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Mark Warner has a "Deal" for Youby
Jeff Dircksen Oct 22, 2002 Has anyone else noticed that Governor Mark Warner has become Virginia’s
version of Monty “Let’s Make a Deal” Hall, albeit without
the cheesy sport coat? Our “Monty” is now crisscrossing
the Commonwealth trying to make a deal, and what a deal it is. He says
that inside his jacket pocket is the prize package of a lifetime and that
all you have to do is raise your taxes to get it. Of course, you can’t
see the envelope or its contents. You’re just supposed to trust
him. But wait, there’s still what’s behind Door #2. Despite the Governor’s reassuring smile and encouraging wink, voters
in Virginia – just like the game show contestants – have no guarantee
that what’s in the envelope is anything better than a phony $3 bill
and that what’s behind the door isn’t a 55-gallon drum of baked
beans. The Governor’s sales tax hike is a “deal” that
Virginians shouldn’t make.
The envelope, the Governor says, contains a list of transportation projects
to get traffic moving. If a contestant asks how much all of the projects in
the “deal” cost, “Monty” won’t release all of
the details until after the election. He simply points to the funding
levels in the original referendum legislation – of course funding levels
aren’t total project costs – and says that you need to take the
“deal.” If asked about the details of the projects – what are you going to build, where, and when – “Monty” can
only say that’s up to the officials with the new Regional Transportation
Authority. Of course, the transportation boards may decide not to build
any of those projects and there’s no legal authority to force the boards
to complete them. That’s part of the “deal.” Just trust him.
If the contestant is still uncertain, “Monty” says the envelope
is sealed with a promise to spend all of the money raised by the sales tax
increase in northern Virginia. Now, that sounds like a fair shake, but
then there’s the fine print. Even though “Monty” and
all his friends in Richmond promise not to squander that money, there’s
no guarantee in the referendum that prevents them from using it somewhere
else. All it takes is for the General Assembly and the Governor to slip
a line into the budget bill, which amends all previous legislation, and they
can then use that money for whatever purpose they desire. That’s
what happened last year when the “deal makers” transferred $317
million in “dedicated” transportation money into the General Fund
and filled the Transportation Fund with $317 million in IOUs. That won’t
happen again, “Monty” says. Just trust him.
In an attempt to close the “deal,” “Monty” says that
what happened to Route 28 in Prince William County won’t happen to anyone
else. So the General Assembly defunded road improvements on Route 28,
dumped the project into the current referendum, and spent that money elsewhere.
Don’t worry. Of course, the Secretary of Transportation told a
gathering down south that if the sales tax hike passes then the Commonwealth
will have more money to spend on roads downstate. This, despite “Monty’s” apparent promises, means Richmond could still cut the transportation funds
northern Virginia has been promised in the next few years and spend them elsewhere. That’s part of the “deal.” Just trust him.
That brings “Monty” to what’s behind Door #2. He’s
described the “deal” in his jacket pocket as just a “down
payment,” but he hasn’t said what the next step is. If that
“deal” doesn’t really solve the problem, what’s next? The rest of his plan must be behind Door #2, but he won’t tell you what
it is. Perhaps, it’s another tax hike, but “Monty” won’t say. Just trust him.
In 1986 the folks in Richmond played “Let’s Make a Deal” with Virginians. The sales tax was raised a half-cent and
dedicated to the Transportation Fund, yet Richmond failed to make
transportation a real priority. Now, there’s a new and
improved “deal.” Voters should not let themselves
get zonked again by reassuring politicians. Virginians should walk
away from this “deal” and vote against the sales tax
hike. Then “Monty” and company can start working
on fiscally responsible ways to address our transportation challenges. Who really needs a 55-gallon drum of baked beans anyway?
Jeff Dircksen is a policy analyst with National Taxpayers Union. He is also a board member of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance
and a Fairfax County resident. |
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