House committee kills Gov. Kaine's transportation funding bill

I saw in a recent article on the Virginia Beach mayor's race that many of the candidates would like to attract new industry here such as scientific researchers. What company would want to move here when all their employees would be in gridlock each day to and from work?

Also, it is wrong to say there were no oil spills after Katrina. Even the MMS, who under Bush, has been strongly pro-drilling, has reports showing spills occurred because of Katrina.

Just..., of course I saw the reference to gas tax. That's what inspired my post. You were making an apples and oranges comparison, imho. No one pays the gas tax without paying for the gallon of gas that goes along with it. You were segregating out one small sliver of the total price of gas and comparing it to the total cost of natural gas or electricity or whatever. If property taxes on a million dollar house were ten cents, would you be bothered by a 100% increase to 20 cents?

Have any of you who'd like to turn back the clock ever lived in a city or region that moved backwards instead of forward. It's not a pretty thing. People lose jobs. They lose their homes and their pride. Demand for public services surges while revenues decline. Taxes go UP, instead of down. Public safety suffers. Public health suffers. Schools suffer. Crime increases. Employers race to get out of town.

You want to turn back the clock? Go visit Akron, Buffalo, Gary, Newark or Flint. If the people who live there could ever sell their houses, they'd give most anything to live and work in a state as inexpensive as Virginia. Our neighbors who just moved here from Northern New Jersey were paying almost four times the real estate tax they pay in VB for a house that was valued at half the value of their VB house.

Thanks for clearing that up for me Jim Dillon .

Obviously you didn't read the part where I talked about the increase in the tax on gas. The Commonwealth doesn't set the price of gas.

I continue to find it amusing that people will get riled up about an increase that's measured in dollars but not one that's measured in pennies. Myself, I don't want to give the govt or anybody else one penny more than they are legally justified in taking from me.

As mentioned before, many $$ in 'road funds' have been diverted to other projects. I want to see those $$ that were intended for road improvements used for that purpose before I give the state more $$ for roads that may or may not actually be used for the intended purpose.

jmo

You are strongly opinionated on this issue and have been for months. I must ask: do you have a future financial gain at stake from these roads projects? Do you own or own stock in a company that will benefit from these projects? What do you do for a living??

There would be more than enough royalties from drilling to pay for our transportation improvements. OH! You're worried about an oil spill? Do you recall all the oil spills after Katrina? OH! That's right! Even though there were hundreds of rigs destroyed, there were NO SPILLS! As far as more funds for roads. I don't see much of a problem with the number of tunnels and bridges we have now. It only takes me about forty minutes each way to go from Suffolk to the Naval Base everyday. The "planned" crossings would do little to help that, because Hampton Blvd would still be a bottleneck. A crossing from Craney Island to Terminal Blvd would be the wise thing, but no one ever accused VDOT or our politicians of being smart. By the Mike Barrett, Reid is completely right. We are well aware that you only want to make more big deals for runnymead, but the rest of us working people do not benefit from our tax dollars paying for your projects. In case you missed the reports, the population of this area is declining not growing. We don't need anymore tax subsidized high rise slums or vacant up-scale condos. We are taxed/fee'd enough and we certainly don't need tolls. Stop the waste.

Well, I'm not Jerry, but if I was, I'd point out that a 6 cent increase in a $4 gallon of gas is only a 1.5% increase in the cost of gas, well below the 30% increase in natural gas that he was concerned with. I'd also point out that the full 6% doesn't become effective for 6 years, so if you take into account the present value of money and all that jazz, the increase is even smaller by today's dollars. In any event, it will never pass so there's no point in people getting too worked up.

Mr Barrett continues to only use the poll data that fosters his argument. The poll also indicated that a MAJORITY of residents wanted improvement to the HRBT over his 6 MPO projects and the poll also indicated that a MAJORITY of use did not trust the GA with our tax dollars.

just shift funds from other programs, stop raising taxes everytime something has to be done

Why are you concerned about a 30 percent increase in your natural gas bill, but don't care about a 34 percent increase in Virginia's tax on gasoline? (Adding 6 cents to the existing 17.5 cents tax is approximately a 34 percent increase.)

Just because the increase is measured in pennies per gallon doesn't mean it's not significant.

jmo

Mr. Barrett sure likes to ignore the VOTE taken that rejected the 6 MPO projects, doesn't he? He also likes to pretent that every Tidewater locality that fell within the HRTA supported HB 3202 - which lists the same rejected 6 MPO projects - they did not. Mike is not being truthful. And of course, he sites a poll claiming people are sick of congestion. Really? Me too. What a surprise. That is WHY the 6 MPO projects Mike and his business pals keep pushing are the wrong projects - they do not significantly reduce the percentage of our region's severely congested lane miles. These are facts Mike likes to avoid discussing.

Time to put Governor Baliles road tax revenues from natural gas and electricity bills, and gasoline purchases that have been building up in savings since July 1, 1989 into action.

Georgia wrote:” That money should have been used for troads not kindergarden" Maybe the word "troads and kindergarden" would not have appeared in your post if you had gone to "kindergarten."

Please learn to proof read and use proper English language. Take your time and try proof reading things you post before you get embarrassed by the Democrats...

but for me, I want my taxes lowered not raised. We could get to work quicker to pay more tax if asmith has his way..we already pay enough tax, Kane took from transportation money and spent it on prekindergarden, so, asmith what do you say about spending transportation funds on education of 4 & 5 year olds?? That money should have been used for troads not kindergarden period.

We pretend? Greenmun is in a continual state of denial. Sure the anti tax delegates continue to throw up a smoke screen, but the facts are clear. Last year, the MPO with the consent of all the participating jurisdictions in Hampton Roads supported the list of six regional projects, which was endorsed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Federal Highway Administration, and then the House of Delegates and the Senate passed a bill that authorized and paid for the recommended and approved projects. This year that same list remains intact, and the Commonwealth has agreed to study the inclusion of improvement to the HRBT. So there you have it; Greenmun and his anti tax zelaots foster any discontent and hope that it will prevent the adoption of a bill that will begin to solve our transportation gridlock. But the fact is, a recent scientific poll showed that our citizens are fed up with congestion and realize that we have to pay more in taxes, fees, and tolls to finance a solution.

Mike writes: "Flash forward to this date; every major political leader agrees the projects are necessary; they just want to fight over how to pay for them." My response: This is not true. There is a great deal of debate regarding the selection of the 6 MPO projects as they pertain to congestion relief. The MPO selection criteria prepared by the TTC did not even include traffic congestion relief on the list. What it did include was maximizing the port and regional economic development. Like I said, we don't need more speculative economic development - we need a plan that will actually reduce commuter traffic congestion. Friends, while Mike and his pals like to pretend THEY are who matter, it is the VOTERS of the entire region that rejected these 6 MPO projects back in 2002. Well, they are the same projects. Only now we have added the potential for more lanes to be added to the HRBT, maybe.

I'm more upset about my natural gas and electric bills going up 30%,than I am about the gas tax going up a few cents.A lot of people only seem to care when it's called a tax.Maybe they should call this gas tax increase a fee then all the anti tax people will be happy.They need to be complaining about how the prices of everything else has risen.As much as I drive on these roads in Hampton Roads I don't feel like I should be complaining about a few more cents on the gas tax to maintain and build new ones.Afterall I do like nice things,and I am willing to pay for them.

Sorry, but toll booths at the HRBT will absolutely NOT get me to work quicker.

jmo

Regretfully, Reid's brain must have stopped working in 2002, becasue since then, the world has changed. First, he has no way to know why a person may have voted no in the referendum, yet still approve of transportation improvements. Second, since then, the House, the Senate, and the Governor supported, passed, and signed a bill that would have constructed the projects. The method was wrong, but clearly, the Legislature and the Executive branch agreed that the six projects were necessary and should be built. Flash forward to this date; every major political leader agrees the projects are necessary; they just want to fight over how to pay for them. You and your anti tax cohorts have cost us $4,500,000,000 which is the estimate of the added cost from delay. Shall we send the bill to you and your misdirected misfits who opposed these necessary enhancements to our transportation infrastructure and who have now stuck us with the added bill?

I agree that there are going to be disagreements over state governments responsibilities, but supposedly that's why we elected our government to make those decisions. Do we need to support the arts when the roads to them are impassable?

While Mr. Barrett likes to remeber the past, perhaps he should also recall the truth revealed in the November 2002 regional referendum - (1) we voters already said No! to the 6 MPO projects and a one-cent hike in our region's sales tax and (2) the HRPDC studies reveal that the 6 MPO projects do very little to reduce the percentage of severely congested lane miles in our region. Mike likes to over look these two truths when he spins his business looby/port agenda. Folks - the plan on the table is A POOR PLAN - it has the wrong projects. We need commuter congestion relief, not more economic development boondoggles mostly designed to benefit the port.

georgia - Oil companies already have 68 million or so acres to drill on but haven't done so. We're giving them huge tax breaks to explore new resources and alternative energy but yet they haven't done so. And with their averaging $38 billion dollar and more in profit a year. Why is it that you and your republicans buddies still want to give the country away and more tax breaks to them? Does it make sense? Does it seem logical to you? What are you thinking? Republicans have been in power for the past 8 years and had every opportunity to fix the mess and now that gas prices have shot up, you want to blame democrats. It is because republicans can't face their failure? When prices reached $2 a gallon 2 years ago, was that some indication? You should quit it with blaming and fault yourself instead for voting these incompetent corrutplicans in power. Perhap you don't have a clue and maybe it's just your nature to just blame, blame, blame.

To cut some fat out in the VA budget how about cutting the elected officials pay to under $100,000.00. I am sure that would increase the budget dramatically.

I'm not apposed to a little public assistance every now & then. God knows we all go through a rough patch from time to time, but it shouldn't be how we live. That's my real problem w/all of this. To many folks taking $$'s for nothing & for way to long. It should not be a way of life & I shouldn't have to support them forever. If you took those $$'s back I bet we'd have a surplus again. No more infinite free rides. Use it when you need it, but it shouldn't be a way of life. And, if you're on public assistance you shouldn't be able to increase your $$'s by having more children. The $$ amount should be the same no matter how many children you have. I know that sounds mean spirited, but that's how it is in jolly Ol' England & they've been doing this alot longer than we have. Maybe we could learn something from them. I don't really expect this to happen, but just imagine the possabilities.

Sorry, but as an independent auditor, I can tell you that there is little, if any fat in VA's budget. The sad fact of the matter is that what you consider fat some people consider an indispensable function of state government. There are not enough of either of you to win, so I suggest you pony up the 1 cent on the dollar and the tolls and get to work quicker so you can get more sleep and spend more time at home. Life's too short to argue over pinches you'll barely feel. People in VA have no idea how low their taxes are and what good service they get for the cost compared to other states. Cool off and go play with your kids.

CUT SPENDING FIRST IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY! Then get back with us about wanting to raise our taxes. We hear all this talk about taking more money from us when our incomes aren't going up. The people of Virginia are having to make cut backs in their budget to make ends meet, state government should do the same before asking for more from us. Like maybe cutting THEIR salaries . . .

this "lock box" thing is a ruse. The only funds that would be "lock boxed" is the new revenue stream. They would just pull an existing revenue stream OUT of the fund making the gross the same. A shell game invented by those who say "trust me".

We need to cut the fat in the state budget (please don't tell me there isn't any fat, I know better) to help pay for the roads - that's part of the solution. But I am sure that alone won't solve the problem. I am not happy about raising taxes - no one is. But I can live with a small increase in the gasoline tax, a small increase in vehicle registration fees, and a small increase in taxes on the sales of cars. I can live with these increases IF they are UNIFORMLY applied accross the state (not just a couple of regions), and IF they provide a "lockbox" that ensures these revenues only go toward transportation. But lets not raise the state sales tax - that puts an unfair burden on people who might not drive very much, and it discourages people from out of state buying Virginia goods and services (and it makes me shop at the military base more - where there is no sales tax!) And who came up with the crazy idea of raising taxes associated with purchasing homes? If we really need to raise taxes for roads, lets raise those taxes that are directly related to driving.

It seems as though there could have been better planning for roads and maint. instead placing all those hurricane gates up that we might or might not use anytime soon. We use the roads 24/7 not seasonally. Priorities people priorities