Communist-style citizen ratings in Fairfax County, Virginia?
Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the richest counties in the nation, lies figuratively in the shadow of the nation's capital. Highly-paid federal government workers and government contractors are the reason why.
I recently visited the offices of Dranesville supervisor John W. Foust (located in the McLean Government Center) — one of many sitting on its Board of Supervisors. Two signs — one is for electric vehicles, the second is for hybrid vehicles—greeted me.
Photo by Nicholas Kalis.
Those signs identified the prized parking spaces nearest the entry to this facility. They seem even closer to the doorway than the handicapped parking spot. I guess being handicapped is just so passé these days.
So now we have two classes of citizens. The most favored parking spaces are for the woke (the owners of hybrid and electric vehicles), and the rest of us are consigned to second-class parking spaces.
I thought the mantra of the left was to battle divisiveness. Do such signs not divide us? I think so. When I brought this to the attention of the young lady minding Supervisor Foust's office, her response was to tell me that "there are plenty of other parking spaces available."
I could sense she was congratulating herself for this quick riposte. But then again, most freedom-lovers have heard this sort of response before. I think I could see that for myself — and that misses the point.
Obviously, no one with the county government considered the impact of such signs beyond their woke intent. What about the elderly and less advantaged who cannot afford a new hybrid or electric car? Do they not count? Apparently not.
What about the fact that so much of our electricity is generated by coal and nuclear power? Unless the nuclear power comes from a new generation plant or the coal is especially clean-burning, it seems to me that gasoline is both a safer and cleaner alternative to these two — but why let facts get in the way of being woke or a social justice warrior?
So citizen ratings in Fairfax are apparently as follows: first, the woke who drive hybrid or electric vehicles, then the handicapped (most parking spaces so designated remaining unused), and, lastly, the rest of us.
And those of my readers who think this is no big deal should remember that this is just one more maniacal policy in what will be a long string of nutty policies. In today's Communist China, Big Brother rates its citizens with a "citizen rating." We are not so far from that here in Fairfax County. As things now stand, your parking space at government offices is dictated by your citizen rating.
And since our board is on the warpath for social justice, why stop at these signs? Why not change the county seal to include a hammer and sickle? Truth in advertising is a good thing.
Incidentally, one look at the group portrait of this Board of Supervisors shows that it will take a lot more than these parking signs to achieve the wokeness or hipness they seek. I might suggest they try some tie-dyed shirts, instead, if that is the direction in which they are going.
Image: The McLean Government Center parking lot. Google maps.
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