Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Editorial: Saying no to transportation
House Republicans continue their stubborn refusal to consider a statewide tax increase to meet ever-growing transportation needs.
From the RoundTable blog
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Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Shapiro summed up the attitude of Virginia's conservatives all too well Sunday: "For many, tax is a two-letter word: no."
They lived up to Shapiro's low expectations in their response to Gov. Tim Kaine's $1.1 billion a year transportation plan.
Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax, said the plan had a "0.000 percent chance" of reaching the House floor.
When House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith was asked if he thought it would make it to the House floor, he said, "No. I see it on the floor but not the floor of the House."
Such intransigence is frustrating, but not unexpected. The House has held the line on any statewide tax increase to pay for transportation needs for the last three years, blissfully ignoring the mounting maintenance shortfall and what that means for spending on new roads.
The constitution requires the state to pay for maintenance first.
With no infusion of new revenue into the transportation funding system for the last 20 years, maintenance needs are outstripping revenues.
Filling that deficit will take $600 million a year out of money for new construction by 2014 if nothing is done. That's $600 million that won't be eligible for federal matching funds, making the impact on the transportation budget even more severe.
Despite the fact that the General Assembly struggled to balance the budget in this year's session, some Republicans argue that this mammoth deficit can be made up without increasing taxes. They insist on addressing only critical regional needs in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
That's grossly irresponsible.
Attorney General and likely Republican nominee for governor Bob McDonnell said that the maintenance shortfall can be overcome with "innovation, creativity, privatization and the use of technology to improve transportation."
That's grossly unrealistic.
Senate Democrats aren't completely happy with Kaine's plan, either. They're disappointed, with good reason, that he failed to include a gas tax increase. Instead, the burden falls mostly on new car buyers and home sellers.
These Democrats have a good point, and Kaine should listen to them.
Not only would a gas tax force out-of-state drivers to pay for part of the upkeep of the Virginia roads they use, the full impact of any increase would not be reflected at the pump. A portion, perhaps sizable, would be absorbed in the ever-fluctuating price of gas.
Kaine, Democrats and any Republicans in the General Assembly open to reason should put together the best package they can that addresses critical regional needs and ensures that statewide construction funds won't be sucked up by maintenance needs.
If House Republicans refuse to go along, so be it. As Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said, "If ... that crowd just wants to stick their heads into the sand and pretend we don't have a problem and run this state into the ground, I can't physically force them to do this."
But if their stubbornness torpedoes any hope of a transportation solution -- again -- then Virginia voters should make sure they pay the political price in November 2009.
And hope there is a state transportation system worth salvaging by then.
