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As
we consider who to support on November 8, we need
to consider the real battles coming in the next
few years over the budgetary direction Virginia
takes. Our decision on whom to support should be
based on appraisal of who will best handle these
challenges.
In
education, “at risk” students faced with a
one-size-fits-all education system need to have
more choices available to them. A robust charter
school system would offer credible alternatives to
the current public school system, as it does in
other states. Tax credits for scholarships for
students in “failing school systems seem to make
sense. Students should be allowed to attend any
school within their district boundaries where desk
space is available. At least 65 percent of all
K-12 monies should be used in the classroom.
In
transportation, we need leaders who will take
creative and successful ideas from around this
country and other countries and bring them to
Virginia. We should encourage more private money
for toll roads, toll bridges, and High Occupancy
Toll Lanes It is a travesty that only 250
miles of our roads are under private sector
maintenance contracts when states such as Florida
have 80 percent of their state roads under such
agreements. Private toll roads need to be
encouraged. Even the sale of publicly owned
airports to the private sector should be on the
table, as has been done in other states.
With
leadership and creativity, we can encourage
economic development and best management practices
to protect our environment. The clean-up of the
Chesapeake Bay cannot become reality without a
market-oriented system of environmental credits
for agricultural best practices. Earmarking $50
million a year to the Bay cleanup is good, but if
it is not spent in the right way, we will not
accomplish what we could with well-thought out
plans based on true science as opposed to
politically biased science.
Overall
government reform should be a major consideration
as well. Our state spends over $32 billion a year
and that price tag is rising. We should demand
real reforms. The next team of leaders should
build on what has been accomplished by Gov. Mark
R. Warner and previous governors. We need men and
women who will move aggressively to bring best
practices to bear on every state agency. And the
first step should be a truly new and user-friendly
budget document that allows legislators and
citizens to understand where our money is being
spent and how well it is being used. Other states
have such budgets. Without a transparent budget
document, little real reform can take place.
Health
care is a piece of our state budget that cries out
for a better approach. Health Savings Accounts for
our state employees should be promoted and
encouraged. Medicaid reforms from other states
need to be brought to Virginia and implemented in
a way that brings true cost savings to this
program. Allowing several small businesses to come
together and purchase health insurance through
larger group policies makes sense if packaged
properly. And the whole area of mandated health
insurance coverage needs to be reviewed. Virginia
has one of the highest number of such mandates in
the nation, inflating health insurance premiums
considerably.
Illegal
immigration is a terribly emotional issue, but it
is one that strong leadership can grasp and unite
our communities around a reasonable and
even-handed program. A program needs to be
developed that is not misperceived as being
anti-immigrant, perhaps by bringing on board a
large segment of the legal immigrant community.
Virginia needs to encourage legal immigrants to
set down roots, raise families, become U.S.
citizens and be part of our community. But,
clearly, tax money should not used to encourage
illegal immigrants to settle here. Draining scare
resources for illegal immigrants is unfair to all
those who are in need and live in Virginia
legally.
The
issue of eminent domain must be handled quickly by
the next set of leaders we send to Richmond.
State laws must be strengthened for the protection
of homeowners so that their property cannot be
taken by state or local government for the
economic benefit of others. The traditional use of
this tool for roads, schools, power lines and
public safety has long been supported. But eminent
domain should not be used to take your home and
hand it over to a developer for his economic
benefit. Our new leaders must face this issue head
on.
These
are some of the major challenges facing our state
and the next set of elected leaders that we
“hire” on November 8th should be willing to
tackle them in creative ways that don't merely
repackage failed ideas from the past.
--
October 17, 2005
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