1. BELIEVE THIS: Most of the players -- House, Senate, governor’s office -- are operating from an honest base. Most of the players -- House, Senate, governor’s office -- really do want the same thing: a better Virginia.

2. DON’T BELIEVE YOUR OWN PRESS RELEASES: This is a trap all too easy to fall into, but one hard to get out of. Edicts issued for reasons of partisanship, positioning, bargaining and things having nothing to do with making a better Virginia can become millstones around your spindly necks if you start to believe them, if you let them define you to yourself in other contexts.

3. IGNORE THE PUNDITS: This one included. We are the great coat-holders in the fist-fights of public policy. Nobody elected us. We all have constituencies. Some of us have agendas.

4. IGNORE, TOO, THE SCREECHERS: Ignore Grover Norquist, Peter Whatshisname and others of the self-appointed, unelected, glassy-eyed, I’m-here-to-save-the-universe ilk. They project relevance with the wheels and levers known previously only to the Wizard of Oz. They issue "alerts," push polls and such, but when it comes right down to it, these folks have about 10 followers statewide. Ignore them. They bring nothing to the table. They are the Grand Poobahs of Screech.

5. DON’T CONFUSE MOTION WITH DIRECTION: They are not the same. At least half the caterwaulers who actually have a vote in this debate do not know the difference.

6. DO LISTEN TO THE STAFFS: These are the people in state government who really do know what they’re doing. They’re smart. They work hard. Those in senior positions have been there a long time. Listen to these people, particularly the staffs of House Appropriations, House Finance and Senate Finance. These folks have more budget knowledge in the tips of their little fingers than all the members of the General Assembly combined -- with two exceptions..

7. CALLAHAN AND CHICHESTER, THE TWO EXCEPTIONS: These two could settle it. If members of the legislature would put these two in a room with their respective staffs, and then go play tennis or catch Mel Gibson’s new movie, when they came back they would find what we’re all looking for: a better Virginia.

8. RESOLVE THE CAR TAX ISSUE ONCE AND FOREVER: You’re shirking your duty if you don’t address this one definitively.

9. LISTEN TO THE LOBBYISTS: That’s right. Listen to these "special interests" folks, to a small handful in particular. Listen to the representatives of the Virginia Association of Counties, the Virginia Municipal League, the Virginia Education Association, the state employee representative, the law enforcement folks and the transportation lobby. That’s not many. Six. Half a dozen. Sure, be nice to all of them. Listen to these six. They are like the staffers. They’re smart. They work hard. They know what they’re talking about. And they represent interests that really are special to us.

10. THERE ARE ‘WINS’ IN ALL THREE PROPOSALS: They are in Delegate Philip Hamilton’s proposal. They are in Sen. John Chichester’s proposal. They are in Gov. Mark Warner’s proposal. They are there. Find them.

11. THE FILTER QUESTION: There are a lot of wannabes for this one. But they are vacuous pretenders. As you sort through these proposals, there can be only one that matters: Does this make for a better Virginia? If you will answer that question honestly you will get us there.

12. A FINAL REMINDER: Most of the players -- House, Senate, Governor’s Office -- are operating from an honest base. And most do want the same thing.

Coming next week: I backslide. Is the attorney general missing on this issue? Shall we issue an Amber Alert for him? Issue an APB? Put his picture on a milk carton?

Consider this for your next gift:
A 60,000 word collection of Barnie Day’s commentaries, entitled "A Mule Yule: Hey, Jesus didn’t ride in on an elephant," with an introduction by Jerry Baliles and forewords by Frosty Landon, Larry Sabato, Robert Holsworth,and Bill Wood, is available from the Democratic Party of Virginia. Contact Laura Bland, toll-free, at 1-800-322-1144

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