Welcome Lt. Governor Bolling, and thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule during this key “crossover” period during the General Assembly. It is an honor to have you here on our still new blog site. So, as you might say from the Senate rostrum, the gentleman has the floor.
Welcome Lt. Governor Bolling! Live Blog Interview Here, Now!
February 14, 2008
17 Responses to “Welcome Lt. Governor Bolling! Live Blog Interview Here, Now!”
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Good morning everyone. Let me begin by thanking The Family Foundation for asking me to do this live blog. I am looking forward to answering to your questions.
I should also take a minute to thank The Family Foundation for everything they do to be a strong voice for family values in Virginia. Goodness knows that is needed.
Now, on with the questions.
admin Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 8:48 am
admin Says:
February 12th, 2008 at 4:29 pm e
Lieutenant Governor Bolling, welcome to familyfoundationblog.com, and we greatly appreciate you taking time from such a busy General Assembly session to answer questions from our readers.
I’ll start us off: Can you review the highlights of your legislative agenda for this session and update the status of some of your priority bills?
Also, as president of the Senate, what has it been like dealing with a new majority there? What significant tactical changes have taken place within the Republican Senate Caucus?
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Our Legislative Agenda this year includes about two dozen different initiatives, most of which arose out of our 100 Ideas For The Future Of Virginia program (see http://www.100IdeasVA.com.) We have a very aggressive agenda that focuses on education reform, property tax relief, combating illegal immigration, implementing the recommendations of the Virginia Tech review panel as they relate to mental health reforms and campus safety initiatives, and a number of important government reform proposals. You can access a complete copy of our Legislative Agenda by visiting my website at http://www.ltgov.virginia.gov. Take a look at it and let me know what you think.
The new Democratic majority in the State Senate is very liberal. They are good people, and we get along well on a personal level, but they are very liberal. They have proposed a number of initiatives this year that we disagree with strongly, but unfortunately, we don’t have the votes to stop them on those issues that become party line votes. Fortunately, we do still control the House of Delegates, so most of the bad stuff that passes the Senate can be stopped in the House.
I am very pleased by the manner in which the Republican caucus in the Senate has worked together this year. There is a renewed spirit of cooperation, and I sense a renewed commitment to conservative principles. Some times in life you have to take one step back to take two steps forward. I think the Republican caucus is stronger this year than it has been in some time, even though we are now the minority caucus. That could bode well for the future.
Dr. Marietta Brown Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Hello Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Thanks for coming to Petersburg, Va with Project Child Safe.Your visit was a great blessing to our city and the parents are grateful for the gun locks.What are some of the other programs you have or are sponsoring or cosponsoring for children?
Dr. Marietta Brown
House Of Restoration Community Developement Programs
Petersburg, Va 23804
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First of all, let me say how impressed I was with the House of Restoration. This is one of the best programs I have seen for providing day care, education, latch key and other important programs for young people in a center city area. I commend you for what you are doing, and I stand ready to help you fulfill your mission in any way I can.
Let me mention three areas in which we are currently focusing a great deal of attention as it relates to children.
The first is our effort to expand programs that crack down on Internet sexual predators and child pornography. This is a very real and growing problem in Virginia, and we are committed to doing everything we can to make the Internet safe for children and to educate them on the proper use of the Internet.
In addition, we are spending a great deal of time working on the gang problem that plagues many parts of Virginia. These gangs are recruiting members at very young ages, and they are preying on so called latch key kids who have little parental responsibility when they are not in school. We are doing everything we can to support programs that try and divert young people from gangs and give them more positive alternatives.
Finally, several of our health care programs are specifically targeted toward children. For example, our Helping Virginians Breath Easier campaign is focusing attention on the problem of asthma, particularly among children; and our Steptember initiative, which encouraged Virginians to be more physically active, eat better and shape up, brought attention to the problem of childhood obesity.
I should also note that I am very proud of the fact that I was the chief sponsor of legislation to create a children’s health insurance program in Virginia. That program is now providing basic health care services to about 100,000 children in low income families throughout our state.
Rex Ingram Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Mental Health – New Laws sound wonderful, but will the money be there to back these changes?
Finding a bed for a client that is in crisis, wants to go to the hospital and needs to go to the hospital is next to impossible now. State hospitals have cut beds available – Will there be more beds?
Case Managers have huge Case loads – who is going to pay for smaller case loads? Turn over in Case Management is severe due to poor pay and insurance offered is too expensive to be afforded. A change in a Case Manager for a Client is very disturbing. Where is this money going to come from? Laws are great, but if the money is not there to enforce them – Mental Health stands still!
CSB’s (Mental Health) are not State and not County …. easily over looked until a tragedy happens. Rural areas tend to think , “that would never happen here” – facilities are needed – Substance Abuse, Detox, Intervention homes, Hospital beds available, Assisted Living Facilities, Half way homes, Domestic Violence (PTSD) groups, transportation ……….. staff, salaries, abundant paperwork. Over loading the courts and jails is not the answer – Will there be money to do this right?
Rex
Mental Health Case Manager
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Given the tragedy last April at Virginia Tech, and the extensive recommendations of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, I believe there is a sincere bipartisan commitment to try and modernize our mental health system in Virginia. Unfortunately, it will take significant revenues to do that and this is a challenging budget year. The Governor has proposed some $40M in new funding for mental health programs. I think this is a priority that is shared by Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly, but we have to able to pay for it responsibly. Given the fiscal pressures we face this year, it remains to be seen how much progress we can make, but I assure you we will do our best to provide some additional funding for these programs.
Thank you for your work and passion for Virginia! My husband and I recently witnessed the dehydration and starvation of an elderly family friend in a Norfolk hospital. It was and is deeply disturbing to think that the medical community (here in Virginia and nationwide) is increasingly taking the role of determining who is and who is not fit to live.
What can we do in Virginia to stem the increasing tide of “new eugenics,” bring light to this darkness and promote and protect the sanctity of human life for all ages and stages in our great Commonwealth?
With respect and gratitude,
Diane Pyle
______________________________
We do have laws in Virginia to try and protect the sanctity of life and make sure that sound medical decisions are made when it comes to withholding needed medical or sustenance care. We place a lot of emphasis on respecting the wishes of the patient if a Living Will is in place, or the wishes of the patient’s family if a Living Will is not available. Most of the problems occur when a Living Will is not in place and their is a disagreement between family members as to the patient’s wishes. My strong advice to everyone is to have a Living Will that clearly sets forth your desires in life and death situations, and to clearly communicate your desires to your family members. Communication can go a long way in avoiding difficult conflicts at critical times.
Marsha Maines Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Thanks Lt. Gov for your 100 Ideas for Virginia!! I have a great idea to SAVE Virginia BILLIONS of $$. Dismantle the DCSE. After over 2 decades of abuse of their authority and the dissection of so many families, we really don’t need to continue to spend over $35 MILLION on SALARIES + benefits just so Virginia can have 875 ‘employees’ who do Nothing but push paper around and waste the Court’s time. The statutes on the books have been ignored, due process denied citizens, and our jails are overflowing with so many parents too poor to even support themselves, much less pay for an attorney to defend themselves AND pay child support.
To all the parents who have children – take the time to take care of your own finances – the Government doesn’t have to do it for you. You can tell a Judge to enforce the laws on the books just as easily as this government funded debt collection agency that ignores Federal and State Laws.
_____________________________________
The Department of Child Support Enforcement has one of the most difficult jobs in state government. However, when the judicial system determines that child support is in order, we must make certain that those people responsible for providing child support satisfy their obligations. If not, the responsibility for raising their children can shift to the state, which is not in anyone’s best interests.
I certainly recognize that DCSE is a large agency, and it sometimes fails to work the way it should. However, most of the objections I hear about have more to do with the child support decisions made by the court, as opposed to the enforcement actions undertaken by DCSE. My primary emphasis has been on making certain that DCSE does its work fairly and efficiently, and trying to keep families together, which is the best way to eliminate the need for DCSE.
Let me note one other thing. Several years ago I had the privilege of carrying legislation for Governor Allen that created a Kids First program in Virginia. The purpose of that program was to crack down on dead beat parents and make sure they were satisfying their child support obligations. As a result of that program we have collected millions of dollars in outstanding child support payments and redirected those funds to families who needed them.
Peter Foster Says:
February 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Lieutenant Governor Bolling,
Thanks so much for taking all of our questions today. I read in this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch that the Commonwealth’s budget deficit could hit $1 billion. What are your thoughts on the best way to deal with this situation?
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The economic challenges we face in Virginia today are due to a decline in our economic growth. The good news is that our economy is still growing. The bad news is that it is not growing as fast as it has in the past, or as fast as we thought it would just a year ago. As a result, we face a significant budget shortfall in the current fiscal year, and some very serious challenges in putting together a new budget for the upcoming biennium.
I believe that in challenging economic times government should do what families and businesses have to do – tighten its belt and spend within its means. To do this, we are going to have to make some very difficult budget decisions.
As far as the current fiscal year is concerned, I would like to balance the budget by reducing spending, delaying uncompleted capitol projects and recouping unspent agency balances. I would like to avoid or minimize any withdrawals from the state’s rainy day fund, and I absolutely oppose the Governor’s proposal to use $180M that had been earmarked for transportation to fund other government programs.
As far as the upcoming biennium is concerned, my recommendation has been that we freeze funding for all state agencies at current budget levels, and only approve spending increases for non-discretionary spending commitments like public education and Medicaid; and other core responsibilities, like public safety. I have also strongly advised against approving any spending for new government programs, and minimizing the use of debt, which must be paid back over time.
Clearly, there are significant difference between how I and other Republicans want to balance the budget and how Governor Kaine and the Democrats want to balance the budget. This will be the most difficult issue the General Assembly has to resolve in the next thirty days, and the outcome is very uncertain.
Ben Johnson Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am e
My question is: Bill Bolling… “great” Lt. Governor or “greatest” Lt. Governor?
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I like the limited nature of your choice, but that’s not for me to answer. I’m just trying my best to do a good job for the people of Virginia. I’m very pleased by the progress we have made during my first two years in office, but it’s up to the pundits to draw conclusions like these.
Ted Brown Says:
February 12th, 2008 at 10:57 pm e
Lt. Governor Bolling,
Thank you for your leadership on behalf of the families and taxpayers of Virginia. Many Virginians were deeply disturbed by Governor Kaine’s decision to eliminate funding for abstainance education in the budget that he submitted before the start of the current General Assembly session. The Governor’s decision was a major blow to those parents in the Commonwealth who don’t want the moral lessons taught at the dinner table to be undone in the classroom. What is the status of abstainance education programs as that issue has been debated in the Virginia Senate? Do we have a realistic chance of restoring funding for this vital effort to encourage Virginia’s children to delay sexual activity until marriage?
Ted Brown
Richmond, VA
_____________________________________
I disagreed strongly with the Governor’s decision to eliminate funding for abstinence only education programs. I think these are very important programs that can help reduce teen sex, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. I have proposed restoring this funding. Those budget amendments are currently pending before the General Assembly. They may have a chance of being approved in the House of Delegates, but they will face an uphill battle in the Senate, which is now controlled by liberal Democrats. Nonetheless, I think these programs are worth fighting for.
Brian Mazanec Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 11:44 am e
Lt. Governor–
In December 2007 you correctly pointed out that Governor Kaine’s budget forecasts were very unrealistic and overstated future revenue. Given that your insight has unfortunately proven accurate and the Governor has owned up to reality, what key programs do you see as targets for spending reductions to address the shortfall. Do you think it is appropriate to tap into the rainy day fund as the Governor proposes?
Thank you for your service!
_____________________________________
Unfortunately, my predictions about the overly optimistic nature of the Governor’s revenue estimates have proven accurate. Just this week the Governor revised his budget forecast, and he now tells us that we face an additional budget shortfall of $339M in the current fiscal year, and we cannot afford more than $1B in new spending that he proposed less than two months ago. This was entirely predictable, and by failing to bring us a budget that was based on reasonable economic projections in December, the Governor has compounded the budget challenges facing the General Assembly.
As far as the current fiscal year is concerned, I hope that we can minimize any withdrawals from the rainy day fund. The Governor is currently proposing a total withdrawal of $423M from the rainy day fund. I hope we will be able to reduce this significantly, but given the fiscal mess in which we find ourselves, I doubt that we can eliminate it altogether.
As far as spending reductions in the upcoming biennium are concerned, I think we need to discard the Governor’s budget completely and start with a clean slate that is based on level funding at amounts approved for the current fiscal year. We can then decide how much new money we will take in during the next biennium and where it should be directed. A fundamental part of this effort should be no additional spending on new programs, and no additional spending for existing programs other than the core responsibilities of state government. That’s the only way we can make the numbers balance.
Nick Howard Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Thank you for your time Lt. Governor. It’s beyond my comprehension that there are those in the legislature who wish to keep the budget process and expenditures hidden. Do you support the efforts of Del. Cline and Sen. Cuccinelli to shine some light on the budget process? If so, can you attempt to influence the, as I understand, senior members of the senate (on both sides of the aisle) who wish to keep the citizens in the dark?
____________________________________
I am aware of the legislation submitted by Delegate Cline and Senator Cuccinelli and I do support it. In fact, I have included it in my 2008 Legislative Agenda. We currently have a framework of our state budget available on line, but it does not include adequate detail. It is entirely possible to put a detailed state budget on line so the people of Virginia can know exactly how their tax dollars are being spent. Other states have done this and we can do it as well if we make it a priority. I think this is simply a question of good government.
Georgia Edwards Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 8:17 pm e
Lt. Gov. Bolling,
Like many other Virginians, I am appalled by the recent parade of promiscuity on the campus of William and Mary. How to you plan to address the issue of increasing public vulgarity, while protecting the free expression of those who may be more “progressive” in their beliefs?
__________________________________________
I certainly share your concern about the decision of the President of the College of William and Mary to allow the so called Sex Workers Art Show on campus. I do not believe that this type of exhibit should be permitted on a college campus, and I think they made a mistake by allowing it to take place.
However, we also saw that the public outcry over this, and other recent decisions that had been made by the President of the College of William and Mary, such as the removal of the cross from the Wrenn Chapel, became so great that he has chosen to resign. So, in a very real sense, the voice of the people was heard and these bad decisions had a consequence.
On a broader sense, I think we should all be concerned by the general deterioration we have seen in societal values in recent years. Whether it is attacks on the value of human life, the sanctity of marriage, the popularization of so called alternative life styles like homosexuality and lesbianism, or the explosion of violence and pornography on TV and in movies and video games, we should all be concerned by the direction our society is heading. However, I honestly believe that this will only change when people of faith, who still share the proper values, are willing to stand up in the public square and speak out in support of what we know is right and in opposition to what we know is wrong. As Edmund Burke once said, “the only thing that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
Well, it looks like we got through all the questions in the time provided. That’s a first!
Let me thank The Family Foundation again for hosting this live blog, and each of you for your questions. I hope my answers were direct and to the point.
It is a great privilege to serve you as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. I assure you that I will continue to do my best to stand up for the values we believe in.
If my office can ever be of service to you, please let me know.
God bless!
Lt. Governor Bolling, thank you very much for your very kind words about The Family Foundation at the outset of the interview, as well as for your time and thoughtful answers. We also appreciate the very accomodating nature of your Chief of Staff Randy Marcus in working with us to set up this interview. We look forward to having you back in the future.
Thanks so much for your kind words Lt. Governor about the programs at the House Of Restoration.We are very greatful for your Leadeship of the State and we offer our support in any way possible.You , your family , staff and the leadership of this State and Country are in our continual prayers.
Dr. Marietta Brown
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