Abstract:
I’ve always respected State Senator Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) and our own State Senator
Janet Howell (D-Reston), both of whom serve on the Senate Finance Committee. They were right to insist that Northern Virginia needs far more funding for education and transportation than
state and county budgets are likely to provide. They were right to support a referendum in
Northern Virginia on an increase in sales tax revenues dedicated to education and transportation
improvements. They were wrong in two past years to reject a referendum limited to funding of
only transportation improvements. This year they were right at last to accept such a referendum.