Rep. Chris Murphy Doesn’t Get It
February 11, 2008
I just stumbled across Rep. Chris Murphy’s commentary in The Hartford Courant from Feb. 3. Murphy represents Connecticut’s 5th. There is no need to repeat all the self-centered comments about how hard it is to walk over to the Democrat campaign office to ask for money so he can be reelected, but part of the second paragraph really stood out for me. It should serve as a wake-up call for all conservatives.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this job. Every morning, I get to pick up the paper, read about what’s wrong in America, and then walk to work to try and fix it.
What vanity. Congressman, it’s not your job to try and fix it. Conservatives want you to stay out of it. Let me remind you about your oath of office. It’s simply about one thing.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
It’s not Congress’ job to go out there and solve every problem. That is a populist view. Populists are politicians that listen to problems in personal, or town hall-type sessions and tell the audience that they are going to fix something from the following list. The list, is not all-inclusive.
- Health care is too expensive
- Gasoline prices are out-of-control
- Food is too expensive
- I can not afford my mortgage
- School supplies are too much money
- Teachers are not making enough
- My landlord just raised my rent and I think it’s too much
- There are too many guns on the street
- Corporations make too much money
- The bus stop is too far away from my house
If you think I’m kidding about this list, you’re wrong. What we’ve been experiencing during the past 25 years is historic. Congress is getting involved with even the smallest issues in local towns. Paying for museums, cultural centers, fire trucks, special pre-K programs and train stations is just the obvious stuff. Congress is now involved in laying bricks for crosswalks these days, and it must stop.
Let’s start looking closely at the conservatives that are running for Congress and support those who will honor their oath, and not try to solve every problem that exists.
Commuters Need More Traffic Information?
February 6, 2008
In a Jan. 27 article in The Hartford Courant, Michael Critelli, chairman of the Commission on the Reform of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, writes:
We should have one easy-to-remember phone number that travelers can call to receive reliable, real-time information about traffic, public transportation or other travel issues, and ways to avoid problems. In Nebraska, Rhode Island, Florida and more than 20 other states, travelers can dial 511 to receive instant information about road and rail conditions, traffic delays and other factors affecting transportation. Surveys indicate that travelers value a transportation experience more highly and are willing to pay more if they consistently get accurate, real-time information that helps them plan better.
Why is the first solution – and by Critelli’s account the most important – always to have the government come up with a new program to solve a problem? On top of that, the commission wants to solve a non-existent problem since the private sector already does an excellent job for commuters.
Let’s take a look at just some of the traffic information available to commuters.
Channel 3 WFSB
- Each morning, they have a dedicated talking-head along with cool graphics – icons, green, yellow and red lines – every 10 minutes on TV to tell you what’s going on.
- You can sign up for e-mail alerts to get notified concerning traffic problems.
- They feature many live traffic cams during the newscast. Eight cams are also available online, 24/7.
- Online, they feature a Jam Fator®, a nice color-coded graphic that provides information on about 10 different sections of highway. Kind of a “road rage” meter.
WTIC
- Live weather and traffic every 10 minutes during your commute.
- They have a guy in a traffic center plus they have an airplane – Air One – up in the air that provides you with a birds-eye view. Bad weather? Car One is on duty!
- Their Web site features information on Hartford and Fairfield County, with details about incidents.
Now, what information does the state already provide commuters?
The Connecticut DOT
The Connecticut Department of Transportation Web site has plenty of information.
- They have traffic cams; and plenty of them. Granted, they reload only every five minutes and therefore are not live, but they have hundreds of cameras.
- They offer a page listing current traffic incidents.
What more do commuters need? Nothing. Providing a 511 service that dishes out traffic information is worthless when we already have plenty of good sources to provide us with live information.
This is a great example of government expansion, for no good reason at all.
