1. Whiskey Before Breakfast
That’s the song all the proponents of ABC privatization are singing this week. They must feel like taking a good stiff shot after the administration’s latest proposal couldn’t even get a hearing inside the Assembly.
It’s a case study in how difficult it is to reshape government to focus only on “core services.”
No one argues that selling liquor is a core mission of a 21st Century government, but the interest in maintaining the government’s monopoly on sin turns out to be far stronger than the ideological commitment to privatization of non-core services.
2. Key to the Highway
The administration’s transportation initiative fared far better this week as the Assembly is poised to support the vast bulk of the Governor’s proposal.
At the beginning of the session, some Democratic leaders implied that the reliance on debt/bonding would make for a tough sell.
But it turned out to be no contest.
Business groups thankful for any movement on transportation came out in support. The ratings agencies didn’t seem to share the concern of the most vocal Democratic opponents about the amount of debt the state was assuming.
In addition, the early defections of Houck and Colgan to the Governor’s side indicated that there were a sizeable number of Democrats not interested in becoming political road kill and running for re-election after voting against a multi-billion dollar transportation package.
The Smart Growth coalition tried to rally opposition at the 11th hour, but couldn’t overcome the momentum that was already rolling.
Chalk up a big victory for McDonnell on this one.
3. Go Slow on VRS?
That’s the message that some prominent Assembly members appear to be sending about VRS reform.
The most dramatic proposals for getting the state out of the defined benefit business are languishing. And there are a number of legislators who clearly believe that tweaks are preferable to a fundamental restructuring.
At the same time, much of the national press is pointing to the unfunded pension liabilities of the American states as a ticking fiscal time bomb.
We’ll see in the next few weeks whether the Assembly feels the same sense of urgency as the country’s fiscal punditocracy.
4. Stimulus Republican Style
Appears to be:
Targeted tax breaks.
“Incentive” funds for emergent industries.
Recruitment funds for companies that want to come to Virginia.
Economic impact statements that show how investment in certain areas have a long-term positive effect on jobs and growth.
No general tax increases.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Tea Party raises questions about Republican-style stimulus in the upcoming primary season.
5. Demography and Identity
The decennial release of the census data inevitably provides a vivid and often surprising portrait of who we are and who we are becoming.
In the last couple of years, I’ve spoken to numerous K-12 educators who have told me about the remarkable diversity they are seeing among the children in their schools.
The data released this week about Virginia confirms what they’ve been saying.
The growth of minority populations was a prevalent theme in many regions of the Commonwealth, especially in a number of our largest jurisdictions.
Prince William County, for example, is a now majority-minority jurisdiction in terms of overall population.
Yes, Prince William.
6. Challenge of the Week
Comes from John “Dubby” Wynne, rector of the UVA Board of Visitors and vice-chair of the Council on Virginia’s Future, in his endorsement of the Governor’s Top Jobs/High Ed legislation. Speaking with his characteristic candor, Wynne observed:
“The relationship between education and economic development has grown even stronger and more direct over the last few decades as technology and innovation have come to play such pervasive roles in determining economic productivity, competitiveness and growth. However, the 25-to-34 year-old age group in Virginia has a smaller percentage of college-educated people in it than the next highest age group.
“That is a train wreck getting ready to happen. The economy demands higher and higher education levels, and we are sliding backward. We absolutely must make a renewed and sustained commitment to making college accessible and affordable for our young people. And when they enroll in college, we need to help make sure they complete their work and graduate with a quality degree.”
I had the opportunity to serve on the Higher Ed Commission with Dubby and I would agree that the most striking statistic we saw is the one that noted that college attainment in the 25-34 age group is no longer rising.
Wynne has put his finger on a significant challenge: increasing the number and quality of college degrees in Virginia will be dependent on reaching and preparing kids who come from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in higher ed.
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