Where in the World Was Chuck Caputo?

When HB 6055 was being voted on, residents in the 67th House District should ask where was Delegate Chuck Caputo. Caputo decided that taking a vacation (or going to a conference) was more important than voting on an issue that affects his constituents every day. Transportation is the number one issue affecting residents in the 67th district, as they have to fight traffic on Route 28, 50, and 66. Gridlock is insane with commutes lasting anywhere between 15-60 minutes daily.

It appears that Caputo was not concerned with how to address this critical issue. Caputo would rather sit on the beach, sipping a nice ice cold drink, while his constituents are stuck in the heat of traffic that awaits them every day. The 67th district deserves better and so does Northern Virginia.

Governor Kaine and Brian Moran: Disenfranchising the Voters in the 46th?

As you may have read in a prior post, Brian Moran has resigned from his Delegate seat, representing the 46th district. This may come as no surprise, but it seems odd that someone would step down in the midst of an important legislative session, so he could solely focus on the governor's race. Since his resignation, the method to selecting a Delegate would be done so through special election.

However, there is something fishy with this special election that we would like to highlight. It seems that Governor Kaine has set a special election date of January 13, 2008, so both parties are scrambling to find candidates and set nominating conventions in a hurry. This gives no time to find a solid candidate, who will best fit the district, and gives little time for fundraising and campaigning. Another surprising thing is that this is happening during the Holidays, and we know that it is difficult to get volunteers during the Holidays. To me, it appears that Governor Kaine has a degree in mismanagement of setting special elections and disenfranchising voters.

Tonight, there will be nominating conventions (or mass meetings) to choose the candidates for both parties. Hopefully, there will be enough time to get the campaigns together, establish fundraising, and have the necessary volunteers to make this race competitive and based on issues that are important to the voters in the 46th District.

Why Did Dave Marsden Vote No on HB 6055?

This is the first of a two part series focusing on two Northern Virginia delegates who either voted "no" or was absent during HB 6055. Here is some background on HB 6055: Basically, it repealed the regional tax authorities (which were ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court). Source

Voting "No" on HB 6055 was Delegate David Marsden from Fairfax. Marsden voted no. Why you ask? Well, Marsden would rather hike your taxes by voting for Governor Tim Kaine's proposed plan during the special session, which was held in June. The residents of Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads region need solutions to the traffic gridlock they are currently experiencing, not increased taxes. It seems that Marsden would rather vote for higher taxes, than addressing the transportation problems with common sense solutions.

We're Tightening Our Belts!

As you may have read in The Washington Post today, the Virginia GOP Caucus has decided to tighten our belts to address the multi-billion dollar deficit that the Commonwealth is facing. We realize that we need to cut our own expenses to avoid passing an additional tax to you, the taxpayers. We have trimmed expenses, such as limiting our travel to conferences, canceling trainings, and accept our current annual salary of $17,640.

Speaker Howell said to reporters today, "Right now, Virginia's families and business are making necessary and sometimes difficult adjustments to deal with the effects of the current economic climate. The people they elect to represent them have the same responsibility. We will meet this challenge."

Additionally, we have listened to many concerns about the rules and record votes in subcommittee hearings. We have decided to open these votes to allow more government transparency.

The Republican party stands for true change that you can count on!

Moran Steps Down, Special Election is Called

Alexandria Delegate Brian Moran recently announced he was resigning from his Delegate seat to campaign full-time for Governor. The reason why Moran is stepping down to his seat is that he can fully devote his time to the Governor's race. He indicated that it would be unfair for his constituents, if he can't devote his full attention to his legislative duties.

There will be a special election held on January 13, 2009. According to Bearing Drift, Republicans Phil Cefaratti, Lisa Marie Cheney, and Sasha Gong have expressed interest in running for this seat. Former Alexandria Mayor Kerry Donley and Charniele Herring have announced for the Democrats (Source: Bearing Drift, December 13, 2008).

Kaine on Blagojevich

When you think of Tim Kaine's close connection to Barack Obama during the 2008 elections, maybe, you are curious to know what Kaine's true feelings are on scandal plagued (and fellow) Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on their blog about Kaine's opinions of the recent Blagojevich scandal. Kaine felt that the scandal was ruining what was supposed to be a joyous time for the Democrats. Kaine also said:

"They're horrible. Kind of a level of drunk with power that you would have a hard time writing that if your were a novelist," Kaine said. "The indictment as it's been reported to me—if somebody made that up we'd say it wasn't realistic. Pretty amazing."

Asked about the situation after a press conference yesterday, Kaine, the first governor after Blagojevich to endorse Obama's candidacy, was clearly angry over the taint that the scandal casts over what should be a joyous time in Democratic circles—and especially in Illinois. Blagojevich has maintained his innocence and still retains authority over who to put in the seat being vacated by Obama.

"It obviously creates all kinds of challenges with respect to that senate replacement," Kaine said. "I hope they're committed to a replacement process that isn't tainted by him."

Hopefully, Kaine will also call the Obama administration out for some of their behaviors as well, including blocking Blagojevich questions from being answered on the transition team's website, as reported in The Politico.

Barney Frank on the Auto Bailouts

Well, it appears that Rep. Barney Frank has foot-in-mouth disease lately. Recently, Frank has been making the rounds on national TV to tout the numerous bailout proposals to save failing American businesses. Frank was recently interviewed on CBS News' 60 Minutes by Lesley Stahl. When asked if he was propping the auto companies up and catering to their every whim, Frank responded:

"No. We're not propping up companies. That's your mistake," he tells Stahl, who had asked him about taxpayer money going to prop up companies that had made bad decisions. "We're propping up individuals. The world doesn't consist of companies. The world is people. The country is people."

When Stahl points out that Frank is then talking about welfare, he responds, "Yeah, I'm for welfare. You're not? Are you for letting people starve?"

Here is a clip from his interview.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Frank is the type of corrupt leadership that our country does not need to prosper.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

The VA GOP Caucus hopes everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Here's a little taste of belated Thanksgiving fun.



Source: William Warren (NetRight Nation)

Eric Holder's Clinton-ista Past

Another ghost of Clinton past will be joining the Obama administration. Eric Holder, who has recently accepted President-elect Obama's invitation to join his cabinet as Attorney General. While Holder will be the first African American appointed to ever hold this office, he is no stranger to working for a former President. Holder worked in the Clinton administration and was involved in the Presidential pardon of Marc Rich before Clinton left office. Although Clinton was the man behind Rich's pardon, Holder did play a significant role in the pardon oversight process, as he gave recommendations to the President. He even admits his wrong doing!

If Obama wants to be the great change agent in Washington, then he needs to rid himself of corruption from the Clinton Administration. Otherwise, we will no doubt have front row seats to an interesting four years.

Source: ABC News

Hillary for Secretary of State...Huh?!?

According to the New York Post, it appears that Barack Obama is considering naming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Now, what has Hillary Clinton done to be considered worthy of this title? Or, will Bill Clinton be feeding Hillary advice about how to be diplomatic?

This should be an interesting cast of characters being nominated for positions within the Obama administration. After all, they do have an interesting screening process. The New York Times featured the questionnaire sent out to prospective Obama administration officials. Check out the questionnaire here. I wonder if Hillary had to fill it out, because if she did, the questionnaire probably avoided the ethical questions.

Connolly Reveals His Agenda

BVBL reports that Gerry Connolly has decided to reveal his true agenda, which will include raising the gas tax to pay for transportation improvements. Connolly made this comment on WTOP's Politics Program with Mark Plotkin. Connolly said, "If the gas tax is the way we do that, so be it. It hasn't been raised in a long time," Connolly said. "I hate to talk about raising taxes first thing out, but we have to stabilize the revenue source for the Federal Highway Trust Fund."

Now, why didn't Gerry share this with the voters in the 11th district before last Tuesday? Connolly should know that raising taxes is not the solution to the transportation crisis. Cutting back on unnecessary programs is the first step to the crisis, so that more money will be available. Anyone with common sense would know this, but Gerry doesn't realize this and his DC office phones will be ringing off the hook for the next two years with angry complaints from his constituents.

Obama: Ready to Lead Now

According to Newsbusters.com, Obama's transition co-chair Valerie Jarrett made a statement on Meet The Press that states how Barack Obama will waste no time ruling the country. Doesn't this already confirm our worries that Obama will pushing his liberal agenda forward? Jarrett said, "given the daunting challenges that we face, it's important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one."

Well, fasten your seat belts, folks. The Obama administration promises a bumpy ride for the next four years.

Obama: Who will I tax first?

You know the famous statement: "Democrats like to tax everything. When something is born, they tax it. When a business grows, they regulate it. When something dies, they subsidize it." Well, the very first thing President-elect Obama wants to do is start working on jump starting the economy, and his plan is to provide tax relief for the middle class. I guess that tax relief will be in the form of economic stimulus checks, which will have to paid back to the government. So, it appears that taxes will no doubt increase.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Obama also has his eyes, not just on the economy, but on health care and education reform, as well as withdrawing troops from Iraq. All things that will cost the United States more debt over time. The enacting of these reforms are only going to cause the economy to spiral further in decline.

Hopefully, Obama will reach across the aisle and seek common sense proposals that will help put America back on the right track. Taxing people in a troubled economy will only result in more people who will be poverty stricken or deciding whether they will have to choose between rent or food.

Al Gore, Famous Internet Inventor Says His Creation Will Save The Earth

This just in: Al Gore, creator of the Internet says his creation will now save the Earth after the recent election of President-elect Barack Obama. According to Breitbart.com, Gore made these comments at a Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. Gore said, "The Internet's critical role in Democrat Obama's victory in the presidential race against Republican John McCain was a "great blow for victory" in addressing a "democracy crisis" stifling action against climate change."

Amazing, Al Gore will claim that he saved the world. This will be the next breaking news alert.

The Great Redistribution of Jim Moran

Jim Moran is one of the most notoriously outspoken Congressmen. In fact, Mr. Verbal Gaffe himself always seems to say something that does not quite make sense, and he is taking a page out of the Barack Obama playbook by saying he is in favor of redistributing the wealth. The Weekly Standard reports that Moran made these statements during an education reform hearing in Arlington. He also completely displayed his temper during this meeting with constituents who questioned him about the foreclosure crisis.





Jim, I think another anger management course is in order for you!

Obama Pledges to Bankrupt VA's Coal Industry

Barack Obama, in a January interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, said of America's coal industry that ....

"So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."

Of course ... when this interview was published the SF Chronicle conveniently forgot to publish this part. Check out the video below.....

George Soros Tries To Steal Virgil Goode's Congressional Seat

This is Tom Perriello's own Financial Disclosure Statement as a candidate for Congress.



For the past two years, 2006 and 2007, (with the exception of about $7,625 he received for teaching a course at UVA Law and a consulting fee), Perriello's entire earned income has come EXCLUSIVELY from 7 non-profit organizations with seemingly harmless names such as the "Avaaz Foundation," "Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good," "Res Publica," "FaithfulAmerica.org," and the "Global Education Action Fund." That's a total of $108,782 in 2006 and $84,125 in 2007.

Tom Perriello is the Co-Founder of these so-called "non-profit" groups, which were all bankrolled by George Soros through his Open Society Institute. According to his own Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement attached (and in his own hand) Tom Perriello has no other visible means of support than salaries he draws from so-called non-profits he founded, which are funded directly by George Soros. George Soros is not simply a significant campaign contributor, he is Tom Perriello's EMPLOYER. What are these groups?

The euphemistically-named "Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) is an organization that, if you check out their website, appears dedicated exclusively to misleading Catholic voters about what their Church actually teaches, and convince them that, contrary to the consistent and plain teaching of the Pope and the Catholic Bishops, it is morally permissible to vote for pro-abortion candidates like, say, Tom Periello. CACG bankrolled by the Open Society Institute (OSI) for $50K in 2005 and $100K in 2006. This is not surprising, George Soros' support and funding for abortion providers, RU-486 and pro-abortion advocacy groups is well-documented. CACG is simply a pro-abortion advocacy front group masquerading as a Catholic group. You can confirm it at the following sites:

http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=1292
http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=1293

OSI is George Soros' primary vehicle for distributing foundation grants. OSI gave Res Publica, another group Perriello co-founded, a $150,000 grant to start Avaaz.org.
Res Publica in turn gave $225,000 to Avaaz.org in 2006. Avaaz.org aims to be an international version of Soros' MoveOn.org, and is supported by the Service Employees
International Union and MoveOn.org, itself. MoveOn.org is heavily funded by Soros, receiving millions of dollars.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/about.php

http://www.personaldemocracy.com/node/1160

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/26/elec04.prez.bush.soros.reut/

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/31/politics/campaign/31soros

Eli Pariser, the Executive Director of MoveOn.org, donated to Perriello ($250 on 1/9/08). Pariser also serves on Res Publica's Advisory Board with John Podesta. You will no doubt recognize Podesta as Bill Clinton's former Chief-of-Staff. John Podesta heads CAP, and donated $500 to Perriello for Congress on 3/24/08. CAP has received millions in funding from George Soros and aims to be the lextreme left wing counterpart to the Heritage Foundation.

http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=181

http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=184

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros

http://therespublica.org/advisory.htm

Tom Perriello co-founded Faithful America, which raised money to run ads on Al Jazeera, apologizing to the Arab street on behalf of Americans. Faithful America was rolled into Faith in Public Life, which is sponsored by the Center for American Progress (CAP). CAP hosted a 'religious left' conference in 2004 with Res Publica.

http://www.faithfulamerica.org/

http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=187

http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=182

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/washington/wnb122904.htm

Finally, George Soros and his family have personally donated to the congressional campaign of Tom Perriello. They organized a campaign fundraiser for Perriello in New York City, in which George, Jennifer, Jonathan, Andrea, and Robert Allen Soros each gave Tom Perriello $1,000.

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshContributorList.do?cand_id=H8VA

Soros works just like ACORN. He creates or funds multiple groups who Hydra-like, work in conjuction for a common goal. This allows him to hide the overall scope and magnitude of his efforts from ready scrutiny. If one group is exposed, they can simply move funds to another.

Just in case you don't know who George Soros is, I've attached a document entitled Meet George Soros that provides other sources and citations. He has the strategy of funding multiple groups that are organized as non-profits with seemingly harmless and disarmingly misleading names that are dedicated to his agenda of decriminalizing illegal narcotics, restoring voting rights to felons, promoting assisted suicide, removing all legal restrictions on abortion and funding abortion providers, eliminating all private ownership of firearms, undermining U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and eroding U.S. sovereignty in order to achieve the above goals. And he apparently owns Tom Perriello "lock, stock and barrel." The question is, is George Soros so rich that he can buy a Congressional Seat? He has already bought a Congressional candidate, Tom Perriello.

Obama's Appeal to the Mainstream Media

Little would we know that Barack Obama's appeal has reached out to a few unlikely sources. It is time for the Mainstream Media to become more objective without bias.

A Dream Come True if John Murtha Loses his Congressional Seat

With Rep. Murtha's recent comments about his constituents, there might be revenge in the voting polls on November 4th in Pennsylvania. Murtha called his constituents "rednecks" and "racists" for not being enthusiastic about Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Source

Recently, Murtha said there would be "no goddamned way" he would lose to William Russell. However, there are indications that both Murtha and Russell are tied in a dead heat with both Congressional Campaign Committees donating thousands to aid in the effort.
Here is the link to the video.

Obama Plans to Give IDs to Illegal Immigrants

Virginia has a law that does not allow illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses. However, Barack Obama has a plan to allow illegal immigrants to have IDs. It is just one step closer to amnesty with this plan.

Biden Asked "Is Obama a Marxist?"

During an interview on Sunday, Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden was asked during an interview whether Obama is a Marxist. Biden got angered due to all of the tough questions, which makes me wonder whether "Hot Head Joe" will be suitable leadership material.

Tim Kaine Has Instituted a New Program: "Leave No Felon Behind"

Governor Tim Kaine has nullified the Virginia Constitution by restoring the voting rights back to convicted felons. This essentially means that Kaine has virtually given not only the right to vote back to felons, but has allowed to sit on juries.

Between January 2006 and January 2007, 729 felons had their voting rights restored by the Governor. Since January 2008, the Governor has restored voting rights to 758 felons. Wow, this exceeds Kaine's personal record. Here is another scary statistic: Of those who had their voting rights restored by Kaine, 31 of those felons have been subsequently convicted of other crimes after receiving this right.

This is just a slap in the face to every law abiding citizen who votes, but it has also provided Virginia with a reputation for being a dangerous place to live. The sad fact is now that these felons are allowed to vote, they will be able to decide the punishment for criminals.

Tim Kaine has outdone himself as Virginia's worst Governor. In 2009, we will be able to restore dignity back to the Governor's Mansion.

Kudos to Del. Bill Janis for providing us with the statistics.

Obama Breaks Promise of Relying on Small Donors

It appears Barack Obama has gone back on his promises to rely on small donors for fundraising. Instead, he has been relying on larger donations. I guess living up to promises only goes so far with Obama.

While Obama has an impressive fundraising edge, the real issues matter at the end of the day. The American people are craving for a candidate that talks about the issues in a common sense way, and Obama has neglected to even make common sense out of the issues.

On the other hand, John McCain might be trailing in the fundraising, but he talks about the issues that matter to America. McCain's focus is putting "Country First," and this has been resonating in every one of his stump speeches and town hall meetings. McCain thinks about how to solve the issues that affect America by not harming our prosperous growth. On November 4, we can make a decision that will help us prosper or hold us back to the past.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102996_2.html?sid=ST2008102103028&s_pos=

Code Pink Police Tries To Arrest Karl Rove

At a recent mortgage bankers' meeting in San Francisco, Code Pink protesters were trying place former White House aide, Karl Rove under citizen's arrest for treason. As the chosen protester tried to "handcuff" Rove, she was removed from the stage. Now, you may be asking yourselves, "Why?" Is it because they believe Rove was directly involved with the war or that they need more air time? Code Pink is just another liberal theater group that wants you witness their sadistic sideshow.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081022/ap_on_re_us/rove_accosted

Democrat Halloween Humor

Bill Ayers of Obama Fame Claims He is a Marxist

What's new? Hearing that Bill Ayers is a marxist, which is no surprise to many following the Obama/ACORN/Rezko/you name it, we got it scandal. Ayers goes as far to say he prefers being called a marxist, rather than a anarchist.

Rep. Murtha Calls Constituents "Rednecks"

In the world of politics, one knows not to insult those who elect him. However, some in Pennsylvania have not received the message to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions.

According to WTAE TV in Pittsburgh, Rep. John Murtha was caught on camera calling his constituents "rednecks." Now, one would question why Murtha would do something so stupid. Well, it is quite simple. Murtha was caught last week calling his constituents "racist," saying that his district would never support Barack Obama because they are too stuck in their ways.

With behavior like this, one has to sit back and thank Nancy Pelosi for not putting this man into leadership. Even though, he could have caused gaffe after gaffe to make the Democrats reel.

Robin Hood Obama Wants To Spread The Wealth

According to the New York Post , Barack Obama told a small business owner that he would take his profits and spread the wealth around. Only a socialist would make such a comment, and it goes to show Obama's extremely liberal record.

Obama needs to stop being Robin Hood and start acting like a leader, who will look out for the small business owners that fuel Main Street America. When you make statements like robbing people of their hard-earned money, how do you ever expect to earn the trust of the American electorate?

Blatant inexperience and statements like this go to show "Robin Hood" Obama should not be representing America.

Is Obama a US Citizen?

According to his Grandmother in Kenya, the answer is "No." In an interview with Israel News, Barack Obama's grandmother, half-brother, and half-sister all claim that he was born in Kenya.

Now, there is another odd piece of evidence pointing to this claim. Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii has been proven false by many different sources.

The Times Herald even reports: "the senator's grandmother, brother and sister, who live in Kenya, believe they were present during Obama's birth in the African country." Here, the Times Herald uses the word that his family 'believe' he was born in Kenya (perhaps to avoid possible law suits by Obama's Truth Squad?).

The U.S. Constitution states, in order to be President of the United States, you have to be born here in the U.S. If these allegations are proven true, then Barack Obama can not be President.

Does Obama Recognize the True Definition of A Tax Cut?

According to an Op-Ed in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, Barack Obama is still struggling with defining the true meaning of a tax cut. Obama believes a tax cut goes to 95% of "working class" families, while he imposes a tax on the other 5% (especially surprising since one third of all Americans do not pay income taxes). Supposedly, tax cuts are designed to be applicable for everyone who pays taxes. Apparently, Obama has not received this memo. You see, Obama subscribes to the liberal ideology of tax credits, which are government handouts (similar to the bailouts) and mini-expansions of the government.

Obama's proposed tax credits, include:
• $500 tax credit ($1000 per couple) to "make work pay"
• $4000 tax credit for college tuition
• 10% mortgage tax credit (another bailout, my friends)
• a "Clean Car" tax credit up to $7000 on certain vehicles (i.e. hybrids, electric, tire gauges...had to throw that one in their for good measure)
The last credit is particularly interesting, since you could receive this credit, even if you do not pay income taxes. Now, this is odd. I thought you were supposed to pay taxes, in order to receive incentives or credits.

Another surprising statistic from this article is that Obama's tax plan would essentially raise the payroll tax on American workers, thus taking more money out of the pockets of hard working families.

I don't get it! Obama was supposed to stand for change, but the only change you'll see is the loss of change from your pockets.

In Today's Crumbling Economy, Barack Obama demonstrates his Spending Prowess

According to THR.com, reports are that Barack Obama has paid the fine folks at CBS (in case, you are wondering the new acronym for Commune Broadcasting Service) $961,000 to air a series of advertisements over a half hour block.

Now, one may think with the recent economic crisis, Obama would be more cautious about his spending habits. After all, he is supposed to be a role model for America. Earth to Barack: The Stock Market is crashing, and you should be focused on getting the economy back on track.

Fairfax County Sees Sharp Increase In Non-Citizen Births

A recent Fairfax County Times Article titled "Foreign-born populations shrinking, except in Fairfax" pointed out a trend that is occurring and one that will drastically affect Fairfax County.

BANNED SNL SKIT!!

Below is a link to the recently BANNED skit performed by SNL this past Saturday. Evidently the Democrats are allowed to poke fun at Republicans... but when the tables are turned ... they have harmless skits such as this BANNED from the internet and their website!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOsgWrBEPbY

Sarah Palin Leaves Florida Protester Speechless!

If You Can Relate to the Following Statements, Then You Might Be an Extremist

According to the National Review Online's "The Corner," Barack Obama has been hailing himself as the mainstream. However, conservative commentator, Mark Levin, made the following statements that might put many Americans in the extremist category, if Obama is considered the mainstream.

- My career was not launched with the assistance of an unrepentant terrorist.
- My pastor has never said "God damn America."
- I don't think our troops are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians."
- My spouse doesn't think America is a "downright mean country."
- I've never sat on a board with an unrepentant terrorist.
- I've never directed millions of dollars to radical organizations.
- I've never opposed requiring medical care for babies who are born alive.
- I bought my home without assistance from a convicted felon.
- I've never taken my kids to a church whose pastor thinks AIDS was created by the government.

If this is considered mainstream, then I would rather consider Obama as the extremist.

Note to Sen. Harry Reid: Sometimes, Words Are Better Left Unsaid

It is amazing when Sen. Harry Reid begins talking that real change begins happening. However, when Reid made a comment about a major insurance company being on a verge of going bankrupt, the stock market plummeted signaling fears throughout Wall Street that the insurance industry was going to be impacted.

According to CNNMoney.com, Reid made these comments prior to the Senate's passage of the Bailout Bill. "We don't have a lot of leeway on time. One of the individuals in the caucus today talked about a major insurance company. A major insurance company -- one with a name that everyone knows that's on the verge of going bankrupt. That's what this is all about." The insurance companies quickly went into defense mode by issuing statements of reassurance to their stockholders and consumers.

I guess Reid was having another foot-in-mouth moment without realizing the effect his comments would make. After all, he is supposedly a powerful figure in American politics. Reid should remember that he should think before he speaks.

Governor Kaine: I'll Finish My Term, Don't You Worry

What a surprise! Tim Kaine pledges to finish his term as Governor, even if he is selected to be a member of Barack Obama's cabinet (that is, if Obama is elected).

Now, something sounds a little fishy here. How can you manage the Commonwealth, Governor Kaine, if you are working in Washington as Secretary of Transportation (this is just an example)? That is virtually impossible, isn't it?

However, Governor Kaine missed most of the General Assembly session by campaigning for Obama. I guess Kaine can handle it, considering that Virginia is in a budget mess and no common sense transportation solutions have been passed. After all, being Governor is hard work, isn't it, Governor Kaine?

Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2008/09/post_100.html

Virginia Teachers Union Creates Quite a Stir with Blue for Obama

This just in: FOX News reports that the Virginia Teachers Union has created a outrage by encouraging all of its members to wear blue-colored shirts in support of Barack Obama. An e-mail was sent out to all Virginia Education Association members encouraging them to wear blue.

According to FOX News, "There are people out there not yet registered. You teach some of them," the Sept. 25 e-mail reads. "Others, including our members, remain on the fence! Its time for us to come together, voice our unity, because we make a difference!"

"Let's make Obama Blue Day a day of Action!" the e-mail continues. "Barack the vote!"

Aren't schools supposed to be a place of non-partisan learning? According to the Virginia Education Association, apparently liberal indoctrination is the flavor of the day.

The Economic Crisis: How Did We Arrive at this Point?

The number one topic highlighted in the media lately has been the economic crisis. Last night, a good friend e-mailed me this video which provides the background on how the recent economic crisis took shape and the power players behind the crisis.




and

Not Feder...but, many other Dems are ditching dirty money

Quirky Judy Feder likes to talk about her great ethics. But, why is she taking money from ethically challenged Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel.

Rangel, who chairs the powerful tax writing House Ways and Means Committee, is under a cloud for not reporting or under reporting $75,000 in rental income on his taxes and for a no-interest sweetheart deal for a Caribbean getaway.

Let's see........Rangel is supposedly in charge of the nation's tax laws, but, he can't keep his own taxes and finances in order....

Democrats are unloading the dirty money from Chairman Charlie Rangel. But, not quirky Judy Feder who is keeping the $9,000 she collected from the tax raising...but, not tax paying Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel.

See the clip below from Sunday's Washington Post........or check out the whole story online:

Washington Post (9/28/08).... "Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) recently redirected a $5,000 donation from Rangel to local nonprofits. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D), who is trying to unseat indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), donated a $10,000 contribution from Rangel to the YMCA in light of the ethics concerns."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/27/AR2008092702162.html

Come on Quirky Judy....Give up the dirty Rangel money!!!

Obama/Biden Ticket: No Coal For America

    According to the Politico , Joe Biden made a comment to an anti-pollution supporter at a rally in Ohio saying that he does not support coal energy for the United States.  

""No coal plants here in America," he said. "Build them, if they're going to build them, over there. Make them clean."

"We're not supporting clean coal," he said of himself and Obama. They do, on paper, support clean coal.

    Doesn't Biden realize that coal production for energy would bring jobs to Southwest Virginia?  Coal is a renewable resource that could provide an alternative to heating fuel in the winter.  With the rising prices of fuel, coal is another available, lower cost option for many families.  

    The most surprising part is that there are radio commercials by an energy advocacy group stating that Barack Obama supports coal energy, yet he has not denounced his running mate's comments.  Also, Tim Kaine, who is Obama's biggest cheerleader has not denounced the comments either, even when he knows that coal production is one of the major employers of those in Southwest Virginia.

Sarah Palin Honored to Meet Family with Down's Syndrome

With all of the negative press coverage surrounding the Republicans, there is a softer side with John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as Vice President. Palin brings a devotion to service and a strong maverick reputation to join the ticket. But, this isn't the only thing that Palin brings to the ticket. Palin brings sensitivity to the ticket.

At a recent campaign rally in Pennsylvania, both McCain and Palin reached out to a family with a child, who has Down's Syndrome. The child's father called into the Rush Limbaugh Show on Monday to share his experience with the world. Here is the transcript:

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Kurt in Pittsburgh, hello, sir. Nice to have you on the EIB Network, and how about the Steelers defense? CALLER: How about those Steelers, huh? RUSH: How about that? CALLER: Hey, listen, Rush, longtime listener, first-time caller, one of those Bible, family, gun clingers from western Pennsylvania. RUSH: Thank you. CALLER: And I wanted to share a story with you. A week ago last Saturday we went to the Palin-McCain rally in Washington, Pennsylvania, was the day after he announced her, and we have a five-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, and we made a sign that said: "We Love Kids with Down Syndrome." So when they pulled in in their bus the sign did catch their, McCain and Palin and the rest of their family, it caught their eye, we could tell, they gave us a thumbs-up from the bus, so we were all excited just by that --

RUSH: Wait, wait, wait. Who gave you the thumbs up, McCain and Palin? CALLER: McCain, Palin, Cindy McCain, we could see them from the bus. We were in a position where we had eye contact with them -- RUSH: Oh, cool! CALLER: My wife was holding our daughter. RUSH: Very, very, very cool. CALLER: It was really cool, Rush. I was like, "Wow, that's awesome," because I love Governor Palin and so I thought that's really neat. So then we moved around as the bus was getting ready to pull out, we kind of positioned ourselves so we could just wave them on and a Secret Service agent came up to us and said, "Hey, can you come with us?" I was like, "Do we have a choice?" RUSH: (laughing) You shouldn't have worried. It's not the Clinton administration.

CALLER: Right. So we accompanied them up the hill, we went right to the bus, where it was, and Governor Palin, Senator McCain, Cindy, Todd Palin, they're all standing there. We're in this inner circle with just us and them, and the Secret Service agent, and they came right up to us and thanked us for coming out, said they loved our sign, and Governor Palin immediately said, "May I hold your daughter?" and our daughter Chloe, who's five, went right to her, and I have some pictures I'd love to send you maybe when I'm done here, but Governor Palin was hugging Chloe, and then her little daughter brought their baby Trig who has Down syndrome from the bus, he was napping, and Chloe went right over and kissed him on the cheek, and my son Nolan who's nine, he thanked her. RUSH: This is amazing. CALLER: I will send you all the stuff, Senator McCain was talking to my son, and we thanked him for his service, and he asked my son if he wanted to see the bus, and we were hanging out and it was very surreal. I felt like we could have had a pizza and a beer with them, they were so warm. RUSH: You know what? I want to put you on hold. I want Snerdley to give you our super-secret, known-only-to-three-people here, e-mail address. CALLER: I will send you everything, Rush. RUSH: And then could you send us these pictures? Would you mind if we put them on the website? CALLER: I would be honored, and my main thing is they are warm, kind, genuine people, and they represent the best of this country. RUSH: That's right. And when you send these pictures, make sure you identify them. I mean, we'll know Palin and McCain, of course. Identify yourselves. CALLER: I will, I will identify everybody in the picture, Rush, and God bless you for being a beacon of hope and truth in this country. RUSH: Oh, no, no. It's nothing, it's nothing. You're doing the Lord's work. CALLER: Well, we're very blessed and I want people to know what a blessing it is to have a child with Down syndrome. These kids, they're angels. RUSH: That's the thing. There's always good to be found in everything that happens. It may be a while before it reveals itself. CALLER: Absolutely. RUSH: Right, and when she hugged my daughter I said, here's the difference, this candidate embraces life and all its limitless possibilities. RUSH: All right. CALLER: That's what she is. RUSH: Terrific, okay, I gotta run here, but I'm going to put you on hold. CALLER: Thank you, Rush. RUSH: Thank you, Kurt. I really appreciate it.

END TRANSCRIPT

Democrats = Financial Crisis

    With all of the economic problems facing Wall Street, one may wonder which political party has the best solution for getting America's economy back on track again.   One thing is for certain, the Democrats do not have a clue on how to solve our economic woes.  In fact, they want to continue to spend more to bailout Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  It is no surprise since many Democratic members of Congress receive contributions or special arrangements from these two entities.

    Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are the cause of the current economic crisis.  According to a Bloomberg commentary by Michael Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute, Freddie and Fannie was the "key enabler of the mortgage crisis.  They fueled Wall Street's efforts to securitize subprime loans by becoming the primary customer of all AAA-rated subprime-mortgage pools. In addition, they held an enormous portfolio of mortgages themselves."  

    Congress was even warned by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan that if Fannie and Freddie were to continue to grow and receive lower capital, then there would certainly be potential risk to the economy in the future.

   However, the Democrats in Congress did not listen and kept on protecting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from further regulations.  In addition, they also protected the corrupt behavior of the CEOs of both of these financial companies, and why, you ask.   Three Democrats:  Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd are all beneficiaries of campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie.  "Throughout his political career, Obama has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from employees and political action committees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, second only to Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, who received more than $165,000."   

    The Democratic Congress keeps on sticking to the same old talking points of change, yet they are the roadblocks to the appropriate change from corruption that America has been seeking.  Their economic plans will only protect their corrupt friends and not change the culture in Washington.

Should Former Felons Be Allowed to Vote? According to Obama, Yes!

Barack Obama wants to register felons to vote.  Now, why does this not surprise me?  After all, these felons would give their votes to Obama.  Lately, Obama has been receiving briefings from the ACLU and The Sentencing Project about restoring voting rights to felons. 

 

No doubt, these briefings had an impact on Obama’s campaign.  At an Obama office in Pennsylvania, the campaign staff had prominently displayed a sign that said, “Felons Can Vote.”  (Source:  The New York Times)  

 

Of course, it gets better.  ACORN, the organization where Obama received his “Community Organizer” credentials is registering these former felons.  Along with the voter registrations, ACORN is most likely handing out Obama literature to the newly registered felon voters.  

 

So, I guess the question remains:  Since when did we decide to reward those who commit felonies with the right to vote?  The right to vote should be granted to those who are law abiding citizens.

Tim Kaine Sets Virginia’s Brutal Murderers Free

From the moment Tim Kaine set foot on the campaign trail back in 2005, he has been vehemently against the death penalty.  As Governor, he has not backed down from this campaign promise, unlike his other proposals which have fallen to the wayside.  Kaine has only punished one criminal by allowing a lethal injection to take place, and that was in the case of Kevin Greene. 

 

However, he allows the most brutal murderers to walk free.  In the cases of Percy Walton (who brutally murdered three people) and Edward Bell (who murdered a police officer in Winchester in 1999), he issued stays of execution on both criminals.  (Source:  Richmond Times Dispatch)   

 

Bell’s execution was issued a stay, because Kaine was waiting for a decision from The Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the lethal injection.

 

The reasoning behind Walton’s stay was that “he lacked mental competence,” and Kaine does not believe in executing the mentally ill, even though Walton was deemed by the Court able to stand trial without any evidence of Walton’s mental illness. (Source:  Richmond Times-Dispatch)

 

Is this the type of behavior we expect from our Governor?  If someone goes out and kills someone, shouldn’t they be held accountable for their crimes through the actions of a jury?  I guess in Tim Kaine’s Virginia, the answer would be no.

Is Ward Armstrong in Bed with the AFL-CIO?

According to his actions in the General Assembly last session, one might easily draw this conclusion, especially after refusing to cast a single yea or nay vote for a bill (H.B. 852, patroned by Del. Adam Ebbin) that would have granted state and local government employees to bargain with a union.  This would effectively have obliterated Virginia’s status as a Right to Work state.

The Democrats won’t vote yea or nay, even when they received 100% support from the Virginia AFL-CIO (Source:  VPAP).   In fact, I bet the AFL-CIO was real glad to see the Democrats not taking a concrete stand for the bill.  So, I wonder if the AFL-CIO will continue contributing to Ward and the Democrats…crickets are chirping.

In case you are wondering, Ward Armstrong received $1,000 from the Virginia AFL-CIO coffers (Source:  VPAP).   What do they think of Ward now?  I bet they are like jilted lovers.

Union Activist compares Obama to Jesus...Palin to Pontius Pilate

Karen Duncan, Virginia Blogger and unyielding union activist compares Governor Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate and Senator Obama to Jesus.

(Top-right is a picture of Karen Duncan, with here husband Dan (President of the Northern Virginia Central Labor Council), and former missionary and Governor....Tim Kaine.) Picture is taken from Karen's blog http://anonymousisawoman.blogspot.com/ and is used according Fair Use laws: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

Karen Duncan and her husband Dan (who is president of the Northern Virginia Central Labor Council) are two of the nicest, avowedly liberal, and most left wing activists in Northern Virginia. Thus, we are somewhat surprised that she chose to sink to this level......

Check out her comments -- unedited -- below or follow the link to her left wing blog:

http://anonymousisawoman.blogspot.com/2008/09/jesus-was-community-organizer-pontius.html
**********************************************************************************

Anonymous Is A Woman: Politics and Religion and Culture
Proudly Liberal since 2005
Sunday, September 07, 2008

Jesus Was a Community Organizer. Pontius Pilate Was a Governor
This will be uncharacteristically brief because I'm running out the door to volunteer at the Fairfax Obama headquarters where I work every Sunday between 3 and 6 pm as a greeter. I also enter data for them, so the stuff the canvassers bring back, I, and lots of other volunteers, put in the database to be used later on for the GOTV effort. One more pitch, if you haven't done so yet, please volunteer.

Meanwhile, I want to direct your attention to a great discussion on RK about the real importance of community organizers. Since speaker after speaker at the Republican Convention, following Sarah Palin's lead, mocked community service and poor people, it might be useful to read about the value that community organizers bring to underserved communities.

Best quote in the diary was something said on the Diane Rehm show on September 5.
"As a committed Christian I was deeply offended by Sarah Palin and the Republican delegates mocking and belittling community organizers the other night. Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor." - Diane Rehm Show, 9/5/08
Posted by AnonymousIsAWoman at 2:05 PM

Next time you see Karen and Dan Duncan's best friend and former missionary, Governor Tim Kaine, please ask him if he agrees that all governors are just like Pontius Pilate?

Post Convention: McCain up 10 points in USA Today poll

Poll: Convention lifts McCain over Obama
By Susan Page, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Republican National Convention has given John McCain and his party a significant boost, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows, as running mate Sarah Palin helps close an "enthusiasm gap" that has dogged the GOP all year.
McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican's biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.
CONVENTION: GOP rejuvenated

The convention bounce has helped not only McCain but also attitudes toward Republican congressional candidates and the GOP in general.

"The Republicans had a very successful convention and, at least initially, the selection of Sarah Palin has made a big difference," says political scientist Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. "He's in a far better position than his people imagined he would be in at this point."
However, in an analysis of the impact of political conventions since 1960, Sabato concluded that post-convention polls signal the election's outcome only about half the time. "You could flip a coin and be about as predictive," he says. "It is really surprising how quickly convention memories fade."

McCain has narrowed Obama's wide advantage on handling the economy, by far the electorate's top issue. Before the GOP convention, Obama was favored by 19 points; now he's favored by 3.
The Republican's ties to President Bush remains a vulnerability. In the poll, 63% say they are concerned he would pursue policies too similar to those of the current president. Bush's approval rating is 33%.

In the new poll, taken Friday through Sunday, McCain leads Obama by 54%-44% among those seen as most likely to vote. The survey of 1,022 adults, including 959 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/— 3 points for both samples.

Among the findings:
• Before the convention, Republicans by 47%-39% were less enthusiastic than usual about voting. Now, they are more enthusiastic by 60%-24%, a sweeping change that narrows a key Democratic advantage. Democrats report being more enthusiastic by 67%-19%.

• Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a national unknown before McCain chose her for the ticket 10 days ago, draws a strong reaction from voters on both sides. Now, 29% say she makes them more likely to vote for McCain, 21% less likely.

Obama's choice of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as running mate made 14% more likely to vote for the Democrat, 7% less likely.

• McCain's acceptance speech Thursday received lower ratings than the
one Obama gave a week earlier: 15% called McCain's speech "excellent" compared with 35% for Obama.



Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-07-poll_N.htm


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Speaker Howell Keeps House Spending Low!!!

Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Correspondent of the Day" on Editorial Page
Letters To The Editor
Thursday, Sep 04, 2008 - 12:09 AM

House of Delegates Has Held Spending Down

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The recent editorial, "Lead by Example," notes that then-Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine returned $16,000 in state funds to help fill a 2002 budget gap. Readers also deserve to know that the General Assembly has long been leading by example -- minimizing costs and returning tax dollars to the general fund.

In 2007, the House clerk's office, which I oversee, returned $2 million to the general fund, roughly 10 percent of its appropriated budget. This was on top of the $4.7 million that other legislative agencies put toward balancing the state budget.

In 2008, the legislative branch already has returned another $4.7 million by reducing discretionary spending. That figure represents 13 percent of the total legislative branch budget -- a significant amount considering Gov. Kaine last year reduced executive branch costs by about 5 percent.

While the other legislative body this year raised its session per diem payments, the House of Delegates kept ours 20 percent lower than the IRS-authorized amount. And it was the House that voted 17 years ago to reduce its salary to $17,640, an amount unchanged ever since.

Virginia ranks 43rd in per capita spending on its legislature, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. For the current fiscal year, the General Assembly's budget is less than one-half of 1 percent of the total general fund budget. That's a lean amount to provide the necessary checks and balances on a vast executive bureaucracy.

Virginia has a low-cost legislature by any standard. Still, the House will continue to do our part to put our state back on solid financial ground.

William J. Howell, Speaker,

Virginia House of Delegates. Fredericksburg.

You Can't Say He Didn't Warn Us!

Below is a letter I received today from Delegate Tim Hugo who represents Virginia's 40th District.

Delegate Hugo is in Minnesota this week at the Republican National Convention and should be sending updates and videos to be posted on the blog throughout the coming days.

For now ... heed the warning below.......

A Perfect Storm Brewing?

.

As many watch Barack Obama and the Democrats talk about a “Change Agenda”, let everyone think about the “perfect storm” that is brewing in Denver. A perfect storm of new taxes, new spending, and liberal ideology threatens to sweep across our country.

.

On spending: Beyond the “change” platitudes, if you take the time to listen to any Obama speech, you will hear him propose a litany of new spending initiatives (http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamaplans8-2008jul08,0,5470706). The Los Angeles Times adds up at least another $130 billion in spending in an Obama Administration. And, that is just the Obama proposals. Wait until a Democratic Congress gets to pass new spending not opposed by a President of the opposite political party.

.

On taxes: Unlike in past decades when the Democratic leadership was conservative to moderate, the new Democrats in charge are liberals. San Francisco’s Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House of Representatives and her Senate counterpart is the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Equals in temperament and liberal ideology, Pelosi and Reid are in charge, and so are their committee Chairman.

.

In last week’s Washington Post, the Charlie Rangel chairman of the House of Representatives tax panel stated ‘ "This is my last chance," Rangel, 78, said of his opportunity to make a lasting legislative imprint. "This is the big one." ‘ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/27/AR2008082703399.html) In the past, Chairman Rangel has referred to the coming legislative battle as the “mother of all tax bills” Consider the “Change Agenda” being promised and think about the current liberal leaders in Congress. The potential damage from the excesses of this perfect storm is a staggering list of new taxes and new spending.

.

What is the final, and possibly most necessary, ingredient of this “perfect storm?” The last ingredient is that the tax cuts from the past decade begin to expire in 2010….personal tax rates, capital gains, marriage penalty, death tax, dividends, child tax credits and more. Depending on your estimate, almost $800 billion in tax cuts will begin to expire. The expiration of these taxes provides an influx of taxpayer dollars to a government hungry for new spending and it gives the Congressional tax writing committees an excuse to again tinker with the tax code and our wallets.

.

A new Democratic President, his new spending and tax plans, new liberal leadership in Congress, and evaporating tax cuts……Obama’s winds of change will batter the economy and your family.

.

My friends, board up your houses, and hide your wallets. A “perfect storm” might be just over the horizon.

.

Tim Hugo

Delegate

Virginia's 40th District

Report Details Virginia's High Taxes

The Tax Foundation recently released a report on the tax burdens of citizens in each state. Apparently, Virginia residents pay the 18th largest tax burden in the country. In terms of taxes collected from just the state of Virginia we rank in the top ten. Virginians give up nearly 10% of their income in state and local taxes alone. The study just emphasizes what Republicans already know: taxes are too high in Virginia. It's unfair to expect the taxpayers of Virginia to shell out even more money to pay for the Democrats' transportation plan. We have to be looking for solutions more creative than just raising taxes, especially in this economy.

Connolly Costs Fairfax County Schools $150 Million/Year

I recently came across a Reston Connection article titled "2,500 More Students" that I found to be quite alarming! The article outlined how there has been a mass exodus of students from Prince William County (PWC) Schools with direct correlation to the increase in Fairfax County Public Schools. Much of the shift was attributed to the crackdown by the PWC Board of Supervisors on the illegal immigrant population and Fairfax County's own Chairman Gerry Connolly who has successfully made Fairfax County a "safe haven" for illegal immigrants.

I decided to delve a little deeper into this article to find out exactly what ILLEGAL alien population is costing the LEGAL taxpayers of Fairfax County....

Lets start with the total number of illegal immigrants in the Commonwealth of Virginia. According to the Pew Hispanic Center in March 2005 study, there are approximately 300,000 currently residing in Virginia (10th Highest in the Nation). This number, when divided by the approximate 13% of the states population that lives in Fairfax County is 39K people .... but we all know that a larger portion of immigrants reside in Fairfax County so we will go with an even 15% for the sake of a nice even number... 45K.

Continuing with our theme of Conservative :) estimates ... we will assume that 25% of the illegal alien population are school aged children that leaves us with 11,250 kids. When multiplied by the average cost of educating a child in the Fairfax County School System of $13,340, basic arithmetic gives us a grand total of $150 MILLION!!!!

Basic arithmetic also tells us that the recent influx of 2,500 students to Fairfax County Public Schools has added an additional $33 Million to that already OUTRAGEOUS total.


A few points to leave you with....

1. Fairfax County ... even though a safe haven for illegal immigrants (thanks to Chairman and Congressional candidate Gerry Connolly) ... simply cannot afford the illegal immigrant population!

2. Compared to the first quarter of last year, crime in Fairfax County is up nearly 22%. Property crimes, which include theft and larceny increased by 24%. Surely this couldn't have anything to do with "Safe Haven" Connolly's flawed immigration policies?

3. With estimates that hover around $40 Million for a new elementary school, its interesting to note that we could have almost four new schools each year for $150 Million!!!! I find this to be even more troubling when parents from West Springfield High School have been complaining that the County has overlooked their school for renovations .... and the County's response??? WE HAVE NO MONEY!!!

Seems to me that $150 Million/Year could do some serious renovations to West Springfield, as well as numerous others!

Kaine Ditches Virginia for his True Love?!

As much of the media is making clear, it seems there’s a good chance that Obama will choose VA Gov. Tim Kaine as his running mate. The national media are under the impression that Kaine is popular in our state and would help Obama in Virginia. We in Virginia know better.

On July 29, The Washington Post stated “Kaine remains popular in Virginia, but he has had trouble dealing with Republicans”. Let’s break this down. Gov. Kaine’s approval rating has been hovering below fifty percent, so I don’t think “popular” is the right word. And while Kaine may have trouble dealing with Republicans, he hasn’t had much more luck with his own party. Let’s not forget that Kaine’s transportation bill failed to win even one vote (Republican or Democrat) in the House of Delegates and it was so bad that not one Democratic Senator would even introduce it in the Senate.

The out-of-state media may claim to know our governor, but Virginians know the real Tim Kaine.

Transportation Session Wrap-Up

THIS WAS MORE THAN A TRAIN WRECK .... MORE LIKE A KAINE WRECK!!!

It all began a few weeks ago when Governor Kaine notified the General Assembly and the citizens of Virginia that he would be calling a Special Session to address the crisis that is our transportation system. Days later Governor Kaine unveils his plan to the media and does numerous town hall meetings around the Commonwealth touting this plan and searching for backing.

Flash Forward to the Special Session ... not only was Kaine unable to find support for his bill but he couldn't even find a SINGLE Senator to introduce his bill in the Senate. Seems hard to believe but the Governor had managed to make it all the way to the Special Session without a consensus from his OWN party. He even had fellow Democrats so ashamed of his bill that they would not even sign their name to it.

All in all the House Republicans did everything they could to get something done in Richmond. The House advanced several transportation funding ideas and even passed a funding mechanism that relied on existing revenues (I.E. NO NEW TAXES) to combat the problem. They put the Governor's bill on the floor TWO TIMES for a vote and not one single member of the House Democratic Caucus would even cast a vote in favor of it. The only thing the Democrats could muster support for was a MASSIVE TAX INCREASE... their bill even contained taxes that THEY did not even know existed. The bill was so over the top that several members of their own caucus dissented and voted NO.

So last night at 1:40am when both the Democratic controlled Senate and Republican controlled House adjourned "sine die" from the Governor's Special Session on Transportation it was clearly evident that the whole thing was a complete debacle and a huge waste of taxpayers money!!

Kaine and Democrat False claims
about House Republicans

On Thursday, July 10, Governor Kaine is holding a media availability where it is expected he will make many spurious charges about House Republicans and their “obstructionist” ways. As he makes these claims, everyone should keep in mind these many fallacies listed below that were claimed by the Governor's office and other Democratic Leaders regarding this Special Transportation Session.

CLAIM: The Governor originally said that he would not call a Special Session until there was a consensus on a transportation plan that would pass.

TRUTH: The Governor reversed himself and called a Special Session with no consensus. In fact, he failed to get agreement among even Democrat legislators .... let alone a single colleague on the other side of the aisle.

CLAIM: When he called the Special Session, the Governor and General Assembly Democrats claimed that House Republicans simply would send the Governor’s bill to House Finance, where it would not get a fair hearing.

TRUTH: House Republicans sent it to House Rules, where it got a full, fair and lengthy hearing. And, the patron, when asked if he wanted to amend it in committee, said he did not.

CLAIM: They claimed that House Republicans would not allow them to amend or debate their bills.

TRUTH: House Republicans allowed Democrats to offer amendments on every bill throughout the entire Session. And, on SB 6009, not only were they allowed to amend it, but every Republican voted with their sole amendment to the bill (removing gas tax hike).

CLAIM: The Governor claimed that House Republicans would bottle up in committee and not put his bill on the House Floor because they were afraid it would pass.

TRUTH: Not only did House Republican put his bill on the House Floor, but it was the Democrats who refused to give the bill a full and fair hearing by refusing to waive readings. And, when the Governor’s bill was offered as an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute, every Democrat voted as a block to kill the Governor’s bill to avoid revealing the proposal’s meager support.


CLAIM: The Governor said that he planned on having discussions with Republican leaders during the 12-day recess around the 4th of July.

TRUTH: Neither the Governor nor any representative of his Administration contacted any member of the House Republican Leadership to suggest or schedule a meeting to discuss transportation.