Senate Bill 721 requiring screening of welfare recipients defeated for a second straight year

Democrats in the Virginia Senate thankfully shot down a bill that would have required the screening of welfare recipients for POSSIBLE drug use and force some to submit to drug tests.[1]

All Democratic senators opposed Senate Bill 721[2] on a party-line vote, defeating it 20-19. Sen. Harry Blevins (R-Chesapeake) was apparently away from his desk when the vote took place. At least he wasn’t in the nation’s capital paying respects to the newly (re-)inaugurated president.[3]

This most recent defeat of this particular type of legislation marks the second General Assembly session in a row. Democrats have accused the Republican Party of exploiting the poor for political purposes, but I think it goes further.

I know this will sound entirely radical but I believe there is a true disdain for the disadvantaged in this state among some of the Republican Party legislators; not all, not most, maybe not even many, but at least a few. I cannot find a better explanation to justify why bills like Senate Bill 721 would occupy so much of their time, even when political factors are plugged into to the consideration.

Such a disdain, or at least a lack of sympathy, would fit perfectly with their belief system. The poor, many conservatives believe, are in an undesirable economic state because they lack the true spirit of American entrepreneurism: if you seek the ‘good life’, just work hard. And for some individuals, they’re right, but not all or even most.

Some individuals, through the sheer misfortune of the context within which they were born or live, have not been exposed to the same opportunities, messages of hope and potential for prosperity. And some individuals were simply born with a mental disability which has stunted their ability to play the economic game, let alone climb the so-called economic ladder.

I also believe in individual responsibility and that America has in many ways moved away from this crucial American belief. But life isn’t so simple or black and white. Individual responsibility can only take you so far if you are restricted by the informal and formal rules and norms of society which break against you like tides on the ocean.

We need room for compassion and understanding. Neither of which can be found in Senate Bill 721.

---

[1] http://blogs.roanoke.com/politics/2013/02/04/senate-defeats-bill-to-require-drug-screening-of-welfare-recipients/

[2] http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?131+sum+SB721

[3] http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/22/virginia-republicans-celebrate-inauguration-with-gerrymandering/

Sen. Puckett laments Republican efforts to underhandedly extend their influence in VA

Only time will tell how deep the seeds of distrust have been sown between Virginia’s two main parties after Republicans in the Virginia Senate “rammed through” House Bill 259[1] in the absence of one crucial Democratic Senator, Henry L. Marsh, who was attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington D.C.[2]

What was the most disturbing aspect of the Republican Party’s underhanded power-grab was the devious and premeditated nature of their move. According to Virginia Sen. Phillip Puckett, “It will wipe out at least four, but maybe as many as six or seven Democratic senators and I’m one of them. It’s obvious to us that it was not something that was drawn up over night.”[3]

Thus, the cynicism and underhandedness of the Republican move in the Senate was unexpected even in these bitterly partisan times when almost any political move seems possible.

The Republicans in Virginia once again demonstrated their willingness to break with the past and use any legislative means necessary to protect and extend their power. That’s just politics, you may be thinking. But it’s not just politics, it’s the Republican brand of politics, the kind of politics that revels in its supposedly Machiavellian worldview, a politics whose only bounds are those of defeat. Rules are just tools to be reworked to your advantage.

But the Democratic Party is foolish if it believes that its political strategy of high-mindedness will defeat Republicans come election time or during the General Assembly. Which isn’t to say that the Democrats should stop playing the role of the ‘pure party’. It is to argue that Democrats should be willing to get into the mud with the Republican Party when the context justifies such a political move.

It is difficult for liberals to take the Republican Party low-road, to be sure. Sometimes, however, you have to fight fire with fire or risk political irrelevancy or total political destruction.

---

[1] http://openstates.org/va/bills/2013/HB259/

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/virginia-redistricting-henry-marsh_n_2523818.html

[3] http://bdtonline.com/local/x964894047/Senator-Puckett-from-Virginia-General-Assembly-Redistricting-an-ugly-mess

Cuccinelli’s double-feat failure, either resign your post or stop running for governor of Virginia

Given that the last six attorneys general who have made the gubernatorial plunge have resigned their office months prior to the election for governor, it’s reasonable that Democrats in VA are trying to push Attorney Ken Cuccinelli to do the same.

However, Cuccinelli has stated that he will stay put as attorney general and complete his term.

American Bridge 21^st Century created a video that calls for Cuccinelli[1] to step down as attorney general while he’s campaigning for the Executive Mansion. Isn’t Cuccinelli using public office for inappropriate ends, or at least not fulfilling the duties of his post to the fullest extent possible?

If you read between the lines of what Gov. Bob McDonnell has said about Cuccinelli’s choice to stay on as attorney general, it’s clear that McDonnell isn’t thrilled with his decision.

On Washington’s WTOP radio, McDonnell said in reference to his own decision to resign his office as attorney general to run for governor, “I thought that was the right thing for my campaign; more importantly I thought it was the right thing for the office at the time. But every attorney general’s got to make their decision.”[2]

Essentially, then, Cuccinelli is acting in a manner more beneficial to himself than the people of Virginia and McDonnell knows it. Why would Virginian’s want to elect anyone like that? Why would Virginians want to elect an individual who has made it clear that his own political ambitions are more important than his duties as a public servant?

Cuccinelli cannot undertake both tasks without subpar results. No one can, the responsibilities of being Virginia’s attorney general and running for Virginia’s governorship are just too big for anyone to undertake at one time.

So please choose one or the other. We already know you’re a hypocrite but at least have some integrity by doing what all reasonable Virginians know is the right thing.

---

[1] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americanbridgepac.org%2F&ei=fU0OUcTuLYbK9gTl7IDADw&usg=AFQjCNH5l1CDj-mgXTTqy0v5xgKfEIi8sw&sig2=wFmavbIvX4IETmhrq9juIA&bvm=bv.41867550,d.eWU

[2] http://politics.blogs.timesdispatch.com/2013/01/29/mcdonnell-weighs-cuccinelli-staying-put/

Jeb Bush endorses Bob McDonnell’s A-to-F public school grading system in Virginia

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s endorsement of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s bill to grade Virginia’s public schools on an A-to-F scale marks a very public start to what could be a symbiotic back-slapping political routine.[1]

As Bob McDonnell readies himself to leave the executive mansion in Virginia, he undoubtedly has his eyes set on other political opportunities. For dear ol’ Jeb, the same is almost certainly true.

After his own departure from the Florida governorship, Jeb Bush’s political future has been a wide topic of debate in conservative and liberal political circles. Most recently, Jeb Bush has been talked about as the next and best of the 2016 Republican presidential candidates.[2]

Bush’s endorsement of McDonnell’s A-to-F public school grading system is also relevant because Jeb Bush also oversaw the implementation of such a grading system in 1999 when he was governor of Florida. 

According to Bush, public schools have become complacent and are underperforming. A public school grading system can galvanize community engagement in the public school system and increase overall performance in school, according to Bush.[3]

Bush added that the A-to-F grading scale would give parents and others a greater understanding of how their schools are doing relative to the ratings like “accredited with warning” or “accredited.”[4]

But in these overly contentious political times, it is unlikely that definitions for grades A through F will be unanimously decided upon. That is, what does it mean for a school to be given a “C”? What about a “D”?

Virginia could use other state models such as Florida’s A-to-F grading scale, but this seems less likely because it would diminish Gov. McDonnell’s own legacy on education as governor of Virginia. Do you remember who created improvements for the telephone? What about the actual invention of the telephone?

What is abundantly clear is that the old No Child Left Behind policies and the current rating system in Virginia have done little to boost the performance of public schools.

For educators and the educated, a real problem inherent to ratings like “accredited” are the criteria which underlie them. That is, the evaluative criteria used to judge the performance of public schools[5] has taken the fun out of learning for both teachers and the taught. And as Americans, we like having fun while learning.

There are no easy solutions to the problem of raising public school performance. But one of the most critical elements that we need as a society is the belief in our nation’s educators and students alongside the consequent political support necessary to meet their educational needs.

Education is an investment in time, money, energy, and trust. We’ll need all of these elements to succeed, not just a partial list.

---

[1] http://www.nbc12.com/story/20937526/jeb-bush-promotes-mcdonnell-school-grading-plan

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/us/politics/jeb-bush-in-2016-its-not-too-early-for-chatter.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[3] http://www.nbc12.com/story/20937526/jeb-bush-promotes-mcdonnell-school-grading-plan

[4] http://www.nbc12.com/story/20937526/jeb-bush-promotes-mcdonnell-school-grading-plan

[5] http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/accreditation/index.shtml

Note to Sen. John Watkins: your uranium mining bill is dead and so is your political career

In case you hadn’t heard, the dark-side of the force (i.e., proponents of uranium mining) temporarily lost their legislative fight to lift Virginia’s ban on uranium mining and set the regulatory foundations in place for a nightmarish disturbance of Virginia’s earth for uranium ore.

Sen. John Watkins’ (and Virginia Uranium Inc.’s) bill, SB1353[1], would have started laying the tracks for a regulatory framework to mine uranium in the commonwealth. Much to the pleasure of Virginians concerned more with human and environmental health, Watkins took his own bill off of the committee docket after “it became clear that uranium supporters lacked the votes to get it through committee, much less the full General Assembly.”[2] Woe to you sir!

In a statement made following the defeat of SB1353, Southern Environmental Law Center[3] attorney Carl Jaffe stated, “All these different constituencies have said loudly and clearly: “We do not want to put our drinking water, our environment and our economy at risk.”[4]

If Sen. Watkins and SB1353 were a game of cards, Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI) went all in and lost. Or did they?

With close to 120 million pounds of uranium ore buried underneath the surface of Pittsylvania County, it isn’t coming as a surprise that VUI and its legislative puppets have taken emergency procedures to evade the legislative process and consequently, the people of Virginia, by asking his highness Governor McDonnell to have state agencies draw up the rules to mine uranium. After all, who cares what the voters and residents of Virginia think?!

For VUI and its puppet politicians like Sen. Watkins, uranium mining in Virginia is without-a-doubt safe. But on what evidence have they based such an immense conclusion? And with so much to gain, shouldn’t VUI’s ‘opinion’ really be excluded from these discussions?

As one of the members of the National Academy of Sciences/National Resource Council (NAS/NRC) report on Uranium Mining in Virginia so poignantly stated[5], “Some arguments make it appear that all mining considerations are similar, but the NAS/NRC report carefully considered experiences of other countries and other states, finding that each had unique characteristics, and each facility was designed to function best under local conditions. For example, Canadian mines operate in a much colder and drier climate, far from the population centers found in Virginia.”[6]

Wow, this almost sounds like it could be…fact. And indeed, it is. Virginia is not Canada, Utah, Montana, Australia, New Mexico, etc. Virginia’s ecology is uniquely Virginian and uranium mining has not been conducted anywhere in the world quite like Virginia. Thus, conclusions about the safety of mining for uranium in Virginia based off of the supposed safety of other sites in the country and throughout the world are wrong because like individuals, no two uranium mining sites are alike.

For Virginians who fought so hard to achieve this victory, the entire state owes you a great big “Thank you”! This issue is far from settled, but once again this victory demonstrated that with enough people and enough voices, the dark-side can always be stopped, even if it has a huge Death Star (i.e., bank account).

---

[1] http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?131+sum+SB1353

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/bill-dies-push-lift-uranium-ban-losing-steam

[3] http://www.southernenvironment.org/

[4] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/bill-dies-push-lift-uranium-ban-losing-steam

[5] http://www.nas.edu/

[6] http://mobi.timesdispatch.com/richmond/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Qwkx8LZx&full=true#display

McDonnell’s transportation bill blindly raises taxes on Virginians who shouldn’t foot the bill

Like his hair line, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s tragic transportation bill was passed along party lines in the Virginia House of Delegates’ Finance Committee on Wednesday with a 14-8 vote[1]. Among other things, the bill spells the end of Virginia’s 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax while raising the state sales tax to 5.8% from 5%.

In addition, McDonnell’s transportation bill would increase fees for vehicle registration and sustain the 17.5 cent tax on diesel fuel. McDonnell’s bill would also increase the amount of Virginia’s sales tax that goes towards transportation from 5 cents to 75 cents over the course of five years. Apparently McDonnell also believes in raising taxes like his Democratic counterparts; say it ain’t so!  

McDonnell’s transportation bill, however, has more holes than the sun has sunspots and Virginia Sen. Chap Petersen was once again one of the more forceful opponents of McDonnell’s transportation bill.[2]

Petersen said, “Eliminating the gas tax paid by highway users and raising taxes on all other Virginians to pave our roads makes no sense. Indeed, eliminating our traditional road funding because cars are more efficient makes about as much sense as canceling your child’s college fund because tuition keeps rising.”[3] Ouch, someone pull the scolding iron off of McDonnell’s transportation plan!

And just so you know that Sen. Petersen isn’t all talk without the walk, Petersen has offered his own plan, SB 855.[4] In it, Petersen would increase the tax on gas up to 27.5 cents per gallon. According to Sen. Petersen, this tax alone would raise $500 million a year for transportation projects,[5] making it just enough money to overcome Virginia’s chronic and monumental budgetary ‘hiccups’ on transportation projects (will construction on I-95 ever be completed?).

If there is anything innovative or inspiring about McDonnell’s transportation…well, there isn’t. The biggest flaw of McDonnell’s transportation bill is the one pointed out by Sen. Petersen: why pass a bill that attempts to reduce vehicles on the roads by increasing the sales tax? Yes, McDonnell’s bill would raise revenue, hoorah for him. But it WOULDN’T disincentivize unnecessary travel (e.g., co-workers living in the same neighborhood with the same work schedule driving separately to work).

Isn’t the biggest solution to Virginia’s traffic woes to cut down on (wait for it) traffic!

---

[1] http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/articles/mcdonnells-transportation-bill-moves-forward-05d5ef58

[2] http://bluevirginia.us/diary/8616/chap-sums-up-the-absurdity-of-mcdonnells-transportation-monstrosity

[3] http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/articles/mcdonnells-transportation-bill-moves-forward-05d5ef58

[4] http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?131+sum+SB855

[5] http://oxroadsouth.com/2012/11/transportation-bills-take-shape-for-13/

Sen. Bill Stanley gets holy with his proposed amendment, but the road is still long to passage

While I don’t disagree with individual’s of faith being allowed the same rights to prayer and beliefs as so-called secularists, Sen. Bill Stanley’s proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution, SJ287, would do more than ensure an individual’s right to pray on public property, it would also complicate “existing constitutional protections to allow “sectarian prayers on behalf of government in otherwise impermissible locations.””[1]

According to Stanley, his proposed amendment was prompted by anxieties that “people of faith are under attack by government.”[2] This is the mantra of the Republican Party, “the government is attacking!,” regardless of the issue (unless its abortion, or secular school curricula, or fighting unnecessary wars internationally and domestically, or, or, or).

Stanley’s ‘concern’ brings up an important question: can secular and religious tolerance be granted equal weight in Virginia? That is, can Virginia live comfortably with both secular and religious rights to belief both accepted and tolerated?

Up to the present, it hasn’t appeared that both worldviews can live together peacefully (i.e., without a constant underlying tension). Each side in this debate has constantly feared the intrusion of the other into its sphere of influence, so to speak.

For my own part, I feel comfortable in the skin of a secular individual and uncomfortable around individuals who religiously practice…religion.

But their beliefs should be respected too, and unfortunately their beliefs were largely brushed aside after the religious dogmatism that gripped America for hundreds of years was finally thrown off in favor of a more secular belief system.

That said, it’s fairly clear that this group of Republicans in the General Assembly would like nothing more than to overturn secularism in all of its varieties in favor of their own religious belief systems. These individuals don’t know middle ground or compromise (like mature and sane adults do).

Thus, I’m skeptical of any Republican attempt to ‘level the playing field’. To them it means, “It’s my way or no way at all.”  

---

[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/public-prayer-bill-advances-va-senate-panel

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/public-prayer-bill-advances-va-senate-panel