investment security for renewable energy, and give the US a political and moral basis on which to build a claim to leadership in the global warming battle.

We’ve heard the arguments for cap-and trade: they are the only thing that is politically feasible; at least we are doing something; it worked with other airborne pollutants; and, they’re doing it in Europe.  Carbon taxes are, well, taxes aren’t they?

Suppose we look on carbon taxes not as taxes per se, but as tipping fees.  That is, as the cost of disposing the waste generated from fossil based energy production.  This carbon cost, as a greenhouse gas, we can no longer pass on to future generations.

So now, when objections to the provisions of cap-and-trade are raised, we can answer “carbon tipping fees.”

Cap and trade, so the debate goes, will create a big bureaucracy, with government trying to pick winners and losers.  Carbon tipping fees will permeate throughout our entire economy, letting the free market determine the winners and losers.

The Lieberman-Warner Bill will cost an excessive amount, and result in severe harm to certain segments of society.  Additionally, special interests will bring big bucks to bear on legislators to favor their supporters, either with loopholes or funding.  Carbon tipping fees can be structured to be revenue neutral and fund transitory relief for the pain of high energy costs created for impacted groups, much as food stamps help folks get over high food prices.  Rural dwellers, for example, with no mass transit to rely on, may need subsidies for a period of time.

Cap-and-trade, as a way to reduce carbon emissions, is extremely vulnerable to a down turn in energy costs.  If oil prices drop to $40/barrel who cares that a carbon allowance costs $20 per ton?  Think that can’t happen?  What happens when Iraqi oil comes back on line and world-wide energy costs have created a demand dampening recession?  Carbon tipping fees, however, can be structured to provide a steady increase in energy prices that will ensure a floor under costs that will make the long-term investments in renewable energy a gamble worth taking.

Cap-and-trade’s biggest weakness is that it fails to deal with the global problem of carbon emissions.  Sure, some technical advice would have been provided in the Third World, but pollution from India and China will likely continue unabated as long as they have free access to world markets for their exports.  Moreover, a serious decline in the use of fossil based fuel in the US and Western Europe will only make coal and oil cheaper for other countries, leading to even more overall carbon emissions.  A carbon tipping fee, however, can be added to every imported product based on its carbon component, ensuring that no industry selling to carbon controlling nations gets an advantage.  The revenue from these tipping tariffs, if you will, can be used to provide catch up technology to other nations.

Be sure that there are and will be many other objections raised to the Lieberman-Warner Bill.  As they come up, think “carbon tipping fees” and maybe in the next Congress we will see a willingness to embrace sensible legislation.

Al Weed is the Chairman of Public Policy Virginia.  His e-mail is aweed@ppvir.org.