Democrat’s plan for education – Freeing felons and raising taxes
By Brian Kirwin | Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 | PoliticsGive a close read to Democrat candidate Pat Edmonson’s education plan. After scrolling through her pages of fully funding Pre-K, hiring lots more teachers, free community college for every Virginia student, and tuition forgiveness for teachers, i read these doozies.
Reducing the amount of jail time for non violent offenders can save 30 percent, yielding $300 million for education.
Edmonson proposes freeing stalkers, child molesters, drunk driving manslaughterers, arsonists, child pornographers and those convicted of breaking and entering so she can hire more members for the teacher’s unions.
And, of course, it’s nice to see Democrats itching to raise taxes.
We propose a Readjustment of state income taxes for those making more than $200,000 a year. This would create a new tax bracket for the wealthiest Virginians, slightly increasing the state tax on their income.
A readjustment? Creating a new tax bracket and raising taxes almost a half-billion dollars is a readjustment? What would she call strangulation? Intermittent oxygen flow?
Edmonson said she was running as a progressive. Raising taxes and freeing felons to spend more in schools is about as liberal as you can get.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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11 Responses to "Democrat’s plan for education – Freeing felons and raising taxes"
Whoa! Back up a moment.
Edmonson’s plan specifically calls for a 30% reduction of jail time for non-violent offenders, and then specifically mentions victimless criminals. Your listing of stalkers, child molesters, drunk driving manslaughterers, arsonists, child pornographers, don’t fit the the bill.
Let’s keep the hysteria down a little, shall we?
According to U.S. Census data the top 5.4% of Virginian households will be affected by the .75% tax increase proposed by Edmonson’s plan. This means these households will be paying, on average, an additional $2,700 in taxes each year ($1500 per $200,000).
I suppose the question is this: Is this an investment that those who would be affected by that tax bracket are willing to make? The long term return on investment would likely mean a decrease in the need for the additional .75% in the long run, but the initial investment would be needed now. But, on the heels of a 2% federal increase…this may not be as palpable as before.
I think a closer look at the potentials for the return on investment is needed.
“Is this an investment that those who would be affected by that tax bracket are willing to make?”
Are you saying they’d have a choice?
And Joel, read what she wrote about criminals:
“Reducing the amount of jail time for non violent offenders can save 30 percent, yielding $300 million for education. This cost will be lowered further by encouraging public-private partnerships focused on rehabilitation and treatment of non-violent, victimless criminals.”
The “victimless criminals” are NOT included in the initial $300 million she cited. Her first sentence only says “non violent offenders”.
She doesn’t mention “victimless criminals” until she talks about public private partnerships for treatment, which is separate – notice her use of the word “further.”
So, by what she wrote, she wants to reduce jail time of non violent offenders, which include all the crimes I cited in my post, and separate from that, she wants public-private treatment for whatever a “victimless criminal” is.
Brian, I’m with you on the taxes but, you are stretching I think on the “non-violent offender” and “victimless crime” thing. What if she just wasn’t as specific as you would like and mistakenly meant them as synonyms?
By no stretch of the imagination is a child molester NOT a violent offender in my eyes. That is use of force or a coerced compliance pushed onto a child that is unable to competently consent. Maybe some arsonists make sure nobody is in the building but, otherwise that is violent if someone is in the fire. Perhaps manslaughter drunk drivers did not intend to be violent but, the action was violent none the less.
I thought Progressive and Liberal were the same thing. Oh, well. I learn something everyday.
I see public-private projects ALL the time. How Edmonson thinks this will be much more efficient than government, is puzzling. How about that SPSA, huh? There’s the big hole in her plan.
Personally, I think some jail sentences should be lowered and even put in different categories. Politicians always feel the need to be doing SOMETHING and being “Tough” on this or that. That’s why everything gets made into a felony charge now and, that pretty much tanks your possibility of getting a good job and being a productive citizen. If Bob McDonnell likes oral sex being a felony, I won’t put it past the Global Warming Extremers from wanting to make “passing gas” a felony. Perhaps having too many conservatives on the radio will be a felony.
However, if you lower sentences or adjust the level of the charge, it should be because you feel there is an inequity in the current system. NOT TO RAISE MONEY for your particular interest!!!
I’m using the same definition of “non violent offender” that Gov. Kaine used when he proposed the same thing this year.
Hysteria is the only speed Beltway BK knows.
well, it was my favorite Def Leopard song
Maybe the Dems should reconsider that VA rich tax. BO’s tax hike on the rich is generating enough angst.
“I have a few thoughts concerning your Corner post titled Bracketology. My wife and I are both Pediatricians. We own our own practice together. We have one PA and 7 other employees. We each gross about $200 K a year. We have 3 young children at home, 2 of which are not in school. We also employ an in home Nanny. My wife has been torn for years about not being at home for these children, which are our biggest investment in the future. We operate parallel S corperations as PC’s, with a 50/50 ownership of the LLC that is our business. We file taxes jointly. After crunching some numbers concerning the President’s tax hike proposals, I have come to the following conclusions. If the President’s plan is inacted, we will do the following:
1. My wife will become a stay at home mother.
2. At least 3 of my 7 employees will be released.
3. The practice will downsize to a smaller office space, i.e. less rent.
4. The number of patients cared for on a daily basis will drop by 40%.
5. My wife will come out of the forced ER call schedule for good.
6. I will gross $249,999.00 a year, exactly.
7. The net income of our personal home will decrease by less than $10 K a year from where it would have been if we changed nothing.”
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjY2ZjViOWUzYWU1NTMxOTkyNzU1NjRhNWFiZGZkNjc=
Once you throw in Obama’s little plans for capital gains, tax credits, and mortgage interest, the net result is a 60 percent tax bite when figured in with FICA and state taxes. Why bother working tons of hours if you get paid 40 percent less?
Brian,
I would like to clarify a few things. First off, I apologize for the confusion with the definition of nonviolent offenders. Nonviolent offenders refers only to those who commit a crime that is not violent and is not intended to harm others. Therefore, pedophiles, manslaughters, arsonist, etc, are not included in the crime reduction. Pat is not Governor Kaine, and does not support releasing pedophiles to pay for projects. Those people belong behind bars.
Additionally, this is only a minor increase on the taxes of the wealthiest Virginians. I would like to point out that this program is different than similar programs created in other states, ranging from Georgia to Massachusetts. In most states with government funded colleges the wealthiest do pay the most. However, in those states only the disadvantaged and middle class get state funded college. In our plan every Virginian would have access to state funded associate degrees.
all the best,
Geoff Spivey
Political Director
Virginians for Pat Edmonson
Thanks for the clarifications, Geoff. It’s good to know where Pat Edmonson disagrees with Governor Kaine.
In terms of the tax increase, there’s no such thing as getting a little bit pregnant.
I’ve grown weary of the Democratic Party targeting people who create jobs and confiscate their earnings for hiring more government employees.
What’s absent from Edmonson’s plan is any market approach to education, especially higher ed. The answer to the high cost of education isn’t to make the government pay for it.
I think some of Edmonson’s ideas will save our economy money. I think there are things that are not necessary. Let’s hike taxes great. Isn’t that what we need.
In other countries they offer felony employment protection acts and save a load of money in having to house less criminals. Instead they have normal, productive, active lifestyles. America keeps their felons with minimal survival opportunities and as a consequence we end up with the most populated prison system in the world. So really why would our society let anybody out of prison when we waste so much money discriminating against the ones who have a chance. Anybody helping felons gets my vote and we make up a vast amount of the population. Non violent or violent. Still highly discriminatory. Let’s base them on their achievements maybe they committed a violent felony and thought about it for years, daily.
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