WWJD ... on taxes?

The Lt. Governor’s race has hit the airwaves. The television ads are flying and it’s tough to keep up. But we do need to stop, take a second, and see if what is being aired… is really the truth. Are the candidates doing a good job explaining the issues? Well, in thirty-second spots no one expects a thorough analysis of tax policy. But when you only have thirty seconds to contrast yourself with your opponent, the truth starts to get lost, and Bill Bolling is fudging the truth. See Jody’s latest video on youtube on how Bill Bolling is not being honest.

Now we need to have an honest discussion about taxes. “Taxes” is a dirty word in politics… in most states, especially a traditionally red state, taxes = political suicide. But people tend to forget that governments cannot function without revenue. The school bus that takes your kids to school cannot run without revenue. The crossing guards at the local elementary school cannot help your kids cross the street without revenue. Stoplights, education, construction projects, and hundreds of buildings, roads, and programs cannot exist without revenue. And where does revenue come from? Oh right… TAXES! The state of Virginia is not invincible to the global recession. Everyone is hurting right now. Unemployment is touching every corner of the country, and Bill Bolling’s ads claiming Jody is responsible for job losses are ridiculous and wasteful rhetoric. So when the state is crying for better roads and improved transportation, no one thinks the money to pay for them is going to appear out of thin air. And McDonnell’s ideas about drilling offshore for oil to improve roads are laughable. What we need is to have an open and honest discussion about finding diverse ways to raise revenue, even if that does mean some tax increases.

Excluding tax raises from the discussion is politically expedient and dangerous to future generations. Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell plan to avoid making the tough decisions and say whatever is necessary to get elected, all the while kicking the bucket further down the road for other officials to deal with later. The fact is that Jody and Governor Kaine have made hard and painful cuts, and in doing so managed to balance the state budget WITHOUT raising taxes. But the current taxes in place aren’t paying for what they need to. The gasoline tax (one of the lowest in the country) is not raising the revenue needed to make drastic changes in transportation. People are driving more fuel-efficient cars and the funding just isn’t there. At a Fairfax Democratic Club meeting a citizen stated, "I drive the roads, and I don't like sitting in long lines, so I don't mind paying more, because I'm using it…Why can't we add 10 cents more? Would that do it?" In response Wagner said "It is not the ultimate panacea we would like to think it is. So, ultimately, that is not the ultimate solution. It may be a bridge. But, ultimately, we're going to have to be more diverse in the way we handle it…” Clearly Jody is interested in having a discussion about realistic ways to improve Virginia’s roads (not drilling for oil). In my opinion, when you have an open and honest discussion about taxes and really think about what they are used for, maybe some increases don’t sound so bad.