The Washington Post is reporting that Gov. Warner seems to be pressuring the Senate to accept the House’s bill for tax reform, or at least no tax increase raising more than $1 billion.
The Post quotes Warner as saying he hopes the Senate “will honor the framework of the House proposal.”
Unfortunately, other progressive leaders seem ready to fold ‘em. There’s no more tireless advocate for our schools than Jean Bankos, president of the Virginia Education Association.
“I’d say I am extremely disappointed, but we’ll live to fight another day. If we can’t get there in this biennium, we can’t get there. We get as close to it as we possibly can and, in the end, hope that we have stemmed the tide of folks who think you can provide adequate quality education without having to pay for it.”
Stemmed the tide, but not turned it. I’m not sure why anyone would think we’d have a better chance next session, in an election year for the House of Delegates.
Another Post article states:
Politicians and activists still will be talking about this session during the 2005 election campaign. Virginia will elect a governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. All 100 seats in the House will be on the ballot as well. Tax opponents have threatened to challenge pro-tax GOP delegates in primaries.
True, but moderate GOPers have made noises about challenging conservatives. My favorite is the GOP treasurer of Virginia beach who has taken out an ad to recruit moderates.
Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Caroline, is not one of the “mavericks” who voted for the tax hike but he did vote to allow Fredericksburg localities to impose an additional gas tax. What happened to his no-tax hike stand?
Even the conservative editorial page of the Richmond Times Dispatch is squirming about the car tax cut, though they can’t bring themselves to say it’s been a disaster,
Good backgrounder on the two delegates that forged the House compromise bill in the Virginian Pilot. Seems both have been known to raise taxes locally.
Del. S. Chris Jones was a neighbor of former Gov. Mills Godwin, who pushed through the first sales tax in Virginia. Said Jones: “Today, he’d be a tax and spender, I guess, but 40 years later he’s called a visionary.”
Amen.
I wonder if the Dems can just call in their votes?
Only one of the 140 state legislators has asked to be removed from the Commonwealth Commonsense email list: Del. Chuck Hogan (R-Halifax). Here are two Hogan quotes about the Senate in Friday’s Gazette Virginian:
“I hope I’m wrong, but I think we’re dealing with some people who are very entrenched and have shown no indication they’re willing to compromise the least little bit.
“We offered the compromise bill with the best of intentions, but to go forward in a spirit of compromise when the Senate is unwilling to compromise is an exercise in futility.”
Earth to Hogan: The Senate has already knocked off $1.5 billion off its original bill and has indicated it will scuttle the income tax reform.
So until Del. Hogan demonstrates he’s learned some commonsense, I’ll leave him on the mailing list. I figure our representatives (even if they’re not in our district) don’t get to say who they hear from.
Gov. Warner has amended the same-sex marriage bill, but he was quick to point out that he’s against gay marriages.
I read this morning that Sen. John Kerry was quick to agree with President Bush’s tone deaf decision to support Israel’s keeping some of the West Bank settlements. Maybe Warner should be Kerry’s running mate.
Oh, the Virginian Pilot has it out for Freshman Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (R-Woodbridge), aka as the “28-year-old neophyte, whose life experience consists largely of creating political Web sites” who is “wet behind the ears” and who “substitutes platitudes for critical thought” and who “sophomorically implies….”
I just love it.