Gov Ehrlich was nonethless correct. Mark Warner passed the largest tax increase in Virginia history when during the election he said he wouldn't raise taxes. The rate of growth in Virginia's governmnet has been astronomical and he didn't make enough of an effort to curtail the rate of spending.

Warner is a pukey tax and spend Democrap.

You're right, that money wasn't need for education (our universities are not as competitive because of ever decreasing funding compared to other states), transportation (oh wait, they weren't able to raise enough money to pay for all of the billions needed in transportation throughout the state), and healthcare.

Much better to stick our heads in the sand and say that the economy will improve. Well, what if it hadn't? Where would we be? It's easy to be an armchair quarterback.

Plus what will you do when all of the medicare/medicaid cost increases get passed to the state in 2 years? Every budget expert in the state has said that this is a temporary surplus that will turn negative in 2 years because of the unfunded medicare mandate the federal government is passing on to the states.

Oh, but wait, we have a surplus now and that means he was wrong. Let's not worry about the future. That's the typical Republican response. Well at some point tomorrow comes and you have to be prepared for it.

Sadly, of the three candidates, only Potts has truely admitted all of this. Even Kaine is trumpeting tax relief without remembering the destructive impact the car tax cut had. And if Kilgore's property tax relief is passed, you might want to take a look at Prince Georges County, Md or California which are are both experiencing the downfall of cutting back your revenue stream. Decreased education funding? You bet. More crime because you can't afford police? Yes sir.

Both of the previous commenters are offering misconceptions...

Mark Warner is not a taxer/spender. He and Tim Kaine made major cuts in the state budget early in their term in order to fix the mess left by "credit card" Jim Gilmore. The 2004 budget deal contained tax increases, but those were partially offset this year by reductions in other taxes. Warner also put a big chunk of this year's surplus in the rainy day fund, rather than embarking on new spending programs - it takes serious restraint for a governor to resist spending money in order to leave it for his successor.

Kaine's tax relief plan for real estate is a tool for local governments to use at their discretion - essentially it seems to offer them a way to rebalance the property tax burden between residential and commercial property. Virginia currently forces the same tax rate on all types of property, so when residential assessments go up faster than commercial, the tax burden is shifted from companies to families. Kaine's plan would allow local governments to reverse part of that shift.

Kaine's plan offers local governments more choices in dealing with property taxes. Jerry Kilgore's plan is a mandatory, one-size-fits-all top-down fiat that would handcuff local goverments from Richmond.

"Pukey"?
"Democraps"?

Is such immaturity a requirement of the Republican Party?

Perhaps, Julia Roberts was right when she noted: "Republican comes in the dictionary just after reptile and just above repugnant."

Memo: Mr. Peter Hoagland
Re: "Pukey"?
"Democraps"?

Allow me to amend my earlier remarks.

Is such immaturity (and ignorance)a requirement of the Republican Party?

Perhaps, Julia Roberts was right when she noted: "Republican comes in the dictionary just after reptile and just above repugnant."

Her remark demonstrates that Ms. Roberts (a) knows how to use a dictionary, (b) prefers to use real words and (c) is clever.

Aside from the aforementioned immaturity and ignorance, your comment demonstrates a puerile dependence upon the scatalogical in a futile attempt at humor.

If you are a child, you should not be allowed to play on the internet. If you are an adult, you should be ashamed. You embarass yourself.

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