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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Voters have sent a message, but will it be received?
Posted by:
NOVA Politics
()
Date: April 21, 2014 04:34AM
Voters have sent a message, but will it be received?
http://www.insidenova.com/opinion/editorials/sun-gazette-editorial-voters-have-sent-a-message-but-will/article_1a1f78e2-c4a8-11e3-950f-0019bb2963f4.html
Politicians across Northern Virginia, of every political persuasion, have been put on notice by the actions of local voters last week. A rebellion appears in the making.
Voters in Arlington – which is not dubbed “the People’s Republic” for nothing – overwhelmingly rejected the candidate of the Democratic oligarchy in a special election, opting instead to support an independent who cobbled together a wobbly, but successful, coalition of Republicans, Greens and disaffected Democrats and turned it into a 16-percentage-point rout.
A community that traditionally gives 70 percent of its vote to Democratic candidates gave this one – a competent, reasonable person with solid community résumé – just 41 percent.
The undercurrent of the race was simple: Voters appear to have had enough of elected leaders who treat constituents with little respect and take every penny they can in taxes and fees.
We’re beginning to see this view pop up in pockets all across the region.
Vienna’s annual hearing on the upcoming budget, which rarely draws any interest, brought out residents to say enough is enough when it comes to taxation.
Fairfax County residents, at least the ones paying attention, were rightly outraged when the Board of Supervisors voted to advertise a higher tax rate than last year’s, at a time when property assessments were rising.
Even in Prince William and Loudoun counties, where one presumes Republican majorities would be holding the line on governmental money grabs, the idea seems to be to siphon as much from the public as elected officials can get their hands on.
It’s a dangerous game, one that breeds revolt among the populace. And with all members of Fairfax’s Board of Supervisors up for re-election next year, one hopes the lessons of the Arlington election won’t be lost. If a Democrat can get trounced in that community, all bets are off when it comes to elected officials elsewhere.
There is no excuse for the profligate spending of local governments and running roughshod over the public. But now, reforming that errant behavior may be nothing less than the difference between self-preservation and self-immolation of the political careers of Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and her colleagues, both Democrat and Republican.
The time to start is now. The place to start is with a responsible budget that recognizes property owners are not the county government’s ATM, where withdrawals can be made at any time and for any reason.
http://www.insidenova.com/opinion/editorials/sun-gazette-editorial-voters-have-sent-a-message-but-will/article_1a1f78e2-c4a8-11e3-950f-0019bb2963f4.html
Politicians across Northern Virginia, of every political persuasion, have been put on notice by the actions of local voters last week. A rebellion appears in the making.
Voters in Arlington – which is not dubbed “the People’s Republic” for nothing – overwhelmingly rejected the candidate of the Democratic oligarchy in a special election, opting instead to support an independent who cobbled together a wobbly, but successful, coalition of Republicans, Greens and disaffected Democrats and turned it into a 16-percentage-point rout.
A community that traditionally gives 70 percent of its vote to Democratic candidates gave this one – a competent, reasonable person with solid community résumé – just 41 percent.
The undercurrent of the race was simple: Voters appear to have had enough of elected leaders who treat constituents with little respect and take every penny they can in taxes and fees.
We’re beginning to see this view pop up in pockets all across the region.
Vienna’s annual hearing on the upcoming budget, which rarely draws any interest, brought out residents to say enough is enough when it comes to taxation.
Fairfax County residents, at least the ones paying attention, were rightly outraged when the Board of Supervisors voted to advertise a higher tax rate than last year’s, at a time when property assessments were rising.
Even in Prince William and Loudoun counties, where one presumes Republican majorities would be holding the line on governmental money grabs, the idea seems to be to siphon as much from the public as elected officials can get their hands on.
It’s a dangerous game, one that breeds revolt among the populace. And with all members of Fairfax’s Board of Supervisors up for re-election next year, one hopes the lessons of the Arlington election won’t be lost. If a Democrat can get trounced in that community, all bets are off when it comes to elected officials elsewhere.
There is no excuse for the profligate spending of local governments and running roughshod over the public. But now, reforming that errant behavior may be nothing less than the difference between self-preservation and self-immolation of the political careers of Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and her colleagues, both Democrat and Republican.
The time to start is now. The place to start is with a responsible budget that recognizes property owners are not the county government’s ATM, where withdrawals can be made at any time and for any reason.
Re: Voters have sent a message, but will it be received?
Posted by:
SharoomBullover
()
Date: April 21, 2014 07:24AM
Shut up and pay your taxes you PEASANT! How dare you question authority?
You don't know shit so just stop worrying. We need more illegal immigrants.
You don't know shit so just stop worrying. We need more illegal immigrants.
Re: Voters have sent a message, but will it be received?
Posted by:
Gerry ConMan
()
Date: April 21, 2014 07:26AM
SharoomBullover Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shut up and pay your taxes you PEASANT! How dare
> you question authority?
> You don't know shit so just stop worrying. We need
> more illegal immigrants.
Yeah! More illegal Muslims too. They give me money.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shut up and pay your taxes you PEASANT! How dare
> you question authority?
> You don't know shit so just stop worrying. We need
> more illegal immigrants.
Yeah! More illegal Muslims too. They give me money.