Muddy Water, Clear Politics     Some candidates do everything they can to obscure the facts. There's a good reason for that: The facts don't support their positions.   Gubernatorial candidates Jerry Kilgore and Tim Kaine are muddying the waters with accusations, counter-accusations and hysteria. Both candidates make much about their personal dedication to tax cutting and their opponent’s evil plans to raise taxes.   The picture gets muddier when Mark “I-promise-not- to-raise-your-taxes” Warner appears in ads to praise Kaine’s role in raising taxes. But, if tax hikes are good, why does Kaine falsely accuse Kilgore of planning to roll back tax cuts on food taxes? It seems everyone is for tax cuts and against tax increases. Except, they aren’t.   Actually, the mud the candidates for Governor are throwing settles quickly. Down in the 91st House District, whose three parts are connected only by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, it’s perfectly clear who’s for tax increases (Democrat Randy Gilliland) and who is against (Republican Tom Gear).   Gilliland can raise ‘Kaine’ accusing Gear of raising taxes but the numbers don’t lie. Just some candidates do – as when a Democrat runs as an ‘Independent’.   Here are some facts: 8.2 percent. The cost of the big increase in (the-sky-is-falling) spending. All the yada-yada you hear from Democrats and RINOs about increasing spending for infrastructure, unfunded mandates, salaries, raises, etc would’ve been covered by this increase in the last budget. 11 percent. The increase in revenue BEFORE the tax increase. Eleven is more than 8. There was no need for the tax hike in 2004. $1.4 billion. The 2004 tax increase. Largest ever in Virginia’s history. Republican Del. Tom Gear voted against this tax increase. More than 15 percent and growing. The increase in revenue AFTER the tax increase. $46.8 billion (2002) to $51 billion (2004) to $63 billion (2006). The budget increase through the short recession. Higher Education suffered a cut of about $540 million because Medicaid mandates increased with a recession and illegal immigration. Higher Education raised tuition and fees to make it up. The latest two-year budget increase is 22 percent. How much has your income gone up? $1 billion and growing. The budget surplus after all the extra spending. Transportation. Democrats Gilliland and Kaine will increase your taxes for transportation. They support spending with the genius thinking and management of the I-64/Mercury Boulevard exchange. Republican Tom Gear won’t raise your taxes. Instead, Gear has innovative ideas. Like sell the Bay Bridge to raise over $2 billion for a Third Hampton Roads Crossing. The rest of the money can come from user tolls. The Bay Bridge makes money. The money can’t be spent, by law, on other transportation projects. Let private enterprise make money under legislated limits on the tolls and bankroll the huge costs of the Third Crossing – without a tax hike. Education. Republican Gear voted for teacher raises the very first year in the General Assembly – when Democrat Warner offered none in his budget. Gear’s kids always went to public schools in Hampton  Gilliland, who lives in Hampton, suddenly sent his child to a magnet school. Social Issues. The G.A. won’t make many social issue votes. If it does, Del. Gear is Pro-Life. Gilliland is Pro-Abortion. Gear is Pro-Second Amendment. Gilliland tried to ban guns – find out what he said on Hampton City Council. Tom Gear left Hampton City council and ran for the General Assembly because he couldn’t get support for Open Government legislation from his delegate. Always a Democrat, Randy Gilliland is being run out of Hampton for costly closed door decisions against the City Manager, so he’s pretending to be Independent. Like Tim Kaine, who says he is against the death penalty but will execute criminals and is against abortion but won’t stop them, Randy Gilliland can’t say who really is. Isn’t a Liberal Democrat who lacks the courage of his convictions to run as a Liberal Democrat a poor excuse to represent Virginians?  Standing up for who you are is important.   Two Poquoson City Council members, who share Gilliland’s tax fever, need to run as Democrats next election. They’re elected officials who directly, personally, can change the property tax rate in Poquoson – but fail to lower your taxes – so homeowners get socked with huge property tax increases. Check your bills before you buy their credibility.    The politics of taxes, limited government, traditional values – and meaning what you say – do more to clean our political waters than Save The Bay.     -- October 17, 2005