Republican candidate Willard "Mitt" Romney released his tax returns late last night. He wasn't kidding when he said "returns" plural: in addition to his personal 2010 returns, Romney released those of three trusts and a charitable foundation, plus an estimate of his 2011 return. The trusts are all grantor trusts, and the income from those … Continue reading Romney’s taxes: 13.9%
Businessman Paul Hirschbiel officially announced his candidacy in the 2nd Congressional district today. The picture at left was taken from the campaign's Facebook page and includes Sen. Mark Warner and former LG candidate Jody Wagner. I was unable to attend but local TV station, WVEC, was there. Below is their report.
A quick look at some of the stories and other stuff from the past week. VA Republican primary: still Romney v Paul This was my lead last Saturday but it appears it is now final. Rick Perry appealed the judge's ruling but the appeal was denied. Absentee ballots have been printed and voting has begun. … Continue reading Weekend roundup 1/21
I live in Ward 4, which is represented on the Norfolk City Council by Paul Riddick. I was saddened to see the story in Thursday's paper about his owing more than $246,000 in back taxes. Alerted to the story when it first went online Wednesday afternoon, I thought it might just be the filing of … Continue reading Riddick’s tax problems
My latest op-ed appeared in Wednesday's Virginian-Pilot. In it, I have one recommendation for our legislators: consider co-patroning an existing bill rather than introducing your own, particularly when your bill is word-for-word identical to one already introduced (like here). It would save me a lot of time - and I'm sure others, too. The other … Continue reading Watch Richmond
It seems that every day someone is writing a law or policy to take away our right to do something. The one that seems to keep coming up a lot lately is Freedom of Speech. At the national level the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate or the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in … Continue reading Censorship — Policy Taking Away Teachers Rights
The 12-hour blackout on this site is over. According to the Los Angeles Times, thousands of sites participated in the blackout and three of the SOPA/PIPA's co-sponsors have abandoned it. Effective? Time will tell. But for now, it seems some in Washington are listening. The "Stop Censorship" ribbon will remain on the site. If you … Continue reading We’re back!
Wikipedia is leading Wednesday's anti-SOPA blackout, going off-line shortly for 24 hours. Google is joining the protest. So is I Can Has Cheeseburger. I've given it a lot of thought - and I'm in. Censorship is not an American trait. UPDATE: Forgot to mention that the site will be blacked out for just 12 hours, … Continue reading I’m in: anti-SOPA blackout
I've been thinking about how ambitious I was to put forth a legislative agenda for the 2008 General Assembly session. In addition to having more time in those days, I clung to a notion - long since dismissed - that those elected to represent us actually might do it. In fact, I'd say the chance … Continue reading It’s all about politics
A quick look at some of the stories and other stuff from the past week. VA Republican primary: still Romney v Paul The week started off with a ruling by Judge John Gibney to delay the printing of the ballots for the March 6 primary. When he put the ruling in writing the next day, … Continue reading Weekend roundup
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 