88 Thoughts to “Open Thread”

  1. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    All my investments in Dubai! Right down the toilet!

  2. Actually I know someone who did have investments in Dubai. I am not sure if they have swallowed drano or not.

    How about terrorism in Russia? How do you ever control the thousands and thousands of miles of rail?

  3. I sure missed that one this morning. Les Miserables? Does Corey miss the entire point or what? I could have sworn that Les Miserables was about real change within a person, not a make over. Corey Stewart makes it sound like he is going in for a make over based on which direction the wind is blowing.

  4. Witness Too

    There is warmth and humanity in Corey Stewart. You can sense it even when reading this interview. The last answer was the most encouraging one from a county resident’s standpoint. He’s now going to focus on getting things done for the people, and no longer focusing on politics and getting to higher office. I’m heartened to hear him say that. Anyone who got into public service just for the thrill of political gamesmanship is going to fall flat on their face, as Stewart did unfortunately for our seniors, our schools, our public safety, and our pocketbooks. But people can always change. Here’s hoping he is wiling to make that change, whether it’s a political wind blowing or not, he sounds sincere doesn’t he?

  5. Ugh, Witness. Those are difficult questions to answers.

    I am still stuck on Mr. Make-over/Les Miserables. Not far behind it is the idea of him buying a Senate seat. I know he was kidding but…

    He is quick. I will hand him that. I don’t know what possessed him to do that interview…or that kind of interview.

  6. DiversityGal

    I could not even BELIEVE he said something about buying a Senate seat…how very interesting…

  7. This interview is part of a Post magazine feature called “Unspun.” I thought unspun meant “cutting through supposed disinformation.” To me, the questions are silly. So were questions in previous interviews with PG County Council member Tony Knotts and GWU Student Association President Julie Bindelglass.

    Years ago I worked for a corporation in McLean. I had to call employees at random and run the Q & As in the employee newspaper. One time I called a manager and asked him something like the “Beatles or Rolling Stones?” question. His response was stone silence and then “I can’t believe my company pays someone to do this!”

    I have to say the same about the Post. At a time when they’ve shrunk coverage of PW news to one PW Extra and one Community Living supplement (where it is buried on pages 27-29) this is embarrassing.

  8. Anything I have to say about that interview would be so-not-nice, I best leave well enough alone.

  9. @Posting As Pinko
    Meaning the responses, that is.

    I can actually understand the concept of the interview questions. They are trying to bring out the more human characteristics of people, like they do with Hollywood stars. And since politics is one, big B-rated movie anyway and politicians are a bunch of actors, what better way to accomplish this?

  10. Punchak

    CindyB

    I’m with you – and PAP. Who in the world sent the interviewer to Corey? The interview itself was a total nothing IMO.

    Otherwise – open thread

    It’s been a beautiful fall day. Took a short walk and it felt wonderful. Went to post office; three clerks two customers; hardly any traffic on the streets. Where were the people? Shopping???? Not the kind of day to spend at the mall. Oh, college football all over! Hope you all enjoyed this glorious day.

  11. Witness Too

    Punchak, I was part of the madness on Black Friday. It was incredible how many people were there, all colors of the rainbow which to my eye is beautiful.

    As for Corey Stewart’s interview, I enjoyed reading it. I can understand the reaction that Cindy quoted from her office survey which made me chuckle. It would be a real shame if this was a replacement for in depth reporting about PWC. Is that really true though? Did they close down their PWC office and no one told me? Sure, the choice of music thing was irrelevant, but look at the other information we got. On top of the “warmth” thing I mentioned, Mr. Stewart is saying he wants to run again for Chairman, that he hopes he’ll win and thinks he’ll most likely will, that he’ll put off running for higher office for a while, and that he wants to focus on the people’s business for now. Also, in between the lines, he seems to be saying he is not ready to apologize for dividing our community, but he is willing to back off the hyper-political ambition that caused him to go down the wrong path. I would call this interview a 50% apology. I’m ready to accept, assuming he does a better job in the future.

  12. A politician only hovers over a topic as long as there are constituents who are emphasizing said topic. Witness, you are a better person than I am.

  13. Opinion

    You know, I liked the Cory Stewart interview in the Post. Sure, it was a “fluff piece”; however, I’m guessing it achieved its goal as populist content. It showed that Cory has grown as a person (and gave us a bit of insight into his character). Donuts, anyone?

    You have to be crazy to be a politician. It’s basically a low paying public service job with no job security. Half of the people you serve generally won’t agree with you and the other half don’t really trust you anyway. I rather like my politicians “beat up” a bit with some experience so we don’t have to continually break in new people. This may be an unpopular view; however, I think the best is yet to come from our Chairman.

    The reason we got the decisions we now live with is because more County residents demonstrated more passion for them and harnessed more resources than the alternative. Simply put, they worked the system better than “we” did. Democracy, anyone?

  14. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    CindyB :
    I have to say the same about the Post. At a time when they’ve shrunk coverage of PW news to one PW Extra and one Community Living supplement (where it is buried on pages 27-29) this is embarrassing.

    The Post’s coverage of PW shrinks? Does it shrink as fast and their circulation numbers? I’d bet their circulation is shrinking faster.

  15. Punchak

    Happened on last night’s broadcast of “CNN HEROES”. It was an amzing experience. If you didn’t see it, please, do take the time to go to “CNN HEROES” and see for yourselves. There were some amazing people being rewarded.

    My daughter and I were rather red eyed at the end of the broadcast and uplifted at the same time.

  16. Not sure I agree Opinion. Harnessing the resources could also be claimed if the ballot box was stuffed, I suppose. However, I think hooking up with a low unprincipled dog might accomplish the same thing.

    Illusion and emails from west of the Mississippi also did much to give us what we originially got. Revealing film and some good men and women having the courage to stop a freight train rewrote our ‘wish list.’

  17. Punchak, let us know when CNN Heroes will be repeated, please.

  18. Opinion

    You know, we often disgard people after they make one or two mistakes. The problem with that model is that another name for those “mistakes” is experience. When taken in context, I believe Stewart is doing a lot of good things for the County now in the areas of economic development and fiscal responsibility. I also believe that his experience will serve our county well in the future.

    As for the help from west of the Mississippi, once again I will say that the “opposition” was just better at gaming the system than we were. Perhaps we can do better next time.
    Should the county establish a new District, I would guess the leader of the opposition (depending on how the boundaries are drawn) might just leverage his organizational abilities into a Supervisor seat (wouldn’t that be fun). Anyone planning for that eventuality? Looking at alternatives? Talking to their supervisor gathering intelligence? If not, we’ve already “lost”. McDonnell started quietly running for Governor six years ago. That infrastructure (and the fact that he was just a better candidate) was a major reason for his success.

    I realize I’m probably in a minority; however, that’s just my opinion.

  19. Witness Too

    Opinion, can you elaborate on what you mean about a new District and perhaps the leader of the opposition getting a new Supervisors seat?

  20. Witness Too

    And by the way if we are going to change things around, can someone suggest to the Board that we do away with the silly rule that allows Supervisors to say the voted for it even though they were against it? I think we have a right as constituents to know how our Supervisors really feel.

    As for forgiving Stewart, I am all about forgiveness. That is not to say I would vote for him again. I think there are six members of the Board who would make a better Chairperson than he has. You can’t have your Chairman being the most belligerent and most ambitious and most partisan and most extreme member of the Board. I’m discounting Stirrup, who of course could never be elected county-wide for all of the reasons above plus not being that bright of a bulb.

  21. Opinion

    I can… but I won’t. If this comes as a surprise, it demonstrates how “we” aren’t paying attention. Suggest you talk to your supervisor (often).

  22. Opinion

    @Witness Too
    Witness Too, the reason Supervisor’s vote for things they are against (I know it appears counter-intuitive) if it has the votes to pass anyway is so they have the right to revisit the issue later. If they vote against an issue, they lose that right. John Jenkins (the most experienced of our Supervisors) often does this when the Board has enough votes to pass it without him (remember the party math) so he remains in the game. He always prefaces his vote with an explanation of why (as explained above).

    I like the “experienced” Cory Stewart (vice the old Cory); however, he doesn’t have a lock on my vote. I’m a “what have you done for me lately” and “what are you going to do for me in the future” (from a County perspective) voter. I think he is doing a good job managing the County budget during these tough times; however, I will be listening to all voices during the nomination process and the election.

  23. I was unsure what that meant also, Witness too. In the dark here. I know we will have some shuffling around after the census results are in.

    Opinion, would you elaborate what good things the chair is doing for the county? I can’t think of a single one. I am too locked into the sneaky, rotten self promoting ways of the past. I still feel he was willing to trash the entire county to get elected. I might be willing to look the other way once he gets down and kisses Chief Deane’s feet, apologizes for that really nasty note he sent him and writes the chief a check for those cameras.

  24. I also want him to apologize to Chief Deane and the rest of his colleagues for sharing their email with a local blogger and by-passing the FOIA process. This was done within hours of receiving the notes. He was totally unprofessional in doing that.

    I honestly just don’t want a scumbag chairing our county government. That behavior went beyond a ‘mistake.’ That was scumbag behavior.

  25. Some of us do not have a supervisor. Please keep that in mind. One of the supervisors (and his office help) makes no secret of considering constituents the enemy if they oppose what the supervisor stands for. Some of us have even been removed from the mailing list.

    I would just use yours, Opinion, but he has also irritated me with his self righteous speech about VA not being in the business of promoting/selling alcohol.

  26. Punchak

    @Moon-howler
    ML

    I don’t know whether it will be re-shown; just typed the words at the top of the screen.

  27. Moon-howler :
    One of the supervisors (and his office help) makes no secret of considering constituents the enemy if they oppose what the supervisor stands for.

    Is that Stirrup?

    MH, I agree with you about the forgiveness thing. I wish I could forgive five of them, but I can’t. It takes me a long time to process things and get to a place where forgiveness is possible. And this is coming from someone who has forgiven a criminal and a super-negligent doctor. But as for those supervisors? Sorry. Maybe some other time.

    I agree–they owe Deane a public apology. But they won’t do it. Apologizing means you’re wrong, and none of them will ever admit they are wrong.

  28. It is one of the 7 magisterial supervisors. My name obviously was removed from the roster of constituents who wanted emails.

    There are also people out there who abuse the FOIA process. They get personal information on people. To what end this information is used, I can only guess. If you email, they have an email address. If you write, they get your home address and your business. About the only thing left is a personal phone call. I am not sure what tracers there are on that. I just think if I call my supervisor or any of them about say, land use, or street lights, or sewage, it isn’t really anyone else’s business. If I want trees planted down the middle of Sudley Road, why is that someone else’s business? Only if the trees are being considered does it become someone else’s business.

  29. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Posting As Pinko
    Apologizing (outside the construct of marriage) requires that one be wrong. No dice in this example. Hence, no apology.

  30. @Slowpoke Rodriguez
    They owe Chief Deane an apology.

    MH, that is very true. People have used FOIA for personal reasons. Low.

  31. Witness Too

    Slow, you are in a minority of 5 on this one: Stewart, Letiecq, Stirrup, plus 50 percent of the remaining membership of Help Save Manassas.

    @Slowpoke Rodriguez

  32. Witness Too

    399,995 to 5. Want to put that to a referendum?

  33. Opinion

    I agree, he owes Chief Dean an apology… and he made quite a few other mistakes; however, I rather like his fiscal honesty. In politics, it’s “what have you done lately” that counts. While Connolly (I voted for Connolly) and Nichols were promising things any reasonable person knows we can’t afford, Stewart tells it “like it is”. (IMHO) we need this kind of frank feedback if we hope to keep our AAA bond rating and dig ourselves out of the hole we are in. I will be suspect of candidates who “promise” rosy futures considering the problems we are having with our budget. Since you asked, here’s an example of what impresses me.

    My Observer Op-Ed: The Truth About Metro to Prince William
    Submitted by Corey on Fri, 10/02/2009 – 17:20.

    ©2009 Bull Run Observer
    All Rights Reserved
    Used with Permission

    PDF Version

    Two important things about the people of Prince William County: they want the truth, and they want the whole story. They want the good, they’ll accept the bad, and they’ll tolerate the ugly, as long as it’s all true. Elected officials have a responsibility to speak the truth–the whole truth.

    Two politicians, Congressman Gerry Connolly and Delegate Paul Nichols, have told the community that they would bring Metro to Prince William. Unfortunately, Connolly and Nichols have failed to tell the whole truth about Metro, and many residents now mistakenly believe that Metro may soon be extended to our community. But the whole truth is this: even if federal and state officials decided today to bring Metro to Prince William, experts tell us it will take between 20 and 30 years, if ever.

    Let me be crystal clear: I want Metro. The Board of County Supervisors wants Metro and has directed the County Department of Transportation study this issue over the years. The benefits are numerous and easy to articulate. Our county is hungry for new options to commute, and we’re eager to take advantage of the economic development and job growth opportunities that have followed Metro in the past. We will continue to work towards Metro as part of our long-term economic development plans.

    So, what are the obstacles to bringing Metro to Prince William? The first is money. The approximate construction cost for an extension to Woodbridge would be $2.0-$2.1 billion in FY2007 dollars (double that if we bring it to Gainesville, as some have suggested). The County’s portion would be at least $300 million, in construction costs alone. In addition, Prince William would need to negotiate an entry into the Metro Compact. This would entail the county absorbing part of Metro’s mountain of $6 billion of debt. On top of this, the Metro system is aging and is in need of upgrades and repair, as evidenced by the tragic accident last June. Prince William would be expected to pay its portion of those massive costs.

    These costs alone, which do not include the millions in annual maintenance and operational costs, would consume the County’s entire transportation construction budget. Every four years since 1988, Prince William residents have passed road bond referenda to the tune of $600 million. No other county in Virginia has done this, not even wealthier Fairfax County. Fairfax has not invested in its roads for one major reason: it’s transportation budget is gobbled up by Metro costs. Prince William residents will need to ask the question: should we sacrifice our entire County road building program so that we can bring Metro to one spot in the County in 20 to 30 years?

    But why will it take between 20 and 30 years? Consider the long-planned extension of Metro to Dulles. Since the 1960s the federal government and the Commonwealth have been working on connecting the nation’s capital with the largest airport serving it. With a less clear benefit to the federal government, Metro to Woodbridge would be subject to even more false starts and cost constraints. Between the planning, environmental impact studies, the engineering, the agreements between multiple jurisdictions and the state and federal government, and the inevitable lawsuits from multiple aggrieved parties, there is no telling how long it would take before a shovel would even be in the ground.

    However, the worst case scenario is not that Metro would never come, it would be the consequences of assuming that it will. When the County plans on a long-term transportation improvement, we account for it in our Comprehensive Plan. In the past, this has inevitably led to the construction of new houses years before the transportation improvements were complete. There are many examples of this in Prince William, including the Linton Hall road corridor and the Government Center Sector Plan (at Ridgefield Road and the Parkway). The homes were built, but the roads came much later. Now try to imagine the housing construction that would occur in anticipation of Metro. Thousands of new high-density units would be built all along the Minnieville Road and Route 1 corridors years before Metro arrived. The congestion would be immense and the quality of life degraded.

    In short, I am not being a pessimist when I say that Metro to Prince William County is 20 to 30 years away. All great ideas take time to develop, and we will not avoid working on this goal just because it is lofty. But we must be realistic in the way we communicate with the community.

    And Prince William Residents do not have 20 to 30 years to wait. The County continues to support Virginia Railway Express. Our time and energy is well spent focusing on expanding VRE to Gainesville and Haymarket. On Tuesday September 15th, the Board of County Supervisors took the next step toward high-speed rail transit from Richmond to Washington D.C. through Prince William. This line would produce fast commuter service to the District of Columbia and to the existing Metro network. The County is even studying 21st century solutions like Bus Rapid Transit, which builds dedicated lanes for buses to travel during peak commuter hours along major thoroughfares. But most importantly, as long as the federal and state governments continue to fail to build the roads necessary for Prince William commuters, the County must continue to focus on road construction.

    So when a federal or state official talks about Metro: tell them you don’t want false promises. Tell them you want them to get the job done and fund realistic transit and transportation. We will continue to work hard towards all innovative solutions, but we will also be straight with the citizens that some things will have to wait.

    Corey A. Stewart
    Chairman, At-Large
    Prince William Board of County Supervisors

  34. Sharing information between your colleagues (other elected officials) with a local blog owner is just dead wrong, Slowpoke and you know it. How would you feel if the information had been shared with this blog? Bet you wouldn’t be so frigging forgiving.

    The entire attempt to bring down Charlie Deane was disgusting and DISHONORABLE. You don’t trump up a charge of treason on anyone. Even if Corey wasn’t the mouthpiece, he went along and he didn’t denouce the efforts being made as he should have.

    I can’t forgive dishonor. And the stench of that episode is all over Corey. The only way he can wash that off is to come clean, tell the truth and apologize.

    Mistakes people can apologize for. Dishonor clings and becomes part of one’s DNA.

  35. Interesting why PWC didn’t get metro in the first place. I wonder if any of the old timers are left who will tell the truth about why they didn’t really want it extending out this far? Hint: It has to do with who they didn’t want to come here. They had their chance some 40-45 years ago. Part of the problem is they were cheap. The other part is they didn’t want outside elements coming to the county.

  36. Witness Too

    @Moon-howler
    M-H, I agree 100 percent. Corey Stewart not only dishonored himself by attacking Chief Deane, he dishonored the county. Don’t get me wrong, I hope he is not reelected. I think that would be the best way to restore our reputation, if the people voted for someone else it would show what we all already know: that the people of Prince William County are ashamed of Corey Stewart’s past behavior, and we want to start anew.

    However, that does not mean we cannot hope for the best going forward from here. In some ways, Chairman Stewart’s close relationship with Greg Letiecq gives him cover. By that I mean that it allows us to assume he was under some kind of spell, like he was deceived in some way by the smoke and mirrors behind a censored blog and emails filtering in from all around the country pretending to be Letiecq disciples. Corey Stewart was not the only person who was made a fool of by Leteicq’s manipulations. If he would only apologize, I think that forgiveness would be forthcoming. Maybe Corey Stewart too proud to admit he did Chief Deane wrong by using Letiecq and various tricks to generate hatred toward Chief Deane. But he is showing signs that he has had a change of heart of some kind. If that means he does a better job between now and 2011, then this is good for him and good for the county. So I’m willing to give him a second chance, with or without an apology. He may be a bad leader, he may even have been among the worst chairmen we’ve ever had in this county, but there is always room for redemption.

  37. Good for him if he does a good job. I always look for ways to say something nice about him. However, I won’t forget dishonor. And you are right, he dishonored the county.

    I might not hate Richard Nixon but I cannot forget how he abused his power and the things he tried to do to others. He acted dishonorably.

    Before Corey Stewart would get a vote from me he would have to show that he is now a man of honor. I would be looking for internal change, not a make-over which is simply veneer.

  38. JustinT

    Will the real Corey Stewart please stand up? Before I felt like he was saying “I’m Letiecq’s boy and if ya’ll don’t agree, F– YOU.” Now he seems to be saying “Okay so there are more people in the county than just far right extremists who resent minorities sharing the same public parks and public schools.”. Backpeddle backpeddle backpeddle.

    It’s hard to totally bury the hatchet with Stewart because Letiecq and his whites only hate club are still out there and Stewart, if Letiecq asks, will make a speech at their tea party.

    I don’t worry about Stewart anymore and haven’t for a year at least. The other Supervisors keep him in check now. He’s damaged goods politically. Hell, even if he were still Letiecq’s boy, he wouldn’t have the votes to do any further damage. This nice guy image isn’t new, he started with it in ’08. No big deal. It just shows he’s aware that politically he went way too far to the right being Letiecq’s boy for a year.

  39. Elena

    Corey, Corey, Corey, what can I say. Even though I will never trust him again, I still have a soft spot for him. He was fun to go out and have a cocktail….or two….with, and, he has an infectious laugh.

    However, what I have learned, is that having a genuine laugh together does not equate to deserving of public office and the trust of an entire community. He has never, and will never, publicly apologize for the hell he put this county through, all for political gain and fame. I will always feel personally wronged by Corey.

  40. I hear ya on that last line, Elena. He did wrong to a great many people…and it was personal.

  41. Justin, You are truly an idealist. Do you really believe he doesn’t have the votes? If the same election were held tomorrow that happened in 2007, I expect he would. Many people have short memories and believe whatever a person says.

    It was all about winning an election.

  42. Rebecca

    No one has mentioned that Stewart has lost the confidence of most of the people that work for the county. Also, how do you think most of those other supervisors really feel about him.

  43. Changing the subject–The grocery stores don’t seem to have cranberries. What gives? Everything I have read says the crop is fine. I see ads on TV.

  44. Rick Bentley

    JustinT, you post in the style of a meglomaniac. You sound like the kind of person who would like to rewrite history to bring it in line with your personal concerns and demons.

    Whites only hate club, Leticq’s errand boy, changed in ’08, blah blah blah.

  45. Rick Bentley

    So, I see that when Joe Wilson yelled “You Lie!” at Obama … he was correct, the proposals in Congress will grant benefits to illegal aliens. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/30/health-bills-fail-to-block-illegals-from-coverage/

    Some here will spin this as a positive – forcing employers to provide health care to illegal immigrants, as opposed to freeing up jobs for American citizens, will be justified and rationalized. But I’d like to focus on the larger point – Obama is not in charge of the process, and is in fact a liar.

  46. Rick Bentley

    NOBODY is driving the train on health care. Cue Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” … “Old Charlie stole the handle, and the train it won’t stop going, no way to slow down …”.

  47. Whether he lied or not wasn’t the point. He was rude and out of line yelling at the president from the floor of Congress.

    I am sure that rapists, child molesters, wife beaters and murderers will also get coverage also. That is a ridiculous argument. While we are speaking of ridiculous, why would a publication use the term ‘illegals?’ Good hell. ‘Illegal’ is an adjective.

  48. Rick Bentley

    When the President lies, it’s worth shouting about.

    Would that someone in Congress had the guts to call Bush out on all of his duplicity on Iraq, and the nonsensical briefing Powell gave to the UN, instead of decorum prevailing and the rest of us trusting him all the way down the yellow brick road.

    Admittedly Wilson called him a liar preemptively. But he was right. And maybe his shout brings more attention to the duplicity here.

  49. Rick Bentley

    “I am sure that rapists, child molesters, wife beaters and murderers will also get coverage also. ”

    PERHAPS THEY SHOULDN’T. Let’s put it to an honest vote before our Government spends our money on it.

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