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As
Virginia’s budget problems worsen, so does the
tone of public debate.
Just
months after closing a $3.8 billion budget gap
during the 2002 session of the General Assembly,
Gov. Mark R. Warner discovered that state revenue
collections continued to fall well below anticipated
levels. The projected shortfall for the 2002-2004
biennium is $1.5 billion and might grow to $2
billion. On October 15, Warner announced spending
reductions amounting to $858 million, the maximum he
could order without further action by the General
Assembly. The General Assembly must come up with the
balance.
This
isn’t the time for scoring points, angling for
partisan advantage or savaging elected officials —
present or past. It’s a time for thoughtful
analysis and hardheaded decisions.
That
doesn’t mean there will be agreement on the proper
approach. Deep differences in political philosophy
underlie the current debate. Not all of those
differences will be, or should be, resolved by
compromise.
One
difference is over whether taxes should be raised.
The apparent opposition of Gov. Warner and the
Republican leadership in the General Assembly to a
tax increase will be tested over the next six
months. Our elected representatives will make a
choice on taxes that will dwarf any other
budget-related decision they may make during that
period.
What
Virginians deserve is a mature and open debate on
that question. Each side has a legitimate case to
make. Neither has a higher moral claim than the
other. Both should resolve to avoid pettiness and
political maneuvering because the stakes are so
high.
Fixing
the budget mess isn’t a simple matter of
arithmetic. It involves competing values and
principles. Even after a decision is made
about whether taxes will be increased, many
value-laden decisions will remain.
Some
spending requests won’t be satisfied. With or
without a tax increase, the Commonwealth won’t
have enough money to meet every need. It never does.
Within
this framework of competing values, there is an
element of arithmetic. The projected gap between
what was appropriated only months ago and what
revenues are now expected during the current
two-year cycle is so large that radical choices must
be considered in order to find another billion
dollars or more, either in cuts or new revenues.
For
some, it is now politically palatable to propose
eliminating entire programs, which is something they
would hardly suggest when revenues are ample. For
others, our dire predicament makes a proposal to
raise taxes politically feasible even though such a
suggestion was soundly rejected at the last session.
This
moment will determine the Commonwealth’s direction
for many years. Decisions made between now and the
adjournment of the next legislative session will
shape the contours of state government and the
content of future state budgets for many years.
Circumstances don’t present this challenge to
every legislative session or even to every governor.
This
is gut-check time for our elected representatives.
If
there are any who don’t know what political
philosophy, if any, they hold, they’ll know six
months from now. Whether they consciously embrace a
political philosophy or not when they vote, it will
be implicit in the decision they make.
Our
system of government works best when we can
participate as voters in determining the general
direction the government will take when we elect our
representatives. That is unlikely unless they frame
the choice clearly. In the coming debate, let’s
hope their differences are principled.
--
October 28, 2002
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