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?

 

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BOCS Meeting 1/19/10

MoonHowler

The highlight of the BOCS meeting tomorrow will be the announcement of the new county executive officer.  All lips are sealed as to who will lead the county.  According to the Manassas News and Messenger:

Craig Gerhart left the position months ago for a contract job with Amtrak. Assistant county executive Susan Roltsch has since filled the shoes. Following an extensive and nationwide search, and interview of a select few at Old Hickory Golf Course a few weeks ago, supervisors have found a permanent replacement.
The 3 p.m. announcement interrupts the supervisors’ regular board meeting, which includes discussion of the county’s 2010 legislative priorities and two Fire and Rescue Dept. issues – the quarterly report from the Fire and Rescue Association and whether to move to the next stage of a policy that would charge users for medical emergency transport.

Craig Gerhart announced his resignation last spring, so the county has taken its good sweet time locating a replacement. I heard a rumor that Corey himself had applied for the job but I didn’t believe it.  He did say there was no heir apparent, if that gives us any clues.

On a serious note, will the new CXO be someone from inside or will the new person be an outsider? Will the person come in and clean house or will things be status quo? Will the new CXO walk softly, carry a big stick for a while, get the lay of the land and then make changes or will there be Operation Clean Sweep down at Complex 1?  Will trumpets blare as Corey Stewart makes his announcement?  Why will the announcement be made at 3 pm?  Such ceremony.  Are we to expect a coronation to follow?   (Where is MoM when we need him!)

The good news is, this decision took less time than deciding the outcome of Silver Lake.

Update:  Corey Stewart also plans to present a resoltuion to address school over-crowding in the Linton Hall area where all schools are over capacity.  Details are from the Manassas News and Messenger:

LINTON HALL, Va.—Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart plans to present a resolution today aimed at addressing school overcrowding in the Linton Hall area.

In an e-mail sent to Bristow residents, Stewart said he plans to ask the board today to adopt a new policy requiring three news schools be opened and sites acquired for two more before “a single new occupancy permit is issued for a house in a new rezoning” in the Linton Hall area.

“I have received many e-mails, phone calls and visits from you concerning schools in your neighborhood,“ Stewart said in the e-mail addressed to Bristow residents. “You have told me that school overcrowding, particularly in elementary schools, is a top priority… You would like to have new school sites located in the Linton Hall area, not several miles away in a different neighborhood.“

His resolution specifically calls for two new elementary schools and a new high school in the Linton Hall area to be built and opened, and sites for a third new elementary school and a new middle school in the same area be acquired before new homes are built.

Stewart said the proposed new policy “would require that school overcrowding be addressed” before any new houses come to the Linton Hall area and “would also create a strong incentive for new school sites to be located in the Linton Hall Road area.“

Is this resolution crossing over into School Board territory? While most of us agree that there should be schools for all new houses, the unholy alliance between local jurisdictions and their school boards is  somewhat difficult to understand.  Basically each school board is independent but it have no means to raise revenue.  All of its money must come from the jurisdiction.