The Prince William Area Young Republicans, the Prince William Taxpayers Alliance and the Virginia Club for Growth planned to march on Manassas Delegate Harry Parrish’s place of business in old town Manassas last evening to protest his being among the Seditious 17 that broke ranks with the GOP leadership to support a bill raising taxes, modest though it may be. So proponents of greater investment – and yes higher taxes to pay for it – planned a counter demonstration and won the numbers battle by about 35 – 20.
We were early. Or should I say they were early, and by the time I arrived, their impromptu press conference with local NewsChannel 8, the Potomac News and a Gainsville paper, I think, was over.
So we waited patiently until the minutemen came ‘round the bend with their green No Tax Hike signs. We started chanting “Put Virginia first, invest in our future,” or something like that. (Had the Rev. Jesse Jackson been there, I’m sure we could have done better.)
The anti-taxers then came marching up and stood about 40 feet away and kibitzed among themselves. Someone got the idea that we should then march closer to them. I had visions of getting knocked out by a No New Tax sign. But two Manassas police officers stood between us. I regretted that I didn’t bring a flower to put in the barrel of their guns had they drawn them. But after a few minutes, the anti-tax crowd just turned away and left the way they came, though we had been told they planned to marched past us for a block or so. We took it as a great moral victory and cheered. It may have been just three local media but maybe they feared the whole world was watching.
No sooner did most of our crowd disperse then Del. Parrish showed up, back from the veto session in Richmond, and thanked what was left of us for showing up.
Parrish said he was hopeful of a compromise by Friday in the range of $1 billion. He held little hope for a local sales tax option because delegates were afraid most counties would impose it to balance their own budgets. I suppose the Richmond lawmakers were fearful they’d take the heat for it.
He also said he expected the car tax to be frozen at $1 billion, which would be reached in 2006-07, if held at its current 70% level. He declined to name what he said were two among the Seditious 17 who signed the no-tax pledge of Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform organization. There are actually at least three listed on the ATR site: Preston Bryant, Harvey Morgan and Vince Callahan. But I’ve found before that some of those anti-tax pledges may have been years ago. Once he’s got his teeth into you, Grover doesn’t let go.
Parrish said he expected most of the 17 would have primary opponents next year and couldn’t speculate whether some of the anti-taxers might have GOP challengers from the center. “All of us feel we’re doing the right thing,” he said. “If we’re replaced, it will be the Commonwealth’s loss.”
Parrish said a decision about his running again may depend on his health.
Here’s the Potomac News coverage of the protest.