True to Republican Party “values,” Gov. Bob McDonnell will
reduce funds for Virginia agencies even if the U.S. Congress reaches a
deficit-reduction deal by the end of the year.
At the 11th annual AP Day at Virginia’s Capitol
in Richmond, McDonnell stated he “has to” include some of the budget reduction
recommendations that state agency heads submitted to McDonnell last week[1].
McDonnell asked for these recommendations as a precaution to the possibility
that the so-called “fiscal cliff” would be reached, giving Virginia fewer funds
from Washington, D.C.
But now McDonnell has changed his tune and is hiding behind
the idea that the fiscal cliff will “disproportionally” affect Virginia by
reducing federal funds, necessitating budgetary cuts to state agencies[2].
That is, deal or no deal, the very possibility of the fiscal cliff is enough to
make McDonnell jumpy about current agency spending.
Of course, reductions do not HAVE to be made to Virginia’s
agencies regardless of the budgetary gridlock in D.C. The Republican’s urge to “starve
the beast” (i.e., government) is no secret, and they will use any excuse or
subterfuge to do so. In this case, the excuse is the looming “fiscal cliff.”
And it should be expected that the state agencies disproportionally
affected will be those that serve the low income and minority populations of
Virginia the most. After all, these individuals don’t have much political
power, so who cares about their needs, right?
If McDonnell does end up slicing away sizable pieces of some
of Virginia’s most important agencies for the social welfare of Virginia’s most
disadvantaged, it will be another sign that the 2012 election, and some of the
lessons that should have been learned, has all but receded in the memories of
McDonnell and like-minded Republicans.
The Republican Party slogan should read: “It’s all about the
wealthy, stupid!”
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