I hate to tell you but I do believe the Lt. Governor backed the “compromise” as well. I think he jumped on a little late but he apparently supported it.
To tell you the truth, I think Bolling only jumped on because he saw most of the conservatives in the GA headed that way as well. This does not show too much leadership in my opinion.

As for using the suplus to address the crisis, this is a good short term solution but what happens when this eventually drys up. The compromise was good because it took some from the surplus but did not rely entirely on the extra money because it will not always be there, especially if our economy goes sour.

I certainly cannot speak for the Hampton Roads area but the people up in Northern Virginia demand results in the transportation area from the General Assembly and I am afraid this compromise which will probably end up failing has cost us dearly up here.

Let’s compromise our principles of lower taxes, limited government and effectiveness and efficiency in those services government legitimately provides to get a deal to keep our majority in the GA.

What utter rot. Very Whig-worthy rhetoric.

Consider Hampton Roads…

You want a compromise deal that does NOT reduce congestion. (Have we lost anyone yet….the plan does NOT reduce miles of congestion in HR) It is the same projects from 02 - the one Virginia Voters spanked 2:1 in HR.

Here is an example for all the folks in NoVa. Imagine a plan to decrease traffic across the Potomac (we’ll call it the 3rd Crossing). The design is to build a super highway bleeding off traffic in PG County, MD a few miles north of the Wilson Bridge. Then swing around in a big loop, cross the Potomac with a tunnel and bridge and about 10 miles into VA RE-CONNECT WITH THE BELTWAY! Did you reduce traffic on the Wilson Bridge? Maybe. Did you lower congestion dumping all the traffic back on the Beltway? Duh, no. This is precisely the major part of the ‘Plan’ for Hampton Roads.

It takes $209m in new taxes out of HR. 10th District Rep maybe unfamiliar with economics - but Pres. Kennedy, Reagan and Bush 43 were not. Taxes kill jobs. A compromise that only raises taxes $209 m a year in HR is a compromise or a killing of our principles.

The unelected, unaccountable Regional Government was rejected by HR voters 2 times - 3 if you count all the votes Jerry Kilgore lost. A compromise that tells the voters to go to Hell so we can create another whole new level of government and bureacracy is an appalling abandonment of the principles of the Party.

But, hey, gee, if it will keep the Republican majority in the GA, then salute and execute.

This thinking is precisely why Republicans will lose the majority in the GA. Which is why Republicans lost the majority in the Congress. Power over principle or power as the only principle means you lose the principled base of the Party. Unless, of course, you think the GOP voters are the same peasants who vote for the Dems as they are told to do so.

A lousy plan born of fear is for weaklings and future Whigs.

The AG is willing to give on tax increases, and the LG is not…

Now which position shows more ‘Leadership’? Breaking with Conservative values and working with squishy Pubs raising taxes during a time of surplus or holding the line and using the surplus to address the ‘crisis’?

Did I hear someone predict Edwards (i.e. BreckGirl) would be President?

Bolling has been falling over his Lean Cuisines trying to get on the compromise bandwagon. It’s hilarious to see the Bolling people on these blogs try to walk this rightrope.

Here’s the M.O.- Bolling tells newspapers he supports the proposal (see Roanoke Times above) to try to look like one of the rational ones working for a solution. Then, the Bolling people try to trash AG McDonnell for supporting the same plan. When Bolling’s quotes supporting the plan are posted on the same blogs, the Bolling people say the newspapers got it wrong.

Bolling’s trying to have his cake and eat it too on the tax plan. Too bad he got to the party a little too late.

“. . . Today, leaders in the Senate and House of Delegates announced agreement on a proposal to move these discussions forward. I commend them for the hard work they have put forth and the progress they have made.”

“I am very pleased that the proposal put forth by Republicans in the Senate and House of Delegates rejects the massive statewide tax increases that had been proposed by Governor Kaine. Now, the legislative process will begin, during which this proposal will be analyzed and debated. I look forward to a continuing dialogue with the members of the General Assembly about this important issue.”

“If Bolling, who praised the compromise when it was disclosed last month…”

Looks like some folks are spreading bad information about the LG. He fully supports the compromise plan.

If we fail to reach ANY agreement on transportation the Republican party will loose the majority in the GA and we will be GUARANTEED a tax hike across the board most likely beginning with adding a gas sales tax and increasing general sales tax and possibly even more income taxes. All this with a surplus.

I think this compromise plan with some increased fees and limited use of the general fund for transportation is a heck of a lot better than across the board tax increases and total use of the general fund to increase the coffers of state government and continue fattening of the state agencies with what it seems like unlimited funding at their request.

This is exactly what will happen if we cannot achieve some type of compromise on transportation. The Dems know it and that is why they were fighting it so hard. I hope our AG McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bolling along Speak Howell keeps fighting for some type of agreement that a majority of both moderates and conservatives in party can agree on. The future of our majority status in the General Assembly is at stake.

Greg, I hope you are right that we can change the makeup of the Senate and reverse the problems next year (hopefully Bob FitzSimmonds can take the first step by knocking off Colgan in PW!). Unfortunately, the hardest thing in government to do is undo a tax increase or elminate a program.

Bolling has the best perspective on this. We need to permantely direct a significant amount of existing ongoing revenues to transportation. With the massive growth in state government, we don’t have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.

In that regard, warts and all, the compromise is at least worth exploring. For Chichester to ruin that compromise in favor of an even worse solution is a huge problem for the Republicans. Perhaps fighting to the bitter end for a good plan is the right thing to do. I’m not sure. I’m not going to dismiss the reality that any opportunity for compromise this session is going to be hard, but an important victory however.

What’s the art of the possible here? Whatever it looks like, Chichester just made it a heck of a lot harder to find, and we really need to ensure that a good challenger for his seat gets a lot of support, regardless of how the transportation legislation sorts out. The path to a transportation solution clearly runs through his defeat in a primary challenge.

I would have much rather seen a challenge to the plan from the folks actually promoting fiscal responsibility, though. Then it would be easier to pick a side.

Ask how many congested miles go away each year for Hampton Roads for 20 years (answer - there are MORE congested miles not including all the construction delays, accidents and deaths)?

How many jobs will $209 m out of HR each year kill (every $150m in taxes = 5000 jobs killed)?

What part of ‘NO’ did the voters fail to communicate in NO to unelected, unaccountable Regional Government (1998, 2002 and some against Kilgore in 2005)?

What a terrible plan - any Republican supporting it should be ashamed.