Bacon's Rebellion

Virginia’s Directionally Challenged Democrats

—

by

James A. Bacon
in

I’m not one to regularly quote the Washington Post, but Sunday’s editorial by Melanie Scaborough really draws the distinction in the ideologies of the Political Parties and clearly shows why the Democrats have lost their majority status in our State.

This Op-Ed examined the legislative bills proposed by both Democrat and Republican members of the Northern Virginia Delegation. It gives credit to Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R- Fairfax, for having “sponsored some of this year’s most common-sense legislation – including a bill that would tie the growth of state spending to population plus inflation.” (Emphasis added)

This is commonly referred to as the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) and it’s modeled after the Colorado law that is widely credited for controlling government spending in that state and for returning billion of dollars to the tax payers in the form of permanent tax cuts. Of course such legislation is anathema to the tax-and-spenders in the State Senate, including a good percentage of the Republican majority, as it would deprive them from the ability to squander taxpayer dollars on pork barrel from which they derive their political power.

The article concludes by making this very insightful observation:

If Northern Virginia liberals believe it is a moral imperative to pay high tax rates, why not live in Washington instead of lower-taxed Virginia?
They send to Richmond representatives who vote for the sort of policies that ruined the District — and from which Virginia suburbanites have tried to escape.

Share this article

ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)

Comments

Comments

  1. Steven Avatar
    Steven

    Scarborough wrote: If Northern Virginia liberals believe it is a moral imperative to pay high tax rates, why not live in Washington instead of lower-rax Virginia?

    Good question.

    I’ve been asking the same thing for years.

  2. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    It seems to me that the Democrats lost their majority status because the state party started to mirror the national party. Meanwhile, the Republicans moved right. In a state where demographics lead to conservatism, the more conservative party wins more elections. Therefore, the Republicans win more elections.

    But demographics are changing. The population is swelling in Northern Virginia. The exurbs (a GOP zone) are pushing further out, with high density blue areas cropping everywhere.

    Within 20 years, this state will be RUN by northern virginia…If it already isn’t.

  3. Phil Rodokanakis Avatar
    Phil Rodokanakis

    Paul: If your prediction is correct that within 20 years the State will be run by NOVA, do you think we’ll then be able to keep every dollar we send to Richmond? Right now we barely get 40 cents on the dollar.

  4. Phil Rodokanakis Avatar
    Phil Rodokanakis

    Paul: The Democrats in NOVA continue to reflect the values of the national party. Given your earlier statemetn that democrats lost their majority status because they relfected the national party, I’m not sure how they’re going to regain their majority by continuing to follow the same failed policies.

  5. Steven Avatar
    Steven

    Paul: Explain why GOP politicians Black, Marshall, and Cuccinelli keep winning by such large margins?

    With the exception of Alexandria and Arlington, which have been leaning to the left since 1890 due to the northern carpetbaggers that settled in those neighborhoods, the rest of Northern Virginia lean to the RED, not to the BLUE.

    Demographics are not changing, like you advise …

    The NoVa BOS boards are dominated by lifelong Democrats (Metro bureaucrats) for the time being. But these liberal and left-leaning politicians are taxing those NoVa citizens to death — and HIGH property taxes will be their ultimate end as elected Democratic officials.

    Day after day, Democratic friends in Fairfax and in Northern VA counties tell the Blue Dog they are absolutely fed up with the bankrupt policies of their local governments, i.e. Planning Commissions Communist and Board of Marxist Stupid-visors.

    ~ the blue dog

  6. Bob Griendling Avatar
    Bob Griendling

    Steve,

    Black won 52% of the vote in ’03. His margins are getting smaller. And now Republicans are organizing against him. Watch that race.

Leave a Reply

ADVERTISEMENT