Preview of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's transportation pitch...

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is at odds with Republicans over transportation spending - surprise, surprise.

But it's interesting to hear the basic information behind the pitch Kaine plans to make to sell tax increases to the state during rough economic times. Kaine certainly let some steam out of the opposition by planning to disband the controversial Hampton Roads Transportation Authority and including upgrades at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel - those two points alone won some good graces on the Peninsula for sure.   

And Kaine and lawmakers - especially Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News,  appear to be rallying around tolls in some shape or form.

Kaine said that even though his plan does away with the HRTA, last year's plan set up broad tolling ability within the Virginia Department of Transportation.

"That was put in place last year," Kaine said. "Tolling is going to be a part of the solution."

Kaine said he purposefully used three revenue streams that Republicans voted for as part of last year's package in his plan and credited local Republicans with his plan to raise the regional sales tax for transportation projects.

"I got that idea from listening to the House Republicans down here," Kaine said during an appearance in Hampton Wednesday.

Despite recent rhetorical battles between Kaine and Republicans, the governor said that the special session on transportation is going to come down to a simple dividing line.

"It's going to be a test of who wants to solve the problem and who wants to run away from it," Kaine said. "I'm not wedded to any single part of my plan."

But here is his very simple money quote:

"At the end of the day, I can't believe that the House Republican leadership is going to look Hampton Roads in the eye - and Northern Virginia in the eye - and say 'We don't care about congestion.' "

And here's a guess at the House Republican response will be: "We can't believe that the governor wants to raise $1 billion-worth of tax for road improvements on the backs of hardworking Virginians already in financial crisis because of the struggling economy and record high gas prices."

So who wins? 

Comments

[J. Tyler Ballance]

You can have my $15 annual gas tax increase check in advance, if Republicans and Democrats will stop BSing us with the byzantine schemes that disguise other tax increases in the forms of fees, Tolls, and fines.

For Tim Kaine: Let's see some internal targeted cuts to some of the less than urgent programs as a way of showing that the gas tax is not just a way to cover all of those fluff programs while using the rhetoric of protecting our "vital infrastructure."

Virginians can and will easily absorb a five cent per gallon increase right now if we can see a case made that all of the belt tightening has been done and that this is revenue is needed for the common good. It is far better to have us all pay a little more than to have big chunks erratically collected through other, less efficient and less traceable means. We all benefit from roads, so lets all pitch-in and build some really elegant transportation systems that will help dramatically improve the freedoms that our children will enjoy.

[Brian Kirwin]

"We can't believe that the governor wants to raise $1 billion-worth of tax for road improvements on the backs of hardworking Virginians already in financial crisis because of the struggling economy and record high gas prices."

No, we just can't believe he admits it.