4 billion reasons for legislative focus

Given the bleak budget choices awaiting them in Richmond, a cheery greeting to state lawmakers convening at the Capitol today would be awkward and tone-deaf.

No words of wisdom for the 22 rookie delegates and senators seem adequate when even grizzled budget veterans tremble at the task confronting them.

"First, do no harm"? That's not a realistic goal when the budget gap exceeds $4 billion. The harm will be real, and it will be felt in every classroom, every state agency, every nursing home and every jail in the commonwealth. Plans to minimize spending cuts will come with their own sting, whether from higher taxes, a starvation diet for the state's pension fund or a reckless relaxation of debt limits.

As difficult as it will be to define and measure success, Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell and lawmakers must establish clear goals and priorities for this winter's General Assembly session, or the crisis confronting them will morph into chaos.

First, they should commit themselves now to a transparent budget process that connects every cause to a consequence. Voters understand the trade-offs. They will either be asked to pay more in taxes, or they will be forced to do without services they and their children and their parents depend on. Legislators insult their constituents when they resort to budgeting by obfuscation. Patching together a spending plan with a proliferation of sneaky fees won't fool anyone, and it won't provide a stable foundation for economic recovery.

Second, legislators should use this time of austerity for introspection and internal housekeeping. Bills that carry even a modest price tag this year will meet a speedy death. Rather than waste paper and time, lawmakers should devote their energies to good government reforms, a topic that rarely elicits enthusiasm in flush times. McDonnell has already compiled a laudable to-do list. He wants to establish a bipartisan process for drawing legislative districts, amend the state constitution to permit governors to serve back-to-back terms, create an independent ethics commission and reduce partisanship in judicial appointments.

Finally, legislators should swear off grandstanding for the duration of the 60-day session. Too many fritter away their time in Richmond stirring up culture wars, beating their chests and pretending they were elected to Congress.

Their bills are as predictable as they are tiresome. Several measures have been drafted that attempt to undermine federal efforts to reform the nation's health care system. Other legislators hope to shoot down a law that limits individuals to the purchase of one handgun a month (rifles can still be bought by the barrelful). One proposal would simultaneously open places of worship and bars to concealed weapons. And other bills would expand Virginia's death penalty law in an apparent attempt to topple Texas as the most vengeful state in the union.

Is there any member of the Assembly whose constituents are eager to trade in Virginia's Best Managed State accolades for the title of Top Executioner? All 140 lawmakers should concentrate their energies on the issues that matter and leave the tomfoolery for less troubled times.