Creigh “What’s in Your Wallet?” Deeds is at it again.
In a full-spread Op-Ed in the Virginia Pilot, Deeds calls for Governor McDonnell to increase taxes on Virginians to pay for transportation.
Never mind that McDonnell has been in office less than a year (while one of Deeds’ heroes, Mark Warner, couldn’t get his signature achievement imposed until deep into year three).
Never mind that McDonnell promised the voters he would not raise their taxes.
Never mind that Deeds himself, while campaigning on a tax increase, suffered one of the worst defeats a candidate for Governor ever suffered in Virginia.
No, none of that matters, nothing but the hunger for “new revenue.”
Deeds even tries to tempt McDonnell with the ol’ bipartisan talk: “you will find allies in unexpected places.”
I’m sure. That’s what happens when election winners adopt the platform of the losers. The losers suddenly become “allies in unexpected places.” However, Deeds forgot to mention the angry reaction from expected places. McDonnell is already smarting over the manufacturer’s tax and the accelerated sales tax (to name a few) from within his own party – to say nothing of the 1.1 million Virginians who voted for McDonell last year (more than any other candidate for Governor in Virginia).
McDonnell would be wise not to take advice from the fellow he trounced last year.
Filed under: 2009 Elections, Bob McDonnell, Creigh "What's In Your Wallet?" Deeds, Democrats, Economics, General Assembly, Republican Party of Virginia, Republicans, Sports, Taxes, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Politics
Of course Gov Bob cannot follow the lead of Creigh in attempting to bring Virginia govt into the 21st Century. It was evicent to me the day McDonnell appt an advisory commission that he would follow the path that Creigh developed as a candidate – i am sure you remmeber that when asked, Creigh said he would appt a blue ribbon commission to devise a fiscal plan. This cost him the election. So what did Bob do? appt a blue ribbon commission (that will recommend taxes to pay for improvements….remember in life that one cannot get something for nothiing as the Reps would have it today…….how else will they come up with the funds? sell the liquour stores??? NOT
Jeez….Roads cost monety and Deeds says raise it. What’s nuts about that? If folks don’t want to pony up, let ‘em use the roads they have or ride metro.
Actually, you two last commenters, you miss the point.
First, everyone is saying raise money for roads, but Deeds is saying hike taxes while McDonnell is looking for other sources of revenue to do it. (Every time Democrats raise taxes supposedly for roads, they find an excuse to blow it on something else.)
Second, it is Democrats who favor “smart growth” which is really an anti-growth, anti-car agenda. They’re the ones who don’t want new roads or additional capacity to be built precisely so traffic jams will ensue and that will “get people out of their cars” as is the stated goal of Obama’s Transportation Dept.
And what is D.J. McGuire’s road plan? The same as McDonnell’s. Do nothing and then blame the Dems…What does the GOP think? Make the roads as gridlocked as possible so people will have to listen to talk radio for an extra hour a day or something?
Riley, No, you miss the point; how is McDonnell going to get money………out of thin air? ask FRB to print some (hohoho)…..Sure, Uncle Bob wants to sell the ABC stores to raise $ but that matter is as old as dirt and Bob of all people should know this. It has been talked up several times during the past 15 years. Sure we can get $300-$500 million immediately, BUT the liquor money has supported the Mental Health budget for years……….up to over $100 million last year…….and the idea always died because no one could find money to make up the difference. We have one of the lowest gas taxes around and this could be raised both to get trans money and then the people/trucks that come thru here on our roads would help as in a user fee. But we all know that mainly republican politicians dont want to hurt anyone’s feelings……….so as usual, no roads ———-except for the huge injection that the stimulus money is giving……….$700 milllion in improvements…….SEE again, Obama does something……..does something……….does something and all the right wing nuts are killing him and the dittoheads are cheering!!!
Ken, you say, “BUT the liquor money has supported the Mental Health budget for years……….up to over $100 million last year…….and the idea always died because no one could find money to make up the difference” — HOWEVER, there was a recent article that debunks the claims that this and other items are funded from ABC revenues. ABC revenues go into the general fund and then those general funds are used for those items. It is simply a shell game being perpetrated by those who want more government and more spending. In addition, privatizing the ABC stores will continue streams of taxable revenue and actually allow for counties to collect property taxes from the businesses.
What is interesting is that those who are complaining the most about roads and praising the concept of a gas tax hike are the ones whose commutes are not really long in distance, so therefore their average price paid-per-week in gas isn’t going to change that much. For those of us who commute 100 miles round trip each day (because, let’s face it, it’s the closest “good-paying job” to me), well…we’ll pay the brunt of those tax increases…right Ken?
i really dont care if i have to pay addl taxes……..its like the cost of existing!! So, Phil, what choices do we have to raise addl money beyond all the good that the Stimulus $ is doing (look at VDOT web page for details!!
The cost of living, eh? So finding ways to reduce my cost of living so that I can live more comfortably is a bad thing, eh?
Oh, that’s right, I should readily sacrifice my money for the good of others…yet, have no say in how that money is applied, right? Oh, and if that money isn’t spent wisely, it’s ok…I can just give more! It’s not “taxes”, I should look at it as merely “coerced altruism”, right?
Don’t you know, Phil, we’re supposed to be spreading our wealth around…
“i really dont care if i have to pay addl taxes……..”
QUICK!!!! Somebody get Ken the website for the State’s donation pool….where if you’d like to contribute to the State’s tax pool, you can do it online.
What’s that Ken? Oh, yea….you’re only really good with spending OTHER people’s money. How very democrat of you.
Thank you for the accolade Monk…..yep, there is a ruleofcommon law that says one must pay just taxes…Phil, do you really have a say now in anything realistically? Like bringALL the troops home……fewer Marines in Okinawa…..and the huge screw up of our time, BRAC, yep yur paying for that catastrophe……when you guys learn that you dontget something for nothing then you’ll be ready to build the friggin roads, keep the commmuter busses current. Virginia has one of the lowest tax expense of the states, and PWCis at the bottom of everything in the region……NOPE, i dont have extra money….but i tend to enjoy civilization…..
C’mon Riley……what is the differeence between putting the $ in the general fund vs direct? There is a bill out theere…again, Virginia is on the bottom for dealing with mental health issues. Where is the $ supposed to come from to cover mental health? That is the key question!!!!
No, you just changed the topic. First, you say the money is directed from ABC and now you’re admitting that the money from ABC goes to the general fund and that the mental health funding comes from the general fund. Under that logic, ANY increase or decrease in revenues from ANY source impacts that spending (or any other general fund spending.)