If we say government stupidity are we being redundant? Is there any other word we can use to describe the government that is not some variation of stupid?
In the pantheon of there is one government idea that may not be winner for the dumbest government idea of all time, but it certainly rates an honorable mention.
What is it?
It is the idea of HOV lanes.
HOV lanes have got to be one of the dumbest ideas of all time. The first and quite possibly the worst HOV lane in the world has to be 395 in Washington DC. Washington’s traffic is a legendary nightmare and if you are as ADD as I am, getting trapped in it is like the 7th circle of hell.
Yesterday, I got stuck for two hours in HOV hell.
I flew back from Wisconsin into Reagan National. My flight landed at 3:30 PM and I was able to quickly get my car and escape. By 3:45 I was on the interstate. By 5:45 I had gone all of twenty miles.
The theory of HOV lanes is that during rush hour, the only cars that can go in the HOV lane are those with two or more passengers. In DC, it is three or more. DC has a long, straight, separate and mostly unused HOV lane. While I sat in traffic purgatory, moving at a rate that could be measured at inches per hour, in the HOV lane, an occasional car buzzed on down the mostly empty road.
The idea with forcing people to use carpooling is to reduce the amount of gas that we use. This was one of the bad ideas that came out of the 70’s. It is also proof that no matter how bad an idea is, once the government creates it, it will continue to grow like a really bad case of flesh eating bacteria. Of course, dealing with flesh eating bacteria is much more pleasant that dealing with the government.
Washington is now working on an even bigger HOV lane so that even more drivers will not use it during rush hour.
Has it occurred to the brain donors that run Washington that by creating massive traffic jams, all that is happening is that while the few people in the HOV lanes are using less gas, many more people are using a lot more gas in stop and start traffic? Has it ever occurred them that if they just opened up all of those lanes, more people would move faster and less gas would be used?
Of course not. That requires the ability to think which is something our elected officials and government bureaucrats mostly lack.
We complain about elected officials with room temperature IQ’s. Some of the people enacting our laws don’t hit the charts high enough to thaw ice. I am beginning to believe it is a requirement for Federal candidates, at least in the blue states that when they file their qualifying papers they must sign a statement that says, “I certify under penalty of perjury that I am a complete moron!”
Unfortunately the HOV lanes are just a symptom of what we see with government. It continues to grow out of control. Even with Republicans in charge of the government, government grows.
When will this insanity stop?
We the people do not want to drive in HOV lanes so we don’t. Our elected officials do not get the message. We the people do not want these crappy hybrid cars. We do not want the green boondoggles.
We have massive numbers of government programs that are either complete failures, total wastes of money or just blatant attempts to buy votes.
When will we the people stand up and say enough?
Plato is quoted as saying, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
Plato was wrong. We have smart people involved in politics and we are still governed by our inferiors. They are called Congress.
Tags: HOV, congress, government, lane, politicians, programs, stupid
Permalink Reply by Thomas Angle on When will we the people stand up and say enough?
Been wondering that myself. I have been ready for quite a while now.
Permalink Reply by Kristin Fecteau on Permalink Reply by Arnold Wray Oliver on Permalink Reply by Arnold Wray Oliver on Judson: you are only partially correct in your justification for HOV lanes. Saving gas is certainly one benefit but if a car is carrying three people in the HOV lanes that elimantes 2 cars from the lane you are in or any other lane. The main idea is to get cars off the unrestricted lanes and reduce congestion. Sadly, the use of ones automobile is considered a right, not a priviledge. In the old west a horse was a man's most valued possession and horse thieves were hanged on the spot. There is not enough money in the world to build enough lanes so every one can go at their own pace, unimpeded so the best that can be done to reduce congestion is to TRY to encourage people to use other methods (carpools and HOV lanes) or for the government to mandate the number of automobiles any one family can own. We certainly don't want that do we? Why not get two other people to ride with you and encourage others to do the same?
Permalink Reply by Thomas Angle on I get the point. It is like welfare. Government can not give a job to everyone a good job. So they give some welfare so they are not forced to work bad jobs.
All jokes aside, HOV is just the government forcing they will upon us. They rather feed crack heads and whores than build better roads for the people who pay the taxes to get to work.
Permalink Reply by Richard E. Nygaard on Arnold, neither HOV lanes nor gettin two of three cars off the highway will save gas or relieve congestion. I traveled the roads in and around D. C. going back to the mid-fifties. HOV lanes did not exist back then but as they evolved and built more roads, folks just refused to use public transportation unless they just had to or it was just too convenient and inexpensive. I remember opting to ride the bus in D. C. when O. Roy Chalk still owned D. C. Transit. It cost me a quarter and I was taken to a stop right in front of one of my places of work. Going home I was taken to a block from my home. But then I exercised my right to locate my family to safer neighborhoods in Northern VA and then had to drive to work. Public transportation was not available. But the story is and was the same nationwide. The Gas shortages (concocted as they were in the seventies) led to a major push for ride sharing, Hov lanes, rapid rail, Metro, and other methods with the objective of getting cars off the streets. I left this area for 25 years and when I returned there were more highways and more HOV lanes and more Metro lines but worst of all more traffic than I had ever seen....and I remember Tysons Corners when it was all vacant land and only a two lane paved road all the way to Leesburg and beyond.
Forget about ride sharing and the rest of it, Nothing will ever get folks out of their cars. The answer is to cut the Government payroll by at least half and watch the traffic problem disappear overnight. Of course that is only a temporary solution as well. For as soon as it is cut, the career employees will begin their lobbying for more help and larger government programs....job security you know. And no, I would not want the Government ever to tell me I could not own more than one car, what kind of car I must own and when I could or could not drive it. Matter of fact, that is why I will never ever own a GM Car. Never have, never will.
Permalink Reply by Gene Swank on So Cal put these in over 10 years ago and the accident rate went up 35%. They only let you on or off at certain places. Every one of those places becomes a bottle neck for you only have less then a half mile to cross 5 lanes of traffic to get off at your exit. They do get full during rush hour but the traffic goes at a slow walk. It doesnt work and has never worked. If they would open them to all traffic the traffic would move again like it used to. Then they built a toll road in Orange county. The price goes up during rush hour, very few people use them and all they do is cost the tax payer money for up keep and patrols. Stupid is as stupid does!!!!!!!!!!!
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Sheppard on Having lived in the Dale City area, working in Crystal City and flying in and out of Reagan National, I agree with you...the HOV lanes were stupid when I lived in the Los Angeles and they are stupid in the Washington area. Many people will still car pool even if the HOV lane was open to everyone and using the other lane would certainly help that congestion.
Permalink Reply by Rich Knoch on Wait till the District permits Chevy Dolt owners the use of the HOV lane with only a driver!
If they blow up or burn, they will, at least, be segregated from gridlocked traffic☺
Government Motors is at its zenith . . only a few short years to their REAL bankruptcy . . these guys have outwardly stolen taxpayers money, given it to the Unions and also have a $45 billion dollar tax credit - - - - money to burn!
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/300075/obama-and-gm-cook-boo...
Brain-Dead government's modus operandi: If it moves, tax it . . if it keeps moving, regulate it . . if it stops, subsidize it!
Our federal government (and DC government, also) are case study's in incompetency?
Permalink Reply by Thomas Nunn on I read an article some years back written by a Professor of traffic engineering, the article dealt with building new roads in/around Washington to relieve the traffic congestion.
In the article he mathematically proved that building new roads/routes would not relieve the congestion.
I read it twice just to be sure I understood him correctly.
There's an old theory that says two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time,
Yet this "Professor", mathematically, proved that regardless of the space between two objects, (different roads/routes) the space between them would not increase. (still congested)
This paper was prepared and given to Congress to advise them on legislation for new roads/routes around Washington.
I regret that I didn't save the article.
Permalink Reply by Rich Knoch on We have the solution at the voting booth . . . . first, elect Constitutional Conservatives and then have them abide by the Constitution . . . Washington, DeCeit would automagically become less congested (without building any new roads, streets, etc.) as budgets are cut or totally eliminated for useless or near useless Agencies and Departments, traffic congestion would go away . . . don't feed the bears!
First to go . . . the Departments of Education, EPA, Energy (this would be a good start) and the IRS would shrink down to an inwardly focused (auditing government entities) financial and operational audit group . . . . focused 98% on the government.
Soon . . . quite soon, traffic congestion would become a thing of the past . . . .Washington, DC might be a city you would want to live in?
Permalink Reply by 2a5jnma1m9pz7 on Well, folks, ya see, sometimes, "government" agencies REALLY DO try to "alleviate" a problem, but, AAAAAH, sometimes, and, probably, MOST times, these "government" agencies only "do" something to APPEAR as if they're trying to " alleviate" a problem, . . . . as if they're TRYING to alleviate a problem !
Ya see, governments are NOTORIOUS at " treating " the SYMPTOMS of a problem, rather than to treat the CAUSE of a problem ! If " governments " would ever, ever, EVER learn to treat the CAUSE of a problem, WELL, then the SYMPTOMS would GO AWAY, wouldn't they ? . . . . . . DUUUUUH, . . . . . .
© 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
