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There were a lot of things said today as The Special Tax Session opened for business. However, since I heard this one in person, this is what I have chosen. It stands on it’s own. From Ben Marchi, Virginia director of Americans For Properity, at an AFP luncheon, on Governor Tim Kaine’s staff blocking access to gallery seats previously reserved for AFP members who arrived from all corners of the commonwealth for his speech to the joint session convened earlier this afternoon:

 ”He’s afraid of the tax payers.”

Apparently, His Excellency saw the big crowd that rallied this morning in Capitol Square against his $1 billion tax plan and wanted them to “stay off” the capitol (get it?). Marchi closed the luncheon with a sobering statistic:

“It took Virginia 390 years to get to a $34 billion budget. It took only 10 years to more than double it.”

Funny how we never hear the guvna quote that in all his statistics, factoids and quips.

The General Assembly convened today for its special “tax session,” and the rhetorical fireworks started flying right away.

After Governor Tim Kaine urged passage of his $1 billion tax hike while he addressed a joint session of the House and Senate, members of the House Republican caucus went on the attack. Delegate Kirk Cox, the majority whip, (R-66, Colonial Heights) ridiculed the governor’s defense of the Virginia Department of Transportation. Delegate Bill Janis (R-56, Henrico) criticized the governor for ignoring the financial difficulties of “average Virginians” while asking for higher taxes. He also kept up his attack on Kaine for being “absent” during this process, saying he is more interested in “campaigning for the Vice Presidency.” 

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R-8, Salem) ripped the Governor for failing to provide any leadership and bringing the GA back without having gotten consensus on a plan. Griffith was particularly critical of the governor’s inability to find a Senate patron for his transportation bill (at least as of the beginning of today’s session). ”Normally we come to special sessions to close the deal, not start the debate,” Griffith said.

Democrats supporting the tax hikes accused opponents of being “closed minded.”

Consensus around the capitol is that no legislation will pass this week. Most believe that Kaine called the special session knowing the legislature would fail to pass his tax hike so he can use it as a campaign issue next year. That said, the debate should be interesting — and the rhetorical battle is probably just getting started.

Hours away, now, from the much hyped Special Tax Session. So, before it begins, just one question:

Before we go taxing hard-working families struggling with high gas and food prices and economic uncertainty, before the government requires us to cut our family budgets because it won’t prioritize its own budget (where spending has increased 50 percent in five years), shouldn’t Governor Kaine (contact here) and the General Assembly (contact here) first spend the $400 million from last year’s transportation plan that wasn’t repealed or declared unconstitutional?

Just askin’ is all.