Stimulus money is beginning to arrive in Prince William County thanks to the efforts of Congressman Gerald Connolly. So far, $1.1 million dollars has been secured for the Greater Prince William Community Health center. $19.1 million has also been designated for Prince William County Schools. $530,000 in additional law enforcement funding is also slated to come our way.
Supervisor Frank Principi elaborated that the center treated 4,000 patients in 2008, 75% of whom were uninsured. This year, if trends continue, the clinic will see 7,000 patients. Principi is executive director of the clinic.
Officials in Prince William County have a long laundry list of needs drawn up to help offset the economic crunch which threatens to cripple the county. County legislative affairs director Dana Fenton indicated that his office has a list of priorities totaling $371 million. This wish list contains requests for money for law enforcement, roads, and neighborhoods impacted by foreclosure issues, to name a few projects that will go unfunded without stimulus money.
Chairman of the BOS, Corey Steward, has dismissed the incoming money according to the Washington Post:
But Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large) said he wasn’t impressed, dismissing the stimulus money allocated so far as “a drop in the bucket.” Residents will be shortchanged if Connolly, who entered Congress two months ago, doesn’t secure at least $50 million for county schools, he said.
“Our county is the ninth wealthiest in the country and pays a lot of income tax,” Stewart said. “This is going to be a test as to how much pull Gerry Connolly has inside his own party.”
Stewart didn’t spare Connolly criticism for the allocation to Principi’s health center, either. “It looks suspicious that his friend and ally has been given $1.1 million in federal money to help pay his salary,” he said.
But Connolly said Stewart “can’t have it both ways.” His office provided a copy of a Feb. 9 letter from Stewart thanking Connolly for working to relieve traffic congestion through stimulus funding.
“I think Mr. Stewart’s time would be better spent writing my Republican colleagues and urging them to vote for a stimulus bill he now wants me to bring home the bacon from,” Connolly said. The former Fairfax County chairman was the only Prince William representative to vote for the stimulus, as Reps. Frank R. Wolf, Robert J. Wittman and every other House Republican opposed it.
A “drop in the bucket?” Is Stewart serious? Stewart has always shown himself to be the quintessential opportunistic politician but this is a bit much. That cool $19.1 million to the schools will provide just under 300 new teachers, just as an example of what Stewart thinks is a drop in the bucket is.
He also implies that Frank Principi is profiting from the federal money. This is the first time I have ever heard of obtaining what is the equivalent of grant money being a bad thing. Perhaps Corey Stewart should consider that every penny that comes into the country from the state of federal level pays HIS salary. Wasn’t he looking for grant money this time last year? Let’s see…something about dashboard cameras?
Prince William County needs to grab up every penny of federal stimulus money it possibly can. Corey Stewart needs to stop with the political shenanigans and just act like an adult without political motive every time a microphone is shoved in his face. He appears to be rude and ungrateful. Congressman Connolly needs to be thanked both in writing and in general conversation. He is dismissing this money much the same way he dismissed the millions he planned to spend on the Immigration Resolution.
Moon howler I dont care what happened 30 years ago. That is no sensible justification for discrimminating against me as an individual now, and giving you as an “individual” now, an unfair ans Illegal” HUD or 8A advantage that is based ENTIRELY on your race, ethnicity and GENDER.
Yes, legal arguments take the form of US and them. “Them” is the people who harm the innocent by their “illegal” unlawful actions and “US” is the victums of those “illegal” actions that do the harm. You don’t get that do you?
None of you understand true “equity” in anything regarding “individuals” if it does not have a racial, ethnic, gender, religious or “illegal” privilige concept attached to it do you? I offer for this reason that none of you who think this way understand “individual rights”, prejudice or discrimmination. You keep redefining it to only your own advantage, and you ignore the law.
“EVERY-thing in this County is attached to immigration. It is all pervasive.”
Ain’t that the truth. You can’t even have a conversation about back-yard gardens, for example, without someone going off about how illegals are stealing all our lettuce or some such nonsense.
Posting, now you are arging the absurd, as if that is to be believed as truth. When you can’t rationally debate, then try to discredit rational and factual debate with sarcasm. (again poor form). I have been very specific about the ROOT cause of the detrimental effects of “illegal” immigration. Those effects are measurable and backed by data and truths that others attempt to cover up or ignore.
The problem is SOME of you honestly belief that “illegal” immigration is GOOD FOR AMERICA. You are so wrong… just take a good hard look around…take a good long look at the decline of growth and prosperity in America…and at the communities over-run with high populations of illegal immigration over the past 25 years. How could people be so blind to the truth? They discrimminate against individuals and ignore reality and law.
Nothing personal, debating with some of you is like talking to a wall with one of those distortion mirrors on it and saying “man you look ugly”, while everyone else is saying “you look beautiful, because politically we dare not insult anyone with the truth”.
Michael,
We have just existed an extended economic upswing with extremely high prosperity.
Second, you continually claim that people are arguing for a specific ethnic group. However, that is not the case. Want to talk about a state with a significant amount of undocumented persons that has had a great GDP, look at Texas.
Nobody is saying illegal immigration is great for the country but it certainly can not be claimed to be THE great demise either.
John Gray, you have the patience of a saint. Please know that you are not wasting your brain power debunking Michael, because the rest of us are learning a great deal and appreciate your time and effort.
Michael, you care about what you care about and screw what the rest of us care about. Let’s go back to gender. When 50% of the population is discriminated against on so many levels, it is hard to say…oops sorry. YOU don’t care about what happened 30 years ago? That truly is saying screw you to me and to other women.
You want to know what it is like to not be able to go to the college of your choice because they do not admit females? How about getting a job in industry being denied to you because you might get pregnant and all that training would be lost? How about being forced to quit your job because you are pregnant? That’s all the tip of the iceberg.
Those descriptions described conditions I lived though. Imagine how things were for my mother, my grandmother, her mother…
It might be ok for you not to care but maybe some other people now want a piece of the pie. I don’t think every code is necessarily fair but I also don’t think the past few centuries have been particularly fair to my gender. I just don’t feel like sitting around and belly-aching about it. I can’t change it–but I’ll be damned if I will just dismiss it.
As for them vs us, isn’t is a shame that we often cannot tell definitively who is a them and who is an us. I am just tired of everything being blamed on illegal immigration and all conversations turning to that subject. That is not saying that illegal immigration is good.
I’d wager that Corey Stewart greatly regrets that he made those comments to the Washington Post. All three statements make him sound like a resentful, disingenuous, ungrateful, and cynical blowhard … and of course the Post was all too happy to run with it.
Michael, 90 percent of what you write is off topic. What gives? If it was your intention to provide cover for Corey Stewart with a 90-page filibuster, you have succeeded to some degree.
HOWEVER, the Post gets a heck of a lot more readers than does this blog. And the average Post reader, I imagine, does not require the elucidation of a John Gray to understand that Corey Stewart is grasping at straws with this slanderous attack on Principi … he is simply throwing red meat to a small minority of extremists who would rather have a false reason to be hateful than a verifiable reason to be thoughtful.
Rick, you have proven yourself to be one of the mental dwarfs for which this tripe was intended, gullible beyond credibility, or hateful beyond retrieval.
Too bad, because both of you can make sense when you are in your right minds.
MH,
The problems you describe about being female years ago may seem unbearable, but may I remind you that as a male back then you were required to serve in the military. That, trust me, could cost you your life and all else pales by comparison.
“Posting, now you are arging the absurd”
Unfortunately, I’m not exaggerating much.
Let’s see. I’ve heard that trash in the streets one day was caused by dirty illegals–never mind that there was a wind-storm the previous day.
I’ve heard–post resolution, and in spite of the downturn in economy–that illegals are responsible for the decrease in home values in PWC.
I can give some more examples, Michael, but I’d be afraid you’d go off on one of your rambling, angry tirades that I just don’t find helpful or very interesting.
Outside of that, I was agreeing with John Gray who made the statement that “EVERY-thing in this County is attached to immigration. It is all pervasive,” meaning that everything is blamed on illegals–even our own dirt, money-wasting, and disgusting behavior. It’s always easier to blame someone else than to fix our own faults, eh?
“The idea that any medical facility would not treat another human being is repugnant to me.”
And the idea that Principi and Gray are profiteering of that treatment? Is it noble? Hey, maybe it is. Let’s find out how much money they have made from this noble, charitable endeavor. Whoops! They’re not saying!
Bottom line we would not need a center like this were it not for the illegal influx. I will only support such facilities using taxpayer money if some screening is done to focus resources on Americans.
Either the red carpet is out, or it is not. Right now it is still more or less out, and people like Principi are charging “consulting fees” for arranging to roll it out a little further, and people like John Gray are apoplectic when people come along and point out the corruption of it all – paying a “consultant” to secure “stimulus money” under false pretense, it’s as dishonest and sleazy as it gets. Not exactly noble behavior. More like sleaze dressed up as nobility.
Gee, I thought the “Resolution” had chased most of the “illegals” out of our area. Are these people being bused in from outside the area to take advantage of this medical facility? Maybe Principi gets a “kick-back” from the bus company too.
Must be, Ivan.
SA, I do not dismiss what you have said regarding the military. However, not every male throughout the history of our country has been required to serve. I have many relatives who did not ever serve in the military. The United States is not Israel.
Rick, you are just grinding now…John is a volunteer. Has Greg thanked you yet for doing his dirty work? Actually what is so sad about your character is that you are much smarter than this.
SA, white guys can’t ban women, African Americans, gays from the military/combat and then bitch about them not pulling their share.
M-h, I’d bet Michael is about our age – had all the advantages of being a white male then (and probably didn’t complain about how unfair his advantages were being a member of that group – white males) and now has to share. Boo hoo.
Before anyone gets the impression that I dislike white males, I’m married to one. One was my dad. And I like most of them – just not the whiners who fail to consider our country’s history.
My God, Rick, don’t you realize when you’re beaten? If you want to whine and cry about something, how about this: Halliburton is electrocuting our soldiers in the shower in exchange for billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, TAX FREE!
Even if you prefer the goal in Iraq, whatever that was, how can you sit there and waste your time trying to go after people who had the goal of helping our county deal with a federal problem, which is lack of affordable health care?
Or, is WHWN right, you’re a partisan and you’ll take the bait when ever Corey says hate. As long as the target is a Democrat.
Oh Censored, stop your whining!
Well, why would demagogue Corey say hate a Republican. But you get my point. And we get yours. You’re willing to believe anything that allows you to hate Democrats. Despite all the facts. You’ve proven it. Congratulations.
Let’s not forget, this is a blog where people can pretend to be anything, male or female, married, with or without children, etc etc. None of it can be verified unless you actually “out” yourself with in a public forum. You can make up your entire life story and no one would be the wiser 🙂
Elena, you and Alanna and John Gray are very brave to put your own name to your words. Another reason why people like Rick and Michael look so foolish when they make claims that are so obviously false and politically motivated. They are hiding behind a fake name with their lies. You have your real name and real reputation to protect. And your words make sense.
How Rick and Michael think they are winning any hearts and minds with all the time they spend incognito is beyond me.
We are ALL humans first.
We feel pain and bleed the same.
When a loved one is hurting we hurt.
If someone we love is bleeding or in pain and only a stranger is nearby we hope they will do the right thing and stop to help.
Regardless of what party principles you choose to subscribe to, color of skin, or religious beliefs, we must NEVER forget that we are all human FIRST.
It would be un-American to see people hurting and standby and do nothing.
This is a great Country and the people who contribute to its’ greatness will always rise to the top.
In life, a bigger person is able to recognize that and understands that only an insecure person will find fault in the good of others.
Back to the subject that started this discussion. I would like to ask Mr. Gray to help me understand something about the center. In one of your posts at 18:25 on March 9, you said, “As of 1/31/09 38.76% of our patients were covered by commercial insurance companies, 23.26% by Champus/TriCare (thats retired military) and 11% by Anthem BC/BS. Thats 73% of our patients” Yet the article said that Mr. Principi provided the following information ” Supervisor Frank Principi elaborated that the center treated 4,000 patients in 2008, 75% of whom were uninsured.”
Are 75% uninsured or 73% insured? To me, I would wonder why the center needed federal dollars if so many were insured??
Also, I do believe that although everyone deserves a right of privacy, I believe that elected officials voluntarily give that up somewhat when they get elected. Otherwise, there is no accountability for ethics. I would be interested if there is a quid pro quo, not to suggest that there is, which sounds like the implication of Mr. Stewart.
But I do believe Mr. Gray has not responded to a couple of valid questions, or at least acknowledged them. Just my two cents worth.
I do not hide behind my name, this is my real name (poor assumption on everyone’s part.
Moonhowler, I understand the anger you feel about how women were treated 30 years ago and before. I even agree that it was wrong, but I did not create that problem, I did not do that to any woman, and that is certainly not how I treat my wife, my daughter or my sons today. If my sons go to war, my daughter is going to war, If my daughter gets a college loan for FREE, my sons get a college loan for free. I am a product of the 70’s, I lived through your pain, by being blasted in 9th grade when I made a comment in class that I did not think the nation was ready for a female President in 1970. It was a true statement then and innocent, but a political football picked up by every liberal girl in my class. I never again said another word about gender issues to any female. My point however is this, the wrongs of 30 hyears ago do not justify abuse of individuals today, and the concept that we must have an EXACT number of females who make an EXACTLY equivalent salary as every male based ONLY on their GENDER and NOT their performance, ability, talent or “indiviudal” resources is an ILLEGAL concept declared ILLEGAL by the supreme court. The LAW is equal opportunity but not equal OUTCOMES, based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion.
Every male and every femaale is an “individual” and it is ethically immoral to advantage one individual with unfair and preferrential treatment over another, no matter WHAT happended in the past.
Elena, though you wish to believe I have made up my life story, as you have insunuated in the past, my life to the limited extent I have revealed it here on this blog is as I have said it to be. I value honesty over politics anyday and do not use emotional manipulation to bring people to my side of the political issue, I prefer to have htem draw their own conclusion from comment I make that are as accurate as I can get them. I have no emotional reason to lie. I any of you can prove me wrong I welcome and encourage your honesty and the truth that comes out of the debate. Until then, what I write is as accurate of an understanding of reality as I can make it. It is the rest of you who can’t dispute what I say, but try to twist it and re-write it, that I would call into question their motives for distorting the truth of my comment. If you bring me factual evidence, or even a convincing argument that you have put a lot of thought into, that is far preferrable to what I see as emotional responses to things that make people angry.
Bryanna,
I’ve said it many times, and will continue to say it…the “human factor” is all too often left out of the equation with many issues. This clearly is no exception.
Thank you for your LTE, and your post here.
Bryanna, very well said and I concur.
Welcome to Anti blog, Bryanna. I wish everyone felt as you do. I hope you will come back.
Well said Bryanna!
As Christians most Americans try not to blame others for their misfortune. If someone is in need of medical attention, it is just not in my nature to object to their being cared for, even if there are some cheap political points in it. People are losing their homes and the elite class of Americans are saying they are “losers” for not being as wealthy as they are, or not being wise enough to avoid a predatory loan.
Opposing medical care for the poor or the under-insuredis just par for the course for a bankrupt philosophy of blaming the less fortunate, as a shield from their own natural humanity. But the rampant fraud and golden parachute culture of tax havens and deregalation for the rich and screw the rest of us has failed us all. Even the greedy ones who would have us blame the less fortunate even after they ripped us off for so many decades. Unbelievable.
Because now that the overall philosophy has been disproven, it just seems fruitless to hang on to the disdain for the less fortunate. What does it gain you other than a good reason to bitch and moan?
“As Christians most Americans try not to blame others for their misfortune.”
LOL. You must be joking. First off, “Christians” vote disproportionately conservative and blame gay people amomng others almost incessantly. “Christian” means different things to different people but your statement as written is clearly not true.
“If someone is in need of medical attention, it is just not in my nature to object to their being cared for, even if there are some cheap political points in it.”
Caring for another country’s citizens is charity, and should not be institutionalized as government funded, particularly when it encourages further illegal immigration. I don’t say don’t treat the sick. i say treat them, but deport them if they are here illegally.
“People are losing their homes and the elite class of Americans are saying they are “losers” for not being as wealthy as they are, or not being wise enough to avoid a predatory loan.”
Well responsibility does start somewhere, doesn’t it?
“Opposing medical care for the poor or the under-insuredis just par for the course for a bankrupt philosophy of blaming the less fortunate, as a shield from their own natural humanity. But the rampant fraud and golden parachute culture of tax havens and deregalation for the rich and screw the rest of us has failed us all. Even the greedy ones who would have us blame the less fortunate even after they ripped us off for so many decades. Unbelievable.”
well if you ask me the whole illegal immigration phenomenon has been engineered by those wealthy amoral characters you speak of, to lower American wages. If illegal immigrants caused wages to raise instead of lower, i feel quite confident that Bush, Obama, McCain, kennedy, the whole lot would have enforced border security and deported on sight, and would have less than no interest in providing free medical care to illegal immigrants.
Now that I have disproven your bankrupt philosophy, ShellyB, in fact even decimated your misinformation, it seems to me fruitless for you to hang on to your naive viewpoints.
what does “Christian” mean or imply by the way? It turns out … absolutely … nothing.
I challenge you to define “Christian” in a meaningful way. It doesn’t necessarily that you abide by any particular rule, theorem, or behavior. It doesn’t mean that you necessarily believe in the Christ story or that the Bible is real. it has roughly as much meaning as saying that you’re in the Pepsi Generation. “Christian” can encompass the whole range of human behavior, good bad and ugly.
And please always remember that Nazi Germany, the gold standard for human depravity, was a Christian nation and (ostensibly) a democracy.
Thanks Shelly, Moon, Posting for your kind words and especially Chris for posting my letter!
A member of my family was in the E.R. at Potomac Hospital for 12 hours a couple of years ago. It was a real eye opener. Medical care should never be a luxury that only the rich can afford.
Thanks to Supervisor Principi’s perserverence to keep the doors of the Health Center open, women in need of mammograms have recieved them. Some where diagnosed with cancer and are being treated. These women are mothers and daughters who have been given a second chance at life.
Principi has secured over 1 million dollars in private donations in addition to the stimulus money to sustain the Health Center. Without his effort, they may have had to close the doors soon after the Board of County Supervisors voted to pull it’s funding for the Health Center.
I don’t know if Universal Healthcare is the answer but Republicans had the last 8 years to lift mandates that inflate the cost of healthcare and were ineffective.
I think John Gray was doing a drive by since I asked what I thought we some legitimate questions about why the center needs federal money. Hope he drives by soon.
correction of course we=were in first line
Bryanna, I was unaware that Frank Principi also secured private donations. He really is an unsung hero in this regard. Thank you for letting us know.
I would think this health clinic would pull some of the burden off local emergency rooms. A friend of mine was ordered to go to the ER just this week. His issue was cardio-vascular but not a heart attack or anything like that. He waited for 5 hours to see the doctor. By the time he was seen, the event was over. No one should be waiting 5 hours for medical treatment.
Maybe there will be some sort of universal coverage rather than universal health care–something that covers the basics–and those who want more can buy it if they can afford it. Republicans seem to be the most vocal against any form of universal health care reform. I can remember the stink of Hillary-care. It might have been over the top but it was a starting place. I thought she was treated shabbily.
On the other hand, do those who oppose any sort of government health care also oppose medicare?
Moon-howler,
Sorry to hear about your friend. There was a recent letter in the News and Messenger from a woman who waited 8 hours. As more people learn about the Health Center and it will help relieve the burden on the local ER, and that benefits everyone.
I wonder what Corey thinks of the stimulus budget now? $25,000,000 for the schools. Just got the press release in my email. Look what that $25,000,000 is restoring in programs and staff:
To view this article on the PWCS Web site: http://www.pwcs.edu/absolutenewsmanager/templates/?a=1619&z=16
Bryanna, I think that wait just proves that more health facilities need to be available. I find the attacks on anyone bringing money to our economically distressed county just unconscionable.
I was really pleased to get the email announcing the $25,000,000. Hopefully the school board will support Dr. Walts’ proposal for using the money.
Casual Observer, it looks like Corey owes his old pal Gerry Connolly another thank you note. $25,000,000 ain’t too shabby.
Thanks for posting this info Casual! THat is great news!!!!!!!!! For those who would have preferred we turn our nose at this help, I say, you MUST not have children in public schools. @Casual Observer