Columnist George Will appeared at the Norfolk Forum Tuesday night. I was there. And no, I didn't have much fun. Will is a decent speaker, although he sounded like he had a cold. He started out with some fairly general themes that most could agree on. As time went on, though, he couldn't help himself … Continue reading George Will at Norfolk Forum
Software worth a look: Conqu
I'm one of the last folks still using a Blackberry phone. OK, call me antiquated, but it works for me. And I was one of the folks who bought the Blackberry Playbook within days of its release in April 2011 . The tablet has served me well. Nonetheless, I picked up an iToy - so … Continue reading Software worth a look: Conqu
Another early morning meeting, same result
At 7:30 this morning, the Elections subcommittee of the House P&E committee met. Today's docket included most of the early voting bills that have been introduced so far, including HB 1520 by Republican Del. Ron Villaneuva of Virginia Beach. No matter. Just as we saw yesterday, even when it comes from members of their own … Continue reading Another early morning meeting, same result
Uranium mining: a local farmer’s perspective
A farmer, "less than 10 miles" from the site of the proposed uranium mining operation, has penned this piece on the subject. "We are being treated like a mere economic colony of Northern Virginia and Richmond." Indeed. That's one of the many problems of the Dillon Rule: those legislators who represent places outside of the … Continue reading Uranium mining: a local farmer’s perspective
On the GA docket today
UPDATE: As expected, all of the voting rights bills have been defeated. UPDATE 2: Also as expected, the repeal of the "marriage" amendment has been defeated. The vote was 6-1 against, with Norfolk Del. Algie Howell the only one in favor of letting the bill go to the full committee. UPDATE 3: Tracy Thorne-Begland was … Continue reading On the GA docket today
ICYMI: The clear benefits of expanding Medicaid
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. The report (pdf) which sparked my interest was prepared for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. In my research, some of which appeared in my op-ed last week, I was struck by the fact that Virginia ranks 48th in per capita Medicaid spending while being … Continue reading ICYMI: The clear benefits of expanding Medicaid
The face of voting rights legislation
In his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night, Governor Bob McDonnell touted his record of restoring rights to those convicted of non-violent felonies and called for a process to automatically restore those rights. From his prepared remarks: While we have significantly improved and fast-tracked the restoration of civil rights process, it's still an executive … Continue reading The face of voting rights legislation
McDonnell introduces transportation proposal
On the eve of the opening of the General Assembly session, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Tuesday his plan for providing funds for transportation. Grabbing the headlines was the plan to eliminate the gas tax and replace it with an .8 cent increase in the sales tax. Both taxes are regressive, meaning they hit the folks … Continue reading McDonnell introduces transportation proposal
The few that changed all our lives.- The Abolitionist
Many people do not know who the abolitionists were or what they did. They were a small group of people who were determined to eliminate slavery from the United States. PBS is presenting a 3 part mini series starting tonight based on two of them: Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. These two men came … Continue reading The few that changed all our lives.- The Abolitionist
Clicks to budget
The Virginia Coalition for Open Government recently reviewed how many clicks it takes for a citizen to get to the budget on his or her locality's website. It seems few make the budget available on just one click. In Norfolk, for example, it takes 5. But that's not all that VCOG looked at. They tried … Continue reading Clicks to budget
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 