In recent days, uber-right-winger and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore has kicked off his campaign with two proposed constitutional amendments- a hard cap on real estate assessments and a public referendum requirement for any tax increase - that can only be described as completely and utterly brain dead. To be blunt, Kilgore's crazy constitutional combination would represent an utter, top-down disaster for cities and counties across Virginia. It literally would kill people.Listen to Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka on the issue:
I think that if you?re going to cap local spending without providing some alternative sources of revenue or getting rid of unfunded mandates, you?re going to end up cutting police, teachers and firefighters. It?s effectively a devolution of services.
That's right, when Jerry Kilgore proposes his double dose of top-down demagoguery (and political Pander Bear), you can translate that to mean fewer police officers and fewer firefighters for your city or county. Period, end. And that means, very simply: more robberies, more drug dealing, more rapes, more murders, and more people killed in fires. Now THAT'S a vision "for our families, for our future," as Kilgore's Orwellian campaign slogan states.
Is this an exaggeration, a bit of RaisingKaine hyperbole for the purposes of tarring our fine Republican friend? Sadly, no. This is deadly serious stuff here. Because if, as Kilgore proposes, the state forbids localities from raising money to pay for essential services that THEY provide, the localities will be up the proverbial "shit's creek" without their proverbial "paddle."
It's an even worse problem if, as under Jerry Kilgore's "tie-localities'-hands-behind-their-back-and-punch-them-repeatedly-in-the gut" plan proposes, the state actually CUTS cities' and counties' revenues through hard caps on real estate assessments. That would leave localities up "shit's creek" with no paddle at all.
Is this Kilgore plan for Virginia what is known as "compassionate conservatism?" Or, is it Kilgore's version of "New Federalism," whereby the state imposes unfunded mandates on the localities with the right hand, while snatching away its ability to pay for them with the other?
This is not some abstract philosophical debate: the numbers simply do not add up. As population increases rapidly year after year, the costs of public safety, education, roads, and health care increase as well. This requires localities to raise more revenues. It's simple math. Unfortunately, the Kilgore "Top Down Disaster" plan for Virginia appears to have skipped math, or possibly to have flunked it altogether.
Of course, Jerry Kilgore DID attend school in the days before "no child left behind.'" Sadly, when it comes to his proposed contitutional amendments for Virginia, it looks like Little Jerry was left far behind, at least when it comes to math and civics classes. This might all be sadly amusing if it weren't for one fact: Jerry Kilgore is running to govern our state. Now THAT'S a top-down disaster for you.