Cross-county connector ‘scare tactics’ were unjustified

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008

Those of you who attended saw the passion of those who opposed this expensive and unwanted highway. A passion that in some cases got out of hand, I am sorry to say. Regardless, there were many good points made against this very expensive, unwanted and unneeded project.

The Charles County commissioners and two county employees tried to use unjustified scare tactics as they spoke in detail about the deaths and injuries that have occurred on Billingsley Road and the need to get the traffic off the road to alleviate this tragic problem. One speaker went so far as to say that people who were opposed to the road did not care about the young people in the county who were going to be killed or injured on Billingsley Road if the cross-county connector was not built. (Sounds like the tactics that are being used by the president against opponents of the Iraqi war — if you are against the war you are against the soldiers.)

The fact they did not relay in their statements is that even if the cross-county connector is built, Billingsley Road will still exist. It will still be just as dangerous, and will still badly be in need of upgrading and improvements. There are numerous houses on the seven miles of Billingsley Road that will still be there and the people who live in those houses will still have to traverse the road to get to their destination.

In addition, should a bad accident occur on the cross-county connector, Billingsley Road will be one of the alternates for traffic to reach their destinations in Bryans Road or Waldorf.

The fact remains that this road is not needed, regardless of whether it turns out to be an impact on the environment or not. The citizens of this county cannot afford another spending spree by the county commissioners like a golf course that loses money, a skating rink that loses money, a baseball park that in future years will undoubtedly also lose money, and millions for a 1.8-acre site for a library. County governments around the Unites States have found that it is not economically smart to be involved in entertainment venues.

The economy is in bad shape and jurisdictions all around us are looking for ways to cut expenditures so they do not have to raise taxes, but still give the citizens of their jurisdictions the services they need.

It is time our commissioners woke up to the fact that a majority of the citizens are sick of their tax-and-spend policies. It appears that it is time for the citizens to start a recall of these elected officials and get them out of office before they put us all in the poor house.

Robert J. Catlin Sr., Bryans Road