My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. I don't often write about the politics of taxation but in this case, I felt like something needed to be written. I've had far too many folks - students, family, friends, former clients - who don't get the connection between Congressional action on the fiscal … Continue reading ICYMI: Another delay rolls down Capitol Hill
From The Virginian-Pilot: Every year, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, a state watchdog agency, puts out a report comparing the Old Dominion to the rest of the nation on a wide variety of measures. The 2013 edition is out, and it provides relevant background for some of the major debates of this year's … Continue reading How does Virginia stack up?
It's been seven years today since I started this blog. The last two have not been nearly as much fun as the first five. I've had a lot of challenges in my life over the last couple of years, which has made blogging as much as I would like difficult. When you add on the … Continue reading Seven years
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Friday. The topic was, of course, the decision by Speaker Bill Howell to rule the Senate changes to the HB259 non germane. There is some sanity in Richmond. Maybe not as much as I'd like, but some. My column appears in The Virginian-Pilot on Thursdays. You … Continue reading ICYMI: The integrity of the institution
Speaker of the House William Howell ruled today that the Senate amendments to House Bill 259 were not germane, thus killing the bill. The ruling came after the speaker gave some history on the concept of germaneness, explaining it as a basic parliamentary principle. The speaker referred to a predecessor of his who interpreted the … Continue reading Re-redisctricting bill: not germane
Back in 2007, when Ralph Northam was running for Senate for the first time, I wrote about how he provided medical care to a boy who had just been hit by a car. Yesterday, the senator found himself in another situation that allowed him to use his medical training: ... the Norfolk Democrat used his … Continue reading Northam: doctor, citizen redux
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. It has always bothered me that until a state issue hits the national news, far too many in Virginia were unaware of the issue. Sometimes, like the electoral vote scheme, the state and local media has been covering the topic from the beginning. I wrote … Continue reading Are Virginians paying attention?
... you might want to rethink using the same kind of information that cost your party's nominee the presidency. On the pages sent the Post’s way, Cuccinelli uses language akin to Mitt Romney’s famous “47 percent” comment. The Republican presidential candidate had suggested that a share of the electorate was so dependent on government hand-outs … Continue reading If you’re going to write a book …
Tax filing season started today, its latest start ever. The delay was due to Congress' inability to pass legislation in a timely manner. Even with the late start, some taxpayers are not yet able to file. The IRS will begin accepting tax returns from people claiming education credits in mid-February while taxpayers claiming depreciation deductions, … Continue reading Tax return filing season starts today
A new super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton for President has been launched. I saw the documents when they first showed up on Twitter a few days ago. Immediately, the name of the chair jumped out at me: Allida Black. We both served on Hillary's Virginia steering committee, and were delegates for her in Denver. I'm … Continue reading “Ready for Hillary PAC” launched
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 