On the latest OV attack

Last weekend, five black youths were video taped beating a white youth. (You can view the video here but let me warn you that it is very graphic.) The comparisons to the Jena 6 case will no doubt be made. The investigation is not yet complete but Norfolk Police, at this point, believe the attack … Continue reading On the latest OV attack →

Democratic debate tonight

Just a quick reminder that there will be a debate tonight. It will be carried live from Dartmouth, NH on MSNBC from 9pm - 11pm with moderator Tim Russert. The debate will also be streamed on msnbc.com Now to figure out how to use the VLC player to capture the stream 🙂

7 reasons for change

I was on the call this morning with Lowell and others as Minority Leader Ward Armstrong and House Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran announced the launch of the "Change the Assembly" tour. The Democratic leaders laid out seven reasons for change, reasons why the Republicans should not be re-elected and retain the majority. Seven Republican … Continue reading 7 reasons for change →

Welch’s “no overtime tax” plan

I almost laughed out loud when I read the proposal floated by Virginia Beach delegate John Welch in this morning's Virginian-Pilot. Welch announced that he wants to stop taxing the overtime Virginians work. Welch, running against Democrat Bobby Mathieson, said the move would be an incentive to work overtime for people at small businesses. It … Continue reading Welch’s “no overtime tax” plan →

More on Farlow

When the story of the hit and run charge against Troy Farlow emerged, I was contacted by the Farlow campaign. The result of that contact was this post. I've known Troy for a while but I treat information fed to me by campaigns (all of them) with a hefty dose of skepticism. Even after the … Continue reading More on Farlow →

Presidential poll: Democrats leading in VA

SurveyUSA released a poll yesterday which shows the frontrunner Democratic candidates for president - Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards - leading the frontrunner Republican candidates - Rudy Giulani, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney.   Clinton Obama Edwards Giuliani 44/50 45/46 43/48 Thompson 43/50 47/45 39/49 Romney 38/53 38/50 33/52 As you can see, … Continue reading Presidential poll: Democrats leading in VA →

“Legislative GOP propose property tax cut already in works”

The above is the headline of an AP story by Bob Lewis available here. I couldn't have come up with a better one myself 🙂 House and Senate Republicans proposed a property tax break Monday for homeowners - legislation already in the pipeline that was initially offered two years ago by Democratic Gov. Timothy M. … Continue reading “Legislative GOP propose property tax cut already in works” →

Don’t know much about history

According to this article in the USA Today, college students are having trouble with history. The study from the non-profit Intercollegiate Studies Institute shows that less than half of college seniors knew that Yorktown was the battle that ended the American Revolution or that NATO was formed to resist Soviet expansion. Overall, freshmen averaged 50.4% … Continue reading Don’t know much about history →

Action needed on SCHIP

A vote on SCHIP,  the State Children's Health Insurance Plan, is expected to come before both houses of Congress this week. Both houses have previously passed their own versions of the bill and it is the conference bill that will be voted on. The bill reauthorizes funding for this essential program, bringing an additional 9 … Continue reading Action needed on SCHIP →

Pesky Dillon Rule

The front page of Sunday's Virginian-Pilot contained a story about the abandoned homes in South Hampton Roads older cities, Norfolk and Portsmouth. Abandoned homes decrease surrounding property values and are magnets for crime. The ability of the cities to address the problem is hampered by that old standby, the Dillon Rule: Wilmington, Del., has reduced … Continue reading Pesky Dillon Rule →