Which Bill Howell Is It? Not The FLS Version. . .

Now I’ll have to admit, when I read the Free Lance-Star article on tax reform the other day, I was pretty steamed. “There is no way that Bill Howell could be turning tail and running away like this,” I exclaimed from my computer.

Lo and behold, the Richmond Times Dispatch gave a much different account of Mr. Speekah’s remarks:

Influential House lawmakers argued yesterday that a billion-dollar hole in the state’s next two-year budget can be fixed without adopting the governor’s reform plan that includes some tax increases.

House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, answered with an “oh, sure” when asked yesterday if the General Assembly could deal with the revenue shortage without a general tax increase.

“There are different ways of containing costs,” said Howell, a staunch opponent of increasing Virginians’ overall tax burden.

He said the assembly could use stopgap measures and one-time savings to await a brighter economic picture.

“That gives us time until the economy improves,” said Howell, who said he favors increasing user fees to help stanch the flow of red ink.

Now that makes me very angry, a little bit for allowing myself to be misled, and much more at the Free Lance-Star for misrepresenting Speaker Howell. How disgusting.

From now on, I’ll be very sure to contrast what I read concering tax reform with the more accurate reporting of the Times Dispatch.