I don't always agree with the Washington Post editorial page, as its endorsement of Harris Miller in the recent US Senate primary made clear. However, today's Post editorial on the budget deal by Virginia's General Assembly hits the nail right on the head. Its title, "Failure in Richmond," sums it up perfectly. As does its subtitle, "Faced with a transportation crisis, the state legislature punts." As the Republican leadership in the House and Senate pat themselves on the back for their dubious triumph (Sen. Chichester bragged, "it's a very fine document, one of the best I think we've seen for a long time"), here's what the Washington Post had to say about this monstrosity:
The conferees heaved a sigh of relief at having achieved this basic function of legislative governance after three months in stealth special session. Good for them. We hope they'll excuse the rest of us for issuing a loud Bronx cheer, for in fact they have failed.
Bronx cheer is right. This budget stinks to high heaven. How badly does it stink? Let us smell the ways, borrowing in part from the Post editorial:
1) It "failed to address the single most momentous challenge facing the state at the outset of the 21st century, which is the parlous, sclerotic condition of its highways and transit systems."
2) It "failed to ensure the sustainability of Virginia's economic boom...jobs, growth and a future."
3) It failed not for any good reason, but because of a completely "dysfunctional" Republican Party, particularly the "fundamentalist anti-tax ideologues in the House of Delegates."
4) It also failed because Republicans simply wanted to "giv[e] an energetic new Democratic governor a black eye."
5) It failed to offer much hope that a deal on funding the state's transportation future would happen this year - or ever, as long as Republicans are in charge.
6) A related bill repealed the estate tax and slashed spending on conservation of Virginia lands in order to benefit almost nobody - only 871 households that reported any liability in FY 2005. Kudos to Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), by the way, for objecting strongly to this idiocy, which passed 24-9 in the Senate.
The only hope here? First, Governor Kaine should veto the estate tax repeal and salvage his own stated goal of conserving an additional 400,000 acres of Virginia land by 2010.
Second, as the Post writes, "Virginians should use the next election to find more responsible leadership." Those elections are scheduled for November 2007, when every seat in the General Assembly will be up for grabs. That will be our chance to boot these bums - particularly the right-wing Republican extremists in the House of Delegates - the heck out of there.
It is an artifical and misleading construct to oppose those two issues. You are letting the same lawmakers who you are lambasting define the dialogue.
These two initiatives both support the same goal: allowing land to remain in large parcels. The Conservation Easement Tax Credit program (as it exists now), guarantees that the land won't be subdived and developed.
Someone against the Conservation Easement Tax Credits simply took this opportunity (people desperate for any budget) to add this limitation onto the budget. (This new limitation will curtail land that is being put into conservation easements.) This politician figured that during this budget desperation, people will approve anything. (The land be damned.)
Guess he's right. Senate passed this budget yesterday.
Contact the house TODAY, contact Governor Kaine and oppose this limitation which was tacked onto the budget.
Curtailing Land Easements (by capping the tax credit) isn't even fiscally smart--it will NOT save the state money: It limits the amount of money spent on easements this year-- forcing people to wait till next year to put easements on (and get the tax credit). However next year their land is worth more, so they will get a HIGHER tax credit, thus costing the state more for the easements they could have got THIS year CHEAPER.
And people who can't afford to keep their land until next year.... well I guess they will have to sell it to developers....
Don't let the way this Conservation Easement Cap/limitation is framed by the senate fool you: it is NOT a fight between keeping Conservation Easement Tax Credits and Repealing the Estate Tax.
Contact your house represenative and Governor Kaine today.
http://www.pecva.org/conservation/getinvolved/genassembly06taxcredit.asp
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051501786.html