Home Blog Page 2836

GOP Readies Attack on Gun Laws: “Get Ready for the Wild, Wild West Here in Virginia”

By
TheGreenMiles
-
1

Hk and Glock with extended ClipsWith control of executive offices, the House, and half of the Senate, Virginia Republicans are set to do the National Rifle Association’s bidding by trying to repeal what’s left of Virginia’s already-weak gun laws:

A handful of pro-gun bills is already in the works. Del. Mark Cole, R-Fredericksburg, filed a bill last week that bars localities from offering incentives to gun owners to surrender their firearms and another banning clerks from releasing the names of individuals who have permits to carry concealed handguns. […]

The top target for pro-gun groups is lifting Virginia’s limit of one handgun purchase per month.

The NRA has given $16,140 to Virginia state-level political campaigns this year alone – not a penny of it going to Democrats. The NRA has poured a staggering $628,648 into Virginia campaigns since 1996. Gov. Bob McDonnell used to support the extremely reasonable one handgun a month limit. But that was before he needed the NRA’s support for his national political ambitions.

“Republicans are going to be responsible for what comes out and whatever results from the decisions they make,” said Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington. “In all likelihood they will become law. People should get ready for the wild, wild West here in Virginia, and I’m not sure that’s what people voted for when they went to the booths in November.”

This is not about hunting (I think we actually need more of that), and it’s not about self-protection. It’s about fighting a paranoid culture war that thinks any reasonable gun safety rules are the same thing as Muslim commie terrorists running through the streets stealing our guns, forcing our children to gay marry & setting fire to our churches. Why would you need more than one handgun a month, other than the convenience of being able to massacre more people without stopping to reload?

More Promising Economic News as Democrats Dig Out from Republican Mess

By
lowkell
-
2

Another day brings yet more encouraging economic news, as President Obama and the Democrats continue to dig our country out of the ditch that Dubya and the Republicans (including George Allen, Eric Can’tor, etc.) left it in following their rein of budget busting and “let Wall Street run amok” during the 2000s.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level since May 2008, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring is picking up.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications fell by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000 last week.

Remember, Barack Obama and the Democrats inherited an economy in free fall when they took charge in late January 2009. By the time the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law on February 17, 2009, and by the time the “stimulus” actually started kicking in (many parts of it took months if not longer to have an impact), the unemployment rate was soaring towards 9% and (well) beyond. That’s a fair point to start counting the Obama economic record. Since May 2009, for instance, when unemployment was at 9.4%, the rate has now fallen 0.8 percentage points, to 8.6%, and the latest data on new claims for unemployment benefits is highly encouraging that this rate will continue to fall in coming months.

By the way, the budget deficit’s falling as well. Keep in mind that when Barack Obama took office, the projected  deficit for 2009 was $1.2-$1.3 trillion. This year, the budget deficit is projected to be down to $973 billion. Obviously, that’s still very high, but remember, it would have been a LOT lower if the Republicans had allowed the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire in 2010, as they were supposed to (by the law that Republicans voted for, and that George W. Bush signed). If we got rid of all the Bush tax cuts, that would save us $4 trillion over the next decade, or $400 billion per year, sharply reducing the deficit. In addition, deficits would be a lot lower if it weren’t for the recession that we inherited from the Republican’ts, and the urgent need for aid to the unemployed, as well as other measures to help the economy recover. Finally, I’d point out that the long-term budget situation also would be a great deal better if Republican’ts like Eric Can’tor hadn’t pulled out of negotiations last summer on the debt ceiling increase, as President Obama and Speaker Boehner were negotiating significant deficit cuts.

Bottom line: Democrats are slowly but surely digging the country out of the mess the Republican’ts – Bush, Allen, Can’tor, etc. – left us in. As time goes by, this trend is likely to continue, as long as Americans aren’t foolish enough to hand the keys back to the people who drove us into the ditch in the first place.

Virginia News Headlines: Thursday Morning

By
lowkell
-
1

Here are a few Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 15.

*Virginia agencies can ban gay adoptionsirginia agencies can ban gay adoptions (What a travesty. There are many kids who need good homes, and they’re pushing good people AWAY from adopting?!?)

*Va. governor pledges $100 million boost for colleges (Where’s this money going to come from exactly? Since McDonnell refuses to raise revenues, what else are they cutting?)

*McDonnell’s Asia trade mission leads to multi-million dollar soybean deal

*Virginia uranium company lobbies legislators

*I-66 merge to Beltway no longer a dance with death

*George Mason aims to diversify its police force

*Study: Hampton Roads’ recession recovery has been plodding

*4 arrested at Norfolk ‘Occupy’ protest over military detention

*Proposed ban would keep wind turbines off ridges in Floyd County

*Jeff’s Notes: Tax what?

*Analyst: Cuccinelli lead in GOP race no surprise

*Report: Va.’s forests declining, at risk

*Board Approves Courthouse Building Purchase, Amid Homeless Shelter Controversy

Got it covered: Virginia students celebrate 2.5 million insured and counting

By
VirginiaOrganizing
-
2

(Thank you President Obama; despite Republican’t obstructionism and hysteria, your health care reform is already helping millions of Americans. – promoted by lowkell)

The department of Health and Human Services announced new figures today showing that the number of uninsured young adults has dropped by 2.5 million as a direct result of the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26 years old, a benefit that could help 31,200 young adults in Virginia this year alone. With recent college graduates facing an uncertain job market, many young Virginians are going to graduate school or are taking jobs that do not provide health insurance.

The following students are two of an estimated 31,200 young adults in

Khadijah Anderson, Age 21, Student at George Mason UniversityVirginia who will gain coverage this year because they are able to stayon their parents’ health insurance plans.

“I am a full time student at GMU and I work my way through school. The last thing I want to worry about is being booted off my parents insurance when I turn a certain age. The health care law gives me the piece of mind that I can go to grad school and not have to worry about health care.  I cannot even put into words how such a seemingly small change could make such a big impact on so many lives.”

 Melanie Goff, Age 21, Student at James Madison University

Melaniepic

"I graduate in May and I am very concerned about finding a job, let  alone a good job with health insurance.

The Affordable Care Act allows  me to stay on my parents' plan, giving me the ability to be flexible in a  tough job market.      

 “A lot of young people don’t see the  need for health care until they really need it and it’s not there. But a  lot can happen when you are away from home at school. Many of my fellow  students also did not have access to preventative care until the health  care law was passed. The health care law makes it so that young people  have access to preventative care, which saves on health care costs  further down the road.”

 

***Click here for more facts about Virginia and the Affordable Care Act***

Moran Statement on Vote Against National Defense Authorization Act

By
RepJimMoran
-
3

( – promoted by lowkell)

Washington, DC – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, released the following statement following his vote in opposition to the FY’12 National Defense Authorization Act:

“While the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes important provisions for our national defense, reluctantly, I must oppose the bill because it contains language that sets a frightening precedent which severely compromises the ideals, values and principles our nation was founded upon.

“It is a grave mistake to allow the government to detain terrorism suspects, even those who are American citizens, without charge or trial in military prisons. If an individual is accused of supporting terrorist groups or of committing an act of terrorism, they should have an opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law. It takes little imagination to consider how such a policy might be grossly misused against innocent people by future administrations.

“Further, the military should not – nor does it want to – enforce American law. But this bill would do exactly that, by imposing law enforcement duties upon our troops. Our civilian law enforcement agencies have proven themselves capable of apprehending, interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects. The United States is home to a world class civilian court system – one that has overseen the successful prosecution of more than 400 terrorists.

“The United States should never hold an individual, American or otherwise, indefinitely without charge. These provisions were poorly constructed and undermine our defining principles of liberty and justice for all.”

Somebody Pays For Every Tax Break

By
Elaine in Roanoke
-
4

The award for the most outlandish tax boondoggle by a Virginia Republican for the upcoming General Assembly session surely goes to Del. Terry Kilgore, who has filed a bill to give a tax credit of up to $8,000 for anyone who signs a contract to blast their cremated remains into earth or lunar orbit. Kilgore, like most politicians, doesn’t understand a simple truth about tax credits or tax expenditures, whatever one wants to call them. Each one that is placed into law is the same as a tax cut for some favored group and means something else will have to be cut to make up for the lost revenue.

A recent report by JLARC noted that Virginia right now has a tax code with almost 200 tax preferences in its individual and corporate income and retail sales and use tax systems.  Those preferences result in $12.5 billion in lost revenue, equal to almost 90% of the $14.3 billion those three taxes raise each year.

The most egregious tax break in the code to me was an income tax credit available to coal companies to “promote employment” in Virginia’s coal country. JLARC reported that employment in this dying industry continues to decline, at the same time as the state loses $31.2 million in credits coal companies take against their tax bill.

Many of these tax breaks sound great at first, but the impact on the state budget doesn’t seem to enter the minds of the legislators who give knee-jerk assent to them. For example, Kilgore couldn’t begin to estimate how many rich Virginians may want to blast themselves into space or what his bill would mean to a budget already out of balance.

As JLARC noted, “Tax preferences reduce the equitability of the tax system by treating similar taxpayers differently. Tax preferences, by nature, grant special treatment to taxpayers involved in certain activities…but not others, even though they may have similar incomes. Moreover, preferences result in foregone revenue, reducing the reliability of revenues needed to adequately fund government.”

An example of just how large the loss in state income can be is the exemption of almost all services from the sales tax. That exemption reduced state revenues by a total of more than $3.5 billion in 2008. So, I don’t have to pay sales tax on my visits to my hair salon, but I do have to pay the tax on a bottle of shampoo.

Every year, two sales tax holidays, for school supplies and the hurricane preparedness, cost the state $6.3 million. Additionally, according to JLARC the state 529 college savings plan, instituted to help parents pay for their children’s college, is mainly used by citizens who make more than $100,000 per year, families that would save that money anyway without the state giving them a $4,000 tax deduction.

Virginia needs a non-partisan commission to look at the state tax system and recommend changes that will result in greater fairness and more revenue to support vital state services. And, members of the General Assembly need to stop loading up the tax system with perks and favors for their friends and contributors.

Legislators Lining Up in Opposition to Marshall’s Anti-Labor Bill

By
ProgressVA
-
6

Crossposted at ProgressVA.

Opposition to a blatantly anti-labor bill is beginning to build in Virginia, and State Senators Dave Marsden and Chap Petersen and Delegate David Englin are among those voicing criticism. House Bill No. 2, introduced by Delegate Bob Marshall, would prohibit Virginia from providing funding for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metro Project if it is subject to a project labor agreement (PLA).

PLAs don’t actually require projects to only hire union workers–they are a tool for taxpayer accountability. PLAs require the use of trained workers and safety standards for contractors, and worked great on Phase 1 of the project, as we pointed out previously. State Senator Dave Marsden said in a statement this week,

“What concerns me is that this bill appears to stem from an anti-union mindset that places ideology over public good and job creation. It could lead to experienced workers who performed well on Phase I being excluded from Phase II, and create the need for the expense of training new workers. Just as importantly, the PLA will create local jobs for a largely local workforce… A PLA is not always necessary on public projects, but I would ask my good friend Delegate Marshall, ‘what problem are you trying to solve with this legislation?’ It seems that continuing the PLA during Phase II is in keeping with good public policy. Let’s not remove what has proven to be successful tool from consideration.”

(More below the fold.)

The anti-PLA bill has no benefit for Virginia, and actually does a disservice. Marshall’s bill is a prime example of legislation based on ideology instead of facts. Adding to the criticism, State Senator Chap Petersen wrote,

“Like a lot of bad legislation, the Delegate’s bill is a ‘Section 1’ bill, which means that it does not actually change state law – it makes a statement. In this case, the statement is mere irony since the Commonwealth has contributed nothing to Dulles Rail, which is now completing ‘Phase 1’ of construction under a PLA… In essence, HB 2 is not about results. It’s about discrimination, i.e. making sure that union-based firms are not permitted to bid on a Virginia project.”

Our representatives should be focusing on creating jobs for Virginians, and instead, the only thing Bob Marshall is trying to build are partisan roadblocks. Delegate David Englin points out in a recent release,

“Delegate Marshall’s legislation discriminates against workers who choose to join a union and would endanger a critical regional project that has already been mired in political conflict. Instead of trying to get Virginians working, Delegate Marshall and the Republicans who support his effort are focused on scoring political points with their funders and threatening thousands of jobs, as well as future economic growth and traffic abatement in Northern Virginia.”

Virginians deserve representatives who prioritize people over partisanship and ideological legislation. ProgressVA would like to thank Senator Marsden, Senator Petersen, Delegate Englin and all others who are taking a stand against this legislation and are actually working for the betterment of our Commonwealth.

PPP: “Virginia may be Obama’s firewall state”

By
lowkell
-
6

It’s been a rough three years for Virginia Democrats since the glory days of 2005-2008, and 2013 could be tough, but polls like this one should put a smile on our faces for 2012 at least!

*”Obama leads both Mitt Romney (48-42) and Newt Gingrich (50-43) [in Virginia] by margins comparable to his 6 point victory over John McCain in 2008.”

*Obama’s approval rating in Virginia is in positive territory, at 48%-47%.

*In contrast, Newt Gingrich is at 31%-55% in Virginia, Rick “Missing Village Idiot” Perry’s at an utterly abysmal 20%-61%, and Flip Floppin’ Mitt is at a pathetic 33%-52%. Such a shame.

*Obama beats Romney among all age groups in Virginia except for one — those older than 65. Among 18-29 year olds, Obama’s crushing Romney by 22 points, and among 30-45 year olds, Obama’s ahead by 14 points. It’s almost the exact same story with Gingrich as well.

*Bottom line, according to PPP: “”It continues to look like Virginia may be Obama’s firewall state,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “He’s holding up well there and it’s going to be tough for the Republicans to get to 270 electoral votes without it in their column.”

So, let’s win Virginia for Obama once again, all but guaranteeing him reelection as president (and almost certainly guaranteeing Kaine over Allen as well) in November 2012!

A Winter of Discontent for Bill Bolling Advisor Boyd Marcus

By
Goldmanusa
-
0

by Paul Goldman

Boyd Marcus, the Karl Rove to LG Bill Bolling, is one smart political guy. But if you believe the latest Public Policy Polling survey of GOP primary voters next year, there is nothing even Boyd can do to help his guy beat Kenny C. Sure, you can point to fact the AG only leads 44%-25%, which is below the magic 50% mark. You can also point to the fact that the LG isn’t as well known as Kenny C., meaning his support can theoretically grow as his name ID increases. Also, Bolling is well liked among Republicans, and he figures to make more friends casting the tie-breaking votes on key GOP legislation in the Senate next year.

All this is true and lots more, but then comes what Boyd knows is even more true: his success in GOP politics has come by running his candidates to the right of their opponents. Boyd wins because he knows that being the guy on the left in the race – that is to say the “less” conservative candidate – is a loser’s game in the GOP. Boyd has buried a lot of conservative bodies in his day by saying they are not anti-tax, anti-spending, anti-abortion, anti-whatever enough. They scream, but those direct flyers don’t lie right?

Boyd’s one famous parlay into going left was in 1994, when he ran Jim Miller’s campaign for the GOP Senate nomination against Ollie North. Miller got beat badly, then turned around two years later and ran as the conservative alternative to John Warner — back to the usual Boyd MO, in other words.

The fact is, Boyd has done a heck of a job for Bolling, and has gotten him within a hair of a trip to the Super Bowl of VA politics. Bolling couldn’t have done it by Bowling Alone.

But the Boyd Marcus MO of “student body right” as close to the sideline as possible isn’t a play one can run against the AG.

No matter how far you go to the right – except, perhaps, on certain NOVA issues – you are still to the political left of Kenny C.

So what is a loyal LG to do?

 

If Bolling’s man Romney gets nominated, then he could lobby to have Governor McD selected as VP. Then, if the GOP wins, Bolling would become Governor by operation law. Would that stop KC from running for Governor? Only if Cuccinelli were thinking correctly.

Naturally, if Mitt isn’t the nominee, but if the GOP wins, then Bolling can hope the new President makes McDonnell an offer the Governor can’t refuse. Or, the new President might – heaven help us – make KC the Attorney General of the United States. (Of course, what President in his right mind would do that to himself? KC is not a team player, by his own admission.)

SO: Short of McDonnell getting to be the next VP, and not counting some unexpected event which is always possible, there isn’t a lot Boyd Marcus can find in his bag of tricks right now. Unless the LG comes out for abolishing state government, then he can’t get to the right of KC without just about thing else.

Right now then, Boyd has to hunker down and hope lightning strikes real soon. Otherwise, Bolling must decide whether to give up the LG job for a very long shot, indeed likely no shot, of beating Cuccinelli for the 2013 GOP nod.

It would be different if Bolling was trailing Cuccinelli, but if he had the more committed constituency, a la Henry Howell’s big upset in the 1977 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Or different as in 1989, when Boyd helped engineer the upset win of Marshall Coleman in the GOP primary over big favorite Paul Trible. But in that case, Trible’s lead was a mile wide and an inch deep; he went down on the abortion issue mostly, as Coleman went from pr-choice to hard right per the Marcus MO. Brilliant job though, and Boyd could do it again if he had material.

But right now, KC has pitched his tent right on the right-side sideline. At this point, there is no room for Bill Bolling, except either out of bounds or to the left.

So it is going to be a winter of discontent at the Marcus posse, as they struggle like Houdini to get out of the straightjacket they find themselves in.

Of course, at 44%, the AG can’t afford but too many slip ups. That remains Boyd’s best hope – errors by Cuccinelli. Big ones, if they are to change the dynamic currently in place.

My prediction: If nothing much changes over the next year as regards the LG’s race, look for Bolling to cut a deal with Cuccinelli, a la the one he did with McDonnell. Bill Bolling presides over the State Senate for another four years? It could very well happen.

Beyond Parody: “I’m not a witch,” but I am Endorsing Mitt Romney!

By
lowkell
-
5



For a refresher on Christine “not a witch” O’Donnell, click here. A few highlowlights.

*”In the 1990s, O’Donnell took a public stance against masturbation, calling it “sinful” and equating it with adultery.”

*”In a 1996 discussion on CNN, O’Donnell advocated the teaching of creationism in public schools and criticized Darwin’s theory of evolution on the ground that it is ‘merely a theory’ or ‘a myth’.” (this one alone marginalizes her as an ignoramus and nutjob)

*”In 1998 she published an article in Cultural Dissident entitled, ‘The Case for Chastity’.”

*”In October 2007 O’Donnell stopped paying the mortgage of her Wilmington house and the mortgage company obtained a judgment against her in the spring of 2008 for $90,000. The house was to be sold at a sheriff’s auction in August 2008 when she sold it the month prior to her Senate campaign attorney who was also her boyfriend at the time.”

*”After the September 14, 2010 primary,”Democratic-leaning watchdog group”. [44]Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) alleged that O’Donnell made false statements on Federal Elections Commission filings and illegally used more than $20,000 of her campaign funds as “her very own personal piggy bank” by claiming campaign expenses during a time when she was not a candidate in 2009.”

*On September 17, 2010, comedian Bill Maher aired a clip of O’Donnell from the October 29, 1999 episode of his old show Politically Incorrect on his current show Real Time with Bill Maher,[101] in which O’Donnell said, “I dabbled into witchcraft – I never joined a coven…I hung around people who were doing these things… We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn’t know it.”

*On December 13, 2011, she endorsed Mitt Romney for President.

Which one of these items – or many others not mentioned – is the craziest, most bizarre, etc? Feel free to discuss.

1...2,8352,8362,837...3,365Page 2,836 of 3,365












EVEN MORE NEWS

POPULAR CATEGORY

©