Editorial: Dark clouds on Virginia’s economic horizon
The editorial board reports that Virginia is spending more than it’s making and then tries to link this bad economic policy to the mainstream media’s recent predictions of a recession. Never mind the fact that Virginia’s revenues grew by 3.5% last year; the nation’s, by 2% last quarter.
Instead of asking a question, I’ll just answer it: Yes, they really are that stupid.
Note that the article is not about Virginian’s economic well being, it is about Virginia’s income and spending. Not the people, the State.
Further, the problem isn’t declining tax income, it is that spending is increasing faster.
When Virginians face that problem, they rein in spending. Virginia should do the same.
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Exactly. The larger problem with the editorial is the attempt to link Virginia’s irresponsible over-spending with partisan predictions of a recession. It’s ridiculous.
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Well, of course the Pilot, as an propaganda organ of the Democratic Party, is going to predict gloom and doom in the economy.
People feel a need for big government when they are frightened. That’s why the economy is downplayed when the GOP is in power and why we suddenly have a ‘Climate Crisis’ in spite of all real evidence pointing to a benign warming.
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“Propaganda arm”
“Climate crisis”
I see the rules about staying “on topic” only apply to “others”
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Linking Virginia’s irresponsible spending to a fictional recession is propagandistic. I’ll allow it.
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Kevin Bacon would be proud…
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The editorial demonstrates yet again The Pilot’s economic illiteracy.
The editors write, “A slowdown could see state government further abdicate its responsibility to pay for things that provide broad public benefit to the whole of the commonwealth.”
The state, however, has no such responsibility since, technically, all of its expenses are voluntary.
That public education is the biggest line item in the state budget is unfortunate. There are strong economic arguments to be made against public funding of education. The very same arguments explain why the cost of public education tends to grow at a faster rate than the general economy.
Here, specifically, the state has no obligation to persist in supporting a bad economic model. You would think, in fact, it has an obligation to stop doing so.
The Pilot, however, is selling the notion that Virginia has a responsibility to operate as a socialist government. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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“economic illiteracy”
I agree, but given your diatribe, it’s not the pilot leading the way….
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Do you have something useful or interesting to say? If you object to something I wrote, you could start with that.
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“Do you have something useful or interesting to say?”
Wow, you took the thought right out of my head…
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Guess not.
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…”Virginia has a responsibility to operate as a socialist government.” What does the Commonwealth’s constitution say about public funding? That should be the question.
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RE: “What does the Commonwealth’s constitution say about public funding?”
Good question. You could do more than ask, if you think it’s important. You could look it up and tell us.
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