When Jackson Miller first ran for the 50th House of Delegates seat to represent Manassas and Manassas Park, he pooh poohed the idea, from his Democratic opponent, that a dedicated source of funding was needed to address Virginia's growing transportation needs.  Instead, his solution was to use the state's surpluses and to borrow the money needed. 

Now with no more surplus around, the General Assembly, Mr. Miller included, have been called back into session to address, guess what, the state's transportation problem. 

Democrats in the Senate have called for an increase in the state gas tax while House Republicans want to let localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have the power to levy special local fees to go to transportation in their region. 

A stalemate has resulted and it appears that the "no-tax" pinheads, including Mr. Miller, would rather vote against any increase in state funding than solve the problem this summer.

I have wondered what motivates such people like Mr. Miller to think in such short sighted terms until I read an entry by blogger Bob Gibson, Executive Director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former Daily Progress political reporter.

In it, he cites a column by Richmond Times Dispatch writer Jeff Shapiro which provides clarity as to why Mr. Miller and his fellow pinheads in the House won't break this impasse:

Jeff E. Schapiro, ever colorful and never shy to express a point with personal panache, has pronounced Gov. Tim Kaine an increasingly lame duck, thanks to the state’s, and not Kaine’s, constitution.

While implying quacks in quotes ascribed to Kaine, Schapiro points to a more real reason that reaching a transportation compromise is harder than selling gas-tax increases to voters: the state’s current redistricting system and its fruit can make GOP legislators more afraid of a little electorate in June than a bigger one in November.

As Schapiro put it, “Republicans created, in effect, minority districts wherein narrow bands of the electorate, often anti-tax conservatives, have disproportionate influence. The key to winning and holding such House seats: sucking up to the right. It’s not always a pretty sight, but survival compels it.

And it’s not just accommodating the grass roots to prevent nomination challenges. Republicans must kowtow to the House leadership, lest they risk such punishment as losing prized committee seats. Senate Republicans, many of them recovering tax-aholics, have become similarly sheepish.”

This is not the first time that a minority has held sway in the Virginia legislature.  The rural areas have been able to obtain a disproportionate amount of funds for their areas because of their numbers and seniority.  Last year's election changed that with a number of NoVa and Tidewater senators becoming committee leaders after Democrats won control of that body.  And more of the state is becoming urbanized shrinking the rural areas even further.

But focusing on these "narrow bands" of tax conservatives, there is good news, though it will not come this year as the gridlock on transportation will continue.  When redistricting comes up in 2011, Democrats, and particularly urban and suburban Democrats, will be in control of the Senate who will reduce and/or eliminate the obstruction of anti-tax Republcian conservatives.

Finally, our elected representatives will return to the days of solving problems instead of being one of them.