Reducing Government to a Single Pledge
Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

Recently I received three “no tax pledge” forms in the mail: one from Grover Norquist and the Americans for Tax Reform and two from my announced opponent in the fall election. Identical forms were sent by my opponent by certified mail on two different days with an accompanying press release announcing that he has taken the pledge to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” According to information in the Norquist mailing, eight of the 40 Virginia senators have taken the pledge, and 32 of the 100 members of the House of Delegates have signed it. Ironically on the list of the House signers is the Republican delegate who broke ranks and led 16 other Republicans to support the tax increases proposed by Governor Mark Warner last year.

I will not be signing the pledge form. It may be politically expedient for some to do so; but with the challenges facing the Commonwealth in responding to our transportation needs, Medicaid increases, and public safety and education requirements, it is not the responsible thing to do. You will no doubt hear more about this during the political campaign.

According to information released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau, Virginia is the 12th wealthiest state in the country and has state per capita taxes that are 31st lowest in the country at $1,907.92 (www.census.gov). Per capita taxes throughout the country range from a high in Hawaii of $3,047.61 to a low of $1,367.36 in Texas. The average for the United States is $2,024.85.
In another measure of tax burden, the Tax Foundation (www.taxfoundation.org) issued a paper late last year providing a “State Business Tax Climate Index.” That report calculates the “tax friendliness” to business of each state’s tax system. Virginia is ranked as having the 12th friendliest tax system for business in the country.

Last month the Tax Foundation issued a report, “Comparing the 50 States’ Combined State/Local Tax Burdens 2005.” In that report state and local taxes are combined and calculated as a percentage of income. Virginia’s combined state and local tax burden of 9.7 percent is 34th lowest in the country.

Virginia has a proud tradition of being a low tax state, and that reputation must be maintained. A thriving economy helps to keep taxes low. Continued economic success is dependent on a business friendly climate that includes not only low taxes but good schools and colleges and a good transportation system that works. The basic core services of education, public safety, and transportation have a cost that must be met. Serving in the legislature, being responsive to constituents, and maintaining a responsible government is much more complicated than a single signature on a pledge card.

---

Herndon Memorial Day Ceremony
Chestnut Grove Cemetery
Address by Delegate Kenneth R. Plum
May 30, 2005

Thank you for the honor of allowing me to address you on Memorial Day. My thanks to the Wayne M. Kidwell American Legion Post 184 for having me. I truly consider it an honor.

I am asked to speak often at public gatherings. I like doing so. Most often I compose my speech in my mind on the way to the event.

But your invitation was special to me. Since being invited many weeks ago I have thought about, and yes, worried about, how I could rise to this important and revered occasion. 

It was not until yesterday—in church at the United Christian Parish in Reston, that it came to me what I wanted to say. 

The closing hymn of our service was America the Beautiful:

O beautiful for spacious skies, Katharine Lee Bates wrote in 1893 after a grueling trip up Pikes Peak…
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

We are a blessed nation. Beautiful! Majestic! So much to offer! But it was Bates third verse, printed in our hymnal as a second verse, that caught my attention:

O Beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, had its origins in many separate beginnings when people in planned or spontaneous gatherings came together to honor the war dead. Originally organized around the Civil War dead, the Day was broadened after World War I to honor Americans who died fighting in any war. 

Jane and I visited her 93-year old father and her mother in Tappahannock of Friday and Saturday of this week. He is a World War II veteran. On the trip there heading southeast from Fredericksburg on Route 17 we admired the miles of red poppies that have been planted in the median of the highway.

As Monia Michael wrote:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

When Jane made a trip to the local Wal Mart to pick up some things for her Mother, she brought back a red “Buddy Poppy” to her father from her contribution to the VFW.

In this time of contentious political debate it is important to remember the real meaning of Memorial Day. Ponder these works by Charles M. Province:

It is the Soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us Freedom of the Press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the Freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial;
And it is the soldier—who salutes the flag,
Who serves the flag, and
Whose coffin is draped by the flag—
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Summer is coming on for sure. Certainly we all need a break. Eager to get to the beach or the amusement park.

But is it asking too much to take some time to remember those who have made our holidays possible?

Clearly in Herndon and with Post 184 with your proud tradition of Memorial Day Observances, you have answered “It is not asking too much!”

Sadly the practices of closing stores, holding community gatherings and parades have been abandoned in too many places. On behalf of the community, thank you to all responsible for this annual Memorial Day Ceremony in Herndon.

In 1996 Carmalla LaSpada started the “Moment of Remembrance” to put the “Memorial” back in Memorial Day. The practice she started is to observe a moment of silence at exactly 3 p.m. followed by Taps to honor those who sacrificed their lives for us.

Day is done,]
gone the sun,
From the hills
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor
God keep
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
“Neath the sun,
“Neath the stars,
“Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

---

Announcements

Congratulations to the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation on the opening of the Reston Computer Clubhouse at the Reston Teen Center by the YMCA. I was pleased to take part in the ribbon cutting. This is the fifth Computer Clubhouse in Fairfax County made possible through a partnership of the NVTC Foundation, Fairfax County government agencies, and the Computer Clubhosue Network. for more information, visit www.nvtcfoundation.org.

You will note in the calendar below that I have scheduled my State of the Commonwealth Business Breakfast for Thursday, June 30, 8:00 a.m., at the Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston. At this event I give my assessment of where we are in Virginia and where we need to be headed. It is a candid, no-holds-barred discussion! Let us know if you would like to attend. It is also a campaign fundraiser. Call 703.758.9733 for information.

A major “Mixing Bowl” overnight detour begins June 4-5. Weather permitting, VDOT will shut down the I-95 northbound lanes at Springfield for up to three nights beginning Saturday night, June 4, while crews erect steel bridge beams over the I-395 travel lanes. Crews will need to hoist four steel beams 80 feet into the air and set them onto bridge piers directly over the I-395 north lanes. Each beam is 125 feet long and weighs 24 tons. The work is intricate and dangerous. For the safety of construction workers and motorists, traffic must be detoured. Northbound I-95 traffic will use a seven-mile detour that will take about 45 minutes. View the detour route at www.springfieldinterchange.com. 

RCA Community Meetings on Town Status will be held on Saturday, June 11, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Reston Regional Library and on Thursday, June 16, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Lake Anne Community Center. Learn the facts about Reston becoming a town at this meeting hosted by the Reston Citizens Association. Hear discussions from your community leaders about the pros and cons on this very important issue. Visit RCA’s website for more information at http://restoncitizensassociation.org.

The Center for Multicultural Human Services (CMHS) is hosting a conference on the Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Domestic Violence on Friday, June 17, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center. The presentation will include “The Rosie Story,” a short segment of a play about domestic violence. See www.chmsweb.org and click on the link for the conference for registration information. Call Ricarda Dowling, Director of Development at CMHS, at 703.533.3302 ext. 128 for sponsorship opportunities.

Absentee Voting for the June 14 Democratic Primary – If you will not be able to vote in person in the Democratic Primary on June 14 and wish to vote absentee by mail, you must first submit an Absentee Ballot Application to the Office of the General Registrar. After processing the application, the ballot will be mailed to you. Applications are available at the county government centers, libraries, or can be downloaded from the Fairfax County website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gov/eb/absentee.htm. If none of these options are available to you, call Delegate Plum’s office at 703.758.9733 for an Absentee Ballot Application to be mailed to you. Applications to vote by mail must be received in the Office of the General Registrar of Fairfax County no later than 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, 2005. Eligible voters may also vote in-person prior to Election Day, at the Office of the General Registrar, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, as follows: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays – June 4 and June 11, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call 703.222.0776 to verify ballot availability before you go. Saturday, June 11, 2005, is the final day for in-person absentee voting in the Office of the General Registrar.