Today, The Washington Post expanded on the Kaine taxpayer relief proposals. There was no reference to rising assessments “running up tax bills” that was featured in the Chris Jenkin L. Jenkins story that ran yesterday. In today’s coverage by Peter Whoriskey there is a four part tax relief program and reference to two others related to transportation:
1. No assessment on additions and rehabilitations of residential units for 15 years
2. Homestead exemption by municipal governments
3. Fully fund the state’s share of school costs
4. No unfunded mandates
5. No raiding of the transport trust fund
6. Fair allocation of the transport funds
We did a mini-poll and most said: “If he can do that he has my vote.”
These mini-ideas may address the “tax payer revolt” but it does not address the need for Fundamental Changes to address future reality.
The first and second ideas are good ones if a fair way can be found to keep them from becoming another subsidy for those at the top of the economic food chain which is what has happened to the federal mortgage interest writeoff.
The next four are proposals that should have been implemented years ago. In fact it is hard to justify reelecting anyone now in office at the state level since they failed to help secure passage of these simple, good government initiatives 20, 10 or 2 years ago.
The future is a bigger concern. Functional government costs money. Dysfunctional government costs more money. These ideas suggest how some who are complaining about taxes might pay less. They do not address who pays more to cover the cost of current dysfunctions or for the future expansion of state, regional and community needs if current trends continue. They do not address how to lower the demand for services. The other parts of a tax relief program may come later but one is just political rhetoric without the others.
There is another question: Where have all the bloggers gone? No one responded to either Bacons challenge on the Kilgore review of Kaine or EMR’s request to spread the word on Barnie’s “solution” for “relief” from rising assessments.
Is everyone so concerned about defending some party or some candidate that they are unwilling to admit that the whole system is without clothes?
As Steve Canyon’s buddy was want to say: What Occurs?
EMR
