It's about time. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has finally decided to divest himself of the campaign donations he received from Bobby Thompson, the director of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. The organization and its director have come under scrutiny in numerous states. According to the article, six states plus Virginia have launched investigations and Thompson … Continue reading Cuccinelli to donate tainted campaign funds
Category: Virginia
Opinion, please: posting Social Security numbers
In a ruling yesterday, a three-member panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed a website to publish the Social Security numbers of people on a website, The Virginia Watchdog. The site is dedicated to warning the public that various documents are being posted online by government officials that contain this information. In 2008, … Continue reading Opinion, please: posting Social Security numbers
Webb’s curious op-ed
Virginia Senator Jim Webb started a firestorm when his op-ed, “Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege,” appeared in the Wall Street Journal. What Webb said is nothing new. His is a nuanced argument: that affirmative action, under the umbrella of diversity, has benefitted groups of people that it never was intended to benefit, and … Continue reading Webb’s curious op-ed
For Gov. McDonnell’s reform commission
My latest op-ed piece appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Tuesday. This week's topic: constitutional offices. I think it is an issue that is ripe for the governor's reform commission - just as it has been for prior reform commissions. That nothing has been done to seriously address them is a testament to the strength of the … Continue reading For Gov. McDonnell’s reform commission
Budget surplus
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday a budget surplus of $220 million. Part of that surplus comes from the accelerated collection of sales tax, a shell game of sorts that shifts funds normally collected in July to June. This isn't a new trick - we've seen it before - but it does cloud a bit the … Continue reading Budget surplus
Open thread: Dillon Rule
One of the first posts I wrote on this blog was about the Dillon Rule. And if you search this blog, you'll find that I often rail against it. I promised last week to open a thread where we could discuss it. From an editorial in today's Virginian-Pilot: The state's rigid adherence to the Dillon … Continue reading Open thread: Dillon Rule
Awesome Perriello ad (long version)
And if your email box is a full as mine, you know that today is the cutoff for second quarter financial reporting. If so inclined, you can contribute to any or all of the Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives here.
Reporting’s inside baseball
Back in the day, there were certain things that reporters knew about the subjects they covered but never wrote about. The biggest thing that comes to mind is Pres. John F. Kennedy's health and his affairs. When the story broke of Sen. Gary Hart and Donna Rice (on a yacht aptly named "Monkey Business") it … Continue reading Reporting’s inside baseball
Divergent views about Cuccinelli
In an op-ed Sunday, The Roanoke Times' editorial page editor Dan Radmacher writes of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Citing a litany Cuccinelli's actions, the writer says he "has been exactly the kind of attorney general that I expected based on his campaign and his career in the General Assembly." I will give Cuccinelli credit … Continue reading Divergent views about Cuccinelli
House Dems ask for Governor’s intervention on US Navy Vets investigation
In a letter to Governor Bob McDonnell, Virginia House Democratic leaders Ken Plum and Ward Armstrong are requesting that he remove from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's office the investigation of the U. S. Navy Veterans' Association and "immediately redirect the investigation to the Virginia State Police." U.S. Vets has come under scrutiny as allegations of … Continue reading House Dems ask for Governor’s intervention on US Navy Vets investigation
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 