When he proposed the bill, Delegate M. Kirkland Cox, Colonial Heights Republican and a sponsor of the legislation that created the Virginia fund, predicted the program would generate somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000 a year. But it has never taken off and has provided ammunition for conservatives like Mr. Cox and anti-tax activists.
"When I polled my constituents, there was a small number of them who supported higher taxes," Mr. Cox said. "So the theory is, if you want to impose your will on the majority you should be more than happy to step up to the plate and donate your money."Public generosity reached its high point in 2003 when Virginians forked over $6,602. The low point was in 2006, when the state received a measly $19.36.
"It's amazing how people want to tax other people for every idea they have, and they are not willing to step up to the plate themselves, said Mr. Cox. "It's a real good way to make a point."Not really amazing at all. It's simply called socialism.
