Where Do They Stand on Spending?

 
The FAIRFAX COUNTY TAXPAYERS ALLIANCE Candidates ask us for our money, our time, and our vote. Can't we ask them to answer a few questions about Virginia spending? Virginia's current budget shortfall is the result of unsustainable spending increases between 1998 and 2007. According to the Virginia General Assembly's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report, Review of State Spending: 2007 Update, between 1998 and 2007: Virginia spending doubled, from $17.6 billion per year to $35 billion (Table 1); Inflation-adjusted spending for public schools increased four times faster than enrollment (Table 4); Inflation-adjusted budgets for public colleges increased three times faster than enrollment (Table 4); Medicaid spending, adjusted for medical inflation increased faster than the number of Medicaid-eligible recipients (Table 4); Of the $17.5 billion increase in state spending, only $2.6 billion went to ease Virginia's transportation crisis (Table 13). Also, according to the just-released ACT college admissions test 2009 Profile Report for Virginia, only 27 percent (26 percent in 2008) of Virginia high school seniors were prepared for college-level coursework (Table 1.1, page 7). On behalf of the Northern Virginia Tea Party coalition, the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance mailed questionnaires to 60 candidates asking if they felt these spending increases were excessive, sufficient, or insufficient. Here are the questionnaires: Candidate Questionnaire on Virginia spending - PDF version Candidate Questionnaire on Virginia spending - MS Word version These questionnaires were sent, via certified mail, to the candidates for governor (Creigh Deeds, Bob McDonnell), lieutenant governor (Bolling, Wagner), attorney general (Cuccinelli, Shannon), and the 54 Northern Virginia candidates for delegate. (There are no state senate races this year.) Candidates were asked to respond by September 1.  As of September 19, eleven delegate candidates and no statewide candidates had responded. Visit the Virginia Who's My Legislator website to determine your delegate district. The following candidates for delegate said that all the spending increases were excessive (except for Hyland, who was undecided about spending increases for public colleges, and Danny Smith, who was undecided about spending increases for both public schools and colleges): Hyland (R-35) www.HylandForDelegate.com Cannon (R-36) www.CannonForDelegate.com Smith (R-38) www.DannyForDelegate.com Cholko (L-39) MattCholko.com Bury (R-39) www.JoeBury.com Bolognese (R-41) KerryBolognese.com Nank (R-43) www.TimNank.com Ringel (R-48) www.RingelForDelegate.com Merola (R-53) www.Merola09.com The following said that the spending increases were sufficient: Watts (D-39) VivianWatts.com The following said that the spending increases were insufficient: Ruebner (Green-47) RuebnerForDelegate.org Candidates who do not campaign for spending cuts before they are elected have no mandate to reduce spending or taxes after they are elected. 
Make sure that the candidates you vote for have gone on the record about Virginia spending. When candidates ask you for money, volunteer support, or your vote, ask them to answer the Northern Virginia Tea Party candidate questionnaire. Click here to see all candidates running in Fairfax County and their contact information. 
Voters outside of Fairfax County can visit the Virginia State Board of Elections Candidates List to determine candidates running in any Virginia county or city. Candidates receive more questionnaires than they can answer. To encourage candidates on your ballot to answer this questionnaire: Mail it to them and ask them to respond. When candidates ask for contributions and volunteer support, ask them to answer this questionnaire. At candidate meet-and-greets, give candidates a copy of the questionnaire and ask them to respond. At candidate forums, request that these questions be asked. Publicize this questionnaire in emails, blogs and letters to the editor. http://www.fcta.org/2008/Rpt361.pdfhttp://www.fcta.org/2008/Rpt361.pdfhttp://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT01_07http://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT04_07http://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT04_07http://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT04_07http://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT04_07http://www.fcta.org/#jlarcT13_07http://www.fcta.org/2009/ACT_2009_VA.pdfhttp://www.fcta.org/2009/NoVaTeaPartyCandidateQuestionnaire_090809.pdfhttp://www.fcta.org/2009/NoVaTeaPartyCandidateQuestionnaire_090809.dochttp://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openformhttp://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_35R_Hyland.pdfhttp://www.hylandfordelegate.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_36R_Cannon.pdfhttp://www.cannonfordelegate.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_38R_SmithD.pdfhttp://www.DannyForDelegate.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_39L_Cholko.pdfhttp://MattCholko.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_39R_Bury.pdfhttp://www.joebury.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_41R_Bolognese.pdfhttp://kerrybolognese.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_43R_Nank.pdfhttp://www.TimNank.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_48R_Ringel.pdfhttp://www.RingelForDelegate.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_53R_Merola.pdfhttp://www.Merola09.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_39D_Watts.pdfhttp://VivianWatts.com/http://www.fcta.org/2009/Survey_47G_Ruebner.pdfhttp://ruebnerfordelegate.org/http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Cidate_Information/Cidate_Lists/CidatesList-Results.asp?ED=11/3/2009&ET=General&LOC=059&OFF=ALL&PTY=http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Cidate_Information/Cidate_Lists/CidatesList.asp?EDVAL=11/3/2009&ETVAL=All&EDSEL=1&LOCSEL=0shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12shapeimage_3_link_13shapeimage_3_link_14shapeimage_3_link_15shapeimage_3_link_16shapeimage_3_link_17shapeimage_3_link_18shapeimage_3_link_19shapeimage_3_link_20shapeimage_3_link_21shapeimage_3_link_22shapeimage_3_link_23shapeimage_3_link_24shapeimage_3_link_25shapeimage_3_link_26shapeimage_3_link_27shapeimage_3_link_28shapeimage_3_link_29shapeimage_3_link_30shapeimage_3_link_31shapeimage_3_link_32shapeimage_3_link_33shapeimage_3_link_34shapeimage_3_link_35