While Democrats Del. Brian Moran and Sen. Creigh Deeds voted in favor of massive tax increases to fund transportation and Gov. Tim Kaine’s transportation bill failed to muster even a single vote, it would appear that Republicans have solid ground in 2009 to demonstrate why they are the party of ideas and Democrats are mired in the same tired, old, tax-and-spend stereotype.
You would think, then, Republicans would be looking forward to setting the conditions in 2009.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling lays out the Republican transportation agenda nicely from his statement:
- Directed potential revenues associated with offshore drilling in Virginia to transportation.
- Enabled Hampton Roads localities to keep the tax revenues derived from the Port of Virginia and use those revenues to fund transportation projects in their region of the state.
- Enabled Northern Virginia localities to keep the tax revenue derived from the Dulles International Airport and the Ronald Reagan International Airport and use those revenues to fund transportation projects in their region of the state.
- Amended the Constitution of Virginia to prohibit the use of transportation dollars to pay for other government programs without super majority approval of the members of the General Assembly
- Ordered an external management review of the Virginia Department of Transportation to make certain that our transportation dollars are being spent effectively and efficiently and directed to our state’s highest transportation priority – congestion relief.
All Republicans need to be aligned going into 2009. This is a commonsense plan that more than adequately funds transportation projects without increasing taxes. Which makes Attorney General Bob McDonnell’s statement to the Washinton Post, as DJ McGuire points out today, somewhat confusing.
We have had seven years of Democratic governors, and the only plan that passed is the Republican plan that I helped pass last year.
While that is true, and so many Republicans supported it, the regional component failed to stand muster in the courts. Yes, the failures of the bill can be attributed to Gov. Kaine’s substitute amendments, but, the reality, is Republicans in the House of Delegates and Senate (they were still a majority at the time) passed it.
But McDonnell is also right.
The statewide component, which provides an average of $560 million a year in new transportation funding without a statewide tax increase, is alive and well. Once again, it was Republicans who made this happen last year with majorities in the House and the Senate.
Perhaps it is right to highlight that there was some success with 3202, but it has such a stigma associated with it, I would tread lightly; the past is the past, and the voters will judge it accordingly. But Republicans now can give the voters something to really think about, and they can do that by strongly and consistently advocating the responsible transportation proposals they submitted this special session, which includes McDonnell’s proposal to audit VDOT.
it’s time to look forward and advance the ball as a team, which will translate to electoral victory in 2009.
