Like most Americans, Virginians are not very happy about the direction of the country, according to the Washington Post. Only 31% of Comonwealthers think the nation is on the right track.
So, naturally, said dissatisfaction would be expected at the state level as well.
Only it doesn’t: “Fifty-two percent of adults polled think that the state is generally moving on the right course.”
Since both state and nation have a divided legislature (lower house, GOP; upper house, Dems), the difference is even more clear: Bob McDonnell – a Governor willing to bite the bullet and cut spending – vis a vis Barack Obaam – who has stubbornly and maddeningly refused to do the same.
If anything, that number may be too low, in the Post‘s interviews with respondents, the only anti-McDonnell Virginian cited got her facts wrong (contrary to her view, McDonnell has redirected at least some surplus funds back to education).
Yet another reminder that limited government has more backing than people think.
Cross-posted to Bearing Drift
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Virgina is still living in the dark ages in so many respects………..look at the stats —we are near the bottom of most things except for salaries that are skewed by federal workrers……..
Speaking of limited Govt, Virginia does not have to take MedicAid from the Feds and there is a high likelihood that Va could get a waiver from the hated ObamaCare so where is McDonnell on this small govt idea?
Is the man really about putting our money where his mouth is or is he just strutting and jiving?
Massachusetts and Arizona have shown serious initiative to NOT sucking off the Fed Teat.
It’s bad enough that much of Va’s economy depends on Fed Spending but we have a REpublican governor who pontificates from on high about smaller govt but is a secret lover of Fed dollars apparently because he used Fed stimulus money to “balance” our budget instead of giving that money to taxpayers. tsk. tsk.
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I understand that McDonnell even went to the Feds, hat in hand to ask for money for METRO.
What kind of Conservative is that?
McDonell, i believe, has been a decent Governor, and of course he will take every nickel of fed dollars…no one seems to be aware of how many millions of stimulus money ($729 million) for his trnsportation projects. obama gets slammed and we get roads. And everyone who needs medicaid will clamor for it………..and take the rest of us along.
I believe he has been a much better Gov than Gilmore or Allen and am truly split with regards to Warner and Kain – when we HONESTLY look at the tax increase issue – to recognize that those increases went primarily for teachers and deputies and for those who oppose – they should say they oppose the PURPOSE of them.
But McDonnell as a “principled” small-govt conservative is NOT leading on the issues LIKE MedicAid, the stimulus and health care for Virginians – like denial of insurance for people.
He COULD take the initiative on these issues but instead he takes a very public position against ObamaCare and MedicAid but nothing substantiative in a proposed state response to the problem.
…. Unlike Mitt Romney, for instance, who – did DO SOMETHING at the state level to address those issues
McDonnell borrowed money for roads and made a big deal about “finding” money which in reality was nothing more than cleaning up some financially-stranded projects and re-using that money – a one shot deal.
The longer term – problem for transportation in Va has not been addressed.