Today's newspapers have lots of commentary on the Virginia transportation monstrosity, aka the "Republican 'save our jobs' bill."
*In the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star David S. Kerr asks, "Will we see a Kaine mutiny on roads?" and "Where do we go from here?" Kerr adds that the challenge for Governor Kaine - who "will shortly take to the road arguing that the GOP plan is flawed, puts future commitments for critical state services at risk, and pushes the burden of taxes onto the localities" - is to "convince the voters that they can do better."
*The Virginian-Pilot reviews "The good, bad and ugly of GOP's road truce," arguing that getting ANYTHING done on transportation was a "major accomplishment," but also that "it's far from a triumph, which it won't be until it is fixed in Richmond and approved by wary local governments." The Virginia-Pilot concludes, "let's not pretend - any of us - that the serious work is finished."
*Also in the Virginian-Pilot, Margaret Edds writes that Governor Kaine's " biggest gamble would be a veto, setting transportation up as the central issue in November elections for all 140 legislative seats." Edds warns that "[c]ausing the fragile agreement to collapse could cost Kaine dearly in Hampton Roads, where politicians have struggled for years to come to consensus."
*The Moonie...er, Washington Times credits Governor Kaine's "various responses to the compromise transportation package" with having "achieved the impossible: uniting virtually all General Assembly Republicans in favor of a transportation bill that does not include statewide tax increases." The Times has harsh words for Fairfax County Supervisor Gerry Connolly, writing, "If Mr. Connolly finds road maintenance to be beneath him (or too overwhelming), perhaps he should seek a new line of work." The Times concludes that "it would be a mistake to count out Mr. Kaine" as he attempts to "recast the Republicans as the bad guys."
*Democratic Caucus Leader Del. Brian Moran writes an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch entitled, "Wanted: Better Plan: Transportation Proposal Raids Schools, Puts State Into Debt." Moran adds that the "GOP Prefers Gimmicks," that "[t]hey plan to cut nearly $200 million from education, health care, and pubic safety to pay the bill for roads," and that "[e]ven with raiding and borrowing, the Republican plan is inadequate for the state's needs." And Moran lays out the bottom line choice once Governor Kaine fixes the bill and sends it back to the General Assembly: "Raid other services and go into debt -- or invest in the future and improve our economy." That doesn't exactly seem like a difficult choice, but stay tuned, this IS the Republican legislature we're talking about here. :)
*Finally, if you missed it, the Washington Post's Steven Pearlstein on Friday recommended "financial secession" for Northern Virginia. Pearlstein notes that Nothern Virginia has complained "for years" that "when it comes to state taxes and state spending, there's a two-lane highway heading down to Richmond, and a one-lane road coming back."
The general fund is a net loss for Northern Virginia so reductions actually keep more money here.
Then we can argue about funding from a local level perspective.
Having up to 400 million stay in NoVa is much better than a statewide funding package where we would get say 300 back and send 400
1) That transportation is an investment not just for one region, but for the entire state, and therefore should mainly be handled at the state level.
2) That the optimal way to pay for transportation is through a dedicated, long-term source of sustainable revenues, like a tax on gasoline (currently, Virginia's is one of the lowest in the nation and could easily be raised a few cents a gallon without affecting anyone much).
3) That transportation should NOT be paid for by taking money away from education, health care, public safety, or the environment, even if it's only 1% or whatever. That's just not the right way to go about this at all.
In sum, I think Pearlstein's article is thought provoking but wrong.
It was entitled, Polls, past and future, drove GA roads plan.
It goes into political calculations with alot of quotes for right winger Paul Jost.
There is one simple, constitutional, legal, tradidtional way to solve this problem - (a) raise gas taxes or (b) apply the sales tax to gas (superior).
The GOP plan looks like a bunch of kids play twister. We don't need new layers of bureacracy, taxes on things that don't have anything to do with transportation, or Boards of Supervisors casting the actual votes to raise taxes.
The papers should universally condemn this plan as a joke and tell the Republican Party of Virginia to stop hating government and start acting like responsible stewards of the people's business. If they did THAT we'd see an overnight change in the GOP attitude.
The problem is that they are all so afraid of alienating their news sources and so exasperated with the GOP intransigence (or enthralled by the GOP leadership's insane hubris), they won't do it.