My favorite columns are those that reflect progress on local issues that are not mired in partisan politics. Just last week we heard about the hazard mitigation plan widely accepted across the region. Not too long ago the groundbreaking of the new passenger rail service from Christiansburg to Washington D.C. included politicians from both partners smiling and sharing praise for an important service coming to our region. Much can be done working together.
But – this is election season. As probably everyone reading this does too, I get many flyers delivered to my home praising candidates, telling me how they are going to do wonderful things if elected. No problem with that. I received one the other day though that was different. It didn’t even mention the candidate, except for a small “approved by” in the bottom corner. Instead, it just blasted the opposition with misinformation and included an unflattering photo. The message was entirely fear based – this candidate wants higher electric bills, is soft on crime, and is backed by billionaires. So much better is if candidates describe what they would do to better our lives, rather than fabricate misleading information about their opposition.
People have different ideas about what government should do. Taxes provide a good example. No candidate wants higher taxes – to say otherwise is simply wrong. For example, if we want to “fight crime” we might want to enlarge our police forces – it seems an obvious linkage. This can be quite expensive – as police forces expand so does the need for more taxes. Or should we “fight crime” by providing housing for the homeless? The linkage here is less obvious, but this approach has been shown in some communities to be a more effective and cheaper way (fewer taxes!) to reduce crime. So have such programs as drug interventions and community development. Let’s have the candidates share what they want to do to address this issue – examined with an understanding that the crime rate has been decreasing in Virginia for the past several years (consistent with the national pattern.) We already are doing very well in fighting crime – so perhaps we should consider any future changes in terms of the impact on our taxes.
Taxes are used for a large variety of purposes to improve our communities: public parks, fire protection, schools, infrastructure (roads and bridges) to name just a few. Views vary widely about how much we should pay in taxes and how much we should support our communities. Candidates should have plenty to discuss about the appropriate spending of tax dollars, and how much is needed to meet their priorities. Let’s demand that our candidates clearly describe their views, rather than trying to mislead about their opponents. Negative advertising should not be part of any politicians approach – let’s look forward to a better future rather than live in fear.
