THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 31, 1994 TAG: 9412300003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
I am astounded and horrified by the blitzkrieg that Gov. George Allen has launched against the people of Virginia. I hope and pray that Democratic and moderate Republican legislators will stand firm for the progress that Virginia has made in recent years, and that they will not succumb to the siren song of tax cuts, service cuts and consolidation of power proposed by the present governor. His policies will leave this state in shambles long after he is gone.
Almost all of Governor Allen's proposals are very irresponsible and will tear out the fabric of many lives and institutions in our well-run state. We cannot let this happen. Our legislators should stand firm for fiscal and service responsibility. Virginia's reasonable taxes are a small price to pay for civilization in our commonwealth. This good-looking, very young and inexperienced governor is well on his way to ruining our state.
This all-out assault on education, museums, libraries, health, mental health, public safety, public radio and public television, state parks and on and on - in order to slash taxes and build prisons with little or no crime prevention or rehabilitation is fiscal insanity.
The scary part is that this is just the beginning. Virginia has three more years of this same agenda. Just wait until next year! Fortunately there is another election next year, and we will remember this administration's meat ax and wrecking ball.
Also please remember the congressional Republican 1994 election ``landslide'' was a ``mandate'' by less than 20 percent of registered American voters because only 37 percent of American registered voters cast their votes in last November's election. Governor Allen really has no mandate to do what he is proposing. Legislators must stand firm against this assault or Virginia will lose AAA bond rating as well as the state's good quality of life. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer - again.
I and many people like me in the middle class do not want or need the few dollars which a tax cut would return. What Virginia needs is a tax increase for education and mental health, both of which have been hit hard for the past six years, as well as money to continue necessary operations while we build a few state prisons. Virginians are counting on the General Assembly to keep fiscal and moral sanity in our state government this year. I hope it will not let us down.
MARTHA SMITH
Norfolk, Dec. 26, 1994 by CNB