|
|
Thursday, February 28, 2008VJP: Cuccinelli budget amendment passes thanks to ColganCourtesy of Vivian Paige, we hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth about Democratic party discipline: OK, but if the D majority doesn't act like one, what good does it do? Comments about irony and just desserts aside, Colgan took a principled stand. After Kaine yanked abstinence funding due to a "budget shortfall", it only stands to reason that Planned Parenthood of Virginia funding should go with it. Of course, the question is whether or not the House and Senate conferees will have the courage to stick to their guns... or whether the Senate Democrats will prove themselves hypocrites on which special interests get to line up to the government trough. Time will indeed tell UPDATE: Craig's Musings doesn't quite appreciate the comparison of special interest funding on the right and special interest funding on the left: The difference between the two is, not that it would matter to social conservatives like Kenn[e]y, that study after study has shown that the abstinence only sex education programs don't work where as Planned History has decades of proven results. Craig doesn't say what those "proven results" of Planned Parenthood really are (nor does he offer evidence to support his claims), but "results" such as fewer abortions, more economic opportunity, and less government spending really aren't benchmarks amongst the extreme left. Of course, more "results" sadly translates into more abortions -- particularly amongst lower class and minority women. Some might coldly assess this as a positive, but most reasonable people understand that society's answer to poverty and lack of opportunity shouldn't be a set of forceps held by an abortionist. Tuesday, February 26, 2008PWConservative: Hispanic Voters Now The Most Republican Voting Bloc in Virginia?Possibly, though I would argue that we do a terrible job (disservice?) by not reaching out to the Hispanic community more constructively. Monday, February 25, 2008Modernism vs. ForgivenessThis isn't exactly the nicest way to get the point across, but it does show the juxtaposition between wishy-washy "find ways to deal with your guilt constructively" modernism and absolute truths; the contrast between accomodation and forgiveness. Double-Duty Designers Cost LessHeck yeah! From About.com's Desktop Publishing Blog: Is it really cheaper to pay one person instead of two? If both the print designer and the Web designer charged the same rates there could still be an advantage to working with just one person because there would most certainly be overlap of time/brainstorming/design of common elements that would apply to both the print and Web projects. If the client was hiring just the single designer who then contracted out part of the work, there would likely be a markup that's passed along to the client. Of course, this is written from the perspective of a consultant or self-employed designer... but I have always been a huge fan of multitasking for projects such as these. After all, why specialize when you know your work could very well be used in another medium -- or even better be part of a comprehensive campaign? This is a great blog for us "do it yourself" types of grassroots activists. The more you can do yourself, the less you have to rely on wonks. Political Pornography?Courtesy of the Hillary Clinton campaign, that's precisely what we have here. The photo is one of Obama in traditional Somali dress. The insinuation is the reader's to decide. Oddly enough, one gets the feeling (as a Republican anyhow) that many of us are rushing to the defense of Obama more and more often -- not because we see his politics as worthwhile, but because the electorate as a whole is tired of the cynicism, the false alarm, and the constant state of panic the Clinton-style politicos tend to cultivate. This is pointless, though those from the "politics of personal destruction" school are sure to be humored. Sheesh. Nader In?Looks like it's true... though I really wonder whether this would make any sense if the Democratic nomination goes to Barack Obama. Perhaps it's just me, but the politics of the two men seem rather similar. Tuesday, February 19, 2008Does the Obama Bandwagon Stop Here?As I'm watching (sort of) the Wisconsin and Washington primary results via Politico, I can't help but look ahead at Ohio and Pennsylvania -- both with double-digit leads for Hillary. Obama will more than likely carry Wisconsin tonight. But with that win, the wave has all the momentum it can carry. Does it crash against the rocks the Clinton's have built as a firewall? I say yes. Obama needs a win in Ohio or Pennsylvania to knock this one out. Otherwise, the heavyweight in this race is going to put "Comeback Girl" above the fold of every newspaper in America in a week or two. Sunday, February 17, 2008Daily Progress: What Housing Bubble?Brian McNeill over at the Charlottesville Daily Progress does a quick survey of the Charlottesville market, and all indicators seem to be pointing towards a slowdown, but not a bust: Over the previous two years, the number of new residential homes in the region fell by a whopping 42 percent, as the number of permits fell from 3,452 in 2005 to 2,423 in 2007. Building permits are the last hurdle of the approval process before homebuilders can begin construction on a residential unit.2,423 permits is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, that's still pretty damned hot. The good news for buyers is there's a bit of a glut on the market. Whether the market has bottomed out is yet to be seen, but whether or not the deals will remain on the market forever is not. In short, can anyone really argue that housing prices are going to dramatically fall? I doubt it seriously, as housing prices (1) seem to have remained quite stable, and (2) builders continue to build at a rather furious pace. The only real "crisis" seems to be with the lending industry itself... at least amongst the more unscrupulous ones. Still, as banks have shored up their reserves and books come clean, I wonder what precisely has changed from the old formula that drove housing prices skyward in the early part of the decade? I'm sure the anti-Semitic Left is going to LOVE this!French President Sarkozy proposed allowing schoolchildren to "adopt" a victim of the Holocaust, so they could learn about the history. The reaction? Not what you'd expect... or sadly, precisely what you'd expect from the reactionary leftists in France. From Reuters: In a speech praising faith that also drew fire from secularists, Sarkozy told France's Jewish community on Wednesday that every 10-year-old schoolchild should be "entrusted with the memory of a French child victim of the Holocaust".The issue of anti-Semitism has been all the rage in France in recent months, stemming from recent murders to comparisons of Sarkozy's critics in the press as Nazi collaborators. Last year during the presidential elections, Sarkozy was the target of several outrageous attacks from the Socialist Party and their backers... most of which the French press allowed to pass unnoticed. But I digress. Sarkozy is on to something, and regardless of the secular left's instinctive hatred for all things Sarkozy, this is a proposal that is entirely worthwhile. Those who forget the past are indeed doomed to repeat it, and what better way to refresh the minds of the future than by assigning such a project, however small it may ultimately be? Hillary: I'M NOT DEAD YET!Hillary Clinton has a 21-point lead in Ohio; a 16-point lead in Pennsylvania according to the NYPost and Quinnipac University polling numbers. RCP's aggregate polling numbers say this outlook isn't bull: Ohio and Pennsylvania both look to be comfortably within the Hillary camp, though Wisconsin looks as if it will shape up to be a close but decisive win for Obama. What is killing the Dems right now is this proportional balloting nonsense... McCain is now quietly fundraising and taking in delegates, while Obama and Hillary are beating the crap out of one another (and hopefully driving up their negatives). Have fun guys! Saturday, February 16, 2008RWL: Taking aim at the tax-hiking ciphersD.J. McGuire hits hard against the tax-hiking Republicans for voting for the five-cent gas tax hike. For those who need a reminder, this was a variant of the theoretical gas tax hike I took to task in December 2007 (when it was just a 4% gas tax hike). True to form, some Democrats as well the more editorialist flavors of the MSM criticized my reaction for being -- and I quote -- "attack language". Heh. Not only is the gasoline tax regressive, as fuel economies continue to improve it will become highly unreliable as a method of generating new revenues for roads. Add this to the fact that long promised improvements to both VDOT's efficiency and the Commonwealth's approach to transportation funding remain ignored, and you have the very definition of reactionary policy. That our Democratic Senate wasted no time in raising taxes isn't shocking. It's the colluding Republicans that continue to mystify the rank-and-file. First Things: When Brain Dead Isn'tRead this. Simply amazing. Viva la Obama Revolucion!...or better put, why is there a flag of Communist mass murderer Che Guevara displayed in Obama's Houston office? That is vile. OTB: Was There a Housing Bubble?Survey says?!?! No -- and I am inclined to agree. The "housing bubble" as it stands is by and large manufactured disarray. Hedge fund managers are making a killing, those with capital are hosing those without monetary assets, and housing prices have not declined... in fact, they are stablizing. I do get the feeling this will be a cyclical arrangement... the next wave of housing purchases will not be so wild as the previous decade, but rest assured that folks will be getting back into the swing of things -- predictably by the end of the year. The Mason Conservative: Corey Stewart To Run For LGAnd more strikingly, Delegate Chris Saxman is boxing himself out for consideration. Saxman would (and will) make an excellent candidate, for whatever he decides to run for. I have long been of the opinion the person we need at Lieutenant Governor should be a party-builder type... one with the resources and time to build the party, and continuously run for LG for the next 20 years. Naturally, this has no bearing on the present state of affairs. But it's worth a thought. Robins!Robins have arrived at Kents Store, which means it's time to start thinking about growing some of my cold-weather plants... you know, spinaches and broccoli and some onions and lettuce. Especially baby spinaches. Then peas for the spring. Then some tomatoes -- which I grow extremely well but don't particularly like -- and corn and carrots and watermelons and cantalopes and squashes and cucumbers and peppers and herbs. Then if I'm lucky, more peas for the late summer, harvesting grapes on the grape vines (we have two) and showing the kids how to make raisins... and teaching myself how to make limited amounts of wine. Heck -- if I get really ambitious, I want to try finding some varieties of colonial-era tobacco. All of the ornamental plants will come along in time... roses and marigolds and poppies. There's some columbine I planted last year that should be coming up as well. Unfortunately most of the soil here is absolutely terrible for growing much of anything, more than likely a product of centuries of overplanting before farmers simply gave up... which is why Virginia has so many trees nowadays. Old, decaying farms and dusty Virginia clay. There's about five acres of young trees on the property that I would love to be able to use for some small degree of planting... but then there's the cost of clearing it, and maintaining it, and growing anything that would actually make it to market. Then of course, there is the prickly matter of growing anything on it at all, and letting the trees do their own thing. While I may not be an environmentalist by policy, I am one at heart. Jefferson was right about there being some degree of virtue working the soil. Wednesday, February 13, 2008Oliver North Slams Establishment ConservativesRealClearPolitics has the scoop on those bashing McCain. After I won the 1994 Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, I naively assumed that all in the GOP would pull together behind my conservative candidacy. I clearly don't know much about politics. If I did, I'd be writing this from my U.S. Senate office instead of my home in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. But at the trade school John McCain and I attended in Annapolis, Md., they did teach me how to count. I lost by a narrow margin in a three-way race. Some of those who were with me then are among those who now say they won't support John McCain. After volunteering for George Allen's gubernatorial bid in 1993, it was Ollie North's race in 1994 with pulled me into the Republican Party. The energy, the ideas, and the vision were all there. We built a machine, and Virginia Republicans have been feeding off that carcass for fourteen long years. Tuesday, February 12, 2008Tweaking the DesignSo I didn't go with a new design based solely off of my own creation... nor did I get around to moving to WordPress. But I did find this design, tweaked it a bit, and revised. The scaffolding is still up, so bear with me. But I'd love to hear your comments and critique. A lot of the old stuff still needs to make it to the right sidebar, but I can play with that at a later time. Beyond that, I voted this morning. Looking forward to the returns! Sunday, February 03, 2008Redesigning (Again)!Okay, so I went with the clean design and have had enough. It's boring. It's dull. And frankly, I can do better. Stay tuned... look for a better design in the next few days! The $6 Billion Budget "Shortfall" of 2004The Gilmore camp has fired back at some spotty shilling for Warner over at the Alexandria Gazette, but I was a bit more drawn towards Jim Bacon's analysis in March 2004 (prior to the disastrous Senate GOP-led Chichester tax hike): One more note before I plunge into the thicket of figures: my goal is not to diminish Gov. Warner’s accomplishment in dealing with an exceedingly difficult budgetary challenge when coming to office in January 2002. He took quick and decisive action to balance a budget that was badly out of kilter, and he took proactive measures to ensure that the budget stayed balance over the next two years. Good job! (Round of applause! )In case we go through any historical revisionism on the problems facing the Commonwealth after the explosive growth in the budget during the Gilmore-Warner era, let us have Jim Bacon do the talking: I can't say I'd agree with him (Warner) on the need to raise taxes, but I'd respect him for stating the problem clearly and fairly.So both sides have parts wrong. And both sides have parts right. Reading this without judgment, one can draw their own conclusions as to who wins. The article on Bacon's Rebellion is certainly worth reading... if anything just to remind ourselves as to what sort of mess we were in at the beginning of the decade, what excessive and unbalance spending priorities had to do with it, and the fissures/rhetoric that brought about the 2004 (and 2007) tax hikes. OTB: Ron Paul FlatlinesThis is a shame because (and I'm not afraid to mention this) I have several strong sympathies with the Ron Paul movement. That Paul still hasn't been able to break out of 5-6% is symptomatic of a number of reasons. The vitriol of an extreme minority of his supporters would be one. Ron Paul's inability to answer questions on whether or not he truly believed the goverment was behind the September 11th attacks was another. Capping it off, the TNR hit piece on Ron Paul's fundraising letters during the 1980's may not have made Ron Paul a racist, but it did make him someone who appeared willing to pander to racist sentiment to further his cause. But beyond all of these concerns is one overarching item: Ron Paul never had a bright idea. He may have several very good ideas, but there was no one single "brass ring" to mainstream Ron Paul. One might argue that Ron Paul could never create such a brass ring, because his objective is to close down massive portions of the federal government. Fine, fine... no one is arguing that he had to create something out of nothing. There are still plenty of things that Ron Paul could have done as policy that would have made a difference. Reform the American dollar? Easy. A balanced budget amendment? Easy. Libertarian minded reform for Social Security that ensures payments while sunsetting the program? Not so easy, but it would have clearly demonstrated the resiliency of libertarian economic ideas, other than slamming on the brakes. In the end, there are many conservatives and erstwhile libertarians who would love to slay the Washington Leviathan. The solution many have to "just kill it" may sound easy enough, but won't last long as those surviving off of the federal entitlement system want "their" money back. Libertarians need to demonstrate how their ideas can be implemented pragmatically. Ron Paul failed to do this, either by design or incapacity. Nevertheless, there is a pulse. Whether or not the Ron Paul Revolution can survive without it's champion, much less coalesce around actionable ideas rather than idylistic rhetoric, will be a challenge that the LP and the lowercase-l libertarians will have to address over the next four years. Saturday, February 02, 2008WaPo: Green, Monk Elected to Pro Football Hall of FameABOUT FREAKIN' TIME! While both of these gentlemen deserve it, Art Monk has waited eight long years. Outstanding news to temper all the front office talk. Barticles: Castle Laws and HB710Bart Hinkle sounds off on opposition to HB710 pending in the Virginia General Assembly this year. As quoted when the issue was brought to the fore in 2007: The obvious problem with applying the duty to retreat to the homeowner is that, inside his domicile, the homeowner already has retreated. He has closeted himself away from the outer world inside what should be his zone of privacy and security. To demand that he then retreat even further (where to? a closet? a panic room?) is absurd.I'm a fan of castle laws. When an intruder has forced you to pretty much your "last stand" position on your property, you have a right to defend yourself. Lest anyone think that HB710 gives you the right to blast salesmen and Jehovah's Witnesses (or anyone wandering on your lawn), pseudonymous commenter "Bill" states the scenario plainly: (M)ore important than what this bill does say is what it does not say. The ONLY thing this bill says is that if you “lawfully occupy a dwelling” and another person has “unlawfully entered the dwelling, has committed an overt act toward the occupant or another person in the dwelling, and the occupant reasonably believes he or another person in the dwelling is in imminent danger of bodily harm,” THEN, under all of those circumstances, you will be “justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force” against the invading attacker, even though you dind’t try to run away first.It's not a bill that allows you to shoot trespassers -- it's literally a last ditch defense to protect you and your family. In rural Virginia, where trained on-duty deputies literally take 30 minutes to get from where they are to you, such laws can (and do) save lives. McCain: Prisoner of WarWhether you support McCain for President or not, Democrat or Republican, this is probably one of the most gripping POW accounts I have ever read, courtesy of the U.S. News and World Report. (h/t to Mason Conservative) SMB: Welcome Home Kearsarge!Scott's Morning Brew welcomes home the USS Kearsarge and our very own Jim Hoeft from deployment. Thank you guys for all you do! OTB: Curing McCain Derangement SyndromeJames Joyner over at OTB has his thoughts. My immediate thoughts are as follows: Why is it that everyone benefiting from the Bush/Cheney era is aligning with Mitt Romney? And why is it that all the Reagan supply siders, the ardent pro-lifers, and the budget and military hawks are uniformily falling in line with McCain? I hate to put it in such stark contrasts, but those are the legacies that McCain and Romney are respectively championing. Is McCain vs Romney turning into a clash between the values of Reagan vs. the values of Bush? MoveOn endorses ObamaSo sayeth The Hill. Given the irony that MoveOn.org was built to defend the Clintons during the 1998 impeachment process, this is just too delicious. It should also tell you something about Obama's strength amongst the rank-and-file progressives, and the relative weakness of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. It's civil war allright, and an era is about to end on the left... Friday, February 01, 2008Weakened House GOP regains purposeSo sayeth the Washington Times about the Virginia House of Delegates. It's pretty clear that Virginia's House GOP leadership isn't willing to let the House Democrats spear them on unrecorded subcommittee votes, just to let them get away with unrecorded votes on the House floor on their own outlandish bills. Placing them in committees where they have to make the hard votes puts the House Dems in the precarious position of matching their rhetoric with their voting records. Imagine that? The Cost of Unfunded MandatesThis from the Sun Gazette focuses mostly on homestead exemptions being discussed at the Virginia General Assembly, but the kicker in the article is here: In a letter to all 140 members of the legislature, the Chamber and the Virginia Manufacturers Association criticized the plan.Ouch. This of course is the consequence of a failed promise. Local government's solution to replace the car tax revenue? Raise property taxes.... The spend-and-spend coalition during the late 1990's was the downfall of the GOP in Richmond. When we started becoming the party of higher spending and lower taxes (rather than lower spending and lower taxes), that's where we lost our bearings. The voters have punished us duly, though there are a handful who would point towards those heady days as something of which to be proud -- to which I would ask what (if any) real accomplishments the big-government Republicans acheived? Your Three Minutes of Civilization
Wet Winter WonderlandThe trees at Kents Store are covered in ice... not enough to make you worry about power lines or anything, but just enough. Kids and family will be snuggled inside the house for most of the day, while I chisle out my car and make my way in (roads should be fine... no worries). Still, it makes for a great trip into work, and the 2 inches of rain we're supposed to get certainly will help the water table!
|
|
JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
ArchivesMarch 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009
|
|
