Nothing gets peoples’ juices flowing like an empassioned debate over the death penalty. I happen to agree with Jerry Kilgore’s stance on the issue — I support the death penalty — and I think he’s gotten the better of Tim Kaine in the latest round of television ads, press releases and newspaper articles. I’m grimly fascinated by the spectacle of Tim Kaine wriggling like a worm on a hook as he insists that, though he opposes the death penalty, he’ll uphold the law. Score a political point for Kilgore. He’s keeping Kaine on the defensive.
But I remain unmoved. The fact is, the chance of Virginia repealing the death penalty in the next four years is about zero. It ain’t gonna happen. No one has any intention of even trying to make it happen. Therefore, the entire debate is revolving around an issue that, for all intents and purposes, is largely theoretical.
Here’s what will happen: The state Senate will present a proposal to raise taxes for transportation — as much as $2 billion a year, from the whispers I’ve heard. The General Assembly will be greeted with a gusher of revenues to dispose of. Funding for schools, transportation, higher ed, economic development, mental health, Medicaid — programs that will have a real impact on peoples’ lives — are matters that a new governor will have to grapple with.
Let’s hear less about capital punishment and more about budgetary priorities.
