FOR US political junkies, there is no state quite like Virginia. It is a rare place in America that never has an off year in politics. This year is no exception. Just as we are settling down after an intense presidential campaign, it is time now to turn our attention to the governor's race taking place here this year which will be decided this Nov. 8.
In this race, Virginians are faced with a very stark choice for Governor. Just four years ago, our state was mired in a horrific budget crisis as vital public services were going unfunded and a Republican anti-tax obsession looked to continue our state's drive towards bankruptcy. However, over the past four years, under the management of Gov. Mark Warner, the state has rebounded from the crisis with a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility and an intelligent tax policy, and is now recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the best-managed states in the country.
As the campaign season begins to get into full swing, it is becoming increasingly clear that Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, the likely Democratic nominee, is the right man to continue Virginia on its path of smart growth, fiscal responsibility and proper management. Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, the presumptive Republican nominee, appears set only to return the state back to its days of crisis and unfunded mandates forcing localities to raise their own taxes dramatically.
While many of Kaine's backers say that a vote for him is a vote for a second term for Mark Warner, and that Kaine would simply continue Warner's grand legacy, the fact is Kaine has a lot to offer that even Warner doesn't. Kaine would not continue Warner's legacy -- he would enhance it.
For example, Kaine has developed an innovative plan to dramatically reduce the skyrocketing property taxes being experienced throughout the state (most notably in Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach and right here in Charlottesville). Part of Kaine's plan comes from the fact that these property tax hikes are practically forced on localities by the state, primarily to fund public education. Kaine would work to have the state government properly partake in its share of funding for public education, and has further declared that he will veto all public education unfunded mandates to localities. This will ease the financial burden of education on localities, allowing the localities to lower their taxes.
This kind of a tax cut would be responsible, as it would not take away money needed to fund the services that need to be provided and also allows localities the flexibility to maintain the tax levels they find necessary to properly fund their education services.
Kilgore, on the other hand, has no plan for reducing property taxes. The only proposal Kilgore has even related to taxes is that he would require all tax increases to be approved by the voters in a referendum. This would prevent the state from receiving the funds it needs in a timely manner, and anyone who remembers the failed transportation tax referendum of 2002 can tell you how foolish a referendum on every tax increase would truly be. Kilgore's plan would merely handicap the state permanently and return the state to days of dangerous irresponsibility.
Tax policy is not the only major difference between Kaine and Kilgore. However, what may be the starkest difference between the two is that of vision. As it presently stands, Kilgore has not even taken a public stance on many issues critical to the state. He has not articulated any plan at all as of the present on such critical issues as increasing business investment in the state fighting crime, fighting rising health care costs in the state or investment in higher education. Kaine already has clearly articulated dynamic plans to deal with all of these issues. Virginians are being given a choice between a man with the vision to move the state forward and a man with no vision at all.
Finally, Kaine would not be simply a "Richmond liberal," as the Republicans are bound to label him. As mayor of Richmond, Kaine did not allow property taxes to be raised and fought successfully to improve schools without raising any taxes at all. As lieutenant governor, Kaine has pushed for legislation to ban partial-birth abortion, has pushed for sensible spending cuts, and has fought to remain tough on crime.
This November, Virginians will face a critical choice. We will choose whether to keep our state moving forward, following the example of Warner, or turn our state back to the failed days of Jim Gilmore and George Allen. The choice is clear: Kaine is the right man for the job.
Sam Leven's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at sleven@cavalierdaily.com.
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