At last, a real transportation plan
Those of us who refuse to believe our state budget can double in ten years yet still not cover “core services” have been accused of being simplistic or ignorant. Yet those who defend the idea of limited government usually end up the most knowledgeable and creative of pundits and politicians. There is no better example of that than the new Conservative Transportation Alternative.
Feel free to read it for yourself, but in summation, it is largely similar to my own call for decentralization, local control over secondary roads, and getting subdivision roads of the transportation grid (or to be more precise, giving localities the authority to take them off the grid) - plus, of course, an end to the egregious regional authorities.
Now, a plan is one thing, but turning it into legislation is another. Fortunately, State Senator and would-be Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is planning a bill on similar, if not identical, lines (Rick Sincere). In other words, legislators have a genuine choice between the tax hiking plans of Howell, Kaine, Saslaw, et al, or a real alternative that asks those who value the roads to start paying for them, rather than the taxpayer.
In other words, if the Cuccinelli bill were to become law, all of you could finally stop paying for my street.
As many readers will remember, I am one of the most virulent opponents of the debacle that was HB3202 - both the Howell version (which put a gun to localities and told them to raise their own taxes) and the Kaine version (which was struck down as unconstitutional). Cuccinelli voted for the Howell version - once - and I have never forgotten. However, if he comes through and sponsors this legislation, he will erase his earlier mistake - in fact, anyone who supports the Conservative Transportation Alternative will atone for any past support for HB3202 (either version) in my eyes.
That includes McDonnell and Bolling, who now need to use the power of their offices and their all-but-assured 2009 nominations to get Howell, Stosch, and the rest of the Richmond Republicans on board. If they do that, they will reunite the party and put it in prime position to make 2009 the next 1997. If they don’t, they risk a re-run of 2005 (which may be fine for Bolling, but not for McDonnell - or Howell).
It’s up to them; the Virginia GOP establishment can correct its mistake from last year and support the Conservative Alternative, or it can exacerbate it by succumbing to local, regional, or state tax increases. Voter will never forgive the latter, but they will be forever grateful for the former.
April 1, 2008 at 9:28 pm
To: whoever sent me this e-mail:
April 2, 2008 at 1:05 pm
[...] left the door open to supporting the CTA The Richmond Times-Dispatch took notice of the Conservative Transportation Alternative (hereafter, the CTA) earlier this week - and far more importantly, so did Attorney General Bob [...]
April 29, 2008 at 12:35 pm
[...] is, however, another way - an alternative that would not rely on tax increases at all, but rather download the cost of secondary and [...]
April 29, 2008 at 12:40 pm
[...] is, however, another way - an alternative that would not rely on tax increases at all, but rather download the cost of secondary and [...]
May 2, 2008 at 12:21 pm
[...] officials and make them do it (the Republicans). At present, no one has picked up the plan that would avoid tax increases altogether. All of this is happening with a June special session barreling down the track, and Governor [...]
May 11, 2008 at 11:30 pm
[...] Those who read this space know that I have been particularly hard on Bill Howell and the rest of the House Republican leadership, and I still think their attempts to resurrect HB3202 are terrible. However, that doesn’t make Kaine’s plan any less disastrous. Neither transportation plan should be accepted. The only transportation plan that is worthy is the one that does not call for any tax increases. [...]