Review of the book

DANCE your way to helping the Spotsylvania County GOP!

Expert dance instructors Steve and Katherine Thomas are offering lessons in Salsa, Mambo, Waltz, Tango and other styles in three 2-hour sessions.

Enjoy one class or take all three at a savings!

Classes are Aug 6, 13, 20, 2008 at Colonial Circuits (on Route 17N in South Stafford across from Celebrate Virginia and Geico.)

100% of all proceeds will benefit the Spotsylvania Republican Committee!

{CLICK HERE FOR INFO & FLYER}

Bring a check or pre-pay with credit card or check online at http://www.spotsygop.com/ by donating using our secure PayPal link.

Black Velvet Bruce Li brings our attention to another victim of our porous border, and then makes a very interesting point:

As of July 1st, a new law requires that all jails in Virginia start checking the immigration status of all persons they detain.  How many localities are actually complying with this law isn’t known, but no locality in Virginia seems to be talking about how they intend to comply with this law, much less announcing that they are.

That got me wondering: Is the Rappahannock Regional Jail doing this?  Do we know if this applies to whatever holding cells local counties have?  If so, are local sheriff’s offices actually doing this?

If you have any answers, dear readers, please put them in the comments.  Thanks.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

According to the Free Lace-Black Hole, Supervisor Emmitt Marshall (his district is next to mine) tried to intervene in an animal cruelty case involving the dogs of a son’s friend.  Now, before everyone goes beating up Marshall (who is one of the four tax-hikers on the Spotsy BOS), let’s not forget that this is the Free Lance-Black Hole here.  Moreover, these were apparently hunting dogs, so we can expect at least in part a rural-suburban division on the reaction within the county.

One part of the story, however, threw me (same link - the dog owner in question is named Jake Payne):

Payne could not be reached for comment at his Louisa home yesterday.

Louisa?!?!

Look, I know Emmitt is not my Supervisor, but I think he could use some advice: if you’re going to get involved in something like this, at least make sure it’s for a constituent.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

The Democrats on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors showed off their incompetence throughout their push to pass a BPOL tax on county businesses. 

Three Strikes of incompetence and you are out!

Strike One- Fuzzy math presented by Griffs-Widewater Dist. Supv. Bob Woodson
Strike Two- “c’mon Joe”  would you learn to vote.  Woodson is joined by Hartwood Dist. Supv. Joe Brito in an inability to operate a three button voting machine.  Huh, maybe there is something to the concept that Democrat voters are too dumb to figure out how to use a touch screen voting machine.
Strike Three - All four Democrats on the board refuse to listen to the will of the people and vote to squeeze more tax money out of Stafford County small businesses.

I hope the Stafford County Democrat Committee is proud.  Their team is doing a hell of a job.

Cross-posted on Virginia Virtucon

All Fredericksburg Area Republicans come on out to an Open House of the Fredericksburg Area GOP 2008 Headquarters!

Virginia Victory Opens Regional Headquarters In Fredericksburg

WASHINGTON – Virginia Victory today announced the opening of the Fredericksburg regional headquarters on Thursday, July 17.  

WHAT:              Fredericksburg Regional Victory Headquarters Opening

 

WHO:               Special Guests: Congressman Rob Wittman, RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick, Speaker Bill Howell, State Senator Richard Stuart and Delegate Mark Cole

 

WHEN:             Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 6:30pm – 8:30pm

 

WHERE:           150 Riverside Parkway

Suite 213

Fredericksburg, VA 22406

Click here for Directions to Fredericksburg Regional HQ

I received this as a comment on my right-wing liberal blog from Crissy Sharon, owner of the Mainstreet Grill and Bar in Stafford County.  She was reacting to the Stafford Board of Supervisor’s non-Republicans imposing a BPOL tax.  After looking it over, I decided that rather than a comment, it should be a post all its own.  Thank you, Crissy, for refusiing to meekly accept this outrage.

Hello. My name is Crissy.  I own Mainstreet Grill and Bar. I started working at Mainstreet in September 2002 as a waitress, within three months I was a bartender, and then bar manager.  In September 2005, I was offered to purchase Mainstreet. Finally in January of 2006 I took over. Let me tell you I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS! And I am still learning everyday!

Like most small businesses Mainstreet pays alot of taxes. Sales Tax, Food Tax, Personal Property Taxes etc…Going on my 2 1/2 year mark I can say, slowly we have survived when other places have closed. My great staff and local regulars have helped us!  Two Mondays ago I got an email that was a forward of a forward of a forward from Supervisor Milde and I was amazed that I haven’t spent time finding out what had been going on in the “grassroots” of Stafford!  My husband just started a business in Stafford. He also received Mr. Milde’s email. (From a forward)  After talking with each other we decided to go to the BOS meeting. After along day at work I told my sitter I would be back in an hour!  Well we were there to the end! My husband spoke!  He told me to get up there but I was way to emotional to get up and speak.  What kind of business women would I be to sit in front of these men and cry (I mean with tears down my face) like a big baby!!!  At first I was mad at the four members of the board that voted for the BPOL. But I realize that I should also be mad at myself for not paying attention to what was going on in our county. I decided my best place to speak would be at my bar with local residents.  So since that night I have gotten on my soap box and spoke to my customers.  Not only telling them what I learned this past week but getting more information and learning more!

So I would like to get Stafford Residents involved.  I was thinking the last Tuesday of each month we can all meet at Mainstreet for a “GRASSROOTS MEETING”. This has nothing to do with “business” I’m not looking for people to come in and spend money. (And if they do spend alittle money on beer and food . . . I will just be paying more taxes to Stafford County so it works out for both of us . . . lol).  This is intended for people to come and learn (like me) and/or discuss local, commonwealth and federal issues. No matter what party you are. I would like to invite different state and local political people in here to discuss the issues.  Maybe start a Voter registration here!  I just need to get involved and the best way for me to do it is through my business.   

1st GRASSROOTS MEETING AT MAINSTREET WILL BE JULY 29 7pm-9pm (D.J. Note: Address is 315 Garrisonville Road in Stafford; phone number is 540-288-9277).

“The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.”

Ronald Reagan

To th extent that anyone from Stafford reads or listens to me, I would encourage everyone to attend this meeting to let Crissy know you’re willing to help her in her efforts.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

The editors of the Free Lance-Black Hole took a little longer than the rest of MSM to miss the point of the House Republican transportation plan, but they missed it all the same.  In fact, the FLBH (along with the rest of MSM) are actually making me do the unthinkable (for me) - defend Bill Howell!

The FLBH editorial is full of errors (and I’m being charitable, otherwise I’d call them “lies”), but the main thrust is that they simply can’t handle the fact that the House Republicans came up with a plan that ties transportation funding in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to transportation activity in those regions, provides more money to the two regions than the Democrats’ statewide plan, and does them both without raising taxes.

Shall we begin?  Here’s the first paragraph:

GROUCHO MARX reportedly said, “I have my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.” Alas for a traffic-mired commonwealth, the Republican caucus of the House of Delegates has only one principle: no new taxes. Here’s one hundreds of thousands of Virginian motorists wish it had: do your duty.

So . . . the folks at the FLBH would rather the Republicans were unprincipled and malleable ciphers than dedicated and creative public servants.  As for the “do your duty” nonsense, what would youcall presenting a plan that sends up to $600 million to NoVa and $300 million to HR and ties future monies to the port and airport activity there?  I’d say the House GOP did its duty just fine.

However, it’s the next paragraph where the FLBH reveal their real problem with the House GOP plan:

. . . House Republicans, meeting last week with the rest of the General Assembly in special session, for the third time refused to advance statewide transportation bills based on new taxes–a time-proven method of building roads dating to ancient Rome, and tied up with the very definition of civilization.

Well now!  Centralized taxing for roads is “time proven”?  Then why is Virginia one of only three states that don’t localize road funding?  Furthermore, Virginia itself not adopt this method until 1932, which last I checked was more than thirteen centuries after the last Emperor to rule over Rome passed from the scene.  Then again, Rome also had slavery and murder-for-sport.  is the FLBH looking to bring those back, too?

The fact is, the FLBH wanted a tax increase, and the House GOP wouldn’t give it to them, so the editors are acting like spoiled children spouting words that sound smart but have no basis in fact.  to see what I mean, check out the next paragraph:

. . . House Republicans once again willfully failed to meet their basic legislative responsibility to produce critical infrastructure. Think about that dereliction when a formerly three-hour trip down I-64 to the beaches takes five or six, or when the minutes of your life dribble away in a Northern Virginia that is pushing its frontier of traffic frustration ever deeper into Greater Fredericksburg.

So, if the FLBH is to be believed, the Democrats were the ones who would have provided the funds needed for HR and NoVa.  Well, let’s take a look at the two proposals.  Which one provides more potential funds for Northern Virginia?  If you answered the one from the Senate Democrats, you’re wrong.  The Senate plan provides $2.28 billion over seven years (less than $330 million per year on average).  The House Republican plan (the new HB6055) by contrast provides up to $600 million a year.  As for Hampton Roads, it’s the same story; the Senate plan provides $1.55 billion over seven years (Under $225 million per year on average), while the House plan has up to $300 million a year.

Keep those numbers in mind when the Democrats and their MSM enablers tell you the Republicans don’t care about Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

The rest is just mindless ranting that I wouldn’t even expect from a freshman in college.  Still, the end of the piece had a nice line that just needs a little tweaking:

The latest obstruction in Richmond is, however, clarifying. It verifies, almost according to the scientific method, that Virginians can have an effective transportation system, or they can have a Republican majority in the House of Delegates. “Or,” not “and.” The next election will settle which Virginians hold more important.

Not quite, fellas; as I noted earlier, the Republicans had a perfectly viable first step to a more effective transportation system.  What we actually learned goes something like this: that Virginians will have their taxes go up, or they will have Republicans control the House of Delegates. “Or,” no longer ”and.” The next election will settle which Virginians hold more important.  I’m guessing they won’t go for the former.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

In true communist fashion, rogue supervisors George Schwartz, Jow Brito, Bob Woodson, and Harry Crisp departed from reality and responsible stewardship of Stafford County residents’ finances and just took a huge step against everyone’s personal property rights.

Stafford County Residents should be very pissed off right now…  The “protection” district, drawn by Cecilia Kirkman (extremist nutjob who forced a $60M swamp land deal on taxpayers so she wouldn’t have neighbors clogging her (public) road), randomly wanders around almost the entire county east of I-95 ignoring some of the largest waterways and so-called steep slopes that SHE ONLY says will cause poor water quality. 

Cecilia alleges that a 15% slope of a hill is cause for restricting your land use COMPLETELY for a hundred-thirty-five feet on BOTH SIDES of this slope.  Yes, this includes drainage ditches in your front yard… they may only be a foot deep, but they’re a slope!  So if you need a permit for a job you want to do, you may as well stamp DENIED on it yourself and save the trouble.

This is a SCAM- this overlay district is about stopping ALL construction of ANY KIND (deck, driveway, shed, or house) east of I-95!  The original plan covered the WHOLE COUNTY! 

They’re taking the TYPICAL Democrat INCRIMENTALIST approach…. a little today, a little more tomorrow, and a touch more the next day.  (There now, that wasn’t so bad was it?) Yikes!  What just happened to my property values??!?!

Too late, you didn’t get involved.

You’d better get involved in this process folks- this is not a partisan issue- this is a Stafford County land rights issue, your family’s rights issue, and the financial well-being of the whole county issue…

Seriously, this has to stop. Somebody should be in jail for this kind of piracy!

From The Free Lance-Star:

Stafford County officials will not study the economic impacts of a proposal that would guard part of the Potomac River basin from development, but they will also limit uses for some pro-perty owners.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors nixed the $25,000 study that was meant to evaluate how property values might be affected by the proposed overlay district.

The proposed Potomac River Resource Protection Overlay district covers 24,600 acres east of U.S. 1.

It requires buffers around sensitive waterways and certain slopes adjacent to streams. The buffers would improve water quality in streams and rivers but would also restrict what some property owners could do with their land. New developments and changes to existing lots would be subject to the restrictions.

Several dozen property owners protested the overlay district during a May public hearing. At that meeting, board members delayed their decision on enacting the district and agreed to consider the economic analysis.

But during a quiet work session last week, supervisors voted 4-3 to proceed without the analysis.

Griffis–Widewater Supervisor Bob Woodson said in an interview that the analysis was not the best use of county funds, especially during a tight budget cycle that has forced Stafford to cut its spending.

“We think our latest proposal was a good one, and we think that the county has enough resources to make a good determination of what may be the economic impact,” he said.

But Aquia Supervisor Paul Milde said the analysis would have shown how the overlay district could limit the county’s tax revenue from future development.

“That means high-paying jobs won’t be here, that means the commercial tax base doesn’t expand there,” Milde said. “It will certainly reduce our commercial tax base and therefore further burden our residential tax base. The question is, how much?”

The overlay district includes both Milde’s and Woodson’s districts.

County staff is sampling about seven parcels in the proposed overlay district to see how the proposed buffers could affect properties.

The staff also supported the economic analysis.

“I think that any information that can be made available to the Board of Supervisors during the decision-making process is a good thing,” said County Administrator Anthony Romanello.

Without the analysis, Rock Hill Supervisor Cord Sterling said, it will be difficult to make an informed decision on the overlay district proposal.

“I don’t know the cost-benefit analysis,” he said. “I have not seen a demonstration of enough data to support this.”

The supervisors will consider the overlay district after the completion of the sampling studies, sometime in November.

Subject: Re: HB6055

Dear Republican Members of the House of Delegates:

This letter is sent after consultation with members of the First Congressional District Republican Committee. Unique among Virginia’s Congressional Districts, the First is the only Congressional District encompassing both HR/Tidewater and NoVa.

You are considering HB6055 which is such a disappointment. Much time and energy has been expended in trying to redefine or otherwise sugar coat what are in fact taxes or to reestablish agencies rejected by both the Voters and the Courts. Had that same amount of time been spent on trying to find a solution to the underlying problem, we all would have been better served.

At this point in our history, the price of energy and the subsequent lifestyle changes it has caused, with the resulting institutional, manufacturing and trade changes under way, show that you are dealing with yesterday’s problems - not today’s and not tomorrow’s.

Should this bill pass, you all will suffer at election time because the problems will not be solved and neither the Press nor your fellow Republicans will let you forget. More importantly, those of us in leadership roles in getting out the vote have seen volunteer participation both decline and turn against us due to your past legislation in this area.

Should you go down this path again, we can expect more of the same, with the first casualties being John McCain, and Jim Gilmore.

The continuing disruptions which will result from the cost of energy make it imperative that you all review our transportation, commuting, educational, and trading models before money gets thrown at problems no longer relevant to the Commonwealth’s present and future.

We have supported you in good times and bad. This, however, may go beyond anyone’s ability to justify or support in good conscience. It violates the pledges most of you took and it violates the Common Creed we as Republicans profess.

Roll up your sleeves and start dealing with the problems we are facing today and will be facing tomorrow. That is why we worked so hard to put you all in the majority. Your past actions, divorced from our common beliefs, are why you are barely in the majority, and why we have lost the Senate. Put Kaine and the Democrats on the defensive. Make us proud and vote this bill down!

Yours truly,

Thomas E. Foley
Chairman, First Congressional District Republican Committee