In his effort to avoid making waves, Gov. McDonnell had better make sure he doesn’t sink. He’s facing a $4.2 billion shortfall. As the Roanoke Times points out, it’s nearly halfway through the legislative session and McDonnell has yet to produce a budget.
So far, he’s said no to tax increases.
And he’s said no to making [...]

After the Robert Sledd blip, McDonnell seems to have won support from some Republicans and most Democrats in selecting his 15-member cabinet. They’re still awaiting confirmation from the general assembly, but have already been sworn in. Two used to work for Gov. Kaine and five worked with McDonnell when he was Attorney General.
Here’s what Armstrong [...]

The opener on this Virginian-Pilot story made me laugh, despite its gravity. The story outlines a potential raise in unemployment taxes on business owners to fill in a $561 million hole:
The sorts of tax increases described by the Virginia Employment Commission earlier this fall may be difficult for some small businesses to absorb without job [...]

Dry turkey leftovers haven’t hit our fridges yet, but the steady stream of stories about budget cuts make me feel like I’m chewing on the same tiring news over and over. Today we’ve got a $10 million shortfall in Richmond, a $1.6 billion shortfall for Virginia and a $84 million potentially slashed from VDOT’s budget.
And [...]

What blog is worth reading that doesn’t relax a little on Fridays? So here’s my nod to premature weekending, courtesy of the Onion.
You’ve probably seen those lists of ridiculous taxes placed on books circa 1800 and never removed. Here’s another list of fascinating taxes born out of the recession.

Florida: $5 for every swearword uttered during [...]

Even with the heated gubernatorial race, Virginia’s political/government scene seems tame compared to the swamp of Illinois politics I recently left. Among a lot of the things Illinois residents yelp about on a regular basis–aside from governors who get arrested at their homes at 6 AM–are their high property taxes, which are some of the [...]