And Jim Bowden explains why. You know, i've been reading these Lyndon Johnson biographies and there is a great quote in one by Sam Rayburn where he says, "it only takes a jackass to knock a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one." It struck me as something that Virginia Republicans should think about. We need carpenters, and Bob Marshall isn't just a conservative saying "no no no," he's actually putting out a plan that can work. The continuing inability of the Assembly Republicans to rally around a unifying message is the nexus of all our problems as a party up and down. The absolute most important measure that must be taken is this:
"HJR 6007: Lock up the Transportation Trust Fund so transportation dollars are
not diverted for other means. Over the last18 years, more than $1.2 billion
have been diverted to non-transportation uses. This must stop.
This has to be the beginning of any discussion on transportation. Mind you, the very reason many conservatives like me have gotten on board in the past for regional taxes was because we just did not believe that the money we sent down to Richmond would ever come back to us. For there to be any trust rebuilt between the Republicans and Virginia, it has to start with locking up the Transportation Trust fund from the greedy hands of governors like Tim Kaine and senators like Dick Saslaw. Read the rest of Delegate Marshall's recommendations below:
HB 6049: Allow naming rights for corporations and individuals willing to pay for
building roads and other transportation projects, as is done for stadiums and
school buildings.
Implement the 2002 Wilder Commission efficiency recommendations that were
projected to currently save $1.1 billion annually without reducing services.
HB 6031: Require all tractor-trailers (including those from out of state) to pay
a per-mile road maintenance and damage charge now being passed on to other
Virginia drivers.
HB 6032: Set up a permanent state oversight commission, similar to the federal
cost-cutting BRAC Commission, to evaluate whether state holdings should be sold,
to identify duplicate programs, and to cut unnecessary overhead while
maintaining the same level of services.
HJR 6011: Stop burning food! Request a waiver from the federal ethanol mandate.
Ethanol results in less mpg and increases food prices by diverting food to fuel.
HJR 6008: Assess methane resources now being wasted in Virginia that could be
converted to fuel for cars/trucks.
Sadly, these and similar measures have been sent by Speaker Bill Howell to his
Rules Committee, where he is simply sitting on them. The result will be
Democrat or Republican tax increases. Let your elected officials hear from you.
The fact that Bob Marshall is a statesman and a man of ideas, is exactly why I supported him as our U.S. Senate nominee.
Some of his positions are not what I prefer, but he at least proposes real solutions and not mere restatements of old, failed ideas.
As for transportation solutions, I would prefer a more simple, more easily audited revenue stream to support transportation, such as a gas consumption tax that would be paid by everyone who uses Virginia roads. A gas tax increase, coupled with fee increases on gas guzzlers, would be a light load, $15.00 annually for the average driver, shared by everyone and would free us from the need for byzantine collection methods, including turning our cops into revenue agents and erecting toll booths.
If readers would like to help Bob Marshall and our State, then keep this debate, based on real ideas going in other blogs and in the traditional media. The more that specific ideas are given a fair hearing in the public square, the more likely that real solutions will seep through to some of the obviously slow learners among the current House leadership.
Posted by: J. Tyler Ballance | July 06, 2008 at 01:27 PM
Glad you're enjoying the Johnson biography. You can't study Johnson without coming across Rayburn. Johnson was like a surrogate son to Rayburn.
When you finish the Johnson biography I would recommend you read a biography of Rayburn. He was one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century. I believe he was more important to the country than any of the eight presidents he served with.
Mr. Sam was always quick to correct anyone who made the error of saying he served "under" eight presidents. He understood that the Legislative Branch was the equal of the Executive. That didn't prevent him from working with the president to effectively do the nation's business. Even if the president was a Republican.
Rayburn was often more helpful to President Eisenhower than the Republican leaders in Congress were. Not that Rayburn didn't successfully oppose some of Eisenhower's initiatives. But there is a difference between opposing something and being obstructionist.
I hope you're right about Marshall attempting to show some leadership on transportation. Heaven knows we need some carpenters in Richmond. Overcoming the obstructionist Republican leadership in the House is going to be a tall order.
Posted by: Dan | July 06, 2008 at 06:57 PM
AND the obstructionist Senate leadership too
Posted by: Chris | July 06, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Bob Marshall should be the Speaker. There. I said it.
I've seen leadership in the bills in this special session from Jeff Frederick and Scott Ligamfelter too. I think Mark Cole may be in there - but my brain housing group isn't fact checking properly, and I don't wanna look it up.
There are a few leaders - who are Republican. We should encourage them greatly.
Posted by: James Atticus Bowden | July 06, 2008 at 11:41 PM
I would actually support a limited gas tax hike.
Posted by: The Northern Virginia Conservative | July 07, 2008 at 01:56 AM
It seems to me the gas tax is a logical source of dedicated funding for roads. Those who use the roads more will pay more for building and maintaining them. And the current tax level isn't high when compared to other states. It makes far more sense than building a bunch of toll roads.
It is a tough sell when folks are already paying north of four bucks a gallon though. Legislators will require both leadership and courage to raise the gas tax. It probably makes good sense to do it.
Posted by: Dan | July 07, 2008 at 11:11 AM
There should be no reason conservatives support a tax hike in any way. When you're starting from that point, it makes the directions you can do a lot easier. No increase of taxes. Period.
Posted by: Steve Bierfeldt | July 07, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Steve, I believe you have neatly summed up what is wrong with the modern Republican Party. What was once a conservative political party that espoused fiscal responsibility and prudent management of public resources has become the pandering party of the free lunch.
Chanting "no new taxes, no new taxes" doesn't make you a conservative. The voters gave control of the entire federal government to those folks for six years and they taxed the living hell out of the future.
Or did you think that debt would disappear magically? It won't. And every year we will spend hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments on that debt. Billions for which we will get nothing!
If there was any sort of truth in advertising these Republicans wouldn't be allowed to get away with calling themselves conservatives. Because they most certainly are not.
As a nation or a state or a community, there are certain things we must do cooperatively. Like defense. Like education. Like roads. Things that benefit all of our citizens. These things must be paid for. Unless you are relying on the fairy godmother that the Republicans at the federal level are relying on then we, the taxpayers, have to pay for them.
Not having adequate roads (or any other needed infrastructure) will surely choke off the economic engine that is needed for the state to be prosperous.
We need leadership. We need a sensible dedicated source of funding for our transportation needs into the future. We need some creativity and imagination.
What we don't need is pandering faux conservatives making a complete hash of the effort to bring some sense and stability to the transportation situation.
Posted by: Dan | July 07, 2008 at 05:23 PM
By taxing gasoline, government expects us to make cuts in our budgets.
Surely, there must be somewhere we can make cuts in the government's budget?
On second thought, forget that since every government program is part of a vital cooperative effort.
Posted by: 200 Grande | July 07, 2008 at 10:58 PM
As long as the funding generated by the gas tax goes directly to transportation funding, I'd be for it. If it gets Warnerized, no dice.
Posted by: The Northern Virginia Conservative | July 07, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Norther Virginia Conservative, you hit it right on the head. The money has to be dedicated to transportation and can't be hijacked for other purposes. This idea of handling transportation out of the general fund has proven to be a disaster. We must have a dedicated fuding source and the gas tax is a logical and reasonable place to go for it. As I said before, it will be a tough sell right now but it makes sense.
200 Grande,
Virginia has been one of the better managed state governments in recent years. If you can locate the billions of dollars we will need through budget cuts that would be great. I don't seriously believe we have that kind of fat in our state budget. The alternative to raising the money needed is to do nothing. That's not a viable option.
Posted by: Dan | July 08, 2008 at 12:17 AM
If DAN says there's nothing that can be cut because Virginia is the best-managed state then I guess there's nothing that can be cut. I am sure this argument will remain persuasive when the Bush tax cuts are gone.
Frankly, I would start by cutting education but I know we are not ready for that; besides, I am sure DAN would say that the State's department of education is well-managed and that there's no fat there!
Posted by: 200 Grande | July 08, 2008 at 09:18 PM
Bob Marshall's answer is the Wilder Commission, headed by DEMOCRAT Wilder
Posted by: Chris | July 08, 2008 at 09:53 PM
That's cute 200 Grande, but I obviously didn't say there was nothing that could be cut from our state budget. I alluded to the fact that you aren't going to get the dollars you need for transportation through cuts. And certainly not ones that anywhere close to a majority of Virginians support.
If you propose that this issue can be addressed without any additional taxes please enlighten us by telling us precisely what you would cut. And be specific. Not silly platitudes about waste, fraud and abuse as if eliminating all of that would come close to providing the money needed.
It's easy to be a one note charlie screaming "no new taxes" over and over. It much harder to actually solve problems and get things done.
What was that quote about jackasses and carpenters again?
Posted by: Dan | July 09, 2008 at 08:27 AM
Oh, and Virginia has indeed been historically considered a well managed state. Bond rating agencies aren't political hacks. They care only about profits. They don't give AAA ratings because they like your politics. They care only about sound management.
Posted by: Dan | July 09, 2008 at 08:30 AM