Part 1: Police, Feds: Warning Signs Regarding Implementation of the Immigration Resolution

MoonHowler

Part 1. What did the BOCS know?
Part 2 will show that Corey accuses others of ‘having blood on their hands’ when he knew very good and well the situation with I.C.E. Judging from the dates, he also needs to admit that this issue did not start or end with the present administration.

This video was from a BOCS meeting Spring , 2008. It shows the problems inherent in the MOA between ICE and the county. Let’s revisit some of the issues. It seems that many people have forgotten what really happened.

Both Charlie Deane and Jail Superintendent Pete Meletis give their points of view.

Chief Deane updated the BOCS on the status of the Immigration Resolution. Superintendent Meletis warned the BOCS of the problems the ADC was encountering with ICE. ICE was not picking up the ICE detainees after they had served their time in PWC. PWC was attempting to have every illegal alien picked up. ICE rep Mark McGraw told the BOCS that their numbers were overwhelming. He felt that PWC was getting away from the original understanding which was to remove the worst of the worst from the county.

Reminder to his critics: Here you will see Chief Deane salute the job he was given to do. What has changed?

At some point, even the most die hard anti-immigration person has to admit that they cannot deport illegal immigrants themselves. They must rely on ICE and a federal deportation judge. A locality can enact all the draconian laws they want…it doesn’t make ICE get there any faster.

4 Supervisors Sign Rural Crescent Pledge in 2007

MoonHowler

4 of our current supervisors signed a pledge to protect the Rural Crescent by

1. voting to support the Rural Crescent current minimum 10 acre residential zoning and

2. opposing the expansion of sewer within the border of the Rural Crescent as outlined in the Prince William    County Comprehensive Plan.

The 4 supervisors are:  Corey Stewart, John Stirrup, Mike May, and Frank Principi

Corey Stewart took the opportunity to enclose a letter with his pledge.  In the letter he sent along with the pledge, Chairman Stewart said:

I have been an active and passionate advocate for protecting the rural crescent since day 1 of my entry into Prince William County politics.

Here are the links:

Corey’s letter is online here.
http://ruralcrescent.org/07pledge2.htm

The main pledge page is here.
http://ruralcrescent.org/pledges2007.htm

Supervisor Stirrup’s office sent out a very detailed letter to constituents this afternoon.  He asked very probing questions at the BOCS meeting tonight.  I suspect his vote will reflect those feelings.

UPDATE:

Corey Stewart Throws John Stirrup Under the Bus

In  5 to 3 vote, the BOCS approved the comprehensive plan amendment to turn 12 homes into several hundred.  Stewart, Covington, Nohe, Caddigan, and Jenkins voted in favor of the change.  In an astounding move of hypocrisy, these 5 supervisors voted to “reaffirm ” their commit to preserving the Rural Crescent.  What a joke.

Full recap of the BOCS Meeting  at Insidenova.com

And the Best Hypocrisy Award:

After the vote on the comp plan amendment and rezoning, the board approved a resolution stating its commitment to keeping the rest of the Rural Crescent rural in character. Board Chairman Corey Stewart said Tuesday’s vote on Avendale does not set a precedent for future high impact development in the Rural Crescent.

 

Zoning Map of Prince William County

Unbridled Corey Stewart Hypocrisy

MoonHowler

Guest Post by Fed UP

It is time for someone else’s point of view to be heard.

Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration. M-H

I remember watching Martin Sheen in “Wall Street” shake his head saying, “If you live long enough, you’ll see everything” as his deluded son was helping criminal conman Gordon Gekko try to cheat employees of an airline into selling it to him, just to be liquidated, along with their jobs. The son thought he was doing the right thing only to find out later how badly Gekko had conned and lied to him.

Prince William County has its own Gordon Gekko in the form of Corey Stewart. Many people who are sincere about addressing the problem of illegal immigration are following this con man, but at some point the scales will fall off their eyes; hopefully not before he can do much more damage.

Stewart is attempting another of his scams now. With one hand he is professing to be the champion of the illegal immigration cause and with the other playing sleazy tricks to help his developer buddies rape and pillage Prince William County.

Stewart has put the Avendale development rezoning back on the County agenda for its meeting next Tuesday. This development would generate a massive influx of illegal aliens to work the project and exponentially increase the problems of residential overcrowding and other symptoms of illegal immigration his supporters passionately oppose.

The offer of some useless land to the Gainesville Grizzlies, a large local sports league, in exchange for their support of the Avendale rezoning by Stewart and his developer, attorney and lobbyist friends illustrates further a fundamental disregard of the ethical and moral standards that guide the behavior of most people.

The plan is to bus the Grizzlies to the meeting at the County center to argue for the football fields Stewart and the developers are promising them. Their role will be to serve as stage props in the theatrics Stewart and his developer allies are choreographing. The land promised for football fields will be very difficult to grade for sports use, and neither Stewart nor the developers have offered any funds to build or maintain the fields. A classic Gordon Gekko move.

Stewart professes to support the Arizona immigration bill but omits its key sections cracking down on illegal employment (which the judge did not strike down) that would give his Virginia Rule of Law Act some real teeth:

Section 7 of S.B. 1070
A.R.S. § 23-212: amending the crime of knowing employment of
unauthorized aliens

Section 8 of S.B. 1070
A.R.S. § 23-212.01: amending the crime of intentional employment of
unauthorized aliens

Section 9 of S.B. 1070
A.R.S. § 23-214: amending the requirements for checking employment eligibility

Of course, he won’t include these provisions because his paymasters in the development community and Chamber of Commerce would object.

This charlatan is exploiting children and families in his own community to serve the interests of his campaign contributors. He is using and lying to people who want progress dealing with the problems of illegal immigration. At some point, the scales will fall off of everyone’s eyes but will it be before Corey Stewart can further rape and pillage Prince William County, or even the Commonwealth of Virginia if his ambition to be elected Lt. Governor in 2013 is realized?

Come to the McCoart Building in Prince William County next Tuesday at 7:30 if you want to raise your voice against this fraud help stop Corey Stewart before he can go any farther!

                                -Fed Up

Special Use Permits Take on Essence of Rat

MoonHowler

Sniff sniff sniff.  I smell a rat.  Last night the BOCS voted unanimously to deny Eric Finley a Special use Permit to build an asphalt plant in Bristow, VA, near the Victory Lakes, Sheffield Manor, and Saybrooke subdivisions.

At last, the asphalt plant question has been settled.  No asphalt plant for Mr. Finley, even though he was advised to purchase land in that area that had been  zoned as heavy industrial.  That zoning has been in effect for about 30 some years.   Last spring, all but one member of the planning council had voted to approve Mr. Finley’s request. 

The fly in the proverbial ointment seemed to be that the residents of Victory Lakes Community objected to having an asphalt plant so close to their homes.  That makes sense too.  NIMBY is a pretty common feeling, especially when one thinks about the possibility of being downwind from an asphalt plant.  It beats a pig farm but not by much. 

 In addition to smelling a rat, I also  see both sides.  Mr. Finley’s land was zoned for heavy industrial use.  Residents of Victory Lakes don’t want to live near an asphalt plant.  Let’s take this issue back a few approvals.  Why on earth would anyone build high density, expensive housing on a tract of land which butted up next to land zoned for heavy industry?  Where was the buffer zone?   Did the BOCS who approved the land for future homes in Victory Lakes have a clue that this might just become a problem? 

The one caveat in the whole deal and the one caveat that bit Mr. Finley in his hindquarters was that the aspahlt plant required a Special Use Permit on top of the correct zoning.  Apparently a Special Use Permit (SUP) is needed for all sorts of things like day care, large box buildings like a Lowes, churches, etc.  It’s the county’s way of maintaining a little control over what goes in where. 

I am not sure why the supervisors unanimously voted no.  One has to ask why they have a planning commission.  The planning commission voted to approve Mr. Finley’s request last spring.  I assume that panning commission, an appointed group, had checked things out pretty thoroughly. 

One has to ask why there is no buffer zoning between Victory Lakes and heavy industry zoning.  One also has to ask who advised Mr. Finley to buy that land.   Did he talk with anyone from the country, either elected, appointed or employeed? 

The schools also need to get into the act.  Are they not at all concerned about what is being built around them?  Were any school board members there at that meeting last night?  Victory Lakes Elementary is supposedly only a half mile from the former proposed alphalt plant site.  ?   Cheapest land isn’t necessarily the best land.   How about a peep or two from them.  Perhaps I missed it.  George Mason Univerisity weighed in, advising not to approve the SUP.  They cited traffic impact on  attracting high tech business as a major reason. 

Meanwhile, it was hard for me to take a side.  Mr. Finley appeared to be willing to do whatever was required of him by the county to keep the environmental impact at a minimum.  Why did he choose to buy land in that exact location?  Did he check out what hoops he might have to jump through before being allowed to build his plant? 

I can also see residential concerns.  Additionally there is the concern about 1 asphalt plant and then wondering what comes next.   An asphalt plant in close proximity can impact quality of life in ways seen (like huge trucks running you off the road) and unseen (environmental hazards, carcinogens, etc).   What kinds of checks and balances exist to hold any company to doing what is says it will do environmentally? 

Start asking the right questions and just watch the rats start to scurry.

Preliminary Story in News & Messenger

Finally, N & M Takes a Position

MoonHowler

Included, in its entirety. 

From the News and Messenger:

EDITORIAL: Stewart’s duty is to Prince William County

Our View
Published: June 26, 2010
Corey Stewart, not content to let the spotlight shine only on leaders in another state, is now pushing a law in Virginia similar to illegal immigration legislation in Arizona.

Virginia’s version would, among other things, “Make it a violation of Virginia law to fail to complete alien registration documents,” according to Stewart’s website: http://www.coreystewart.com/ruleoflaw. Police officers would be required to check “in any lawful contact, the legal presence of an individual, when practicable.” Go to Stewart’s website to see all aspects of the proposed law.

The issue here isn’t whether the legislation is a good idea, it’s whether Stewart has any business pursuing it. His job is to be the chairman of the Board of County Supervisors, so what is he doing trying to change state law? That is the job of our delegates and state senators, some of whom have stated that they are pursuing state remedies for illegal immigration already. Perhaps if this were a proposal supported mainly for the good of the county, we would understand. However, arguably, Prince William County, which already has a controversial illegal immigration law, is the jurisdiction that would benefit least—despite Stewart’s assertion that some illegal immigrants who have fled may be returning.

In an interview with Editorial Page Editor Alex Granados, Stewart said that state leaders in Richmond have shown themselves incapable of doing what’s necessary.

“The legislature down there has had three years to do something, and they have done nothing,” he said.

Furthermore, he says that the attention he has received in the past as a crusader against illegal immigration will be a boon to his current effort.

“For better or worse, I have the notoriety on the issue that I can use,” he said.

And by spreading news about the proposed bill to everyday citizens, he hopes they will pressure state legislators to take action.

Stewart is right that state legislators have not found a fix for illegal immigration. But that probably has more to do with the fact that the issue is complicated than with anything else. The newspaper has never found our area’s leaders particularly fearful of controversy. Quite the opposite, in fact. And regardless, it is not Stewart’s place, as BOCS chairman, to do their job for them. He has a responsibility to Prince William County, one that cannot be effectively fulfilled when he is focused on reforming state law.

As for Stewart’s notoriety and its usefulness, he is correct. His reputation will bring attention to illegal immigration reform. However, it will also bring attention to Prince William County—attention that it does not need.

When the county went through its debate over illegal immigration years ago, a great deal of negative publicity was focused here. Perceptions of the area across the country varied widely, but no matter the opinion, the county became intertwined with controversy.

Gradually, the uproar has faded. However, with Stewart’s involvement in this new illegal immigration fight, the county, once again, will become a focal point.

In a time when local jurisdictions are battling a tough economy, Stewart should not hamstring us with a possibly negative reputation. What businesses will want to invest in a seemingly divided community? What professionals will want to move here when all they hear about us in the news relates to strife? Stewart’s notoriety might be good for illegal immigration reform, but it’s not good for the county.

Whether or not the attempt to model Virginia after Arizona succeeds, one of the main people to benefit from this will be Stewart. We have already seen with his short-lived attempt to become lieutenant governor that he has higher ambitions. We don’t fault him for that—that is the nature of political leaders. However, we have a problem with Stewart harping on issues outside the county for the sake of his own reputation, which we believe is the case here.

 

Virginia probably does need better illegal immigration laws. It also needs strong leaders to make it happen. But we don’t need Corey Stewart to do that now. He was elected to focus on the residents of Prince William County, not the state. Until he is actually elected to higher office, we would like to see him keep his focus here.

George Mason Study Brings out the Worst in County Chair and CXO

MoonHowler

A recent study on immigration from George Mason Univsity seems to have brought out the worst in our County Chair, Corey Stewart and newly appointed CXO, Melissa Peacor. Perhaps Ms. Peacor should be forgiven. She is a newly hired CXO who apparently came in under the auspices of Mr. Stewart. She hasn’t been around long enough to be an independent thinker. Even if she is, perhaps it is wiser to quote the party line. However, in the case of Corey Stewart, there is simply no pass. He is his usual bigoted, uninformed, blow-hard, name-calling, opportunistic self.

From the News and Messenger:

A new study from the George Mason University’s Project on Immigration finds many immigrants have lived in fear since the passage of Prince William’s 2007 resolution that requires police to check legal status of those who are arrested.

The study was conducted by Debra Lattanzi Shutika, an English professor and folklorist, and Carol Cleaveland, a professional social worker. Lattanzi Shutika also said they were both “ethnographers,” which she defined as a research methodology that focuses on in-depth interviews with people.

“We go into communities for long periods of time and talk in depth to people,” Lattanzi Shutika said, adding that the GMU study conducted interviews in two communities in Manassas called the Weems Neighborhood and Sumner Lakes. “In some cases, we had two-to-three hour interviews.”

For the study, headlined on a press release from GMU as “Strict Immigration Law in Virginia County Adversely Affecting Well-Being of Latino Residents, New Survey Shows,” the two researchers interviewed residents of 60 Spanish-speaking households and 104 English-speaking households, Cleaveland said.

The goal, according to Cleaveland, was to “understand the true experiences of Latino immigrants living in a certain area of Prince William County … [and] to understand what kind of experiences they were having since the resolution.”

Those experiences, she continued, were that “people are afraid to leave the house, people feel that if they go to work they could be picked up or deported while their children are in school, and people have abandoned their homes because of this law.”
Read More

Corey Stewart, Tell the Truth!

MoonHowler

 

Once again, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Corey Stewart prevaricated and obfuscated.

A few examples:

1. He didn’t tell Alisyn how many times the Resolution changed from July 7, 2007 until May 1, 2008.

2. He led the viewers to believe that the police could ask for documents based on probable cause. Does Corey still not know that probably cause no longer exists in our Resolution?

3. He stated that violent crimes are down 38%. Not according to PWC crime statistics and he knows this.

4. He was hung (sic) in effigy? I must have missed that one.

5. He stated that 80% of the people of Prince William County support the law and that the UVA survey stated so. I would like to see that little known fact in writing. No such question existed on that survey.

6. He assumed that fewer babies were born to illegal immigrant mothers and stated that as a fact when he had no verifiable proof. Immigration status is not collected at either hospital in the county and therefore he can only assume.

7. We have fewer ESOL classes now? I don’t think so. The nuumber of students enrolled in ESOL dropped slightly at the height of the foreclosure crisis, but returned to an even greater number by FY2008-2009. 

8. He failed to explain the evolution of what happened in PWC. He failed to explain that the Resolution that was passed on July 7, 2007 was not what passed around May 1, 2008. He led Alisyn to believe that whatever we did here fixed all immigration problems. That is simply not the case. He did not say that the status of all those arrested would be checked and he did not mention the 287(g) program. He failed to mention one of the worst housing crashes in the United States happened in PWC. He failed to mention he used  trumped up issues to get himself re-elected. He failed to mention what he did to the Chief of Police. He failed to mention what he did to his supervisor colleagues.

How can he live with himself puffing up like that?  He  let everyone who was listening to Fox News at that hour believe he held the silver bullet.

I felt very ashamed of my county and my state as I listed to something that simply was not the truth. Corey told how he wanted things to be, not how they really were. He misled the people of Arizona.

Liar, Liar, Pants on fire!

Police Department Illegal Immigration Policies

Arizona Follows PWC’s Path, or Does It?

MoonHowler

 

From insidenova.com:

What’s happening in Arizona is exactly what happened in Prince William, but board Chairman Corey Stewart says outcry and criticism shouldn’t dissuade the state from going forth with tough new immigration laws.

“Essentially, we were the test case for what’s going on in Arizona,” said Stewart, R-At-Large. “I can tell you the intensity they’re facing is exactly the intensity the board of county supervisors faced, and it came from several corridors … that essentially tried to threaten the county.”

In late April, Arizona’s Republican governor, Jan Brewer, signed into law new immigration policy giving local law enforcement the authority “to reasonably determine the immigration status of a person involved in a lawful contact [with officials],” according to the summary sheet of S.B. 1070 posted on the state’s website. The lawful contact clause in particular caused concern among civil rights activists who foresaw worst-case scenarios where police would engage in racial profiling and de-mand paperwork proving legal status from, say, pedestrians based on skin color.

Prince William County’s immigration policy, by contrast, states that police broach the issue of legal presence only after “physical custodial arrest,” according to a June 2008 press release from the police department on the main points of enforcement procedures.[bold mine]

Read More

Not with a bang but a whimper….

MoonHowler

The Opt Out Resolution, that call to arms by Corey Stewart passed the BOCS on Tuesday, not with a bang but  a whimper. What passed in a 6-2 vote, was a resolution that directs the county staff to find out how much new federal health care regulations will cost Prince William County. Both Supervisors Jenkins and Principi voted against this Resolution because they felt it was taking the staff off their regular jobs and that staff was already short.

From the News and Messenger:

With a vote of 6-2, Prince William supervisors Tuesday passed a resolution that directs staff to find out how much new federal health care regulations will cost the county.

The resolution also requires staff to report these costs to the board and to alert state and federal authorities if there’s a problem—that is, if the regulations amount to unfunded mandates that will require supervisors to raise taxes or cut essential services.

Supervisors John Jenkins, D-Neabsco, and Frank Principi, D-Woodbridge, voted against the measure after attempts to amend the document—to set up a committee to study the issue and to direct staff to research and report on tax-saving benefits of the federal health care plan—failed.

The actual resolution that passed is a watered-down version of what was originally proposed, and is in not a call to opt-out of the federal health care plan. It does not support, or even mention, the state’s lawsuit against the federal law, either. Rather, the resolution, which is available online at the county government’s website, http://www.pwcgov.org, is a directive to staff.

This Resolution is a far cry from what was originally proposed for our county by Corey Stewart, early in April at a political rally down in Stafford County. Stewart originally  said he was proposing a resolution that would direct the staff not to honor new medicaid claims that were to be ushered in January 1, 2014 as a result of HCR. By April 15, Stewart was handing out fliers at a Tea Party Tax Rally calling his proposal an Opt Out Resolution. By the time Moonhowlings.net received a copy, there was no ‘Opt Out,’ just a directive for staff to study the costs and report back to the board. Funny how that all worked out, isn’t it?

Good work, citizens of Prince William County. It looks like we avoided another Stewart Folly.  Hats off to the supervisors who voted no.  As our regular, George Harris,  has stated, he found out much of what he needed to know by making a couple phone calls.  Why can’t the county do the same thing rather than turning every issue into a circus?

All Eyes Still on Prince William County

MoonHowler

All eyes are still on Prince William County as the residents of Arizona feel our pain at the Harkins Valley Art Theater near Phoenix.  The theater has been packed each night for screenings of 9500Liberty. Eric Byler has been in the Phoenix area for approximately a week now.  This afternoon he hosted a radio show with 3 Republican business people who disapprove of the law passed, SB 1070.

Many folks from Arizona now know all about 0ur county.  A write up in AZ newspaper Phoenix New Times revealed:

The film chronicles the heated battle over an Immigration Resolution (drafted by the same folks who brought us SB 1070), in Prince William County, Virginia that passed in 2008 and was quickly repealed because of devastating economic effects (read more about it here). 9500 Liberty captures both sides of the battle in Prince William County through numerous interviews and video clips, some of which provoked the audience at Harkins into both jeers and cheers.

For example, when a woman tells the Prince William County Board of District Supervisors that they must “Never forget 9/11 and who did that to us – illegals,” the audience at Harkins Valley Art let out a collective grumble. Minutes later, they roared in unified laughter when a man tells the Supervisors, “Don’t confuse the 9/11 with the 7-11.”
Naturally our own Alanna and Elena are  folk heroes and Eric is extremely busy.  That is what happens when you have directed a film on immigration and one of the biggest news events of the day suddenly becomes a highly controversial state law in Arizona rather than a resolution in a county in Virginia.
When asked by Lydia Aranda, a local Wells Fargo executive and a member of the Governor’s Latino Advisory Council,  what was the main lesson he’d  (Byler) learned in Prince William County that continues to be relevant  here  in the county, he responded:
“If [co-director] Annabel [Park] were here, I know what she’d say,” Byler replied. “The biggest lesson is that the immigrants in our community are already integrated into the economy, because the economy does not discriminate based on your national origin. A dollar is a dollar.”
Byler also denied that demonstrations and rallies were productive in our area.  He said that community leaders and business people spoke with supervisors individually and those private conversations are what ultimately lead to a softer approach.
It looks like a home boy it one out of the ball park with 95ooLiberty.
Full story at Phoenix New Times.

Regarding the Proposed Resolution of May 4

MoonHowler

 

 

 

 

 

This Tuesday the PWC BOCS plans to vote on a much watered down ‘Resolution’ (See 10H on the Agenda)

Mr. George Harris gets it. We hope the rest of the BOCS gets it.

 

George S. Harris’s open letter to the BOCS in News & Messenger May 1 says it all.

LETTER: To the Prince William Board of County Supervisors
Your View
Published: May 1, 2010

I am writing to you to ask you to help this unlearned citizen understand why a resolution is needed by the Chairman Corey Stewart to determine the number of people affected by the expansion of the Medicaid criteria under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I simply wrote to the Prince William County Department of Social Services and within a few days received a reply from Mr. Dennis E. McFeeley, Divi-sion Chief of Benefits, Employment and Child Care Programs. His telephone number and email address are: Phone: (703) 792-4315 Email: [email protected].

By the way, the estimated number is 15,200 of the poorest of the poor.

It would seem to me that Mr. Stewart could simply pick up the telephone and call Mr. McFeeley or Mr. Ric Perez, the acting director of the Department of Social Services, and pose the question he has included in his draft resolution. While I don’t have Mr. Perez’s direct telephone number, the main number is 703-792-7500. I suspect whoever answers the telephone would be more than glad to connect Mr. Stewart with Mr. Perez.

Yes, I agree it would prudent to determine how much the Medicaid expansion will cost Prince William County, but considering that it will be some 14 years before the county must begin cost sharing, any estimation would at best be an onageristic estimate. Again, a telephone call might work.

On the other hand, if Mr. Stewart is using a resolution to stick the board’s collective finger in the federal government’s eye, I strongly recommend against this. We’ve already been made to look the fool too many times.

Therefore, I am left to draw the conclusion that this tempest in a teapot is nothing more than political posturing on Mr. Stewart’s behalf to satisfy his political base and the members of the Tea Party whose meetings he frequents as a speaker. If my conclusion is wrong, would someone be so kind as to let me know?

GEORGE S. HARRIS

Manassas

One has to ask why a resolution is needed when picking up the telephone and asking a few questions solves the same purpose? Could it be that Mr. Stewart is once again grand-standing? Is this his way of attempting to save face after standing on the steps down in Stafford like George Wallace demanding civil disobedience from county employees? (Click to see background material)

Hopefully all the supervisors will see the absurdity of this ‘Resolution’ and will vote NO. Why help Corey Stewart make a fool of himself?

Déjà Vu Anyone? A Call for Anarchy?

MoonHowler
A call for anarchy?
A call for anarchy?

From the News & Messenger regarding the local Tea Party Rally yesterday:

Stewart, a Republican, said he will ask his colleagues to approve a resolution that would prevent county employees from implementing new Medicaid regulations when they take effect in 2014.

“That is a public option that increases Medicaid to beneficiaries by more than 40 percent,” Stewart said at a Prince William County TEA Party Patriots rally at the McCoart Administration Center on Thursday.

Stewart, who seemed confident that his resolution will pass, said the county would not provide the benefits until it is compelled to.

“We will not implement those regulations until we are required to do so through injunction, which can only be initiated by the attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he told the crowd of about 100.

Additionally, Stewart said he believes the regulations will not bear legal scrutiny.

“I do not believe they are legal,” he said about 2 p.m., when the crowd had dwindled from a high of about 200 at noon when the rally started. “I do not believe they will serve anyone.”

He continued, “I do believe that they will hurt the current beneficiaries of Medicaid—the disabled, the poor children and others—who already have difficulty finding physicians who will treat them on the low reimbursement rate.”

Stewart said the regulations amount to “unfunded mandates” that will cost taxpayers money and divert resources from other areas.

“I don’t think the county should be responsible for administering a federal program,” he said.

Still, Stewart said he didn’t know how thing would shake out legally.

STOP!  Stewart doesn’t know how things will ‘shake out legally?  That might be a real good question to ask before everyone jumps on the bandwagon trying to get re-elected.  Injunctions are orders by a court of law to do or not do something.  When the feds are involved, ‘an injunction’ can also come along with some enforcement  like the National Guard or US Marshalls.   Is that what we want?  Another University of Alamaba situation?

 

Read More

Another End Run by the BOCS Yesterday

MoonHowler

How dare they!

Yesterday, during Supervisor’s time, (# 8 at 5:06) John Stirrup asked for a directive to send the AG a letter thanking him for protecting their rights because he has filed suit against the federal government.  John Jenkins apparently was the only one with stones enough to object.  The directive was voted on and passed along party lines.  There no citizen input.

Mr. Jenkins called the move political and said it should not be part of the governance of that body.  Mr. Jenkins should be commended for speaking out and both he and Mr. Principi should be praised for going on record in opposition to this incredible  outlandish show of partisanship.  The BOCS has absolutely nothing to with the HCR law that just passed. They are a local governing body.  If they want to individually write to the AG and kiss up to him, that is their business.  Do it on their own time.  They do not have the right to do it for the entire county and they do not speak for me. 

They have pulled an end run.  Those 6 Republican supervisors do not speak for me.  They do not speak for all the citizens of Prince William County.  They did not poll the citizens.  There was no warning.  Now my name goes to an attorney general whom I did not vote for praising him for wasting my money on something I disapprove of doing.

Didn’t they learn a lesson from the initial immigration resolution of July 10, 2007?   John Stirrup must have that tingle going down his leg over this one.  He seemed almost as giddy introducing the directive as he did that night we all saw him on TV at the Republican convention. 

Stirrup, Stewart. May, Nohe, Caddigan, and Covington:  You do not speak for me.  Write your own suck up letter but do not do it in MY name.

The Chairman Speaks ….Open Mouth…Insert Foot

MoonHowler

corey2

By now, everyone knows about the Coffee Party.  There were meet-ups all over the United States last Saturday.  People got together to discuss the direction they wanted their local, state and national governments to go. 

A reporter with the Gainesville Times,   Dan Roem, covered the meet-up out in Haymarket last Saturday.  He reported that our BOCS chairman had the following to say about his constituents who gathered to discuss a more productive government:

Despite its call for civility in political discourse, not everyone is buying into the movement, particularly Stewart.

“The Coffee Partiers are a bunch of fruitcakes,” Stewart told the Times on Sunday. “Yeah, they’re a bunch of nuts. If they’re going to be a coffee party, they’ll be a hazelnut party.”

Stewart elaborated, saying the Coffee Party is “just a phase; it’ll disappear.”

He derided Byler, whose 2007 films portrayed Stewart as being a right-wing ideologue, asking at one point, “Does (Byler) have a job?”

Byler said he does not have a full-time job but has earned income from college speaking engagements during the last couple years after striking it rich in Los Angeles making romantic dramas from 2002 to 2006.

Stewart described the Tea Partiers as patriots “concerned about the direction of the country and about the vast amount of spending that happening.” He called the Tea Party a “legitimate movement” while saying the Coffee Party is “just a load of crap.”

When asked to respond to the inevitable accusation that his comments are the type of discourse Coffee Party participants are fighting against, Stewart replied, “It’s more important to be honest than polite.”

Corey must be looking for this year’s scare tactic so he can get elected. More ‘honest than polite?’ Not really. Some people would say or do anything to get elected, or re-elected.

Nothing else needs to be said. Corey has said it all. Is he speaking for the entire BOCS?

CEO Announcement Postponed

MoonHowler

Beware All Ye That Enter Here

Residents of Prince William County were told to tune in at 3:00 pm during the BOCS meeting for the long awaited announcement of our new County Executive Officer. Chairman Stewart planned on interrupting the regularly scheduled meeting for this announcement.

No announcement was made. In fact, we are now being told the announcement will be made in 2 weeks at the next BOCS Meeting scheduled for February 2. The reason given was that Supervisor John Stirrup would not be in attendance.

And the real reason is? I thought Supervisor’s absence had been announced the week before. Furthermore, why does John Stirrup have to be present for the announcement of the new CEO? The postponement was just bad business. If the Chairman said an announcement was to be made, then it should have been made. Postponing the announcement just gives rise to rumor and it steals everyone’s thunder, especially the person being hired for the position.

Someone either dropped the ball or is trying to pull something slick.  Considering some of the players, there is no telling.  Why would such an announcement be made and then retracted?