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[Gopher Broke]

EDITORIAL: Governor Disappointment

The failed leadership of Virginia’s Bob McDonnell

The surest and quickest way for a Republican officeholder to kill his future is to dream up a tax increase. Once a rising star in the Grand Old Party, a shortlist contender as Mitt Romney’s running mate and a twinkle in the eye of the Great Mentioner for 2016, Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia has disappeared from the speakers’ lists at key conservative events, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins Thursday in Washington.

There’s good reason for the snub. As a candidate in 2009, Mr. McDonnell promised that if elected, he wouldn’t raise taxes. Working with insiders of both parties, however, Mr. McDonnell broke his word and brokered a deal with the Virginia General Assembly to pay for a sharp increase in mass-transit spending with a $6 billion tax increase — the largest in the commonwealth’s history. The governor’s bill raised state sales taxes, car taxes, regional sales taxes, personal property taxes, vehicle taxes, vending machine taxes, heavy-equipment taxes, commercial taxes, hybrid-vehicle taxes, hotel taxes and diesel-fuel taxes. (Did he forget anything?) It’s hard to see how a Democrat could have found more taxes to raise. In fact, Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic contender to replace Mr. McDonnell, had nothing but praise for the deal.

[Pontiac]

The church needs also -- and most important of all, according to many -- a pope who will do something (just what isn't apparent), about the pedophilia scandal before it injures more young lives and undermines the church's prestige..

Unfortunately politicians as a general rule are cowards.

It takes a great deal of courage for a politician facing a budget crunch due to falling revenue to tell the public and the public employees that budget cutting must be done.

Democraps have it easier their constituency expects tax increases.