February 3 Means Real Change for Fairfax County
January 31, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
Today, I went to the Fairfax County Government Center to vote absentee for the special election to fill the open Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors seat. Much to my surprise, it was packed and reminded me of the election in November. The most surprising thing that I heard was the favorable responses on behalf of Pat Herrity.
After Gerry Connolly’s doomed tenure as Chairman, many people are growing tired of the same old tax-and-spend mentality and do not want this to continue under Sharon Bulova. Herrity represents the change we are seeking in Fairfax County. With his candidacy, there will be positive changes in Fairfax. There will be transparency at the local level, elimination of wasteful government spending, and he will address the county budget deficit by not raising taxes.
Pat Herrity is the positive change needed for Fairfax County. On February 3rd, if you are a Fairfax County resident, please go out and vote. This is a crucial election with a lot at stake. If you have any spare change left (or want to give before Barack Obama drains the money out of your pockets), you should consider giving some to Pat’s campaign.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Letter to Rep. Gerry Connolly Re: H.R. 1 (The Stimulus Bill)
January 29, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News, Virginia Politics
On Monday, I sent Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax) a letter voicing my strong disapproval regarding the Stimulus Act. After writing the initial response, I figured that I would not receive a letter, and if I did, it would be from a standard template. Here is the letter Connolly sent me this afternoon, which prompted another response letter.
Here’s the response from Connolly:
Now, here’s my response to Connolly (which I have e-mailed to his office):
Dear Rep. Connolly:
I would like to express my gratitude for your response to my recent letter about H.R. 1, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
You know, as a constituent, I do not appreciate being told lies. When you mentioned “As Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I balanced the budget every year. I know the importance of cutting costs and eliminating insufficient government programs,” I would just like to remind you that is far from the truth. [Source 1] Gerry, the ONLY balance that you did was to double my personal property taxes during the time frame of 2006-2008.
Instead of listening to “We, the people,” i.e., the people you represent, you chose to follow lock and key with Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama.
In the letter, you mentioned that you had consulted with “dozens of prominent economists.” If you don’t mind me asking, were they puppets of the DNC or Keynesian economists? The so-called dozens of economists have been trumped by the 200+ economists who are against the stimulus (4 of which are Nobel Prize winners). [Source 2] The economists mentioned are among the nation’s top experts on the Economy. Perhaps, you should encourage the Democratic Leadership in Congress and President Obama to seek their advice.
I would like to let you know of my disappointment in your vote on this legislation, which violates our Founding Fathers’ vision for our country. You cannot tax your way to prosperity, Congressman Connolly. Please be advised that I will be observing your actions in Congress. The 2010 elections are right around the corner, and I will make it my personal mission to ensure that every voter in the Eleventh district knows about your love for super-sized government, wasteful spending, and increased taxes.
Sincerely,
Crystal Clear Conservative
I admire and respect our Republican leadership in the House and the eleven Democrats, who went against their party by adhering to principle for standing up to the liberals and H.R. 1.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Liveblogging the RebuildTheParty.com/RNC/Google event
January 28, 2009 by robertkenyon
Filed under Virginia Politics
Arrived 5:30, and they couldn’t find my name on the list. Signed up a second time at the registration desk, with the aid of the two staff people. Very friendly & courteous. Hopefully I won’t start getting duplicate emails from Rebuild The Party. We shall see.
5:45. Announcement that the program is about to begin. “Everyone please find your seats.” No one is, they’re all standing about as I sit here hammering away on the Crackberry. Introduction by Patrick Ruffini and the two other co-founders of Rebuild The Party whose names I don’t catch.
5:50. Sharon Day, candidate for RNC Secretary, talks about Twitter and how quickly she got up to speed with it, and how technology helped the Dems win down in Florida. Says she’s gotten more Twitter activity than four of the chairman candidates. If she wins, she says we will close the new media gap.
5:55. Several RNC members talk, as do the Rebuild The Party founders.
Guy from Google, Peter Greenberg, sitting right in front of me, comes up, talks about how he wants to invest Google on the right, not just the left. Patrick Ruffini talking about the youth vote and the internet, and not surrendering it. Why did they start RTP? Just two years ago, we were way behind, running an outdated campaign model. Fundraising through bundlers is not scalable in the internet age. Didn’t work out, using the old model, whereby sending the most mail and making lots of phone calls, you raise more money. Talks about arguments within campaigns to actually zap online presence as ineffective. Video content, specifically YouTube, offers a huge opportunity. YouTube is not just kids in their basement, it’s a very powerful tool. Introduce Rob Willington, the Executive Director of Rebuild The Party.
6:15. Why did we lose, the internet? NO. We were out of touch. Failure to adapt across board. We need to get to work immediately. What did the Dems do? They built a movement first, then got the money. Shows a huge Obama rally early in the game, like summer 2007. There, they got email addresses. Those were used to ask for not just money, but time and support. Simple message of “change.” Trusted supporters. Use the two-way web. Flood the zone. Amazing multimedia web and net presence. Committment matched with resources. Huge online disparity. 46.9 million raised off 1700 youtube videos. 500 million total raised online. 13 million email addresses. 2 million website members. 27k local Obama groups. Much bigger pie than McCain in terms of fundraising. Online made the difference. Obama used that to run more TV than anyone else ever.
6:28. Old playbook is dead. Dean made the blueprint for Obama. GOP didn’t learn. Internet and new media needs to bw #1 organizational priority for RNC and state parties and campaigns. Change the way we do things. New generation of candidates. Challenge every house race. Make
it about the supporters, not the candidate or the staff. Always be ready to adapt and reallocate resources. Things will change. Talks about mobile platforms and what Obama did with Google Earth.
6:40. Wrapping up presentation. Talking about smaller effort of email fundraising vs. old school events. Rearrange priorities around new media. Lost young voters 2-1. Not good. They are reached through new media. Working on board of advisors for rebuild the party, to feature elected officials. Rob Willington is point man for that too. I immediately think of Bob Marshall and Ken Cuccinelli.
And video, food, networking. All in all, reasonably impressive. Bright, dynamic, articulate crew, who just might shake up the party establishment if we have the right people in charge, and they listen. It really is all up to us, the activists to force the old-school types to listen.
Cross-posted at The Northern Virginia Conservative
REAL ID Rally in Richmond
January 28, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia News
Rick Sincere News & Thoughts covered the recent “Stop Dangerous ID” rally, which was held last Wednesday at the State Capitol. His thorough coverage of the event, along with YouTube clips featuring speakers, such as State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax), Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas), Philip Van Cleave, Virginia Civil Defense League, a Representative from ACLU, and representatives from other organizations all appeared to rally against REAL ID, and to exempt Virginia from this national legislation.
Call your legislators today and urge them to support H.B. 1587 and S.B. 841. Our liberties are at stake if we do not stop REAL ID.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Illegal Immigrants Getting In-State Tuition in Virginia?
January 28, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia News
I thought that I have heard it all, but granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants in Virginia is not going to fly. Right now, there are several Virginia honors students who are being placed on waiting lists in Virginia colleges and universities. Now, they might not be placing the blame on out-of-state students, rather they will be competing with illegal immigrants. This is simply unfair.
Who is behind this legislation in the General Assembly? State Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta) is the Chief Patron of SB 1037. This legislation will grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants in Virginia, if they graduated from a Virginia High School, seeking to become a Permanent Resident of the United States, and provide proof that their parents are paying taxes in the Commonwealth.
If a student is here illegally, they should not be entitled to in-state tuition plain and simple. It is a shame that Sen. Hanger would provide in-state tuition to those here illegally, while it is difficult and costly for a legal citizen to attend colleges and universities across the Commonwealth.
Update: This bill was passed in the State Senate today. For the exact vote breakdown, check out Tertium Quids.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Property Rights in Virginia
January 27, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia News
Tertium Quids posted an excellent write up about today’s subcommittee hearing on property rights in the State Senate. Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) has proposed legislation that would create a constitutional amendment, which would establish limitations on seizing private property. S.J. 290 would also include provisions that would prevent property from being seized if it is for financial gain, etc.
There was a similar bill that was sponsored by Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) and passed during last year’s General Assembly session. If the proposed legislation is killed, this could threaten future property rights legislation. Remember we have the right to life, liberty and property (without the threats of seizing land for future business and housing developments).
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Banning Light Bulbs–Not Such a Bright Idea
January 26, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia News
Question: How many delegates does it take to ban incandescent light bulbs? Well, Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington) is proposing a measure that will ban incandescent light bulbs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Talk about another example of nanny state politics in Virginia.
Ebbin wants to ban these light bulbs, since they save energy and cut down on pollution. However, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports that Ebbin has been rethinking his bill, instead considering adding fees on the incandescent bulbs.
This is a dim bulb idea, as incandescent bulbs are a cheaper alternative to the compact fluorescent light bulbs. In an economic recession, the last thing we need to worry about is banning a lower price light bulb, in place of a higher price bulb that has no proven effect of being safe for the environment.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Middle Class Tax Cut: How about an Overall Tax Cut?
January 24, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia General Assembly
Virginia Democrats think they have a plan for everything. After all, they are the party for the working people. However, after reading this recent article in The Washington Examiner, the conclusion is that the Democrats do not represent the working people.
By raising the taxes for the wealthy in Virginia, you are most likely increasing the tax burden on businesses and corporations. With the economy already in shambles, the increase in taxes will cause many businesses to consider relocating to a state that offers tax incentives more conducive to operations.
Tax breaks for everyone would definitely stimulate Virginia’s economy. Yes, the repeal of the 1.5% sales tax on food will be beneficial to everyone, but there shouldn’t be limited tax breaks on individuals and businesses making under a certain income level. In a recession, everyone is hurting and causes everyone to look at their spending habits to decide whether they can afford the basics, etc.
Maybe, the Democrats should look towards common sense. By taxing businesses that make above $100k, you are driving them away, as well as Virginia’s Number One State to do business ratings.
Case Dropped for OK-3
January 23, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Politics
NOTE: You may ask why would this case be mentioned on the Virginia News Platoon. It seems that there is a rising need for term limits. Our founding fathers intended for change, and the term limits would provide honest change, along with a fresh perspective.
Good news! The case against three term-limits activists have been dropped. Paul Jacob was one of the three charged with circulating initiative petitions that would have advocated for term limits in the Oklahoma government. Term limits are an essential part of government that would allow a fresh perspective in the legislative process. Our founding fathers would no doubt advocate for term limits.
The American Spectator’s Doug Bandow has a great post on their blog about Jacob’s trials and tribulation throughout the process.
We can be thankful for Jacob’s service to our country and his strong advocacy for an important manner that needs to be addressed in the legislative branch.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
No Surprises Here!
January 22, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News
Why am I not surprised by current Rep. (and former Fairfax County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors) Gerry Connolly’s actions to suppress voter turnout on February 3rd? I am not surprised, because Gerry still wants to continue driving Fairfax County into the ground by trying to get his second-in-command, Sharon Bulova elected.
As you can see, Connolly is trying to persuade fellow Democrats to tell Republicans that the special election for the Chairman’s race is a week later than scheduled. Just to clarify things, the election is FEBRUARY 3, 2009. The shocking part of this video is how Bulova is laughing about potential vote fraud in Fairfax County.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUbqv-b5k4
