Virginia's State Roads Require State Funding
January 2, 2008
Submitted to Washington Post
Much has been written about the "Abusive Driver fee" scheme; most Democratic legislators pledged to repeal it. They should do so immediately! But it is not the only flaw of last year's Transportation bill. The Washington Post rediscovered the significant down-side of the additional business taxes authorized by the bill (Alexandria Weighs Tax Hike . . . Metro December 31, 2007). It's time for Virginia politicians to face up to the reality that Virginia's State Roads require State Funding, not schemes and selective regional taxes, to solve our massive transportation crisis.
Governor Kaine claims that there is not enough money in the General Fund to pay for adequate roads, yet he pushes for a new entitlement program for pre-K education, one of his legacy projects. Congestion is at a crisis level, pre-K education is not. The General Assembly must pass a budget that is zero-based and funds state programs only on a priority basis. A national transportation research group estimated that Virginia's congested roads cost $4 billion every year. Eliminating those costs to Virginia's economy could certainly be a boost for our economic development and our tax base! It is time to get real and put first things first.
Governor Kaine claims that there is not enough money in the General Fund to pay for adequate roads, yet he pushes for a new entitlement program for pre-K education, one of his legacy projects. Congestion is at a crisis level, pre-K education is not. The General Assembly must pass a budget that is zero-based and funds state programs only on a priority basis. A national transportation research group estimated that Virginia's congested roads cost $4 billion every year. Eliminating those costs to Virginia's economy could certainly be a boost for our economic development and our tax base! It is time to get real and put first things first.