While I appreciate Jim Gilmore’s opposition to the Abuser Fees, I resent the way he is using it as part of his campaign for the US Senate. In a recent email communique, he wrote the following:
On July 1, you might remember the Virginia General Assembly instituted abusive driver’s fees for a number of traffic violations. Those fees were put in place not to make the Commonwealth a safer place. Rather, they were a way to make money for the Commonwealth at between $750 and $3,000 per violation!
Now these unfair “fees” – which are really a new form of the car tax – are basically making police and prosecutors act as tax collectors. A recent UVA study claims such fees are unfair and calls them “flawed public policy”. Worst of all, nearly 300,000 Virginia drivers could lose their licenses in the next 18 months if this is not fixed!
That’s why I need your help now. Your support of my campaign will help me take this message to the Virginia legislature in the short term. And long-term I will fight in the U.S. Senate to prevent Virginia and other states from levying these unfair taxes on hardworking taxpayers.
Make a secure online donation of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or even $2,300 to my campaign right now.
There’s one problem, however. Gilmore is running for the UNITED STATES Senate, not the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Senate. Even if he wins, he cannot introduce bills or vote in the Virginia General Assembly because he will be part of the US Senate, an entirely separate body from the Virginia Senate. He’s asking for money for an issue over which he has absolutely ZERO power. I would hope most voters understand the difference, but it is confusing and he’s adding to the confusion rather than educating voters.
Again, Gilmore’s opposition to the fees is appreciated, but this is a very deceptive manner to raise money for his campaign. Wake up, Virginia. Donating to Gilmore or voting for Gilmore will do nothing to affect the “abuser fee’s issue.
