Kilgore Thinks Money Grows on Trees
By: Lowell
Published On: 3/14/2005 2:00:00 AM
There's a great editorial in today's Hampton Roads Daily Press which (rightfully) trashes Jerry Kilgore's supposed "plan" for fixing Virginia's transportation mess. Specifically, the Daily Press blasts Kilgore for, on the one hand, admitting that the state has "a huge need to bring on more roads now and in the future," but on the other hand being completely unwilling to do what's necessary to pay for them. The only thing Kilgore can really say, since taxes are anathema to the far right-wing part of his base (leaving aside the minor detail that Kilgore still refuses to sign the wingnuts' anti-tax "pledge"), is that he'll raid the state's general fund. This is, not to mince words, sheer lunacy.
As the Daily Press editorial puts it, "Historically, general funds have not been used to build roads." Why not? For starters, the Daily Press points out, the concept normally is that people who use the roads the most should pay the most. Hence, we have things like the gas tax (and tolls) to pay for roads. For everything else - schools, health care, police, parks, and much more -- we have the general fund. So what would raiding the general fund to pay for transportation -- the "Black Hole of state spending" -- do to all the other critical services the state funds? Well, let's put it this way: until money starts growing on trees, they're going to be hurting big time!
Let's make this real. If Kilgore gets his way and takes Virginia back to the fiscally irresponsible pre-Warner days, we can all sit back and watch our public schools and great universities deteriorate, our elderly and sick die from lack of adequate care, our state parks fall apart, and our law enforcement officers have to cut back on officers and equipment -- letting criminals get away with murder!
Does all this "Kilgore economics" sound like a good idea to you? If so, then vote for Jerry Kilgore in November! If not, you might want to try another option: Tim Kaine. In other words, you can vote for fiscal sanity, or you can vote to join Jerry Kilgore's "fantasy" world, the one in which money grows on trees.
PS Hey Jerry, didn't your Daddy ever teach you anything? I know mine always said, "money doesn't grow on trees ya know!")
Comments