Corey Ambushes His Own Party…and apparently they don’t like it.

MoonHowler

Just reading between the lines, the Republican state delegates from the area don’t appear to be appreciative of finding out about Stewart’s ambitions 2nd and 3rd hand. It appears they were blind sided.

After hours, News & Messenger online announced:

Stewart recently formed the “Rule of Law” campaign, saying he hopes to spur state legislators into passing a law similar to the one recently passed Arizona.

The Arizona law, which is similar to an ordinance passed in Prince William County in 2007, allows police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or suspect of a crime.

Stewart said Arizona lawmakers acted because the feds weren’t enforcing existing immigration laws.

“They’re definitely not doing their job in Virginia,” Stewart said of the federal government.

We have all seen Corey Stewart’s proposals on his website, on local blogs and on facebook.

What have local legislators said as the Corey Stewart Rule of Law Immigration Act was unfurled?

Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R- 31st District, said legislators in Richmond are already on the job.

“We actually passed a law before Prince William did that would restrict services to people not legally present in the United States,” Lingamfeltersaid. “I’m very appreciative of Corey Stewart’s encouragement and support and interest in the topic, but he should be assured — as well as the public — that you have lots of people who are solidly engaged on this issue and will continue to be.”
Lingamfelter said Stewart could be of help operating on the local front.

“I think where Corey could really help if he wanted to is to get the Board of County Supervisors to propose legislation in their legislative package,” Lingamfelter said.

Dismissed. I don’t think Del. Lingamfelter liked the Corey Plan. Delegate Jackson Miller weighed in on the subject:

Del. Jackson H. Miller, R-50th District, echoed Lingamfelter in saying that people are already working on illegal immigration legislation.

“Many of us have been working for years in Richmond on illegal immigration reform and we will continue to do so, and we’re glad that Corey is supporting us,” Miller said.

Miller said he was taken aback when he heard about Stewart’s initiative from secondhand sources.

“I was a little surprised that I hadn’t heard from him because this is an issue that I’ve been working on since I went to Richmond,” Miller said. “Since he wants the state to address this, I’m surprised I haven’t heard from him about it.”

Rather than admit his gaffe, Corey talked back and actually appeared to diss the 2 lawmakers:

Stewart said he might not look to a Prince William representativeto introduce his ideas in Richmond.
“We’re going to choose somebody who can be effective in carrying legislation,” Stewart said.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a delegate from Prince William County,” Stewart said. “In fact it might be a benefit to have someone from outside the county carry the bill.”

Other areas in the state have issues with illegal immigration, Stewart said.

“Northern Virginia is not the only region with illegal immigration problems,” Stewart said. “Harrisonburg, in particular, Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area, and some of the faster growing areas are where you’re going to find the worst illegal immigration problems.”

 

In case you just missed this very pointed insult, Corey clearly believes he will have to travel outside PW Co.  to carry on his zany idea.  He apparently doesn’t feel his two Republican peers are capable of passing successful legislation. 

Delegate Bob Marshall seemed unsure of Virginia law and has written a letter to the AG for clarification. 

This behavior seems to demonstrate that once again, Stewart cannot be counted on to be a team player. He appears to be hard-wired to have total disregard for his fellow elected officials.  Had he chosen to work with Delegates Miller and Lingamfelter, and include them in his ideas, perhaps some substantive legislation could have been possible, rather than a cut and paste version of the Arizona Law SB 1070 which is a lawsuit magnet.   Corey is the little cheese.  Miller and Lingamfelter are the Big Cheese.

Should we be surprised? We saw him throw several of his fellow supervisors  under the proverbial bus when he handed over emails from them to a local blogger back in 2008 when he was allowing Chief Deane to be called a traitor. Not exactly a trust builder there (on any level).  Additionally, he put these same BOS colleagues on the firing line when he left the county and trumpeted his plans to direct county employees not to do the work necessary to register newly qualified recipients of medicaid. He was going to pass a resolution to direct employees to break federal law!   The other supervisors  knew nothing of this plan either.

Albemarle County Opts Out

MoonHowler

Albemarle County has decided to opt out of paying VRS contributions for new employees hired after July 1, 2010. The General Assembly allows them to chose whether to pay the employee contribution or not.

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Albemarle County officials have decided to stop picking up the tab for what local government employees have to pay into the state retirement system.

Albemarle, along with the bulk of localities in Virginia, has long been required to pay what is considered the employees’ retirement contribution share. But this year’s General Assembly gave localities the option to make new employees pay the contribution themselves — which equals 5 percent of their salaries — so Albemarle decided to make new employees start paying.

The change applies only to new employees who have never been in the Virginia Retirement System and are hired after July 1.

The benefit payouts will be deducted from employees’ paychecks.

Depending on how many employees the county hires after July 1, the move at a joint meeting last week between the Board of Supervisors and School Board could save the county a couple of hundred thousand dollars per year, officials estimated

.

It is unclear whether the school board will go the same route and the county. One thing being discussed is raising the pay to attract more teachers and then soaking the new employees for their VRS contribution. I hope they tell them this before they sign on. It almost seems deceptive. The VRS employee contribution is 5% of the employee’s annual salary. I am not sure I see where Albemarle County Schools would be saving money if they paid more to the new employees and didn’t pay VRS. Wouldn’t they have to pay highter FICA contributions? It also eventually raises the amount their pension is calulated on. Pay me now or pay me later. It seems to me that they are just being sneaky. I hope it ends up biting them in the butt.

Full Story

GOP Dust up in the 11th

MoonHowler

The GOP dust up in the 11th congressional district threatens to leave silt everywhere.  The 2 candidates, Keith Fimian and Pat Herrity are duking it out.  The winner will take on the one term incumbent, Gerry Connolly.  Connolly is a former Fairfax county supervisor.

The lastest saga of the dust up is over Fimian’s college past at William and Mary.  Apparently he was involved in a dorm water fight that went awry and he was arrested and convicted of assault.  This 35 year old incident has now become part of the political arsenal.  Readers should be reminded of the former Delegate Paul Nichols run- in with the law as a passenger in a car in North Carolina and its ensuing impact on his re-election.  Its just what happens around here.  According to the News and Messenger:

Fimian was convicted of assault in 1976 while a student at the College of William & Mary, according to the circuit court clerk’s office for Williamsburg and James City County.

He was sentenced to 30 days in jail with all but seven days suspended, and fined $200.

Fimian doesn’t dispute the details of the incident. But he accused Herrity of trying to use it to smear him.

“Now he is faxing around court documents about a college incident in 1975—35 years ago,” the Fimian campaign said in a statement Friday, though word of the assault was provided to the News & Messenger anonymously. “Herrity has surrendered his personal integrity.”

The Fimian campaign’s statement said that when Fimian was a freshman, a “dorm water fight spun out of control” and Fimian “injured another male student.”

“Keith Fimian was wrong and remains sorry that it occurred,” the statement said. “Keith Fimian has apologized to the other person in the fight and regrets it to this day.”

The Fimian camp also said that Herrity is down in the polls, and that his campaign is “spinning into a disaster.”

Someone should have warned Fimian that is just what Republicans in this area do to get each other.

The local blogs are rife with attacks on 50th state district Jackson Miller for supporting Pat Herrity.  Other politicians out of Prince William are also supporting Mr. Herrity.  It seems to me that this would be their right to support who they choose.  Somehow the Fimian/Herrity race  is  being tied in to the immigration issue in Centreville.  Strange that Jackson Miller is being singled out by name.  He won’t even be up for re-election for another year and a half.

Why is a proposed Centreville Day Labor site being turned in to a political incident?  Haven’t people learned by now that politicians will find a way to exploit the immigration  issue any way they can? That ship has sailed in our area.  The citizens of Northern Virginia are concerned about jobs, transportation, education and protecting their environment.  Northern Virginians  are too smart to be taken in by a subject over which they have found they have little control at the local level.

Attempts by a few to drag Jackson Miller down will not work either.  He is far beyond being dragged down by an immigration issue feebly  tied to Pat Herrity.  Jackson has become a Manassas icon, a favorite son so to speak.  Fortunately, Mr. Miller is seen as representing all the people, just not a few uber-cons.  That’s as it should be.

The primary election is being held this Tueday in the 11th district for the Republican seat.  There are no Democrat primaries in the state.  Their dust ups are all being  handled in convention.   A reminder that all registered voters can vote in primary elections regardless of party.

There is some talk of democrats voting for Fimian.  He is seen as less mainstream, more closely tied to the far right, and frankly, easier to beat in a general election, especially one that takes in a large part of Fairfax County.  Light voter turn out is expected.

[UPDATE:  Additional information at Not Larry Sabato regarding Candidate Keith Fimian.  What Poor Richard did not tell us was that this candidate has been accused of violence and dishonesty by a former business partner.  I would consider this a very critical read if I lived in the 11th Congressional District]

AG Cuccinelli Refuses to Join 48 States in Amicus Against Westboro Baptist Church

MoonHowler

 

AG Ken Cuccinelli loves to file law suits and briefs.  He has several lawsuits against our country.  Please someone tell me why he didn’t jump on the band wagon against the funeral protesters, Westboro Baptist Church,  48 states filed an amicus brief.  2 states did not:  Virginia and Maine.  WHAT?  If there was ever a reason to file an amicus brief, WBC is it!

According to Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia have submitted a brief to the Supreme Court in support of a father who sued anti-gay protesters over their demonstration at the 2006 funeral of his son, a Marine killed in Iraq.

Only Virginia and Maine declined to sign the brief by the Kansas attorney general.

Albert Snyder sued over protests by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church at his son’s funeral in Maryland. The church pickets funerals because they believe war deaths are punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the protesters’ message is protected by the First Amendment.

In the brief filed Tuesday, the states argued they have a compelling interest in protecting the sanctity of funerals.

Mr. Snyder now owes WBC over $16,ooo because of a counter lawsuit.  Americans are outraged that the father of a fallen hero would ever have to pay this horrible group a penny.  Where is Virginia?  Once again, Ken Cuccinelli shames us all.  However, he now as one ally, according the the Richmond Times Dispatch–the ACLU.

Cuccinelli’s office announced that it is not joining 48 other states in filing a supporting legal brief on behalf of Albert Snyder, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq whose funeral in Maryland was picketed by Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas, a hate group.

Among other things, the church pickets funerals of American soldiers, claiming God has killed them for defending a nation of “sodomite hypocrites.”

Snyder is suing Westboro and its pastor, the Rev. Fred W. Phelps, for what he alleges was a disruption of the funeral for his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq in 2006. Church members have become nationally known for heckling at military funerals and hoisting signs that berate mourners with slogans such as “You’re in hell” and “God hates you.”

After Snyder won a $5 million verdict in district court, an appeals court reversed the decision, saying the Westboro protestors were exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. The case is now moving to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Yesterday was the deadline for filing a “friend of the court” brief in support of Snyder’s case. Every state but Maine and Virginia lined up behind Snyder.

“The attorney general’s office deplores the absolutely vile and despicable acts of Fred Phelps and his followers,” spokesman Brian Gottstein said in a statement. “We also greatly sympathize with the Snyder family and all families who have experienced the hatefulness of these people.”

The statement said Cuccinelli’s office chose not to file a brief “because the case could set a precedent that could severely curtail certain valid exercises of free speech.”

Gottstein said Virginia has a law that balances free-speech rights but also protects people like the Snyder family by making it a crime to “willfully disrupt a funeral or memorial service to the point of preventing or interfering with the orderly conduct of the event.”

Albert Snyder said Cuccinelli will pay a price politically for not joining other attorneys general.

But the attorney general found an ally on the First Amendment issue from a frequent critic — the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“We completely agree with the attorney general,” said ACLU Executive Director Kent Willis, who called the issue a “fundamental gut check” of the First Amendment.

“This kind of deplorable free speech must be protected in order to make sure all speech is protected.”

The speech of WBC far exceeds any speech deemed tolerable by a civilized society. Their speech should be treated like yelling fire in a crowded theater or using the F word during prime time TV. The behavior of Westboro Baptist Church (sic) is totally unacceptable to conservatives, liberals, and moderates. What is Cuccinelli thinking? He should pay the political price, as father Albert Snyder states. Who ever thought the Cooch would be cozied up with the ACLU? I suppose politics makes real strange bedfellows in this case. Or…perhaps the Cooch agrees with WBC.

McDonnell’s staff inches toward privatizing liquor stores

MoonHowler

During the 2009 gubernatorial campaign, Bob McDonnell said he wanted to investigate selling Virginia’s state liquor stores to private owners.  Many of us went nuclear at the time but figured he would move on past that bad idea.  Apparently we thought wrong.  In fact, an article in the Washington Post slipped right past me on May 17.

From the WaPo, in its entirety:

Anita Kumar

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration has been quietly meeting for months with members of the alcohol industry and others in the community who would be affected by his proposal to privatize liquor stores.

Eric Finkbeiner, the governor’s senior advisor for policy, has been talking informally with representatives from the Restaurant and Hospitality Association, Diageo Beverages, Miller Coors, Associated Distributors, Retail Merchants Association of Virginia, Virginia Wine Wholesalers, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Beer Wholesalers Association, Total Wine, Virginia Wineries Association, Wine Institute, Sazerac (which owns Bowman Distilleries in Virginia), Virginia Retail Merchants Association, MADD, public safety organizations and faith-based groups.

McDonnell recently formed a commission on government reform and restructuring, which will consider, among other proposals how the state could sell the state’s 350 liquor stores, which he pledged to do on the campaign trail last year.

Finkbeiner and his working group will bring possible ideas to the commission, which is charged with providing initial recommendations to McDonnell by July 16, and writing a final report by Dec. 1.

McDonnell estimates the sale of the ABC stores could bring in as much as $500 million for much-needed road improvements, but his critics argue that any one-time proceeds would be offset by the permanent loss of $100 million in annual revenue that goes to other state services.

Last week, at a public forum focused to kick off the government reform effort, McDonnell said he would not support holding a referedum to decide whether the ABC stores should be privatized.

“For 70 years, we’ve distributed beer and wine in every 7-Eleven, every Food Lion. But we’ve controlled the distribution of spirits,” he told the crowd of more than 100 people. “From a free market stand point, it doesn’t make sense to continue to control only one part of the distribution.”

McDonnell will call the General Assembly back to Richmond this fall for a special session to approve his recommendations if he can build support for some of them. <

Virginia has a long history of having state stores that dates back to the end of prohibition in 1933.  The history and accompanying pictures can be found at the following link on the ABC website. 

 Additionally, Virginia  makes money off the state stores–lots of money and that money goes in to other programs.  See the 2009 annual report.  Download here.   (pdf)

What is McDonnell’s obsession with privatizing our state ABC stores?  Any private industry will have one objective–making money.  Virginia regulates the use of alcohol and its primary objective is not financial.  McDonnell will run in to a big fight if he continues with this tradition-breaking stupidity.

Give it back Ken!

MoonHowler

 

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

If it quacks like a scam, then the AG needs to give back the $55,500 he received in campaign funds.  The AG needs to investigate this ‘charity.’  Ticer and McDonnell both did the right thing.  Cucinnelli needs to follow their lead.  In a nutshell, from newsvine.com:

VA Attorney General Ken Cucinelli (R) Took $55,500 from what appears to be a charity scam that exploits veterans…. He refuses to investigate the group and plans to keep the money

.

A big bear Hug to Bear for this one. I had missed it.

Virginia State Majority Leader Victim of Identity Theft

MoonHowler

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw discovered in March that he was a victim of identity theft when charges on his American Express were declined. According to the Washington Post:

Saslaw said he was alerted to a problem with his American Express credit card in March and quickly reported it to Virginia State Police. Virginia authorities reported it to the California State Highway Patrol, which is now searching for two suspects in the Sacramento area in connection with the theft. Saslaw said the suspects reached out to multiple banks and credit card companies in an effort to get new cards in his name. “They were persistent,” he said.

Saslaw praised the Virginia and California authorities and said reaching out to police was the right thing to do when he realized he’d been the victim of identity theft. “They were really very efficient,” he said.

Saslaw theorized that his number was skimmed while he ate at a Northern Virginia restaurant

.

.

News10 out of Sacremento had the following:

Saslaw said the same thing happened to two other lawmakers in the Virginia legislature and he believes information on the magnetic stripes of their credit cards was stolen in a process known as “skimming” while they dined together at a restaurant.

Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force commander Capt. Jim Cooper said investigators were searching for two suspects they say changed Saslaw’s home address in Virginia to an apartment on Fulton Avenue in Sacramento. Investigators believe Bernell Bryan Washington, 24, and Sky Manriquez, 21, are staying with friends or relatives in the Fresno area.

I expect that American Express was all over this one. I had a card stolen in a restaurant. I alerted Am Ex and their fraud department was all over the case within minutes of the report. I had had unauthorized purchases made also and I knew where I had been when the card was taken. I have had 2 other unauthorized uses of credit cards. American Express was the most professional in handling the situation. People need to be on continual look out for unauthorized charges.

Fortunately, gas was bought with my card and not medical marijuana. The right wing blogs have already started having a field day with Saslaw’s identity theft, mainly because he is a left leaning Democrat. Too bad this can’t be a teachable moment about identity theft and how to handle it. Instead it is being used by some as a ‘gotcha moment.’ Shame on those who cannot transcend politics when the situation is obvious.

AG Goes Back to Bare-Breasted Attire

MoonHowler

The Virginia AG has decided that the replacement breast plate lapel pins he had made for his staff were just too distracting so he has returned to the bare-breasted Goddess Virtue of the Great Virginia Seal. He did try to lame out of why he did such a stupid, cultural warrior stunt in the first place:

“The image on my office lapel pin is similar to that of a large antique state flag that hangs in the Virginia Capitol,” Cuccinelli said in a statement yesterday. “That is where I got the idea for my pin. I liked this particular image and thought it would be something unique for my employees.

Cuccinelli attempted mock outrage that people would find his decision to cover up the Goddess ridiculous:

“I cannot believe that joking with my staff about Virtue being a little more ‘virtuous’ in this antique version has become news.

“This is simply a media-made issue that has become distracting to the work of my office. I am going to end this distraction by discontinuing future use of the pin.”

The Democrats opportunistically have been laughing their hind-quarters off because of Ken’s efforts to make an Amazon Goddess more modest. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

The Democratic Party of Virginia also called the latest dustup a distraction — and blamed Cuccinelli. “Does Ken Cuccinelli have anything better to do?” the party asked in news release.

“All Virginians should be concerned that Ken Cuccinelli is wasting the people’s time applying his ultraconservative political agenda to every aspect of his job, even classical art,” said party Chairman C. Richard Cranwell.

“Attorney General Cuccinelli’s good will has run out with our citizens,” Cranwell added. “Virginians demand common sense, results-oriented government, not distractions, embarrassments and misplaced priorities.”

Steve Farnsworth, a political scientist at George Mason University, said the seal flap “is the latest in a whole session of national punch lines.”

The controversy has been a distraction from the accomplishments of the McDonnell administration, and it has made life difficult for the Republican Party of Virginia, he said.

If Cuccinelli really was on top of things he would know that Goddess Virtue didn’t get on the state seal by being a cream puff. Sic Semper Tyrannis! Thus Always to Tyrants.  Don’t mess with Virginia’s boobs!

Cucinnelli Must Think He is Still Running for Office…

MoonHowler

Does this offend anyone else? Does Cuccinelli think he is still running for office?

Does this behavior seem unseemly for a sitting attorney general?

Challenging ‘Obamacare?’ I guess the good AG won’t mind if I call him ‘Moochinelli?’

I am glad he is saving the American people if they send money. It just sounds like a cheap campaign stunt to me.

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

Cuccinelli Ready to file Third Lawsuit–EPA is New Target

MoonHowler

Now the AG Ken Cuccinelli is ready to file his third lawsuit against the United States of America.  This time his is suing the EPA because they have said greenhouse gases and  carbon emissions are harmful.  According to Lychburg’s News and Advance:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli stands ready to take more legal action against the federal government if the Environmental Protection Agency announces new fuel economy standards for vehicles Wednesday, he said in Lynchburg on Tuesday.

Cuccinelli has sued the EPA over its finding that greenhouse gases harm people, and if it issues regulations Wednesday that are based on that finding, “We will sue them again,” he told the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Virginia’s Democratic Party renewed its accusations Tuesday that two Cuccinelli lawsuits against the federal government over global warming and health care are wasting the state’s resources “to wage a personal, political fight.”

Apparently the AG missed seeing our atheletes disembark from the plane in Bejing 2 summers ago.  Some of them were wearing gas masks because of the horrible air quality in that city.  Where does the AG think that smog comes from?  Could it be the millions of cars in that city? 

What stance will out BOCS take on his new lawsuit?  Will they be sending him atta-boy letters on Prince William County Board of Supervisors letterhead?  At least one supervisors feels he was looking out for the people of Prince William County during the last letter of praise that went out to the AG.  Will they be willing to look out for us now, since we live in one of the most impacted emissions areas?  Will there be a directive for the AG, Cuccinelli to knock it off on our behalf?

The AG says these lawsuits only cost the $385 filing fee.  Yea.  Right.  Is he also ignoring that we are all Americans and what the cost is double?  We will pay the Virginia fees and the United States fees.  Perhaps the AG forgot we are Americans.  Meanwhile, I am not unconvinced that the AG ran for office just to advance his personal agenda and that we have given him the platform to do it.  I have to get used to this new idea that carbon emissions and green house gas emissions are good for me.  Why don’t I just go back to smoking?

State will dip into pension fund, repay with 7.5% interest

MoonHowler

The Virginia General Assembly just couldn’t help itself.  It had to put the sticky fingers into the pension fund before closing for the session. 

The State of Virginia is helping itself to more than $620 MILIION  that belongs in the state pension fund, VRS, to pay pensions to state employees, some  county employees and teachers.  Virginia must begin to pay back the money by 2013 at an interest rate of 7.5% over 10 years. 

Predictable.  So the state who must have a balanced budget doesn’t really have one and the Emperor has no clothes.  According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

 

The provision, sought by the state Senate and included in the joint budget adopted by the General Assembly yesterday, is aimed at easing jitters over the decision to defer state and local payments to pension plans for the portion of future retirement liabilities that aren’t funded by the system.

Sen. Walter A. Stosch, R-Henrico, called the provision the most important step taken by the assembly to protect the retirement system, even as it relies on deferred pension contributions for almost one-fourth of the money used to balance the two-year budget.

“I don’t want anybody to feel that their pension is in jeopardy, because it isn’t,“ Stosch said yesterday. “But we’re recognizing the unfunded liability and requiring it to be repaid.“

But that wasn’t the only important step taken by the legislature to guard the $48 billion retirement system. It also adopted a package of changes that will lower the cost of pensions for future employees by more than $50 million in the next two years and $3 billion over a decade.

The above sounds like politico-speak for “I’m from the government and I am here to help you.”  The warm, fuzzy feeling just isn’t there if you have anything to do with the $48 Billion  VRS.   This sounds like the government doing what the government does best:  Robbing Peter to pay Paul.  However, there is no free lunch.  Retirement ages will increase and a greater part of employee contributions will come of the the employee’s pocket.  

This house of cards doesn’t sound like the foundation is real firm:

House budget officials had argued that the deferral would not harm the retirement system because of benefit changes that would reduce long-term costs and a likely recovery of stock market investments.

The VRS lost 21% of its assets during the free fall of 2008.  Actually, it ended up better than most individuals.  However, I don’t think our lawmakers should be gambling pension money away on the shaky premise that the stock market earnings are going to take up the slack. 

Part 2 will continue when more unfolds about the great robbery of 2010.  (subtitle:  Public Employees:  This will only Hurt for the Rest of Your Lives)  They just couldn’t keep their grubby mitts out of the pension fund.  News is sketchy at this point on the great robbery.  If the Washington Post even mentioned it, I didn’t see it.  The budget news is overwhelmingly horrible.

NOT ANY MORE. DADDY HAS HIS HAND IN THE POT.

Governor McDonnell Reverses AG’s Advice on Protection for Gays

MoonHowler

From WTOP and the Associated Press:

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has directed state agencies not to discriminate against gay people, essentially overriding the state attorney general’s advice to colleges.

McDonnell’s directive Wednesday came amid a public uproar over Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli’s letter last week telling public colleges they lack the authority to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Cuccinelli told colleges to rescind or change any anti-discrimination policies that include protection for gay people.

The Republican attorney general’s letter was denounced by gay-rights groups and Democrats. In the letter, Cuccinelli said colleges can’t include gays in their anti-discrimination policies without General Assembly authorization.

The Richmond Times Dispatch further adds that the AG is all happy that the governor has issued his ‘don’t discriminate’ decree. Now what’s wrong with this picture?

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who says there’s nothing in Virginia law to protect gay state workers from discrimination, is welcoming Gov. Bob McDonnell’s decree against bias on the basis of sexual orientation.

However, it’s not clear from a written statement just issued by Cuccinelli whether he backs the governor’s legal thinking in issuing a so-called executive directive protecting gay employees.

“I applaud Gov. McDonnell for the tone he is setting for the commonwealth of Virginia,” said Cuccinelli.

“I will remain in contact with the governor and continue to work with him on issues important to Virginians. I expect Virginia’s state employees to follow all state and federal anti-discrimination laws and will enforce Virginia’s laws to the fullest extent.”

So if you are feeling just a little bit confused, welcome to my world. Has someone contacted Jon Stewart to tell him its OK  here in Virginia now?  The Guv has nullified the AG.  Maybe he will now retract his remark about our gay flag. 

Perhaps Gov. Moderate McDonnell has discovered that Virginia really does want a mainstream governor and that this nonsense just isn’t going to fly. I am glad he made this decision.

No Jail Time Would Save Commonwealth $$$

MoonHowler

convict-looking-out_~LJU_109

 

 

Any time a person  can serve jail time because of charges, the person is advised to get an attorney.  If they cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for them.  According to and article in the Virginia-Pilot:

No jail time. No attorneys. No need for the state to spend its scarce dollars.

At least, that was the thinking of some Virginia prosecutors who proposed a novel way to save money: They won’t seek jail time for misdemeanor charges and the judge won’t have to appoint a state-paid attorney to represent indigent defendants.

Supporters of HB1394 suggest that it will save Virginia several million dollars, although how much is unclear.

“I haven’t seen anything like this,” said Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Bryant, a supporter of the measure. “The funding situation is so serious that we’ll look for cases where we’ll say, ‘We’re not seeking jail time.’ ”

Commonwealth’s attorneys floated this idea as a way to prevent deeper cuts into their budgets and staff. Instead of laying off prosecutors, the state would pay less for court-appointed attorneys.

So is this a good way to save the Commonwealth of Virginia millions? Should we skip the jail time for drug users, drunk drivers and wife beaters and just fine them out the ying yang?

Further support of the bill is explained:

A supporter of the bill, Springfield Republican Del. David Albo, said that in many cases, people convicted of misdemeanors, such as first-offense marijuana possession or simple assault, aren’t sentenced to jail anyway. Prosecutors already have the authority to waive jail – this bill makes sure they do so when possible, he said.

Not everyone is on board with this bill, including the governor who also felt there could be unintended consequences for those who relied on court appointed lawyers to prove their innocence.

Cuccinelli Says Public Colleges Can’t Protect Gays

MoonHowler

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch the Attorney General has advised public institutions of higher learning in Virginia that they cannot make sexual orientation a protected class.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says Virginia’s colleges and universities cannot prohibit discrimination against gays because the General Assembly has not authorized them to do so.

In a letter Thursday to the presidents, rectors and boards of visitors of Virginia public colleges, Cuccinelli said: the law and public policy of Virginia “prohibit a college or university from including ‘sexual orientation’, ‘gender identity’, ‘gender expression’ or like classification, as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy, absent specific authorization from the General Assembly.“


Read More