We Needed More from the Governor
Like many others, I was not surprised to see the special session of the General Assembly produce nothing. There is no consensus in Virginia as to what can and should be done about transportation problems. On one side we have Senator John Chichester, who seems devoted to preservation of the existing, but flawed, system (e.g., VDOT lacks cost controls, the CTB can be manipulated into funding road projects that don't fix safety or mobility problems). Senator Chichester just wants to pour more taxpayer dollars into the broken machine, presumably with the hope that something good might happen.
On the other hand, we see many rural GOP House members who oppose another tax increase, having been burnt in 2004. The fact that many of their districts aren't suffering severe traffic congestion likely adds to their reluctance to raise taxes yet again.
In the middle were other GOP House members who offered either to shift funds to transportation in Hampton Roads and NoVA or, even, to raise some taxes in those regions.
Based on his recent remarks, one would have thought Governor Tim Kaine was also in the middle. But the Governor failed to lead; he abandoned the middle for Chichester. That was a big mistake on Kaine's part. One that might well cost the Commonwealth.
The Governor could have (and should have) attempted to broker a deal somewhere in the middle. He should have abandoned Chichester's position, which supports the current failed system, and made it clear that he wanted the middle ground also. I suspect that, if enough senators saw Chichester as isolated, they too might have looked for something in the middle.
Kaine continues to talk a good game, but does not seem able to follow through. Perhaps, he did not mean it when he campaigned as a fiscal moderate. (Jerry Kilgore warned us about that.) Maybe Kaine wants to duplicate Warner's feat of raising taxes with a GOP legislature. Kaine could be trying to reward big campaign contributors, many of whom want to see more road and rail building to enhance their real estate investments. But, in any event, the Governor missed an opportunity. He had the chance to be a leader, but he failed. We needed more from the Governor.
On the other hand, we see many rural GOP House members who oppose another tax increase, having been burnt in 2004. The fact that many of their districts aren't suffering severe traffic congestion likely adds to their reluctance to raise taxes yet again.
In the middle were other GOP House members who offered either to shift funds to transportation in Hampton Roads and NoVA or, even, to raise some taxes in those regions.
Based on his recent remarks, one would have thought Governor Tim Kaine was also in the middle. But the Governor failed to lead; he abandoned the middle for Chichester. That was a big mistake on Kaine's part. One that might well cost the Commonwealth.
The Governor could have (and should have) attempted to broker a deal somewhere in the middle. He should have abandoned Chichester's position, which supports the current failed system, and made it clear that he wanted the middle ground also. I suspect that, if enough senators saw Chichester as isolated, they too might have looked for something in the middle.
Kaine continues to talk a good game, but does not seem able to follow through. Perhaps, he did not mean it when he campaigned as a fiscal moderate. (Jerry Kilgore warned us about that.) Maybe Kaine wants to duplicate Warner's feat of raising taxes with a GOP legislature. Kaine could be trying to reward big campaign contributors, many of whom want to see more road and rail building to enhance their real estate investments. But, in any event, the Governor missed an opportunity. He had the chance to be a leader, but he failed. We needed more from the Governor.
posted by Toomanytaxes at 12:12 PM
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