Archive for January 2011
Don’t surrender to violence
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in Wednesday’s Virginian-Pilot. How many of these kinds of events have we political junkies attended? There but for the grace of God go I. That was one of the many thoughts I had in my head as I watched the coverage of the massacre in Tuscon. And I’ll bet … Continue reading
A win for the citizens of Norfolk
Developer, Norfolk abandon deal: Faced with certain defeat, developers withdrew their request to the City Council on Tuesday for additional incentives to construct a $32.7 million office tower in a low-income neighborhood. [...] … council members said the public reacted sharply once word of the proposal broke Monday, showering City Hall with e-mails and telephone … Continue reading
Webb at Norfolk Forum
Senator Jim Webb was the second speaker in this season’s series of The Norfolk Forum. The Senator discussed three broad themes in his remarks: Reorienting U.S. national security Restoring economic fairness and social justice Reinstituting accountability in government
Sharon McDonald needs to go
So says The Virginian-Pilot: McDonald, elected in 2009 to a fourth four-year term, is either defiant or oblivious to the wishes of her constituents to a degree unprecedented in recent memory. Or she just doesn’t care enough to do the right thing. Or she thought nobody would notice. Regardless, the only conclusion that reasonably follows … Continue reading
Why the rush?
With the announcement of the retirement of Del. Tom Gear and the Governor’s setting of the date for the special election for March 8, one would expect that the contest for the Republican nomination would be around mid-February. Not so. The party-run firehouse primary is set for next Tuesday, January 18. What, exactly, is the … Continue reading
Just say no
Norfolk developers want city guarantee: Tivest officials want the city to guarantee 65 percent of rent payments for space the Southeastern Tidewater Opportunity Project will lease. The guarantee would kick in only if STOP could not pay its rent.STOP, a private social services provider funded largely with government dollars, would pay annual rents of more … Continue reading
Time for a new round of kick the can
By Steve Vaughan The General Assembly goes back into session Wednesday. So it’s time for our elected representatives to start putting off until tomorrow what they could be doing today. They’ll be ably assisted by Gov. Bob McDonnell. It’s easy to tell the governor is a former legislator, because his administration has been busy pushing … Continue reading
Useless redistricting commission
According to The Washington Post, Governor Bob McDonnell is appointing a bipartisan redistricting commission. Good, right? Well… Rather than proposing legislation to establish the commission and give it legal teeth, as other states have done, he is creating it by executive order and giving it only an advisory role. The 11-member commission, equipped with neither … Continue reading
Another few changes
You’ve no doubt noticed that the masthead for the blog is now All Politics Is Local. I’ve been thinking about a name change for a while, and this name, which has appeared on the site since the beginning, as the two pictures show (thanks to the Way Back Machine – click to enlarge). Plus, I … Continue reading
No words
I have been glued to the TV and computer for the last few hours since getting a phone call from a friend urging me to turn on the TV. The shooting in Arizona of Rep. Gabby Giffords and others is almost beyond belief. The Congresswoman is expected to survive but five six others, including a … Continue reading
Friday fun: Preamble to the Constitution
In honor of yesterday’s reading of the Constitution, here’s a little quiz on the Preamble. I finished it in 1:26. Guess memorizing that thing back in junior high school paid off
JFCOM gone?
Announced today: Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday he will cut $78 billion from the Pentagon’s budget in the next five years — money that will come from shrinking the military’s ground force, increasing health care premiums for troops and other politically unpopular cost-saving measures. Not specifically mentioned was Joint Forces Command, which is located … Continue reading
SM
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