Three Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot Next Tuesday (Arlington: section 8, sales)

[normie]

Voters: even though we don't have the same sort of explosive political races going on in other states, VA does have three important Constitutional amendments that will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot. Your vote matters!

They are:

1. “Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation that will permit localities to establish their own income or financial worth limitations for purposes of granting property tax relief for homeowners not less than 65 years of age or permanently disabled?”

2. “Shall the Constitution be amended to require the General Assembly to provide real property tax exemption for the principal residence of a veteran, or his or her surviving spouse, if the veteran has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent and total disability?”

3. “Shall Section 8 of Article X of the constitution of Virginia be amended to increase the permissible size of the Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the “rainy day fund”) from 10 percent to 15 percent of the Commonwealth’s average tax revenues derived from income and retail sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years?”

[normie]

Personally, I like the first two. But the third one seems worrisome. Sure, I believe in frugality so increasing the rainy day fund seems wise. But... with all the people moving here we need to use our funds now. We have several vital projects that really can't wait. So a 15 percent cap isn't something I'll vote for right now (in a few years, when this huge influx of people settles down, my tune will change).

[Stephen 81]

I don't really understand why disabled veterans should be exempted from paying property taxes. Plenty of people acquire disabilities as a result of their jobs, and they don't get the same benefits. If Virginia wants to exempt all people with work-related disabilities from paying property taxes, that's one thing, but this just seems discriminatory.

[Caladium]

Sorry normie, I'm going to disagree with you on this one. I think increasing the spending cap is a very good idea. I don't want to see us making the same mistakes as California. We need a rainy day fund, just for the off chance incoming politicians will actually cut some of the big contracts here. I know it's not likely, but things can happen. Just because we've been lucky in this recession so far doesn't mean things can't change.

[Caladium]

The scariest thing I see happening here in Virginia is too many people are moving here from states where high taxes are the norm. They don't come from a state where frugality is valued, so they don't appreciate it. Then they get contemptuous because we aren't a clone of the state they left behind.

Then we see this happening:

Act One:

A bunch of 20 somethings arrive and immediately start griping because the new town they chose doesn't have a metro train/pedestrian mall/whatever that they had in the town they left behind. (It never occurs to them to move to the part of Nova that DOES have those things.)

Soon, we see posts like this, "I would gladly pay more in taxes so they will build it!"

Act Two:

New residents vote for the tax increase to pay for this new thing they so badly desire.

Act Three:

Six months later they move to a new city, leaving the rest of us to pay for something we never really wanted, anyway.

The way I see it, raising the cap makes it more difficult for scenarios like that to happen.

[Jon_In_NOVA]

Stephen,
Disabled Vets make a sacrifice that plenty of other people do not. Most people do not know what it takes to be a Vet. You should ask one before posting.

[oneasterisk]

Thanks for bringing this up. I will be voting but did not know that these would be on the ballot as well.

[eyeball]

I'm concerned about the bond referenda for Arlington voters. I just found out about these yesterday. Four bond proposals totaling over $161 million. Yeah, sure, it all sounds great, investing in parks & recreation, transportation, infrastructure, and public school projects. But it's not like those things suck in Arlington. I'm sure Paul Krugman would be delighted, but I don't know, it just seems like an unnecessary increase in the county's debt at a time when deficit spending is causing a lot of problems at local, state, and national levels all over the planet.

[brooklynborndad]

"it just seems like an unnecessary increase in the county's debt at a time when deficit spending is causing a lot of problems at local, state, and national levels all over the planet."



No deficit spending isnt causing problems (except in Greece) its a recession brought on by financial collapse that is causing those problems. Deficit spending counters them, and its too bad we have been propagandized to not realize that.

And yeah, everybody should read Krugman.

[brooklynborndad]

"Act Three:

Six months later they move to a new city, leaving the rest of us to pay for something we never really wanted, anyway.

The way I see it, raising the cap makes it more difficult for scenarios like that to happen."


I know lots of folks who have been here 10 years or more, who would like to see more metro stations.

We hardly have a surplus of them.