Tomorrow begins the transportation special session that may or may not provide a “solution” for roads, but will decide the fate of the Virginia GOP.
The good news: The House of Delegates is holding firm against Tim Kaine’s ridiculous tax inceases, and the Senate Democrats seem determined to ditch it themselves in favor of a gas tax hike.
The bad news: It’s sure thing that Kaine will sign anything the Senate Democrats pass – if it gets out of the House.
The worse news: Republican delegates are still talking about regional tax increases; now it’s Chris Peace, who leads off his “real plan” with this (from a letter by Peace forwarded to me):
Rewrite last year’s bi-partisan transportation solution that provided the mechanism to produce about half a million dollars a day for Hampton Roads and nearly $1 million per day for Northern Virginia. This plan would direct all new funds for congestion relief.
Of course, “last year’s bi-partisan transportation solution” was the disaster known as HB3202. While Howell himself as been silent, Peace is now the third House Republican in less than two weeks to attempt a resurrection of that debacle. Something tells me they’re running interference for him.
The Republicans in Richmond have to understand something: the voters will not accept any tax increases. Election 2007 should have sent the message; the GOP convention should have sent the message. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom jammed the message each time.
Still, if Howell et al think they can sneak out of Richmond with a tax increase, they are very much mistaken.
Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal
June 22, 2008 at 7:29 pm |
Re-fund Regional Government? Create a Regional Government that isn’t Un-Constitutional? They are still stuck on stupid.