Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 23, 1993 TAG: 9402180016
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thank-you notes should be addressed to His Fiscal Prowess, care of the Governor's Mansion, Capitol Square, Richmond, Va. 23219, before Jan. 15.
After that date - well, he'll probably leave a forwarding address. You can always try Wilder for U.S. Senate Headquarters.
Not that we're among the peevish cynics who think they see in this governor's last budget the subliminal message: VOTE FOR ME!
In our view, there's nothing subliminal about it. There is much in the budget that's a blatant political contrivance to serve his campaign for the Democrats' Senate nomination.
In keeping with Wilder "gotcha!" tradition, it also seems designed to cause mischief for state legislators in general and incoming Republican Gov. George Allen in particular.
The Wilder budget, for instance, asks state colleges and universities - among the hardest hit in Wilder's previous budget-cutting rounds - to take another $73 million in spending reductions. His budget would require them also to raise tuitions and fees by another $58 million.
This, at the same time that Wilder is promising $142 million in tax breaks, including tax deductions for the self-employed and oft-delayed repeal of the state sales tax on nonprescription medicines and sundry drugstore items. The people - not all of whom, incidentally, need tax relief - will love him for that.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers want to restore for higher education some of the spending cuts imposed on it during the Wilder years; Gov.-elect Allen wants to limit in-state tuition increases to the inflation rate.
Many lawmakers are also desperately seeking funds to address disparities in school funding. Others are beating the bushes for more transportation dollars, or for other state programs.
And if Allen's or the legislature's competing priorities mean scuttling Wilder's budget plans, who's a Virginia voter to blame?
Heh, heh. Not Wilder. As an outgoing governor with senatorial ambitions, he's the department-store Santa Claus with a bagful of goodies: tax cuts, bonuses for state employees, Wilder-for-Senate bumper stickers - Oops! how did that last get in there?
Not all of Wilder's proposed $32 billion budget is political expediency run amok, of course. Some of it has the fiscally prudent cachet that he has made his trademark; much of it should be preserved by Allen and the legislature.
But there's a Wilderesque capriciousness in there, too. The same governor, for example, who last week was the knight in shining armor protecting nearly 500 state employees against marauder Allen's demands for their resignations, includes plans in his budget to lop 740 positions from the state payroll.
One detects an underlying "top this, if you dare" challenge to Allen in some of the proposals. Such one-upmanship is entertaining and may have its place - professional sports, say? But that place isn't the spending document that will help set state government's course for the next two years.
by CNB