Keep Shoveling, Corey

MoonHowler

Corey is just the gift that keeps on giving.  The Washington Post in its Virginia Political blog section quotes Corey:

The always-outspoken Stewart repeated his remarks today, and said he doesn’t worry that McDonnell may back Allen because voters already showed they don’t support Allen by voting him out of office in 2006.

“They’re old friends,” Stewart said. “George Allen has a lot of old friends. It’s not Bob McDonnell who chooses the next senator from Virginia. It’s the electorate. … And they have already decided Allen had a mediocre term as senator. He needs to move on.”

Does Corey not know the math of winning an election?  The winner has to get the most votes.  No one decided that George Allen was a mediocre senator.  Jim Webb got more votes.  Corey’s over-simplification is laughable. 
Now Governor McDonnell has come out and defended George Allen. 

“I think a lot of George Allen,” McDonnell said on his monthly radio show Tuesday on WTOP. “I served with him in the legislature when he was governor. He was the most dynamic governor of the modern age. I think he was an exceptional governor. He was a very good senator.”

 

McDonnell also has said he probably won’t endorse anyone.  Perhaps discretion is the better part of valor.  Maybe Corey needs to emulate the governor.  He just keeps digging himself in deeper and deeper.  If he keeps it up, about 10% of the population will support him, if he is lucky.  That’s won’t send Mr. Stewart to Washington. 

Corey Stewart Becomes Victim of a Public Smack-Down by the AG

MoonHowler

Wonders never cease to amaze us.  Even a broken koo koo clock is right twice a day.  It seems that Elena and Moon agree this one and only one time with AG Ken Cuccinelli.  Over what, you might ask, knowing that the earth has not begun to rotate backwards and that something must be up.

It seems that the Office of the Attorney General has created a side by side response to Corey Stewart’s Virginia Rule of Law Campaign.  The gods must not be happy because Corey got spanked– big time spanked. 

There must be an internal war going on in the Virginian Republican Party, or perhaps, Cuccinelli just wants Corey Stewart out of his way since Corey has been making ‘higher office’ noises.   The AG could have quietly gone to the state Republican higher ups and told them to kill Corey’s proposal before it ever got into the General Assembly.  He could have easily told them that the governor didn’t like it, especially since Governor McDonnell has been rather stand-offish over the entire immigration issue. 

But Cuccinelli didn’t let Corey Stewart’s baby bill die a quiet death.  He did a public smack down and apparently the OAG released the comparison. 

Obviously the AG sees the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign for exactly what it is:  a cheap political ploy created to get Corey Stewart’s name in lights and usher him on in to higher state or national office.  Corey should know he can’t ride that horse into town again and he is no Jan Brewer.  Even the AG has limits on how many times he wants the state of Virginia to be sued.

Opinion from the Office of the Attorney General.  Click to download the side by side comparison.

[Note:  the matrix showing side by side comparison was not issued by the OAG.  That arrangement was made for comparison purposes.]

It appears that the AG sends a strong message implying  that the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign verbage is simply a sloppily crafted piece of legislation.  Stewart either violates the Virginia or U.S. Constitution or adds new laws we can’t afford at every turn.    Cuccinelli points out each legal oversight,  point by point. 

So what caused Cucinelli to turn on Corey Stewart?  Why would he shoot holes in Corey’s great claim to fame?  Is this a case of clothes-lining  (or in this case, piano-wiring)  one’s politicial rival?  Is this a rift in the Virginia Republican Party or is this just a general shake down?  Will there be turf wars in Prince William County?  Is Corey sufficiently embarrassed?  Will he call on old friends to help him regain his political dignity?

 

More on this story:

http://9500liberty.com/blog/virginia-stunner/

and

Blue Virginia Blog   

 

 

 

Unfunded Mandates

MoonHowler

There will always be people who want to put their own spin on things.  Actually the BOCS meeting last Tuesday and the legislative action taken really wasn’t about illegal immigration.  It was about good governance.  And our BOCS failed the test. 

No one I am aware of is arguing that the current process of checking immigration status after one is arrested is a bad thing.  Most people I know feel that this is a fair, workable solution to a troublesome problem.  No one wants criminals on the street. 

The problem Tuesday began with lack of transparency.  The final UVA Report was unavailable for preview before the presentation.  For $385,000, this just should not be happening.  The agenda had irregularities.  The posted agenda showed  recess was scheduled and a press conference planned during the recess.  Again, this was highly irregular behavior and there was no explanation given.  Should citizens be suspicious?  To add to the confusion and obfuscation, 2 supervisors left during the business meeting and met with the press.  Why did the press have to be spoken to before the meeting was adjourned?

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Virginia Thugs???

MoonHowler

The above video is the cell phone footage taken by Jon Taylor’s son during his arrest in Louisa, Virginia. Something has made me uncomfortable about this video for the past 24 hours.

First off, we have to footage of what precipitated this scuffle. From what I can tell, Taylor, his wife and son went to the Solid Grounds Coffee Shop on Main Street in downtown Louisa. They had accepted an RSVP on the Cantor Website. Ms. Taylor was carrying a sign for Canter’s opponent.

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

The car, parked at a meter directly in front of the restaurant, was Taylor’s. His wife sat inside. A poster for Democratic candidate Rick Waugh, calling Cantor a chicken, was taped to the car window facing the coffee shop.

Taylor said Cantor had promoted the event on his website, so he assumed it was a public event.

“We RSVP’d,” he said.

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The Truth-o-meter on PolitiFact Virginia in the RTD

MoonHowler

Want to know about the latest truth or lies Vrignia politicians have told while campaigning? 

The Richmond Times Dispatch features  PolitiFact Virginia.

Eric Canter registers in the Pants on Fire category when PolitiFact checks in to his statement “

Eric Cantor

In the past two years, Democrats have “spent more money than this country has spent in the last 200 years combined.

Several quotes from major Virginia races are featured.  Obviously the Truth-o-meter didn’t like Rep. Cantor’s statement. Check it out.

 

The Sanctity of Marriage–Betrayed by some Conservatives

MoonHowler

I cannot push the image of Krystal Ball out of my mind.  I am not even sure I would vote for her.  I know nothing of her politics.  They don’t matter.  My melt down is over the way people who consider themselves conservatives have trashed and denigrated this young woman and, yes, her husband at the time.   Ms. Ball is someone’s wife, mother, daughter and sister. 

Krystal Ball owes no one any explanations.  She was with her own husband in the privacy of someone’s home.  Someone betrayed her and violated the sanctity of her marriage.  Couples should not have to explain their love life to others. 

What is it that makes some conservatives feel they can degrade her, make crude comments about her?  Where is their sense of outrage over someone violating the privacy of this couple?  Is it because Ms. Ball dared to go into politics?  Is it her youth?  Is it that she obviously has a lust for life?

I need conservative principles explained to me. No one here on this blog has been disrespectful.  But traveling around the blogosphere, observing that which has gone viral,  I see attack after attack from people who are obviously conservative.

Where does the sanctity of marriage kick in?  Help me understand.  Those pictures were not posted by Ms. Ball anywhere in public.  What is the difference in posting those pictures and being your common, every day Peeping Tom?  Don’t conservative values include guarding the privacy of married couples?  How about being respectful of people’s wives?   Don’t most conservatives believe in family values and wouldn’t those values guard the privacy of this couple?  How many people who made sexist comments voted for the Virginia Defense of Marriage Act?

 

3 Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot Nov. 2

MoonHowler

Marinm was kind enough to send me this notice from Senator Mark Obenshain (has to be from Staunton).  We all need to give these items some thought.  I never understand amendments when I go in to the polls and get blindsided by them:

From Senator Obenshain:

Many voters will be surprised to see three Virginia Constitutional Amendments on the ballot when they vote in three weeks (or earlier if voting by absentee ballot). I write this to provide a quick overview of the three constitutional ballot questions you will see when you vote.

All three amendments address taxation and revenue issues, and all three have passed the General Assembly two consecutive years (with nearly unanimous votes), as is required by the Constitution of Virginia, and they now go before the voters for final approval.

The first ballot question reads as follows: “Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation that will permit localities to establish their own income or financial worth limitations for purposes of granting property tax relief for homeowners not less than 65 years of age or permanently disabled?”

Currently, localities are only authorized to make exemptions for those who bear an “extraordinary tax burden,” or with the express approval of the General Assembly, which occasionally passes legislation authorizing specific localities to afford local property tax relief to senior citizens or the disabled. This amendment, if approved, would allow local governments to make the decision on their own, without going to the General Assembly for approval.

The second ballot question asks: “Shall the Constitution be amended to require the General Assembly to provide real property tax exemption for the principal residence of a veteran, or his or her surviving spouse, if the veteran has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability?”

If approved, this amendment would require a statewide exemption from local property taxes for the primary residence of any 100% disabled veteran, provided that the veteran’s disability is service-related. A surviving spouse could continue to claim the exemption so long as the same home remains his or her primary residence, and s/he does not remarry.

Finally, the third ballot question says: “Shall Section 8 of Article X of the constitution of Virginia be amended to increase the permissible size of the Revenue Stabilization Fund (also known as the “rainy day fund” from 10 percent to 15 percent of the Commonwealth’s average tax revenues derived from income and retail sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years?”

In other words, should we expand the allowable size of Virginia’s “rainy day fund,” to which state government contributes in good years to provide resources for lean years? Currently, the maximum size of the Fund – which is almost empty at present – is 10% of the Commonwealth’s average annual tax revenues from income and sales taxes for the preceding three fiscal years; this amendment would up the maximum allowable amount to 15%.

The Rude and the Crude

MoonHowler

Much has been said in recent weeks about women–in particular women who have the unutterable gall to go in to politics.  Christine O’Donnell has been the butt of many a joke as well as a little known young woman named Krystal Ball who is running for Congress in the 1st District.  

Christine O’Donnell  should just stop talking  about the witch thing.  Who cares?   No one really thinks she was a witch. She was a kid.  Kids experiment with stuff.  How do you ever learn if you aren’t confronted with a few things where you have to decide if this is something you should be doing or not. 

O’Donnell’s problem is she hasn’t renounced any of her ideas she espoused as a young person.  She doesn’t seem to have refined any of them.  Her remarks on masturbation will follow her to the ends of the earth.  She needs to kill them off.  She needs to say the point of going to the Senate is not to be self serving or something…anything.  She needs to take contol and not let those remarks from 12 years ago define her and what she is all about.

 

Leno was rude.  Letterman was crude about Sarah Palin’s daugher, Willow.  Real crude. 

Krystal Ball’s  relative anonymity has gotten a shot in the arm, although probably not the kind she wanted.  Someone got hold of some pictures of her and her first husband and friends at a Christmas party, in some frat party type poses.  Naturally the pictures went  viral and local bloggers had a hayday, especially those of the opposing party.  Krystal Ball was not deterred.

The bloggers  who posted Ball’s party pictures apparently were never young themselves.  They never acted out and they never had a good time.  They are as disrespectful as Leno and Letterman. The women they disrespect are someone’s wife, mother, daughter, sister. 

Like their politics, hate their politics but cut the dehumanizing crap out. Stick to the issues. Right now it just appears that there is a lot of one handed typing going on.  It sounds like Bob Marshall’s Luv Canal Frat boys in a locker room. 

And when you are old enough to be someone’s grandmother, you get to say these things without missing a beat. Grow  up, boys.

 

McDonnell’s ABC Privatization Plan Meets Obstacles with Republicans

MoonHowler

Governor McDonnell’s ABC privatization plan is meeting with some obstacles within the Republican party.  Many folks are digging their heels in and saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

Del. R. Lee Ware Jr. is a political conservative standing on principle in the debate over whether to get Virginia out of the liquor business.

But he’s standing on a different principle than Gov. Bob McDonnell, who says the state has no business selling distilled spirits through the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“The control of the sale of alcoholic beverages is a legitimate function of state government in serving the public good,” said David A. Bovenizer IV, spokesman for Ware, R-Powhatan. “Consequently, the free-market assertion regarding privatization of ABC is at best secondary to the common good.”

Bovenizer said Ware also regards the governor’s projections of state revenue from a private liquor industry as “unpersuasive” and the sale of the liquor monopoly unnecessary to raise money for road improvements, given the findings of a recent state audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

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The Real Impact of the AG Abortion Clinic Opinion

MoonHowler

Rachel Maddow does an excellent job of showing how rights can be taken away by making whatever it is that people are trying to do  inaccessible.  Inaccessibility  substitutes for making an act illegal.  Its a rather cowardly, un-democratic means of getting one’s own political way.  Maddow  also interviews the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Maddow explains how hospital regulations would financially  burden abortion providers rather than making abortion safer (Double wide hallways, swinging doors, 15 mile proximity to emergency room, etc.) Cuccinelli’s explanation is vague and full of weasel words, so that the average Virginian really doesn’t know what is being said.

Cuccinelli  attempted draconian, technically illegal abortion legislation while he served in the Virginia Senate.  He was unable to ever pass his legislation.  Now he attempts to circumvent legislation by simply declaring his opinion to be law.  His attempts to codify his own opinion won’t fly for long. 

Cuccinelli will not last. Most people don’t like having other people in their bedrooms. It remains to be seen if McDonnell will execute Cuccinelli’s opinion into state policy. Meanwhile, Cuccinelli has driven Virginia so far to the cultural right that he endangers other Republicans who might not be extremists.

Finally, Maddow addresses something the rest of us have been aware of for a long time. There is a tendency to bully those who are pro-choice. Many pro-choice people feel too  intimidated to admit they are pro-choice, much less hold their legislators accountable for their votes. Every woman in Virginia must decide that the women of Virginia are capable of making their own morally appropriate choices. They need to decide today that they will not allow others to define them. Pro-choice is not being pro-abortion and do not let anyone tell you it is.

What’s All the Flap about Cuccinelli?

MoonHowler

The Right Wing extremists are all howling with delight over their boy Ken Cuccinelli socking it to them thar femi-nazis…..the pro-aborts.  It must be full moon.  Let’s take a look at what their glee is over:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has given a ruling that has the potential of skirting around legislation that the General Assembly as refused to enact since the early 1980’s.  Attorney generals’ opinions are not legally binding, as court rulings are. 

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McDonnell Applies for 287(g) for State Troopers

MoonHowler

From the Richmond Times Dispatch:

Gov. Bob McDonnell this week formally requested that the Department of Homeland Security authorize some Virginia State Police troopers to perform functions of federal immigration officers.

The request, which was sent in a letter dated Aug. 10 to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, follows conversations since February on the subject between McDonnell’s administration and federal authorities.

McDonnell is requesting that homeland security enters into a so-called 287g agreement with the state, a pact that at least seven jurisdictions in Virginia already have in some form.

“The [memorandum of understanding] would include how participating State Police personnel will be nominated, trained, authorized and supervised in performing the immigration enforcement functions specified in the agreement,” McDonnell writes in the letter released today by his office.

“We contemplate addressing those aliens who are engaged in major drug offenses or violent offenses such as murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and kidnapping, as well as DUI offenses.”

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McDonnell Continues to Push for Sale of ABC Stores

MoonHowler

 

From the Richmond Times Dispatch:

 

Richmond, Va. —

Gov. Bob McDonnell indicated today that he will try to sell ABC privatization to the General Assembly as “a windfall for transportation.”

The proceeds from the auction sale of ABC licenses — the state expects to realize $300 million to $500 million — will go entirely for road maintenance, McDonnell said.

He appeared on Washington radio station WTOP’s “Ask the Governor” program.

Asked about a recent VCU poll which showed him with a 48 percent approval rating — low by gubernatorial standards — McDonnell said it reflects the people’s concern about jobs and the economy.

He also said there are no plans to proceed with phasing out the personal property tax on cars and trucks because of the state’s current fiscal situation. The 2002 General Assembly froze the phase out was frozen at about 65 percent of the assessed value of vehicles.

— Tyler Whitley

Apparently McDonnell believes in flash in the pan money.  What will he do to make up all the money that the sale of liquor brings in to the state annually?  This seems like a George Bush live for today, hell with tomorrow kind of scheme to me, rather than carefully planning out a course of action to guarantee certain finances we can count on. 

Some of us don’t want to look like Maryland or DC with a liquor store on every corner.  I sure hope a certain someone cornered the governor last night and gave him a piece of her mind about Virginia tradition.

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.

Pensions Revisited

MoonHowler

There has been an on-going discussion here on Moonhowlings.net about pensions and other retirement plans.  Some people here are very much oppose to any plans that are from money in  the public coffers.  I asked the serious question if those who oppose plans like VRS, Federal Retirement Programs, etc also oppose military retirement.  To date, no one has answered me. 

Last Sunday, the New York Times  featured a section on pensions entitled, In Budget Crisis, States Take Aim at Pension Costs.

Many states are acknowledging this year that they have promised pensions they cannot afford and are cutting once-sacrosanct benefits, to appease taxpayers and attack budget deficits.

Illinois raised its retirement age to 67, the highest of any state, and capped the salary on which public pensions are figured at $106,800 a year, indexed for inflation. Arizona, New York, Missouri and Mississippi will make people work more years to earn pensions. Virginia is requiring employees to pay into the state pension fund for the first time. New Jersey will not give anyone pension credit unless they work at least 32 hours a week.

“We can’t afford to deny reality or delay action any longer,” said Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois, adding that his state’s pension cuts, enacted in March, will save some $300 million in the first year alone.

But there is a catch: Nearly all of the cuts so far apply only to workers not yet hired. Though heralded as breakthrough reforms by state officials, the cuts phase in so slowly they are unlikely to save the weakest funds and keep them from running out of money. Some new rules may even hasten the demise of the funds they were meant to protect.

Lawmakers wanted to avoid legal battles or fights with unions, whose members can be influential voters. So they are allowing most public workers across the country to keep building up their pensions at the same rate as ever. The tens of thousands of workers now on Illinois’s payrolls, for instance, will still get to retire at 60 — and some will as young as 55.

One striking exception is Colorado, which has imposed cuts on its current workers, not just future hires, and even on people who have already retired. The retirees have sued to block the reduction

Some of the states mentioned have really cushy pensions. Virginia’s pension, the VRS, is rather modest but livable. The rub with the VRS is that back in the early 80’s most individuals had their pension paid by the state or the locality. That happened in leiu of giving pay raises. (see the history of VRS)

The VRS is actually mandated by the Constitution of Virginia.  The history also explains the following:

House Joint Resolution 392 of the 1993 General Assembly Session requested the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to complete a comprehensive study of VRS. The study concluded:

  • VRS should be established as an agency independent of the executive branch of Virginia government.
  • The appointment of trustees should be a shared responsibility of the Governor and the General Assembly.
  • The VRS trust funds should be established as independent trusts in the Constitution of Virginia.
  • The structure of VRS advisory committees should be established in law.
  • The General Assembly should designate a permanent legislative commission or committee to carry out continuing oversight of the retirement system.

This series of changes to the Virginia Constitution and the VRS enabling statutes occurred in 1995 and 1996. The Constitution of Virginia (Article X, Section 11) now requires the General Assembly to maintain “…a retirement system for State employees and employees of participating political subdivisions. The funds of the retirement system shall be deemed separate and independent trust funds, shall be segregated from all other funds of the Commonwealth, and shall be invested and administered solely in the interests of the members and beneficiaries thereof.” Today, this includes 237 state agencies, 249 counties, cities and towns, 183 special authorities and 145 school boards. As of June 30, 2009, VRS had nearly 347,000 active members and more than 141,000 retirees and beneficiaries.

Back to the military question:  Do those who want to get rid of pensions and retirement for public servants also want to get rid of military retirement?   Freedom is not only preserved by fighting our enemy.  It is also peserved by knowing how to read and write, and by being able to walk your streets without being killed by domestic enemies we often call thugs.  Freedom is knowing that we have first responders to keep us safe. 

All are important members of society who deserve to have their pensions kept intact without meddling and without the proverbial hands in the cookie jar.  After reading the above, I am not even sure what Virginia did was legal.