While the Roanoke Times editorial page displayed signs of thinking outside the box this morning (see previous post, “Roanoke Roundabouts”), the same cannot be said of the Newport News Daily Press, which is stuck in a rut: raging against its favorite target, House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, on the topic of its favorite excuse for raising taxes, transportation.
Howell, states the Daily Press editorial writer: “has held his Republican majority in the House of Delegates together, refused to consider new revenue sources, thumbed his nose at the governor’s entreaties and, now, the state Senate may very well throw in the towel and pass a budget that includes meager new transportation support.”
Let’s deconstruct that statement.
“Refused to consider new revenue sources...” Wrong, just plain wrong. Howell has not “refused to consider new revenue sources” — he’s merely refused to consider the revenue sources — new taxes — that the Daily Press is so enamored of. Howell has backed the idea of public private partnerships that issue bonds backed by tolls. He has backed the idea of privatizing revenue-generating pieces of the transportation system to raise funds to be invested elsewhere. He has backed raising fines on “traffic abusers” and devoting the proceeds to transportation. He has carved out dedicated revenue streams from the General Fund to back the issurance of bonds. And that list doesn’t include using the state surplus in the next biennial budget, like the last, for transportation.
(There are legitimate grounds for criticizing Howell’s approach to transportation, but not for reasons that the Daily Press would recognize. The Speaker, like the state senators whose fiscally outrageous spending plans he opposes, seems stuck in the mindset that the way to address traffic congestion is to match every increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled with an expansion of capacity. Howell would be well advised to pay more attention to the need for fundamental land use reforms, not the tinkering-on-the-edge reforms that have come out of this year’s session, and other strategies for moderating the relentless increase in travel demand.)
“thumbed his nose at the Governor’s entreaties…” If that characterization is apt, then it is fair to say that the Governor has “thumbed his nose” at Howell’s entreaties as well. I haven’t noticed any indication yet that the Governor is any more willing to compromise on transportation funding than the House is.
“the senate may very well throw in the towel and pass a budget that includes meager new transportation support…” Throw in the towel? That’s an interesting description for the Senate’s recognition that it should stop holding a figurative gun to Howell’s head by embedding the 2007-2008 budget with tax increases. Rest assured, had Howell tried a similar strong-armed legislative tactic in the absence of a consensus, the Daily Press would be crying bloody murder.
Note to the Daily Press: The transportation debate has left you in the dust. Virginia’s Business-As-Usual transportation policy is coming under wider and wider assault. You’re like the last Tyrannosaurus bellowing about the meteor strike while the mammals get on with taking over.