Does Fiscal Sense
Make Common Sense: It
does to me, and we’ll
soon see how much sense it
makes on City Council. The
hottest unreported story
in Virginia Beach has been
Councilman Bill DeSteph’s
proposal to limit the growth
in government spending to
a healthy 3.5% next year
and the consumer price index
after that. That this even
needs to be said is indicative
of the problem. City governments,
usually supportive of limits
on you and me, don’t
like limits on themselves.
While they argue for regulations,
limits and restraints on
everything from the size
of our houses to the speed
of our roads, the mere mention
of a restraint on government’s
reach into our pockets is
met with scorn. DeSteph’s
idea warrants public discussion
and a vote. Mayor Oberndorf
should help him push that
forward. We need to know
who thinks government should
grow at 7, 8 or 9% every
year to be effective, and
take that information to
the polls in November 2008.
If Council members refuse
to support it, you better
grab your wallet!
