Sen. Saslaw calls for more state funding for education
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| Saslaw speaks to supporters at Kilroy’s in Springfield. |
State Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-35th) urged a crowd of
supporters and politicians at his re-election campaign kick-off May 16 at
Kilroy’s to return the Virginia Assembly to Democratic control.
supporters and politicians at his re-election campaign kick-off May 16 at
Kilroy’s to return the Virginia Assembly to Democratic control.
The 35th District includes parts of Falls Church, Annandale,
Seven Corners, Bailey’s Crossroads, Lake Barcroft, Lincolnia, Merrifield, and
Springfield.
Seven Corners, Bailey’s Crossroads, Lake Barcroft, Lincolnia, Merrifield, and
Springfield.
Saslaw’s only opponent so far is Terry Modglin, of the Independent Green Party. In 2013, Modglin ran against Del. Alfonzo Lopez (D-49th), getting 21 percent of the vote.
Saslaw, currently the Senate minority leader, spent much of
his 19-year career in the senate as the majority leader.
If enough Democrats are elected statewide, and Saslaw returns
as majority leader, he says will be able to prevent the passage of harmful bills, like the one vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe that would have made it
easier to possess automatic weapons. “Tell me why anyone needs a machine gun,”
he said.
as majority leader, he says will be able to prevent the passage of harmful bills, like the one vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe that would have made it
easier to possess automatic weapons. “Tell me why anyone needs a machine gun,”
he said.
His top priorities for the next session include funding for K-12
schools and higher education.
schools and higher education.
Referring to the conflict over the school budget between the
Fairfax County school board and Board of Supervisors, he said, “let me be as
blunt as I can. It is not the fault of either the school board or board of
supervisors. It’s us not doing our job in Richmond. We are not supplying the
schools with the money that they need.”
Fairfax County school board and Board of Supervisors, he said, “let me be as
blunt as I can. It is not the fault of either the school board or board of
supervisors. It’s us not doing our job in Richmond. We are not supplying the
schools with the money that they need.”
And that means increasing state revenue. “We’re going to
have to face up to the fact that the current tax structure in Virginia worked
great for a rural state but does not work as well or doesn’t work at all for an
urban state,” Saslaw said.
have to face up to the fact that the current tax structure in Virginia worked
great for a rural state but does not work as well or doesn’t work at all for an
urban state,” Saslaw said.
When Virginia recruits out-of-state businesses to relocate
here, the state’s chief competitor is North Carolina, he said. If Virginia had
the same income tax brackets as North Carolina, based on current incomes, Virginia
would have taken in $24.5 billion last year, rather than $20 billion.
here, the state’s chief competitor is North Carolina, he said. If Virginia had
the same income tax brackets as North Carolina, based on current incomes, Virginia
would have taken in $24.5 billion last year, rather than $20 billion.
Saslaw also cited the need to restructure higher education
to vastly reduce student debt and suggested free tuition for qualifying low-income
students.
to vastly reduce student debt and suggested free tuition for qualifying low-income
students.
2 responses to “Sen. Saslaw calls for more state funding for education”
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I followed the link to Saslaw's campaign site, clicked on the "Where Do I Vote Link" and here's what I got: "This Connection is Untrusted." That pretty much sums it up. Putting the Dems back in charge will inevitably start an endless cycle of confiscatory taxation. Sure, Fairfax would get a few more bucks. But, that won't stop the run up in local taxes. It will merely fuel yet another round of profligate spending for which more taxes will be required. Fairfax may complain about sending too much tax money downstate, but the voters south of the Occoquan can make a pretty good case for not subsidizing Fairfax and Northern Virginia's avarice. I'm not crazy about the GOP, but the BOS is already doing a fairly comprehensive job of emptying my wallet without Saslaw's assistance.
Saslaw is proof that Dems think education quality is measured by dollars spent. He also thinks the state, not the locality, should choose when the school year starts. He's the very definition of a cronyist politician.