What a sweet guy!

By Steve Vaughan I got a press release from Del. John O'Bannon (R-Henrico) Friday. He was pretty proud of himself. He'd asked for and gotten an opinion from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli that two of Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed amendments to the budget were unconstitutional. That's pretty unusual, because everybody involved -- O'Bannon, Cuccinelli and McDonnell … Continue reading What a sweet guy! →

Open democracy for $18, Alex

The answer: $18. The question: What does one day's video of the General Assembly cost? As per Waldo, Richmond Sunlight doesn't have any video of the 2010 General Assembly session. (Why the GA doesn't put the video on their site is another whole question.) And the all-volunteer Richmond Sunlight has no budget to buy them. … Continue reading Open democracy for $18, Alex →

Norfolk City Council: 2/1/11

By Tommy Smigiel Sorry, but the City Council agenda for this week is not that interesting.  This is one of those meetings that validates my point that we do not need to be meeting weekly.  With only six public hearings and four resolutions on the agenda, the formal session should be completed in less than 15 minutes.  Last week, we had … Continue reading Norfolk City Council: 2/1/11 →

Friday fun: what’s your Hollywood job?

You Should Be an Actor   You are a flexible and even changeable person. You are constantly evolving. You are a highly observant chameleon. You have always been good at imitating others when you need to. You are artistic and charming. You have an air of sophistication about you. You are dramatic and very expressive. … Continue reading Friday fun: what’s your Hollywood job? →

58 cents a month

That is the additional cost per employee reported by JLARC for mandated health insurance coverage for autism treatment, according to this AP story. HB2467, introduced by Del. Tag Greason (R-Potomac Falls), passed the House Commerce and Labor Committee Thursday and is headed to the floor. The bill would "compel companies that employ 50 or more … Continue reading 58 cents a month →

Rigell town hall Monday

Been meaning to mention this all week, since I saw it announced on his Facebook page. For whatever reason, I am not on his press list. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2nd) will hold a town hall meeting this coming Monday, January 31. The event will be held at the Virginia Beach Central Library, located at 4100 … Continue reading Rigell town hall Monday →

Kerry goes to Norfolk council

Virginian-Pilot columnist Kerry Dougherty attended the Norfolk City Council meetings Tuesday evening and witnessed the strange goings-on with which we are so familiar: It was, simply, a well-scripted City Hall show, with everyone in the room playing his or her part. And that's what she said about the informal session, the one not televised and, … Continue reading Kerry goes to Norfolk council →

Hands across the aisle

My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in today's The Virginian-Pilot. As shown in the video in the post below, last night's State of the Union embraced a bit of this by having members of opposite parties sit together. But that was just for show. Despite all of the red meat that gets thrown to supporters, … Continue reading Hands across the aisle →

Songs in the key of life

Stevie Wonder's double album, "Songs in the Key of Life," is probably my favorite album of all time. I remain amazed that he could put together 17 songs, none of which sounded like any of the others. That's a tremendous talent, one that I found inspiring and one I always envied. I am a horrible … Continue reading Songs in the key of life →