Consider the following quote from the Washington Post:
Stewart’s approach is to push Republicans away from their emphasis on social issues and back in the direction of pocketbook concerns. Stewart, once the leading voice on tackling immigration, now carries a mantra of lower taxes to gatherings of statewide Republicans, to lawmakers in Richmond and to the board chambers where he helps guide county policy. And he has championed it in a manner unfamiliar to many who clashed with him on immigration.
“Some people like a combative politician,” Stewart said. “More like the politician who gets things done. That’s the superior qualification. That’s what I want to be known for.”
Last year, Stewart boasted that statewide and local lawmakers needed someone to “beat up on them.” That tone is gone.
“I’ve gradually learned that the role of the chairman is as consensus-builder, and that’s something that has not been a strong suit for me,” said Stewart, 40, who represented the Occoquan District on the board before being elected chairman. “My mind-set has changed a little bit. When you are a district supervisor, it’s easy to be a bomb-thrower and not worry about the consequences.”
Did he say consequences? What consequences have happened to our county since Corey Stewart ran for office?
“Beat up on” the local lawmakers? He has to be kidding. I remember the chest-thumping and knuckle dragging from the video where he speaks to HSM. He was a real tough guy. Was that all an act? Or did he want to gather in some new Republicans and get their votes?
BVBL reports that Corey is not a liberal and it is all Washington Post spin. Is there anyone who walked away from that article thinking Kirsten Mack was implying Corey had become a liberal?
Let’s continue yesterday’s conversation.
Stewart is right to deemphasize illegal immigration. It is to his political advantage to do so, and to distance himself from Greg L and his minions. Virginians are far, far more concerned about economic matters today than they are about illegal immigration. The Republicans are finally starting to get it.
“When you are a district supervisor, it’s easy to be a bomb-thrower and not worry about the consequences.”
A leader should ALWAYS be worried about consequences. Any leader who isn’t concerned about the results of his/her actions isn’t a leader.
Is this what Stewart did when he was a district supervisor? Throw bombs?
I actually think lower taxes might be the wrong message for a County that is turning blue. Corey Stewart is, once again, going for a populist message at the expense of the most vulnerable County residents. What we need is a realistic compromise on taxes that maintain County services in the context of a tax rate that keeps the taxes we pay (vice the tax rate) approximately equal or a bit higher. His new demeanor and approach is merely the marketing strategy to advance his personal agenda.
The changing demographics of our County (low income, minority folks moving in to take advantage of the housing bargains) dictate (IMHO) that we maintain eliminating social services particularly (such as the Juvenile Detention Center) is a prescription for increased juvenile crime.
I, for one, am not “sold” on his lower taxes message and am disappointed that no other BOCS member has stepped up to lobby for raising the tax rate to a level which keeps the actual taxes paid the same and effectively maintains current County services. It’s a “no brainer” to me.
I fear we are once again going to be “Bushed”, only by a Stewart this time. Bush was a lower taxes, small Government politician also. So, how did that work out for the Country?
Well, I’ll give you this, Opinion…jacking up the tax rate and “no brainer” sure belong in the same sentence! It’s sublime.
How does keeping your tax bill the same as it is now sound? That’s what I’m proposing. Because of housing prices, the County would have to raise the rate to collect the same revenue (i.e., your tax bill would remain the same). The alternative is significantly reduced County services. So, there is a choice. I happen to be on the maintaining services side of the fence.
Yes, I think that’s a “no brainer”… and certainly is sublime (for folks who understand the current tax dialog).
http://luxuriouschoices.blogspot.com/2009/02/help-save-prince-william-countyfrom.html
Excellent post (luxuriouschoices…) PAP. She captured the essence of my point (only much more eloquently). If we want to become the low cost, low budget, low reputation bedroom community we once were, the current tax policy course will certainly put us there.
I think a lot of those PWC bumper stickers will “disappear” as be lose pride in our County “once again”. Will that be Stewart’s next ill-conceived contribution to our County? I think the Chairman has yet to grasp one of Politics’ most potent forces: unintended consequences.
Thank you, Opinion.
Cheaper isn’t always better. Who wants to be known as ‘the cheapest?’ Nahhhh
For some odd reason, Corey latches on to sound bites he thinks he wants attached to himself. Perhaps he perceives them as ‘Republican’ in tone. My message to him is to stop thinking like he thinks Republcians should think. Look at our county, analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Listen to those in the know…those who are PAID to be in the know. Stop listening to your dumb-a$$ political buddies (the know nothing crowd) and lead.
The other supervisors need to stop listening to him. Cheaper isn’t better. John Jenkins and Maureen Caddigan tried to explain this to Corey last year. He simply didn’t listen. His masters didn’t tell him it was ok to do so.
In a recession, cutting taxes and SPENDING is a must. The primary reason for this recession is profligate waste. Instead of intelligently investing our money, our government has encourage wasteful spending. Trillions have gone into buying things we did not need and cannot not pay for.
Jobs require intelligent investment. It is not enough to let politicians spend our money to suit their political aims. Intelligent investment requires that that money be spent with specific economic objectives. That only happens well when people spend their own money for their own purposes.
Consider these examples:
1. Would you like government to buy your house for you?
2. Would you like government to buy your car for you?
3. Would you like government to invest your savings for you?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you need to soak your head in ice water. Nonetheless, you do have company. Government has heavily involved itself home buying decisions. For example, government produced the housing bubble by taking over and mangling the mortgage lending industry. Government involvement resulted in bad loans, an overbuilt market, and people buying houses they could not actually afford. Government safety regulations, gas economy rules, “freeways” resulted in the bulky SUVs so many drive. And if Social Security is not government investing your savings, what is it? Well, it is a Ponsi scheme, of course.
Wow,
WELL put, Old Fashion!
I keep reading what should not be done. What SHOULD be done? Do we just go into a depression? All I read about are whats wrong with this and whats wrong with that. Even the top money brains in the country are not in agreement.
Postive actions to take please!
I’ve been warning of this for about two years now, and offering solutions. Unfortunately, with the passage of the first “stimulus” bill and the continuing irrational actions of the current Chairman of the Fed, we have been set on a course of no return. Anyone who supported these particular “solutions” is going to get exactly what they deserve…although the rest of us are going to be dragged down along with them. There are, of course, some few who will benefit from all this and further enrich themselves…but those are the people to whom everyone seems to be listening.
Thanks Slowpoke Rodriguez.
Moon-howler, doing something is not always better than doing something. That said, cutting spending would be doing something. Instead of inflating our currency and depriving tax payers and investors of THEIR money, cutting spending would allows the People to do something.
Government does not have all the answers. It is not even realistic to suppose one guy in DC knows enough to solve everyone’s problems.
Good government empowers the People to run their own lives and find their own answers. We the People, when we buy from and sell to each other, create the economy. Government just provides the necessary regulation that helps keep each transaction honest.
Cutting spending doesn’t address the problems that America is facing.
I don’t think anyone has suggested that Obama knows all the answers. 3 different leaders warning us that we are on the precipice of economic disaster….does that not mean something?
I think most of us knew the bubble was ready to break. What do you do about it?
Very complex and many layers.
The county needs to pony up and pay Mr. Crenshaw of Haymarket $600 for damages to his gate and driveway. Mr. Crenshaw got the run around from various county departments. Then to add insult to injury Risk Management got back to him after the thirty day time frame to file a claim.
This is shameful. And I didn’t even mention the lack of representation by the Gainesville supervisor for this portion of today’s meeting. I thought we the people elected public officials to represent us. If any supervisor should be concerned about Mr. Crenshaw’s claim, it be the supervisor of the district of the claim.
Old fashioned liberal,
Capitalism gone wild is what brought us here. John Locke had it right, we have a contract with our government, we pay them taxes, they create the format to ensure, as a community, we are all relatively protected from abuse. If people expect us to “right” ourselves naturally out of this one, they haven’t been paying attention to what got us here to begin with. No, government can’t be the sole sourec of any republic, but certainly they have a role to play, to keep us out of breadlines, etc.
Elena,
Uhhh, No. Government intervention in what was supposed to be capitalism got us here. There is NOTHING going on with the economy today that free market Capitalism would not have fixed, and that government intervention will not worsen and lengthen.
silver fox,
perhaps he should file for a piece of the “stimulus” package.
I didn’t realize Corey Stewart dyed his hair.
Even capitalism needs tweeking occassionally. Actually, the entire mortgage crap could be called capitalism run wild. More government oversight might have prevented the banking industry from the greed that allowed mortgages for $700k to be given to dishwashers.
Slowpoke Rodriguez,
Mr. Crenshaw’s property was damaged by the county. They went to the WRONG address, and forced entry onto his property. The county should pay for these damages. No need for a slice of the “stimulus pie”. The county needs to take responsibilty for their actions.
My great-niece had an incident similar to this one. The City of Manassas did not hesitate for one minute to fix the front door they’d smashed in.
Did Mr. Crenshaw get his money? The drone of the meeting caused me to go for the power nap and I missed the outcome.
“Corey Stewart is not a liberal.” Haha, that’s the one thing BVBL has gotten right in the past 2 years. That’s a classic tactic. You don’t want to deal with the reality of the situation, even the possible reality. So, they characterize the WaPo article as saying “Corey Stewart is a liberal” and then refute it by saying “Corey Stewart is not a liberal.”
Smart enough to fool BVBL readers. Not smart enough for me.
How could it be that Slowpoke is way out there on the fringe of disgraced right wing political philosophy on every score? EVERY SINGLE SCORE? Slowpoke, do you have any understanding whatsoever about the economic crisis caused by regulators being asleep at the switch while greedy bankers and swindlers screwed the entire nation? You want MORE of that? Wow. It’s one thing to use a racist name for yourself. That’s dumb enough. But to day in and day out embarrass yourself by repeating other people’s defeated ideas? That’s about as sad as it gets.