Ten of Virginia's 11 members of the U. S. House of Representatives voted no on the fiscal cliff bill last night. Only Gerry Connolly (D-11) voted in favor. https://twitter.com/GerryConnolly/status/286337010283724801 It's really not a surprise. The early details contained enough for Republicans and Democrats alike to agree that this was not a good bill. (And the … Continue reading 10 of 11 Virginia representatives vote no
Watching a little TV this morning, I heard the umpteenth example of just how dumb some of the media "experts" are. The host was relaying a story about a dinner at the White House. It was just after Gerald Ford had become president and he and Betty invited their long time friends, Tip O'Neill and … Continue reading The dumbing down of America
A long but good read from The New York Times about the difficulties poor kids have in navigating higher education. Closing the gap on this is critical, but how?
Gabby Douglas, the gymnast from Virginia Beach, was named The Associated Press female athlete of the year today. Since winning gold at the London Olympics last summer, Douglas has been on a whirlwind publicity tour and written a book. (Her website could use some updates.) A hearty congratulations!
The ODU sophomore quarterback won the Walter Peyton award, the FCS' equivalent of the Heisman. This is a big deal and my congratulations to Taylor!
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in Wednesday's Virginian-Pilot. The root is, I believe, redistricting, with the latest manifestation of this being a bill introduced in the Virginia legislature by Sen. Bill Carrico. It is quickly becoming fodder for columns across the internet and on television. The bill, if it became law, would allocate our … Continue reading The root of divisiveness in our politics
Looks like tax season is going to be delayed - again. According to The Journal of Accountancy: As the end of the year approaches, media attention is focused on the “fiscal cliff,” but a much more immediate result of Congress’s inaction threatens the 2013 filing season: the alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch, which expired at … Continue reading AMT patch needed now
Although published just after the election, I didn't run across this until yesterday. Frank Rich does a good job in this piece. Worth the read.
Sens. Mark Warner and Chris Coons introduced legislation today aimed at voting reforms. The FAST Voting Act of 2012 "creates a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reforms. It would provide incentives for states like Virginia to invest in practices and technology designed to expedite voting at the polls and simplify … Continue reading Warner co-sponsors voting reforms legislation
So Mitt Romney claims he lost because of "big policy “gifts” that the president had bestowed on loyal Democratic constituencies, including young voters, African-Americans and Hispanics." According to a recording of the call, partially aired by ABC, Romney actually said: What the president, president's campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, … Continue reading Where’s mine?
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 