Today's Washington Post has an editorial that probably sums up a lot of peoples' feelings (my own included) about the Virginia transportation bill. According to the Post, this complex bill, following Gov. Kaine's amendments, represents something of an accomplishment, maybe even "a breakthrough," but it's also a "balm, but no cure" for the state's transportation problems. In other words, the Post joins many of us in having mixed feelings about the transportation amended bill. After listing a number of good things about the bill - it taxes insurance premiums to provide a "fixed, reliable source of funds," it "increas[es] the tax on diesel fuel," it "allow[s] a regional authority to impose and collect local taxes for transportation," and it "let[s] individual local jurisdictions levy commercial and residential impact fees" - the Post has a big "but." Actually a "yet."
Yet there's no use pretending that the measure deals comprehensively with transportation, the most urgent problem facing the state. By eschewing any statewide increase in the most broadly based taxes -- those on gasoline, sales or income, for instance -- it remains a relatively modest package when measured against the staggering shortfalls in resources. Northern Virginia may receive more than $400 million annually as a result of this package, which is good. But that sum starts to lose its sheen when you consider that the region's transportation funding needs are estimated at nearly twice that, or when you remember that almost all of the state's transportation spending will soon be sponged up by maintenance needs, leaving little for new construction.
So, there you have it. This bill is better than nothing, and Gov. Kaine's amendments have improved it overall, but it's still not anywhere near as good as it could have been. I guess the best that can be said is that politics is the art of the possible. And in 2007, this apparently represents what's possible given the politics of Virginia right now (Democratic governor, conservative Republicans in control of the House, moderate Republicans narrowly in control of the Senate) Now, just imagine what kind of improvements we could get next year with Democrats in charge of the State Senate and in better shape in the House of Delegates.
Every Northern Virginia Republican either now has their calling card for November or enough reasons to plausibly complain if they vote against Kaine's amendments. This will cost us Senate seats.
This plan taxes the poor via their rent and via abuser "fees" right on the heels of raiding the General Fund by handing Virginia's richest families $120 million per year by cutting the Estate Tax.
The Republican moderates in the Senate understood that this plan was a joke and that we had an opportunity to frame a debate about a permanent long-term fix. This is bandaid. If it passes, we've punted the debate to the next Governor. Who can blame them for jumping ship when they can't even get cooperation from the Party that's supposed to now be about fiscal discipline.
Why do voters not understand what the ideological moorings are for the Democratic Party? Why are people only abandoning the GOP in the Pew Study, but not identifying with Democrats? Because we don't know our own identity.
I think transportation remains basically the MAJOR issue in VA politics, and belongs right up front as issue #1 yet again in the nexy session.
In fact, this is but a dent in the needs. It doesn't finish the job, and we all know that.
2. I know at least some of Kaine's tour was behind closed doors with business leaders who wanted a solution no matter what. While this type of government/business relationship is nothing new to politics (see the Bush administration follies for many wonderful examples), it's disappointing that Kaine's compromise didn't better reflect the people's choice: do something about the transportation problem, but do it the right way.
3. We've yet to see what the GA actually does with Kaine's minor modifications. I suppose these modifications were put in place with the idea that the GA would accept them and the bill would be signed. But given the nature of the GA anything is possible - so the jury is still out.
For the Democratic Party, the transportation bill can still be a strong campaign issue: 1) The legislation is only the beginning of finding real solutions, thanks to Kaine's strenuous efforts to clean up an otherwise hopelessly inadequate and misbegotton bill (do NOT accept the republican framing that this is the Final Solution, if we didn't accept their foolish legislation we would never get anything else) 2) Voters can now see why Kaine needs more center of the road progressives in the legislature to help him carry the transportation solution further along--- if you are unhappy with the bill and feel cheated, then vote Democratic and throw the Republican bums out that created such a ridiculous mishmash of legislation in the first place, and 3) in Virginia as on the national level, we have still another piece of evidence that the current so-called Republican Party is totally incompetent and unable to govern, their ideology is what is wrong, across the board, and must be replaced with the progressive Democratic philosophy.