A border war, and smoking laws

THUMBS UP TO:

More control over tolls

he Virginia Senate passed legislation this week that places a hurdle in the path of those who would like to place tolls on Interstate 81 in order to expand it. The Senate took this step after the Virginia Department of Transportation came out in favor of toll-funding for work on the interstate.

This seems to be an issue that never dies, despite efforts by communities along the interstate to drive a stake through its heart. The interstate is this region’s lifeline; tolling it would bring financial harm to commuters who travel from outlying counties to the Tri-Cities for work. It also would divert traffic onto Lee Highway and other surface roads that aren’t large enough to handle the load.

We applaud the efforts of senators along the I-81 corridor to beat back this unwelcome proposal. Leaving control of tolls with the legislature, instead of the unelected Commonwealth Transportation Board, makes sense.

THUMBS DOWN TO:

A classless exit

Former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney could have exited the Republican presidential race with grace, dignity and class. Instead, he chose to take an ugly parting shot at the Democrats.

"If I fight on, in my campaign, all the way to the convention ... I’d forestall the launch of a national campaign and, frankly, I’d make it easier for Sen. Clinton or Obama to win," Romney told supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. "Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

In Romney’s world, a vote for the Democrats equals a vote for terrorists. If this is the brand of divisiveness that Romney was selling, America’s lucky that so few people were buying it.

Smoking bans, shot down

A Virginia House subcommittee killed several public smoking ban bills late Thursday. The bills ranged from a strict ban on most public smoking to a measure that only banned the noxious practice in restaurants – something with near-universal public support. Other bills that would allow localities to restrict smoking also were squashed.

Virginians should take note that this thwarting of the public will was accomplished by a six-member House subcommittee. Six lawmakers – if all of them were present and voted, a fact that we can’t be certain of since subcommittee votes remain unrecorded – should not have so much power on an issue of such importance. This isn’t the democratic way.

The House will have a chance to act on smoking ban legislation approved by the Senate. This legislation deserves a floor vote of the full House. Don’t send it to the same subcommittee to die. Tennessee adopted a smoking ban last year. If Tennessee, another tobacco belt state can do it, Virginia can, too. It’s time to clear the air in Virginia for the sake of future generations.

Georgia’s border war

Although it seemed like satire, news that Georgia lawmakers want to move the state’s border with Tennessee and lay claim to the Tennessee River is real. The proposal in the Georgia legislature argues that a flawed 1818 survey mistakenly marked the border one mile south of the river. Georgia is suggesting a boundary line commission to resolve the dispute.

Tennessee lawmakers aren’t biting and the governor is vowing to fight. The dispute could be a sign of things to come as metropolitan areas in the South and the West that have overbuilt struggle to provide the water necessary to sustain life. However, taking another state’s resources isn’t the answer. Tennessee should fight this attempt to divert the state’s water to deal with a crisis created by Atlanta’s failure to plan ahead or to rein in growth.