During the recently completed session of the General Assembly, we heard a lot of complaints about the emphasis on certain types of bills — “social issues” — and how they were sucking the oxygen out of “the issues that matter,” even though “social issues” were less than 2 percent of bills that were introduced in the House. Combined with the Senate, that percentage probably dropped to less than 1 percent. Pro-life bills were less than .2 percent. Of course, none of that includes “social issues” brought up by the left, such as the bizarre introduction in the Senate (for the second consecutive session) of the long-deceased, so-called “Equal Rights Amendment” for ratification the U.S. Constitution (SJ 130, which actually passed that radically right-wing chamber 24-15, before “wasting” the House’s time, where it died, again).
Of course, the session really isn’t “completed.” Technically, it is, because the members agreed to adjourn. It adjourned only to go into special session later this month because the budget (“The most important thing we do,” according to General Assembly liberals) wasn’t adopted. In the Senate, it was hardly even started. Talk about “wasting time and money” as the liberals in the capitol, mainstream media, and The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live (the new sources of information for the intellectual elite) told us we were doing in debating “social issues” — anyone cost out a special session of the General Assembly? How about the time? It will already be at least two weeks late before a budget is adopted, and “social issues” have nothing to do with the delay since bills beside the budget are done on a totally separate track. The “most important thing we do,” “wasting time and money,” “work on the issues that matter”. …
So, who’s wasting “time and money”? Here’s a web ad from the Republican Party of Virginia that shows there are, at least, some sane voices from across political spectrum who understand who really is obstructing, who really is wasting “time and money.”
Are you serious? The ERA and no budget? Some sane voices, even on the left, recognize the folly: In an unprecedented inaction, Senate Democrats blocked approval of the Senate budget and two versions of a House budget, not even getting to the necessary conference committee process.
[...] that didn’t receive much coverage at all in Virginia’s hawk-eyed press. As Steve Rossie points out, while the scribblers were giving blanket coverage to conservatives and their social legislation, [...]
[...] The reason given was pretty simple and seemingly on the up and up: The House and Senate leadership of both parties and both chambers made a fairly well publicized “we’re all getting along” declaration prior to the legislative session’s start that many of the transparency principles would be adhered to in a gentleman’s agreement, while the budget prioritization stuff was coming from the executive branch with its new $15 million “performance based budgeting” software. Easy to say then, with fresh-off-elections, beginning-of-session-optimism reigning supreme. Not as easy to do without a budget. Or even a process. [...]
[...] it was basically a pro forma vote. The Senate prides itself on its collegiality and, Democrats, having been routed in the public relations war over their unprecedented budget obstruction — they lost last November’s election in [...]
[...] vote ostensibly set the budget process off track for a third time. But today, Senator Colgan saved the General Assembly the time and effort of starting from budgetary scratch again by exercising his right, as one who voted on the [...]
[...] as we commented during session, Senate Democrats were never serious about crafting a budget. It would rather grandstand about “social issues wasting time and not dealing with the real [...]