Waldo and I discuss on “Weekend Virginia” the comments Mark Warner made against the Republican ticket a few days ago which effectively called them obstructionists to the Warner tax hike. We also discuss the future debate and how the economy and political philosophies fit in the context of that debate.
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter. 
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WHAT!!! What do you mean that record tax increase foisted on us by Warner “Probably” wasn’t needed. IT WASN”T!!!! There is no doubt.
Warner screamed from the mountain tops that we were DOOMED unless we passed that record tax increase on Virginians and allowed him to break his word on not raising taxes.
Let me give you a time line:
Warner and GOP RINOs(yes there’s that term) passed his budget including the massive tax increase. Remember it was the ONLY thing that could save us.
After that in the Virginian Pilot was an article in May detailing Aprils revenue results:
May 15, 2004
VA. TAX REVENUES SHOW SIGNS THAT ECONOMY IS ON THE MEND
Author: Christina Nuckols THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
“Revenues are rolling into state coffers at a rapid pace, suggesting that Virginia’s economic recovery is in full swing.”
“Tax collections for April grew 22.5 percent over the same month in 2003, according to a report released Friday by Finance Secretary John M. Bennett. Revenue growth for the first 10 months of the state’s budget year is 9.5 percent, well above the 6.7 percent needed to cover government expenditures.”
“Other revenues also are outpacing official forecasts. Year-to-date growth in income taxes deducted from paychecks is 7.3 percent and sales tax collections are up 9.4 percent. Corporate income tax growth stands at 26 percent.”
“”The economy is strong and getting stronger,” said Del. Harry R. “Bob” Purkey, R-Virginia Beach. “This is verifying all along that, literally, we did not need to impose this degree of tax increases.”"
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Ok, want to know what the budget was at the end of the year? Want to know if it was balanced or we got the evil shortfall Warner said was coming?
July 23, 2004
STATE BUDGET SURPLUS BREAKS CASH RECORD
Author: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
“The state ended its 2004 budget year with a record-breaking $323.8 million surplus, Gov. Mark R. Warner announced Thursday.”
*****************************************************************
To review, since so many Democrats don’t acknowledge reality:
Evidence in the Pilot that Mark Warner raised taxes unnecessarily-
May 15th 2004
Actual results that we had a SURPLUS-
July 23rd 2004 $323.8 Million surplus.
Oh and when did Warner’s tax increase go into effect for the very first time? You know……the tax that would save us from that budget shortfall that really ended up being a surplus?
September 1, 2004
STATE TAX INCREASES TAKE EFFECT
BUDGET FIGHT LIKELY TO SPILL INTO THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR
Author: Warren Fiske THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
“Virginia’s sales tax increases by a half-cent on the dollar today, and the levy on cigarettes goes up to 20 cents a pack.”
“The cost of buying a home will be marginally more expensive because the fee for recording deeds is being raised. And monthly bills for electricity, gas and telephones eventually could rise because of the repeal of a tax break for utility companies.”
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Too bad Kilgore was such a poor candidate to run at Kaine.
Remember, Warner is the guy that two prominent Republicans endorsed over Gilmore. At the end of Gilmore’s term, the rainy day fund was HUGE. Warner tapped into it when the economy went south. The NATIONAL recession wasn’t Warner’s fault, but it wasn’t Gilmore’s either!
When you look at the fantastic job Gilmore did, see how Warner lied and raised taxes needlessly, watch Gilmore get pilloried for something that wasn’t his fault, watch RINOs sit and watch their own get buried by the press and the Democrat machine, see the PITIFUL backing of Gilmore by the GOP vs. Warner for senate, watch 2 shameless alleged Republicans endorse Warner,witness the debacle of the HRTA…………
Those are many of the countless reasons I’m no longer a Republican! A party I was once proud of.
So, the current ticket opposing that previous tax hike is a GOOD thing!! Go ahead and call them obstructionists! We should defend and be proud of that. Well……………………..the real conservatives anyway.
Great explanation. I agree with it completely.
But I also like how you failed to mention that I said it was the largest tax increase in Virginia history and that you only picked up on one word…and somehow managed to imply that I wasn’t a conservative.
Glad to know that I can count on you at taking me out of context, Britt.
mark warner likes taxes. after he voted for obama’s stimulus, he went over to hug chuck schumer (i watched on CSPAN). remember chuck schumer: Americans don’t care about pork? mark warner HUGGED him!
Some “radical centrist” he’s turning out to be….Warner should just drop the centrist part.
Mark Warner is stiff-arming the business interests that helped get him elected as both Gov. and Sen. now that he is in the Sen. They can’t get a word in to him. Many who I have spoken with are vowing never to support him again in any capacity. I just can’t believe that it took them this long to figure that out.
J.R., while I did focus on the word “probably”, I did in no way mean to imply that that you weren’t conservative. I guess I moved on from wanting to say we should be bolder in defending the truth, on to my general frustration at the whole sordid history.
That little line at the bottom “real conservatives”was meant for people that secretly, or not so secretly, applauded when Gilmore was falsely maligned. I wouldn’t count you among them. At that point, I wasn’t even thinking about you, I was reliving that “ticked off” feeling that returns everytime I hear about that tax increase, how M. Warner is a wonderful politician, or the negatives about Gilmore that still come from his fellow Republicans.
I don’t apologize for harboring a grudge with the Dems, the press, and the RPV over that, but I do apologize for not clearly differentiating between my remarks on your choice of wording and my general frustration with that period of history.
I basically picked up on one less than perfect choice of wording, and ranted on the topic of Warner/Gilmore. It was a lead into my general points and not really connected to you personally.
I’m just one guy that reads your blog. Not that it should matter, but I do consider you to be a conservative. (my opinion)
I wonder if Warner will advise Creigh Deeds to again defend Warner’s horrible tax increase on the grounds that Warner is still so popular.
Will the logic be that if Deeds also claims to love to tax us, that he too will be popular…..rather than history repeat itself by taking the same steps as last time?