To the surprise of, well, no one, LG Bill Bolling announced today that he will not pursue an independent bid for governor. Bolling cited three reasons for not running, with money leading the list. Based on my discussions with key donors over the past three weeks, I was confident I could raise enough money to … Continue reading Bolling out
"Open government is good government." Seems some of our elected representatives tend to forget that. This legislative recap from the Virginia Coalition for Open Government gives you an idea of why I say that, at least as it applies to Virginia. An editorial in Sunday's Virginian-Pilot raises the issue that the Norfolk Council needs to … Continue reading Sunshine Week: March 10 – 16
Been a while since I posted one of these. Finding a fun quiz is getting harder all the time 😦 Anyway - I ran across this one from Slate. Apparently, it's a weekly feature over there. I didn't do too badly (click to enlarge). You get points not only for right answers but also for … Continue reading Friday fun: Slate news quiz
... I told you so. Not once but twice. In a letter (pdf) to United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. Bob McDonnell made clear that Medicaid expansion was not what the General Assembly enacted. From his press release: The recently passed budget of Virginia contains language outlining a series of … Continue reading Hate to say ‘I told you so’ but …
Last week ended up being busier for me than usual. I don't believe I've ever gone a week between publishing posts in the history of this blog. Nevertheless, sometimes stuff happens - and last week was one of those times. The big news on the federal side is, of course, the sequester. It has been … Continue reading Catching up
Three years ago, I wrote about how to navigate the Virginia budget. Although the screens have changed, the process is still about the same. Unfortunately, as I was watching the live stream Saturday of the last day of session, the conference report was neither available online nor had been incorporated into the budget. We now … Continue reading Medicaid expansion: it ain’t done
As a kid, February 22 was celebrated as George Washington's birthday - and my Mama's. Today, my mother is 92 - or 93, if some in the family are to be believed. (She always told us she was born in 1921, but some of her siblings say she pushed her age back a year.) Like … Continue reading Happy birthday, Mama
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian Pilot Thursday. In it, I discuss the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a part of history that temporarily remains as an effort to keep discriminatory voting practices from occurring. Section 5 of the VRA is being challenged in the Supreme Court, in the case Shelby County … Continue reading ICYMI: Fending off discriminatory voting practices
Sequestration, that is. Despite recent efforts to sound the alarm on its effects in Hampton Roads and Virginia, including a letter from Gov. Bob McDonnell, I doubt Congress will do its job. Forget the blame game - both sides agreed to this mess because it wasn't supposed to happen. And now I hear folks saying … Continue reading It’s coming
... Mississippi ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. After Congress voted for the 13th Amendment in January 1864, the measure went to the states for ratification. On Dec. 6, 1864, the amendment received the two-thirds’ vote it needed when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify it. States that rejected the measure included … Continue reading Nearly 150 years later ….
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 