I've attended the Shad Planking for a number of years now. With the announcement that Ken Cuccinelli will speak but Terry McAuliffe will not, I'm not sure whether I'll make the trip. Part of the reason I've attended in the past is to reconnect with some of my friends on the right that I rarely … Continue reading Shad Planking: to go or not
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. In it, I address the effects on Norfolk's bonding capacity as they take on a new hotel-convention center while simultaneously trying to raise taxes for schools, the cost of which is in excess of $100 million. The last time Norfolk was worried about its bonding … Continue reading ICYMI: Big plans in need of big explanations
Last night, I participated in a live political talk show as the season finale of the Virginia Beach Forum. Our part of the program followed a presentation by Larry Sabato, who joined conservative author Kate Obenshain, Richmond Times Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro, Virginian-PIlot columnist Kerry Dougherty, radio show host Tony Macrini and myself the panel … Continue reading Quick report: Virginia Beach Forum
Steve Shannon learned it the hard way: you really have to do your homework when running for office. An article in today's Virginian-Pilot should serve as a wakeup call to Terry McAuliffe as well as other candidates out there. Knowing what the job you're trying to obtain entails is a requirement. And if you don't, … Continue reading Do your homework
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
A recent study of census figures shows that the Danville area, near the North Carolina border, is the least wealthy area in the country. The ravages of the poor economy for years have take their toll on this entire area. This study by the Commonwealth shows many of the problems facing Danville. (These studies are … Continue reading Study: Danville least wealthy area in the country
... 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 …
Voter participation is at an all time low for localities. The participation/attending/viewing city council meetings is even lower by citizens. This allows for bad behavior by elected officials to go mostly unnoticed. However, there is always the faithful small group that watches what goes on in local politics and either writes about them on blogs, … Continue reading Hampton: The Assault On Freedom of Speech
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
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