Americans for Prosperity Proposes Commonsense Virginia Budget
By Krystle Weeks | Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 | PolicyToday, Americans for Prosperity (a free market organization) released some common sense budget recommendations to the Virginia General Assembly. These budget recommendations have targeted several areas where budget cuts can be made to save billions of dollars.
These suggestions could not have come at a better moment, as Virginia is encountering a huge budget deficit. Ben Marchi, State Director of AFP Virginia said, “This budget provides to citizens and lawmakers a road map on how to weather the current economic downturn. This is a time of opportunity for Virginia, but we can’t spend our way to prosperity. If we act wisely now, we can provide a competitive advantage in the future and avoid a repeat of these cycles of boom and bust.”
Marchi was joined by Dels. Ben Cline (R-Amherst) and Brenda Pogge (R-Yorktown), as well as Steven Anderson, an independent accountant to discuss the budget solutions. The solutions recommend consolidating or eliminating wasteful programs, while ensuring that the basic functions of state government are fully funded.
Del. Cline praised the proposals. Cline said:
“The funding streams for the various state agencies and programs are often so complex that it can even be difficult for legislators to locate and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending.
AFP has put together a comprehensive budget that provides a principle based fiscal philosophy that any legislator can apply to the process of spending taxpayer funds, and taxpayers can use to judge their legislators’ adherence to spending tax dollars prudently.”
Del. Pogge also praised the proposals and mentioned how these solutions will help legislators avoid raising taxes and certain fees. “The errors of the past should be avoided even though they may appear to be the easy way out. This is a historical opportunity to position Virginia in the competition for businesses and jobs ahead of the other 49 states and indeed much of the globe.”
The AFP budget proposals were modeled after the Freedom Budget in North Carolina, which was proposed by the John Locke Foundation.
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About the author
Growing up in Maryland typically does not yield a Republican. Fortunately, Krystle Weeks was one of the lucky few booted to the Commonwealth for her staunch conservative views. From an early age, she has been debating politics, and since 2006, she has been involved here in the Commonwealth helping Republican candidates to victory. Aside from politics, Krystle is a runner and a dynamite cook. You can email her here. Krystle also blogs at Crystal Clear Conservative and Charm Offensive Cooking.
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16 Responses to "Americans for Prosperity Proposes Commonsense Virginia Budget"
Interesting concept; now we outsource the budget for the Commonwealth. These guys and Grover Norquist call the shots. Hearings? Why bother. The committee chairman will take up these suggestions and let us all know down here in the boon docks. Can’t wait.
Off topic: http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2010/02/please-vote-for-va05.html
Mike,
What’s “outsourced” about this? You have a problem with people making recommendations? Seems that’s all this is. It’s still up to the General Assembly and the Governor to accept or reject.
Or do you just have a problem with the source?
I have a problem with overly simplistic analysis of the Commonwealth’s budget. There are glaring issues with their recommendations that represent impracticalities for implementation.
I am all for responsible budget reform, but this needs a lot of work to be really taken seriously.
44, where are your recommendations? oh thats right, i forgot! you dont have any. so shut up and sit down!
Props to AFP for putting this together. I estimate this will be an education to most of the legislature. I particularly like the charter school phase in! Those are real solutions. Glad someone is talking about it! Lord knows we havent heard this much from either side of the aisle, except for how much that want to raise taxes and fees.
Ward, the combination of the proposals by Americans for Prosperity, and by Grover Norquist, buddy of Jack Abramoff, and the new process by which the Governor does not submit his recommended state budget, create an entirely new process whereby budget decisions that effect all eight million Virginians will be made in sub committees that meet at various times in the bowels of the GA Building. To say this process lacks openness and transparency is an understatement. Yes, I object to many of their recommendations, but as much to the point, I object to the process as well.
Mike, the legislature and executive branch are co-equal branches of government, at least in theory. Why does the legislature, especially Senate Democrats, need budget “guidance” from the governor? They have a budget blueprint from which to work with from their Dear Leader, DNC Chairman and former Governor, Tim Kaine. This should be a perfect situation for Senate Democrats. Unless that is, Kaine’s last budget sucks!
Is the General Assembly, particularly Senate Democrats, incapable of creating a balanced budget themselves, or are they looking for political cover from the upcoming budget cuts? Are they incapable of governing or are they unwilling to craft a budget based on their own values and priorities and let Virginians know where they stand?
McDonnell has Senate Democrats right where he wants them. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner got us into this unholy mess of higher taxes, misplaced priorities and profligate and wasteful spending; so now Dick Saslaw and his band of liberal, big spending misfits have to find their way out.
Thanks for the lesson in budget making. Frankly, your attempt to justify this budget making process, that is, the apparent lack of openness and transparency, is neither a democratic nor republican issue. It is a citizen issue. If you think that reductions of $4,400,000,000 can be sneaked through committee without comment or outrage, when these decisions will involve the loss of tens of thousands of state and local government positions and functions, I think you have missed the point of the Tea Party protestations about both parties.
Common sense budget? Perhaps for Mississippi or Arkansas or some other backward state. Not for Virginia. Let’s privatize more government functions? Because that worked so well with IT services?
I believe the common sense budget recommendations by the Americans for Prosperity to be a reasonable approach for reducing a 4 billion dollar ($4,000,000,000) deficit.
Yes it will hurt. It is almost a crime that the state government spent all revenues for the last eight years. It is shameful they failed to save money for this rainy day. The citizens of Virginia have to live on what they earn. It is time that the state government does the same.
No higher taxes or fees.
Party like its 1773
James: It did save money for “this rainy day.” We even call it the Rainy Day Fund. However, it doesn’t total 10% of the yearly budget, which is abou what the cuts need to be. In addition we’ve cut $7 billion from the budget over the last three years. Richmond isn’t Washington, D.C.
It would seem to me to be reasonable to conclude that since there are two sides to a budget, that it is irresponsible to decide what to do until a budget is actually prepared and proposed. Those willing to simply say cut $4,400,000,000 perhaps ought to have at least the faintest idea what that means in terms of impact on state and local government services, including public safety, public health, human services, and courts and justice. Why rush to judgement when we only have one half of the equation?
Jimmy, thank you for your wonderful and constructive response.
What I am referring to by overly simplistic analysis can be demonstrated by their discussion of K-12 per pupil expenditures. The study assumes that the Commonwealth can implement a voucher program seemingly overnight. Based upon Virginia’s Constitution, it may not be that simple. Even Gov. McDonnell has said as much as recently as the campaign in 2009 – there is a legal question as to whether Virginia can have a taxpayer funded voucher system, but could potentially develop a tax incentive system under current law.
The study assumes a voucher of $4,000 from the state, and then references a per pupil amount of greater than $10,000 to show that the voucher could save state dollars. The state portion of per pupil expenditures is roughly $4,700 as of last school year (http://jlarc.state.va.us/reports/Rpt395.pdf). This study is misrepresenting the benefit to the state – the true state savings COULD be around $700 per pupil IF a voucher system were constitutionally allowed, and that’s not even taking into account the additional local voucher the author proposes.
I am huge proponent of school choice, but in Virginia, it’s probably going to have to take the form of a tax credit or deduction similar to what former Del. Saxman proposed last session.
And yeah, the call to privatizing more services – after the VITA debacle, I would hope the General Assembly would think long and hard before it jumps into more privatization.
Steve Vaughan- Thank you for correcting me. I knew about the Rainy Day Fund. To be honest , I thought the politicians in Richmond had already spent that money. I do not know how much is there, but I would support using between 1/3 and 1/4 of the money to help.
I am STILL reading common sense budget recommendations. I am learning a lot about Virginia’s budget and have a much greater appreciation for Virginia’s politicians in Richmond.
One note on a personal basis. I have been downsized by the company I work for and I have lost my medical insurance. I work every Saturday and Sunday from 5PM to midnight. That is 14 hours a week. I pick up another day about every 2 weeks so I get 20 hours that week. Do you think I am in favor of higher taxes and fees???
Party like its 1773
Mike Barrett- I have been thinking about the two sides to a budget. Decided to talk to the citizens of Virginia. I work with the public.
First I asked everyone if they knew what the deficit was for the new budget. Not a single person knew.
Second, asked everyone what they thought the deficit was? Estimates ran from one to 100 million. One person guessed one billion.
Third, told them the actual number. Everyone was just stunned.
Fourth, asked if they would support higher taxes and fees to pay for the deficit. All negative answers, usually in a VERY loud voice.
I think a wise Virginia politician might want to have a couple of town hall meeting on the deficit issue and listen to the voters before they act.
The voters may be more willing to accept a negative impact on state and local government services, including public safety, public health, human services, and courts and justice then you may think..
Party like its 1773
Thank you James for proving my point. The decision by the Governor to simply allow the Legislature to deal with this fiscal crisis is a masterful political stroke but a dastardly act of disrespect for the citizens of this Commonwealth. Of course no one knows the size of the deficit; there is no budget document on which to focus. Most people have been led to believe that a few changes here and there will be made and we will all be OK. Few have a clue. My point is that to make a rational decision, we need to know the effect of the cuts to all government programs and services of state and local government. To simply rule out any tax increases before this is known is to me simply irresponsible even if it is good political strategy in the short term. After all, he is the Governor of all of us, not just the rich and wealthy who will see little effect from cutting social, health, mental health, and programs for the poor and the sick.
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