Posted on 06/29/2006 8:34:30 AM PDT by blitzgig
RICHMOND, June 28 -- The 2006 General Assembly gave final approval to the state budget and went home Wednesday, leaving behind a first-year governor who presided over the worst stalemate in the legislature's history while failing to make good on his promise to ease traffic congestion for Virginians.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) confronted an issue that has bedeviled state leaders for two decades: how to finance billions of dollars in road and transit construction. His plan for tax increases to finance those improvements, presented six days into his term, stalled after he misread the resolve of his adversaries and overestimated public pressure for improvements.
He had mixed success with his other major initiative, an ambitious push to adopt new tools to slow growth. Efforts to help localities study the impact of development on traffic passed. But he failed to win passage of his boldest proposal, a new law letting local government turn down development if nearby roads are inadequate.
By pushing for the higher taxes, he also prompted the state's worst budget stalemate, which ended four days shy of a deadline that threatened to shut down the government and cause a constitutional crisis.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Virginia ping
Well, this article will cause a few raised eyebrows...
Virginia says no to Kaine tax hike BUMP
heh
Those eyebrows....
I loved seeing Kaine smacked down on his added spending, by the Republican House. Bravo to Majority Leader Griffith for standing up to this liberal idiot!
Richmond ping.
As I understand it, of all the additions Kaine proposed, not one addressed transportation issues. If transportation was such a big deal to him, why didn't he use that opportunity to address a few of the more pressing transportation problems? That tells me it's not that important to him.
"Now, Flora, I see nothing that would cause a chuckle. Would you be so kind as to let me in on the joke"?
I'm glad they stood up to him. They need to hold the line when the special session convenes.
That photo is just so wrong.....
But it's just so easy.
True....LOL
I am sooo embarrassed to live in Virginia with this moron at the helm.
"I am sooo embarrassed to live in Virginia with this moron at the helm."
I left 3 years ago and moved to a state with another moron at the helm, North Carolina. At least your moron can't stay more than 1 term.
I can't say I'm thrilled with him - LOL........but he is a better moron than the one I left in Delaware when I moved here 3 years ago.
If transportation was such a big deal to him, why didn't he use that opportunity to address a few of the more pressing transportation problems?
True, we didn't have the best selection. But chopping NOVA off is NOT an option. NOVA is the cash cow for the rest of the state. Without NOVA, there would be little to no state funded development in the rest of the state. Precious little state $ goes back into NOVA roads.
These idiots want to build HUGE new developments out Route 7 in Loudoun County, but the main way to get to Tyson's corner and downtown is good ole two lanes each way Route 7. Unfreakin believable. Or you could pay a $6+ round trip fee to take the amazingly crowded toll road. All the while the rest of Virginia thrives off of our taxes. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
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