Virginia legislators just suffered through a triple-length session of the Assembly in Richmond simply because the House Republican caucus, determined to frustrate Democratic Governor Kaine, refused to pass a budget which provided new funding for solving Virginia+óGé¼Gäós serious transportation problems. Kaine, of course, was elected by the people of Virginia in large measure because of his transportation proposals, but right-wing no-tax ideologues stymied any rational effort to govern offered by either Governor Kaine or the moderate Republican Senate. Disgusted but desperate, Senators and the Governor finally compromised with a budget which, yet again, did not include anything for transportation, based on a +óGé¼+ôpromise+óGé¼-¥ by smug House Republicans to address transportation +óGé¼+ôlater.+óGé¼-¥With this kind of attitude, how likely is it anything substantive will be done about transportation?
Remember that, during the previous budget session, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads were promised by House Republicans that in exchange for their paying higher taxes to help resolve Virginia+óGé¼Gäós budget deficit and save the state+óGé¼Gäós AAA bond rating, they would receive a good transportation bill +óGé¼+ônext time around.+óGé¼-¥ But now is +óGé¼+ônext time around,+óGé¼-¥ and the House Republicans have broken their promise. Frankly, they lied last time and I can only assume they are lying again..
A good transportation system is the foundation of a vibrant economy. Virginia has not addressed the need for additional transportation funding for 20 years, since 1986, during which time, according to Delegate Ken Plum, D-Reston, population has increased by 20 percent, vehicle miles traveled went up by 79%, and the buying power of transportation dollars declined by 40 percent. In ten to twelve years all our transportation monies will have to go to maintenance only, and Virginia will not be able to match federal highway aid dollars, so those funds will go to other states.
That means no money will be available for mass transit including Metro or VRE, no money for new bridges or improved inter-changes to handle population growth, no innovative transportation technology, and probably no continued strong economy and job growth due to resulting gridlock.
What can be done to end this insufferable arrogance by House Republicans, who gladly tax Northern Virginia for their own purposes, but refuse to provide for Northern Virginia+óGé¼Gäós legitimate needs+óGé¼GÇ¥ that is, make them stop treating Northern Virginia like a colony?
We can force reforms on the legislature: restore the separation of the office of Speaker of the House from that of Majority Leader on the floor. The current Speaker, William J. Howell, R-Fredericksburg, combined these two functions, then used this enormous power to run Virginia+óGé¼Gäós House of Delegates very much as Tom DeLay bullied the national House of Representatives, and for the same partisan reasons. Speaker Howell at this session also decreed that any bill could be killed in a subcommittee by unrecorded vote, and never be presented to the full committee much less to the entire House of Delegates. This means that as few as two Delegates in Republican-dominated sub-committees can and did easily assassinate any piece of legislation without anyone knowing who voted how, thus freeing themselves of all accountability.
Thus the Speaker has made himself a partisan dictator with abundant malice aforethought. This passes for leadership among Republicans, who have proved once again, they simply cannot govern.
Better yet, we can see to it that every obstructionist member of the Republican caucus, every member of that malicious cabal including their fearless leader, William Howell, suffers a profound career adjustment in the next election cycle. They have proved they cannot govern, so terminate their careers. The idea, Delegate Cox, is not that transportation funding has been discredited, but that you, and your entire scurvy crew, have been discredited. You+óGé¼Gäóre fired!