Plenty of Work Left to Do     Only three weeks left in the 2007 General Assembly session and there's so much left to be done.   The headlines last Friday blared: Transportation Deal Dies in Senate Finance Committee. If this state truly faces a “transportation crisis”, this should not mark the end of the debate. A deal similar to the compromise carved out among Senate and House Republicans with the “outside” help of Attorney General Bob McDonnell and Congressman Tom Davis still should be doable.   If a transportation deal fails, then another year or more will pass before the crisis can be confronted again -- and the cost of everything from maintenance to construction will be that much higher.   There ought to be a way to “protect” public education, health care and criminal justice as Senators Chichester, Potts and Saslaw demand, carve out a significant amount of money from the General Fund for transportation and avoid a general tax increase. It would be a shame to kill all the good found in the compromise bill offered a few weeks ago.   Of course, everyone wants something “better” in this deal. For instance, money raised in one county might need to be spent in that county to guarantee “buy in” from all localities, at least in Northern Virginia. This is minor compared to the need to confront the crisis. The current “deal,” for all its problems, is better than none at all.   The people of the economic powerhouses of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads expect a reasonable transportation plan to pass the General Assembly. If the legislature can't deliver that, may be it can achieve results on other important issues. For instance:   The state should no longer invest in companies that do business with Iran, Syria, North Korea or whose resources support the bloodshed in Sudan. This only makes sense. Divestiture should be required of all state funds including those in our universities and colleges. The Governor should weigh in and ask General Assembly support.   Brothels throughout Northern Virginia and other areas of the state should be closed down rather than allowed to stay open. It is disgraceful that young girls, often against their will, service 35 or even 50 men a day. Congressman Frank Wolf is ready and anxious to help with this effort.   Governors should be allowed to succeed themselves. While we are enacting two-term governorships, we should also create staggered terms for the State Senate so that half the Senate faces the voters every two years.   Redistricting should be put in the hands of a truly bi-partisan commission. This was a good idea when the Democrats were in charge of the General Assembly and it is a good idea with today’s Republican majority. Such a change would create a stronger and more competitive political system.   Electric power needs in Northern Virginia require the stringing of more major power lines. The location of new transmission lines has become a major issue. But economic development requires an expanded transportation system and an expanded electrical grid. The General Assembly should work with the power company and the communities impacted to resolve this issue and do it sooner than later. A reliable supply of electricity is a must for economic development.   The remaining barriers to cable television competition in Virginia should be removed. And local telephone costs should be determined by the market as well. The communications industry is one of the most robust in history, so let the market do what it does best – provide quality service at competitive prices.   Elected officials should allow charter schools sponsored by colleges and universities. Tuition Assistance Grants should be available for students with disabilities to attend private institutions when their parents feel the local public school is not providing the proper education for their child. And tuition tax credits should be available to fund scholarships for at-risk students as Pennsylvania and other states have proven can be very successful.   The consolidation of the State Water Control Board, the state Air Pollution Control Board and the Waste Management Board into one panel makes sense. Uniform decision making on emissions, water issues and waste management is a logical “good business” move for the legislature to approve.   The practice of mandating new health benefits for medical insurance policies should be halted. Virginia has one of the highest lists of insurance mandates in the country. Adding to this list will hurt our businesses, especially our small independently owned businesses.   And, finally, the General Assembly should take action to ensure that private property owners in this state are protected from greedy local governments that want to take private property through “eminent domain” and give to another private entity in order to increase tax revenue. Eminent domain is a dangerous power for government to have and it should be strictly limited.   These are issues that will “sell back home” and it will be interesting to see how our elected leaders handle them in this election year. As we all saw last November, voters don’t mind telling their elected leaders to “listen up or pack up and go home” when they duck the issues people care about.    -- February 5, 2007