Virginia’s brand-new Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger has apparently decided that the people of the Commonwealth aren’t suffering enough. So she rolled out a fresh batch of tax proposals targeting gym memberships, dog grooming, and streaming services like Netflix. You know — the three things keeping most Americans from losing their minds entirely.

Because nothing says “party of the people” like making Fido’s haircut a taxable event. What’s next, Abigail? A per-flush fee? A breathing surcharge for anyone who exhales more than twelve times a minute? Maybe a “thinking about freedom” levy?

Let’s break down what’s actually happening here, because it’s almost too perfect as a case study in how Democrats operate.

Spanberger — who spent years in Congress pretending to be a “moderate” Democrat before winning the governor’s mansion — is now proposing to expand Virginia’s sales tax to cover services that were previously untaxed. Gym memberships. Pet grooming. Streaming subscriptions. Lawn care. The stuff regular people spend their hard-earned money on to maintain some basic quality of life.

And she called these proposals “reasonable.”

Reasonable. That’s the word she used. As if taxing a man for trying to lose twenty pounds on the treadmill is just good governance. As if slapping a surcharge on your dog’s bath is the kind of common-sense policy that Thomas Jefferson would’ve applauded.

Here’s what’s really going on: Virginia’s budget has a hole in it. And rather than cut spending — rather than look at the bloated state bureaucracy and say “maybe we don’t need fourteen assistant deputy directors of equity inclusion” — Spanberger’s first instinct is to reach into YOUR wallet.

That’s always the first instinct. Always.

Republicans in the state legislature blasted the proposals immediately. Trump himself weighed in, pointing out what everyone with a functioning brain already knows: this kind of nickel-and-dime taxation drives businesses out of states and residents right behind them.

And he’s right. We’ve watched it happen in real time. California. New York. Illinois. New Jersey. The pattern is always the same: Democrats get power, Democrats spend money they don’t have, Democrats come for your wallet to cover the difference, people leave, the tax base shrinks, and then Democrats raise taxes AGAIN on whoever’s left.

It’s not a bug. It’s the business model.

But let’s talk about the specific genius of taxing gym memberships. We just spent three years listening to the government tell us that obesity is a public health crisis. That we need to eat better. Exercise more. Take care of ourselves. And now — NOW — Virginia’s governor wants to make it more expensive to go to the gym.

You cannot make this stuff up. The same political movement that wants to control what you eat, what you drive, and how you heat your home is now going to financially punish you for exercising. Next they’ll tax sunlight for anyone who goes outside without a government-approved UV permit.

And the dog grooming thing — look, I know it sounds small. It IS small. That’s the point. They’re not coming for your dog’s haircut because it’s going to balance the budget. They’re coming for it because they want you to understand that NOTHING is outside their reach. Every transaction. Every service. Every little moment of normalcy in your life is something they believe they’re entitled to a cut of.

The streaming tax is the same play. You’re already paying for Netflix. You’re already paying for internet. You’re already paying income tax on the money you used to pay for both. But sure, let’s add another layer. Let’s make sure the government gets a taste every single time money changes hands for any reason.

This is what happens when you elect Democrats. Every. Single. Time. They campaign on “protecting the middle class” and then govern like the middle class is a piggy bank with a crack in it that they just need to hit a little harder.

Virginia had a good thing going under Youngkin. The state was competitive. Businesses were looking at Virginia as an alternative to the overtaxed blue states up north. And in less than six months, Spanberger is already working to kill that advantage.

The residents of Virginia need to pay attention. This is the opening bid. These “reasonable” proposals are the test balloon. If they get away with taxing your gym and your dog and your Netflix today, tomorrow it’ll be your haircut, your car wash, and your kid’s piano lessons.

Democrats don’t stop. They never stop. The only thing that stops them is voters who show up and say “no more.”

So next time someone tells you there’s no difference between the parties — remind them that one party wants to tax your dog’s bath and the other one thinks that’s insane. Because it IS insane. And Virginia deserves better than a governor whose idea of leadership is finding new ways to make life more expensive for people who are already stretched thin.

Fido’s haircut is not a revenue opportunity, Abigail. Leave people alone.