Bolling rips Kaine’s plan

The Lieutenant Governor starts out very well (via J.R. at Bearing Drift):

Since he took office in 2006, Governor Kaine has relentlessly tried to raise taxes on Virginia’s families to generate additional funding for transportation, even though such tax increases are unnecessary and are not supported by the vast majority of the people of Virginia. The Governor’s most recent transportation proposal is just the latest chapter in this never ending saga and I seriously doubt that it will be well received by Republicans in the General Assembly or the people of Virginia.

While there is never a good time to raise taxes, I am also concerned by the fact that the Governor and Democrats in the General Assembly want to raise taxes by over one billion dollars at a time when economic growth is slowing, fuel and food costs are skyrocketing, and working Virginians are having a harder time making ends meet. Increasing taxes now will unnecessarily hurt the economy and kill needed jobs. In addition, Governor Kaine’s tax increase plan is regressive and will hurt those least able to pay the most, including senior citizens on a fixed income and young families.

Unfortunately, Bolling kept going (same link, emphasis added):

In 2007 the General Assembly approved legislation that provided $600M in additional funding for transportation on a statewide basis, and an additional $600M in additional funding for transportation in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. While the Supreme Court has struck down the funding mechanism for the $600M in regional funding in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, the vast majority of the statewide package remains in tact and continues to generate significant additional funding to meet transportation needs across Virginia.

“If we are serious about finding a solution to Virginia’s transportation needs, rather than simply in engaging in another round of political grandstanding, we must keep our focus firmly fixed on solving the main challenge before us - developing a realistic and constitutional framework for providing additional transportation funding in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. To try and expand these discussions to a so called statewide solution is unwise and will jeopardize our ability to find workable regional solutions for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

In other words, stop distracting us from raising the taxes in HR and NoVa with a statewide tax hike.

As I said last night, the two party establishments only differ as a matter of degree on this one: the Democrats prefer wider tax increase; the Republicans want localized tax increases.  Neither is good, but the Democrats do have it worse, and Bolling’s criticisms of Kaine’s plans were on the mark.