Comments on: McDonnell signs bills taking steps to be the energy capital of the east coast

By: Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:13:13 +0000

“deficit hawks”…edit function didn’t work.

By: Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:07:20 +0000

MB-yep, stimulus needed to be bigger. And you’re right about the Bush tax cuts. (I’m not sure there were actually ‘pay as you go rules’ during rhe Clinton admin, but he did balance the budget).
It’s interesting how Republicans suddenly got interested in deficits when a Democrat got elected.
Because, according to Sith Lord Dick Cheney, the lesson of St. Ronnie Reagan’s administration, which all Republicans believe to be the best presidency ever, was “deficits don’t matter.”
The Bush team certainly took that lesson to heart.
But now, when a national fiscal crisis requires government spending to prime the pump for recovery, the GOP suddenly have become deficit Hawks.
Hmmm, a suspicious person might think they were just engaged in a little political posturing.

By: Mike Barrett

Mike Barrett — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:34:06 +0000

Of course, the answer is that the stimulus needed to be big enough to get growth back on track again; no small action would have been sufficient. There was bi-partisan consensus on that. Now of course, even though republicans voted for stimulus as well, that has been forgotten as they see political advantage for condemning programs they supported then. Of course, that’s just politics, but whomever prevails in the future will need to restore the Clinton era pay as you go rules when in fact the budget was balanced and the deficit was reduced, a process that was cancelled by the Bush era tax cuts, spending without a source of revenue, and spiraling increases in the national debt.

By: Brian Kirwin

Brian Kirwin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:53:05 +0000

Mike, how many trillions in debt must the nation be before you start to worry? We’re 12 and a half trillion in debt now.

It’s not a swipe. It’s a sincere concern that Government can’t manage everything and stay financially afloat. We can’t say yes to everyone who wants money from government.

By: Mike Barrett

Mike Barrett — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:45:10 +0000

Well Brian, if anyone expects to sustain and improve a highway system with a funding stream that has lost over 60% of its value since it was increased in 1987, that person is as guilty of avoiding reality as is the House of Delegates. In regard to your swipe at the President and Congress, I do not agree spending is out of control, but I do agree that soon, as we move farther out of recession, spending must be reduced, pay as you go must be the rule in Congress, and both sides must swear off earmarks.

By: Brian Kirwin

Brian Kirwin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:57:46 +0000

And I’m with the supermajority of people who think that all levels of government are taxing and spending and debting at extremely high levels, and I’m waiting for someone to make transportation a higher priority.

I still favor converting the Warner tax increase to transportation.

Mike, Washington DC is and has been out of control. We can’t continue spending like that, and higher taxes from you and me doesn’t fix the problem.

Now government is going to raise taxes again to fund a giant health care plan.

The problem with transportation isn’t a lack of taxes. It’s got two problems – a lack of priority level compared to most other spending that government does, and an insane method of roadbuilding that results in a highway only a few miles long needing 15-20 years to be completed.

If the Interstate Highway System had to go through what we are required to do for the Southeastern Parkway, it would still be on paper.

By: Mike Barrett

Mike Barrett — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:37:15 +0000

Yes LittleDavid, it is now clear that moderate, business oriented republicans are joining with others to state the obvious; that is, the intentional decade old policy of the House of Delegates to ignore the need for increases in user fees and user taxes to sustain, maintain, and improve our transportation infrastructure can no longer be tolerated, lest the policy have even greater negative impact on the citizens and businesses in Virginia.

By: LittleDavid

LittleDavid — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:29:39 +0000

I support offshore drilling. With that said, the royalties are not going to appear for a LONG time. What are we going to do in the mean time, watch the transportation problem get worse?

I am unwilling to put the transportation problem on the back burner while we wait for future funding proposals to bear fruit. The problems exist now and the solution to the problem should not be pie in the sky. I want real solutions instead of promises that some day things will get better.

By: William Bailey

William Bailey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:47:16 +0000

These bills do nothing and is just a “photo op” in Richmond. And Ron told me: “he would make a difference”… Ron: I’m still waiting…

By: Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:27:18 +0000

TimJ:
And even if Washington does those things right away, there’s no gaurantee that there are any oil royalties in Virginia’s future.

By: Tim J

Tim J — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:44:06 +0000

The long pole in the tent “… there should be no reason for Washington to delay the approval of the offshore lease sale” and “we hope the federal government will move forward and join us”. These are “hope” documents that are based on the Feds approving this. Until the environmental impact statements, leasing agreements, etc., etc. and the Feds convert this to a political issue, nothing is going to happen. As with everything else, what is the deal with the Devil that Virginia is going to be forced to make?

By: Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:31 +0000

and that’s the bottom line, because BK said so.

By: Mike Barrett

Mike Barrett — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:22:26 +0000

I figured you were getting tired of my prose.

By: Brian Kirwin

Brian Kirwin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:10:26 +0000

Ah, the breadth of my influence….

By: Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:06:10 +0000

Okay, there’s your off-shore drilling bill. How soon can we expect to see all the roads you said this would build? And no, moonbeam expressways that only dedicated GOP operatives can see don’t count.