McDonnell and Bolling demonstrate leadership on budget; will Kaine, Deeds and Moran follow?
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As you are well aware by now, the commonwealth is some $2-3 billion in the hole because Jody Wagner, former Secretary of Finance and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, forgot to carry “the one”. Regardless of how we got here though, now is time for state “leaders” to demonstrate what they’re made of.
You can get no clearer picture on how government should respond than by looking at the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General Bob McDonnell.
Both the AG and LG have slashed their budgets: The AG by 9.1% over the biennium and the LG by 7.5% next year.
“These are difficult times. This economic downturn, and sustained uncertainty, is forcing Virginia families and businesses to make hard decisions, and Virginia’s government must do likewise,” said Attorney General Bob McDonnell, candidate for governor in 2009. “As the Governor determines what budget cuts to order by executive action I have taken this proactive step. Our office has cut our general fund budget by 9.1%, totaling nearly $3.8 million, and increasing our total budget cuts over the past two years to 14.1%. Also, I have returned my official state car, and reduced my salary by 2%.”
Bolling said that while his budget cut won’t significantly impact reducing the shortfall, actions speak louder than words.
“As Lieutenant Governor, I have been a consistent advocate for controlled state spending and keeping government focused on its core responsibilities,” Lieutenant Governor Bolling said. “Certainly tough decisions lie ahead. However, these challenges also present us with an opportunity to look for further efficiencies in state government and implement other strategies to assure that we are spending the taxpayers’ money more effectively.”
Now that the AG and LG have demonstrated their leadership, will Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) be able to convince Majority Leader Saslaw to spend the taxpayers’ money more wisely? Or how about Del. Brian Moran (D-Alexandria)? Will he be able to lead his party to work with House Republicans at coming up with a balanced budget? Will these two Democrats, who want to be your next governor, be able to match the will of McDonnell and Bolling?
Of course, we need not worry about what Jody Wagner would do: She obviously would just round down. And as for the governor, since he has all sorts of free time on his hands now that he wasn’t selected for VP by Sen. Barack Obama, maybe he’ll actually take a look at the budget this time.
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Kudos to our great Lt. Gov. for being proactive in this move, especially when his budget is so limited as is. It’s nice to see the ‘09 GOP ticket so quick to find ways to be even smarter and more judicious with citizen funds.
I don’t suppose Jody (Oops, now I’m $3B off!) Wagner left a reduction plan for her staff before she bailed out of the office to run for LG.
I think that the voluntary cuts made by the Attorney General and Lt. Governor are fantastic. The Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States as a whole is facing a weakening economy. Many hardworking Virginians are undoubtedly having to tighten their belt a bit, and it is crucial that their Government leaders do the same. Both the AG and the LG have demonstrated by their recent actions that they are more than willing to do this. Unfortunately Jody Wagner has not demonstrated this willingness and has in fact shown quite the opposite, putting us nearly 3 billion dollars in the hole. This lack of responsibility is certainly not we need in a Lt. Governor in times of financial crisis. What we do need is someone who is willing to act proactively and bring financial responsibility back to the Commonwealth, which is something I believe Bill Bolling is actively working on, and will continue to push for when re-elected.
I believe that Jody Wagner has clearly demonstrated her ineptitude in catering to even the most basic of Virginia’s financial and political needs. Her irresponsible work with the budget and revenue predictions has put our commonwealth into a $3B hole and the current economic crisis only heightens her mistakes. Virginians cannot afford to even consider her or her fiscal management for statewide office after these unforgivable errors in judgment. We are lucky that Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell are already showing the kind of proactive leadership we need. It’s time for Republicans to solidly reclaim the “fiscal stewardship” mantle and Bolling will do that.
Jody Wagner’s irresponsible work with the budget and revenue predictions has put our commonwealth into a $3Billion Dollar RED hole!! The spending in Virginia politics is out of this world. We need fiscal responsibility and our Lt. Governor has really been great at making that case!
In these times of financial upheaval, we cannot afford to even consider Wagner’s fiscal management approach. She just isn’t what Virginia needs, especially with the budget mess we are going to have to deal with now the Kaine has been just as irresponsible and reckless with our hard earned tax money.
Our dear Lt. Governor, Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell are showing the kind of proactive, experienced, responsible leadership we need to keep our state in the black. It’s time for Republicans to solidly reclaim the “fiscal stewardship” mantle of Virginia government. I know that Bill Bolling can do that, I have full confidence in him!!!
If budgeting were as simple as “rounding up or down” or “carrying the 1″, you wouldn’t need a huge staff and legislative approval to do it. Your comments about Wagner are off-base. Virginia’s performance has been far superior to most other states; it’s not a coincidence that the state was named “best managed” by Congressional Quarterly under her and Kaine’s leadership. These are unprecedented economic times. At least Virginia is one of the few states that still has a AAA bond rating, thanks to Wagner’s efforts. As a result, Virginia will be one of the few states that can actually raise money in this terrible credit market.