CONSTANT reader: Having commented unflatteringly about my home state of Texas last week without receiving any death threats, I now dare to give my temporary home of Virginia the same treatment. Before the in-state people start throwing tomatoes, let me say that I'm not going to spotlight any particular politicians, policies or teams - the latter would be difficult, considering the scarcity of professional sports in Virginia. Instead, I simply wish to make a proposal that will benefit all Virginians greatly.
This state should be split into Northern Virginia and Virginia. It may sound like an outlandish idea, but it makes a great deal of sense. Being more in step with metropolitan Washington than with the rest of Virginia, Northern Virginia should not be counted as part of the state.
Northern Virginians aren't Southerners, and thus not true Virginians. They seem to have little or no feeling of connection to Southern traditions and history. Moreover, Northern Virginans tend to feel superior to Southerners, including non-Northern Virginians.
The differences in economies and growth trends make finding common ground difficult. Most of the income in NoVa comes from employment in government, technology and service sectors. Other parts of Virginia rely more on agriculture and the military.
Becoming a separate state might cap NoVa's creeping - but not kudzu-like - expansion. Faced with the problem of interstate building, developers would have to think beyond the "here's some farmland to bulldoze" model to provide for the fast-growing population.
At both the national and state levels, political differences often frustrate Northern Virginians. The following numbers were derived from the 2000 election returns. The areas considered to be NoVa are Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax City, as well as Arlington and Fairfax counties.
Statewide in the presidential race, Democratic candidate Al Gore won 45 percent of the vote, Republican candidate George W. Bush 52 percent and Ralph Nader 2 percent. As for Virginia's available Senate seat, Charles Robb received 48 percent of the vote and George Allen won with 52 percent. The voting in NoVa differed dramatically from that of Virginia overall. Northern Virginians gave Gore 51 percent, Bush 45 percent and Nader 3 percent; Robb won 56 percent and Allen 44 percent. To summarize, NoVa voted in reverse of the state. Had NoVa's voting patterns been carried through, Gore would have won Virginia's electoral votes, and Robb the Senate seat.
At the state government level, consider the upcoming gubernatorial race: The probable Republican candidate Mark Earley is from Chesapeake and the likely Democratic candidate Mark Warner from Alexandria. Don't forget the Virginia legislature, currently deadlocked on a budget. Northern Virginian politicians wish to raise their own sales tax to improve their roads and schools, while other legislators want to the money to be used for transportation. The division over decreasing the car tax is more regionally complex, but Gov. James Gilmore III's determination to reduce it by 70 percent instead of 50 percent means state universities must cut spending by over $100 million.
The new NoVa state would be a small one, with a population of less than 1.5 million, but it would still outsize places like Vermont and New Mexico in population, not to mention every other state in per capita income.
Students from NoVa ask, "Where will we go to school?" Charlottesville residents may worry about being left a liberal oasis in a sea of conservatism. Not to worry, there are solutions to both of these concerns. NoVa might, from its plentiful funds, create an excellent university. Alternatively, NoVa and Virginia could co-administer the University, with the governors each appointing half of the Board of Visitors.
Charlottesville will be like West Berlin before the reunification of Germany, a city deep in the other's territory yet maintaining its ties to NoVa. Hopefully NoVa and Virginia will remain on terms sufficiently cordial that airlifting food, water and The Nation into Charlottesville will never be necessary.
Certainly, splitting the state will not solve all its problems, political or otherwise. For example, the disparate areas of Virginia may begin fighting each other once their common enemy, NoVa, no longer exists as an in-state opponent. The important point remains: the Republic of NoVa must detach itself from the rest of Virginia. After all, seceding would be the most traditionally Virginian action many Northern Virginians ever take.
(Pallavi Guniganti's column normally appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at pguniganti@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
PARTING SHOT: A love letter to Cav Daily and Connection
By Ava Proehl | 2 hours agoMy time here taught me to look for the genuine, human connection in every moment.
PARTING SHOT: Does this even matter?
By Jacob Tisdale | 15 hours agoIndividuals and communities can use sports to inspire, to hold space, to heal, to break molds, to change narratives, to honor faith or to come home.
PARTING SHOT: Sometimes it’s okay to fake a smile
By Alexandra Holmes | YesterdayI surrounded myself with people who were so enthusiastic about the University and its potential, that after a while, it was impossible not to feel their passion and their convictions rub off on me.
