Gov. Timothy M. Kaine made some up-beat remarks in a speech to the General Assembly that the Richmond Times-Dispatch ignored in its coverage of yesterday’s events, perhaps on the grounds that it was insufficiently contentious. But I think his comments are worth repeating — occasionally, we need to remind ourselves that, as much as Virginians disagree about things, we agree about a whole lot more. Said Kaine:
It has been a year of remarkable achievements in Virginia.
In its first ever ranking of the best states for business, Forbes ranked Virginia first.
For the first time ever, Virginia’s “Rainy Day” fund is full.
Our public schools and system of higher education – once again – have been ranked among the nation’s best.
The nonpartisan Tax Foundation ranked Virginia 41st among the 50 states in state and local individual tax burden. Virginia’s business tax burden was cited as the nation’s lowest by the Council on State Taxation. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated Virginia as one of the five top states for overall legal fairness.
Working together, we have ensured that Virginia remained one of only a handful of states that still carries the best-possible Triple-A bond rating.
Strong education, an attractive business climate, award-winning management, rock solid fiscal reliability—these traits combined have continued to produce strong job growth.
In fiscal year 2006, our state added 78,000 new jobs, 14,000 more than forecast.
Our unemployment level remains low – 3.3%, a full point-and-a-half below the national jobless rate.
It’s true, Virginia is in pretty darn good shape. Our strong finances and superior economic performance are no accident.
OK, the time-out is over. Let’s get back to fighting…