Even Ty Cobb Sr. is Confused

No. 37 -- VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILWAY -- Nevada Railroad Reconstruction Chronicles NOVEMBER UPDATE ON THE VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILWAY PROJECT

When is a railroad not a railway? When it's in Virginia City, that's when! Ty Cobb Sr. doesn't appear to know the difference.

Today, November 16, 2009, Ty Cobb Sr. was being interviewed by Bill Manders. I'm going to say right here that I don't listen to Manders often, but I happened to turn the radio on to switch to 99.1 and there he was interviewing Cobb.

Now, in the previous half hour Cobb was speaking in favor of building Yucca Mountain, saying that even (so-called) conservatives like Governor Jim Gibbons were against it. He and Manders were staking out a locally unpopular pro-Yucca position, so you'd think you were talking to two real right-wingers, right?


I decided to do one of my rare radio show call-ins. Usually I save my ammo to call a more high-profile host occasionally, like my call the Rush Limbaugh earlier this year. In this case, here's Ty Cobb Sr., former national security advisor to President Ronald Reagan, and he's on the local radio station where I can call him.

Since the V&T Railway Reconstruction folks just admitted their budget would go over $70 million, I wanted to know what he thought.

It was interesting. First, it's very easy to get on KOH, as long as you make your point quickly. If the call screener picks up and you ramble, he'll say no and hang up on you.

So I asked Mr. Cobb a question like this: "I wanted to know what you think of the railroad reconstruction project, not the private company but the government commission, now that they have admitted their budget will go over $70 million."

Manders jumped in and facetiously suggested that we should just all pay our taxes and shut up. Once he was done having his fun, I interjected, "Their initial budget was $10 million."

Ty Cobb senior then surprised me, sort of. I am getting used to conservatives setting aside their principles (they're called Republicans) and gobbling up public money "because if we don't someone else will."

Cobb said the project was near and dear to his heart because HIS FAMILY HAD GIVEN LAND TO THE RAILROAD. I realize it's a simple slip of the tongue, but he gave his land to the GOVERNMENT, NOT THE VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILROAD.

So for anyone reading this, realize that the Virginia and Truckee RAILROAD is a private entity that has never taken a dime of government money. The Virginia and Truckee Railway is the government commission whose budget has grown seven-fold.

It's also funny, you know about the V&T Lives license plates? The Northern Nevada Railway Foundation claims credit for these, and that's a different story. What's relevant is that the money from the license plates goes directly to the Nevada Commission to Reconstruct the Virginia and Truckee Railway.

Now, getting tongue in cheek myself, not only is the government reconstruction project stealing a name from the private Virginia and Truckee Railroad, they are actually stealing the license plate revenue. If you look at the specific license plate law (also copied at the end of this post), it says the revenue goes to the ... you guessed it ... Virginia and Truckee RAILROAD!!! The Gray's have never seen a dime of this money ;>)

I guess if the Nevada Revised Statutes and the entire Nevada Legislature is confused about the names, it's OK for Ty Cobb Sr. to be confused.

That's all for now,
Jim

PS THE NEVADA REVISED STATUTES ON THE LICENSE PLATES ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE PRIVATE RAILROAD, at least the way the law is written. We all know where it's supposed to go...

NRS 482.37945 Support of reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of Virginia & Truckee Railroad.

1. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Department, in cooperation with the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation or its successor, shall design, prepare and issue license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad using any colors that the Department deems appropriate. The design of the license plates must include a depiction of a locomotive of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and the phrase “The Virginia & Truckee Lives.” The Department shall not design, prepare or issue the license plates unless it receives at least 250 applications for the issuance of those plates.

2. If the Department receives at least 250 applications for the issuance of license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the Department shall issue those plates for a passenger car or light commercial vehicle upon application by a person who is entitled to license plates pursuant to NRS 482.265 and who otherwise complies with the requirements for registration and licensing pursuant to this chapter. A person may request that personalized prestige license plates issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 be combined with license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad if that person pays the fees for the personalized prestige license plates in addition to the fees for the license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad pursuant to subsections 3 and 4.

3. The fee for license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad is $35, in addition to all other applicable registration and license fees and governmental services taxes. The license plates are renewable upon the payment of $10.

4. In addition to all other applicable registration and license fees and governmental services taxes and the fee prescribed in subsection 3, a person who requests a set of license plates for the support of the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad must pay for the initial issuance of the plates an additional fee of $25 and for each renewal of the plates an additional fee of $20, to be distributed pursuant to subsection 5.

5. The Department shall transmit the fees collected pursuant to subsection 4 to the treasurer with whom the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V & T Railway of Carson City and Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Washoe Counties has entered into an agreement as required by subsection 2 of section 8 of chapter 566, Statutes of Nevada 1993, for deposit in the fund created pursuant to that section. The fees transmitted pursuant to this subsection must be used only for the reconstruction, maintenance, improvement and promotion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.

6. If, during a registration year, the holder of license plates issued pursuant to the provisions of this section disposes of the vehicle to which the plates are affixed, the holder shall:

(a) Retain the plates and affix them to another vehicle that meets the requirements of this section if the holder pays the fee for the transfer of the registration and any registration fee or governmental services tax due pursuant to NRS 482.399; or

(b) Within 30 days after removing the plates from the vehicle, return them to the Department.

(Added to NRS by 2001, 583; A 2003, 6, 499)