Rep. Rob Wittman at the YRFV Convention
April 19, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
Speaking to an audience of forty Young Republicans from all across the Commonwealth of Virginia yesterday, Congressman Rob Wittman spoke about the current session in Congress. Touching on the current economic woes facing America, Wittman spoke about the current deficits at the Federal level. Wittman said we have a deficit of $1 trillion dollars, and the government has continued to add to this deficits by approving $1 trillion dollars with the stimulus, $400 billion dollars in omnibus spending, and now, a $3.6 billion dollar budget. Wittman further emphasized that there has been an increase of spending for all government agencies and the recent defense spending cuts.
During his speech, he said that the tea parties have brought out great dissent for those who are against the massive government spending increases. “They are thirsting for someone to provide direction, and we [the federal government] need to be good stewards of tax dollars.” Wittman mentioned that we need to be focused on helping small businesses and standing up for lower taxes, individual freedoms and liberties.
Wittman also mentioned the recent push by the Obama administration and Congress to pass universal health care. Universal health care is not the way to go, and Wittman said the Republicans in Congress are committed to pushing for an alternative plan for individuals to access care at different points in the system and control the current costs. Right now, only 17% of the GDP is being spent in health care.
**Cross Posted at YRDominion and Crystal Clear Conservative
More on Bloggers Day
April 11, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia General Assembly, Virginia News, Virginia Politics
I know I am a little late in filing this, but I have had a busy week at work. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be invited to Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling’s Bloggers Day at the Capitol in Richmond. Since this was held during the veto session, there was quite a bit of excitement over what legislative proposals the General Assembly would be overriding, etc. While I know most of the bloggers in attendance, there were others that I did not meet until bloggers day.
First, Lt. Governor Bolling spoke to the bloggers about his re-election campaign and discussed the veto session. It was a open discussion that focused on the economic and energy issues facing Virginia. Bolling recently was featured in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article that discussed offshore drilling as a means of not only increasing energy, but bringing more jobs to Virginia.
After Bolling spoke, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell stopped by to discuss his campaign for Governor and his campaign. McDonnell discussed his jobs initiative and touched upon principles of limited government. During McDonnell’s discussion, he also touched on the topic of eliminating the state income tax and mentioned the success of this initiative in states like Tennessee. This would raise the sales tax, but it would definitely be interesting to see how this works in Virginia. There will be more on this later, but it was a good talk.
Once McDonnell left, it was time to head over the Capitol gallery. Randy Marcus, Bolling’s Chief of Staff was very gracious, as he accompanied us throughout the day. After being seated in the gallery, we found out that Senator Ken Cuccinelli would be introducing us on the floor of the Senate. It was so cool getting the glance at the Senate gallery and be recognized. Cuccinelli announced our group of “rabble rousers.”
Photo Courtesy of Rick Sincere
After visiting the gallery, we were treated to a nice lunch at Richbrau in Shockoe Bottom by Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson of Project Virginia. It was great talking with other bloggers from across Virginia during lunch. Once lunch was over, we went back to the General Assembly building, where we heard from Chris LaCivita, Project Virginia, Bob Holsworth of Virginia Tomorrow, Del. Chris Saxman, and Paul Haughton. We heard about the 2009 races, new technology, and an update of the veto session. It was very informative, and I learned a lot. Unfortunately, my BlackBerry video recorder did not function quite as well as I had wanted. Rick Sincere had some great video from Holsworth’s discussion, as well as Del. Saxman’s discussion of the veto session.
We ended the day at Peking Restaurant with Randy Marcus of Lt. Governor Bolling’s office. It was a very enjoyable time, and a great way to end the day. A very special thank you to Lt. Governor Bolling and his staff for their gracious hospitality. I look forward to future blogger days in the future.
**Cross Posted at Virginia News Platoon
Other bloggers in attendance at this event:
Bearing Drift
Virginia Conservative
Rick Sincere News and Thoughts
Leslie Carbone
Bryan Pick of QandO
Jon Henke of The Next Right
Rightside VA
Red Virginia
Skeptical Observor
Norm Leahy of Tertium Quids
Jason Kenney of J’s Notes
Steve Rossie of the Family Foundation Blog
Transparency Among Virginia Counties
April 2, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
The Sunshine Review, a web site devoted to government transparency at the state and local levels recently evaluated counties and jurisdictions across the United States, in terms of how much open information that is accessible to the public. In Virginia, there were some surprising statistics on how open government was by accounting dealings with lobbyists, expenditures, taxes, and budgets.
In Northern Virginia, several counties had good to mediocre transparency on their websites. Fairfax County has a fairly good record of transparency on their website, as they place the Board of Supervisors’ contact information and term dates listed. Additionally, there are lists of previous budgets, county board agendas, bid requests, county contracts, as well as places where you can make tax payments to the county. However, it lacks in listing department officials’ contact information or any lobbyists who might be employed by the county. Arlington County also accounts for the same amount of transparency on their website.
Loudoun County is more open with their dealings on their website, as it lists the same information as Fairfax, and the only thing not listed on their website is the public record. Where Fairfax County does not list department officials’ contact information or lobbyists who petition on behalf of the county, Loudoun County makes this information accessible.
Both Prince William County and the City of Alexandria have more restrictions on what they list on their sites. Lobbying affiliations are not mentioned, and both governments list their budgets, contact information for their elected officials and department heads, audits are available, and FOIA filing instructions are prominently displayed.
Overall, the Northern Virginia counties all have good transparency measures in place. There is still more work that needs to be done to ensure full transparency is available to the taxpayers. While Northern Virginia leads the Commonwealth in transparency, Virginia is still better than some of our neighboring states, when it comes down to transparency and accountability.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Obama’s Budget Reaches the House
April 2, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
In the next chapter of Fiscal Responsibility, Congress will be debating and voting on President Obama’s budget tomorrow. With close to $3.8-4 trillion dollars in spending, this bill is the grim reaper of national debt that will last for a long time. The budget includes proposals to limit defense spending, impose a national energy tax, and increased spending on health care proposals. It is not looking good on Capitol Hill right now, and this is not what taxpayers need.
Tonight, I had the opportunity to participate in a Blogger’s Conference Call with Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Roanoke). Goodlatte discussed the current budget bill, which will be debated and voted on tomorrow. This bill calls for the further expansion of the government and will be spending trillions of dollars over the next year. It is a disgrace that we will be buried in debt due to this horrid proposal. A surprising statistic mentioned during the call was that our current and rising debt does make our country ineligible for admittance to the European Union.
Goodlatte is definitely an advocate for the taxpayers, as he indicated that there are two different Republican budget alternatives. One was proposed by the Republican Study Committee and the other was proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin). The one proposed by Rep. Ryan and the Republicans on the Budget Committee can be found here.
Goodlatte mentioned that he would support either one of these plans, but prefers a plan that would balance the budget and scrap the tax code to a simpler tax code with six guiding principles. When asked about the estate tax, Goodlatte indicated that this is set to expire in 2010, and it will go back to its standardized rate of 55% in 2011. Families whose loved ones die after 2010 would have to incur this massive debt. Goodlatte also touched on another tax that is likely to come from this budget that would make us more dependent on foreign oil. The Cap and Trade tax on energy will cost American families $1,200 a year and it will also drive jobs out of the country.
Additionally, Goodlatte said this budget is going to hurt small businesses. Along with the real estate taxes, employment taxes, capital gains taxes, and a dividends tax increase, it will be difficult for small businesses to stay afloat and make a decent living. It is particularly worrisome to someone who is considering opening a small business with the added regulations that will be placed on them.
The most worrying part of this budget is the massive amounts of spending that the Obama administration is proposing, and we are headed in the wrong direction. The increased size of government no doubt creates more fear, along with the proposed universal health care.
A special thanks to Congressman Goodlatte and his staff for hosting this conference call tonight. It was very informative, and hopefully, there will be more opportunities to participate in future calls.
**Cross Posted at Virginia News Platoon
Other links about the Conference Call with Rep. Goodlatte:
Video from the Anti-Tax Rally in Fairfax
March 31, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
Check out both the video clips on Crystal Clear Conservative.
Video from the Republicans United for Tax Relief Anti-Tax Rally
Video from the Anti-Tax Rally in Fairfax
Anti-Tax Rally Mobilizes Grassroots in Fairfax County
March 30, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
Tonight, about 80 anti-tax activists held a rally outside the Fairfax County Government Center to protest the proposed rise in real estate taxes. There was a great air of dissension from many Fairfax County and Northern Virginia residents alike about tax hikes as a means to solve our budget woes. In fact, many of the participants at the event attended the hearing, where Arthur Purves of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance and James Parmelee of Republicans United for Tax Relief both delivered testimony before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hearing about how taxes will not help prosper our county’s economic growth. More taxes are not going to help Fairfax County families. In fact, this will cause many families to leave Fairfax County for other jurisdictions with lower taxes.
Additionally, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity stopped by, former 11th District Congressional candidate Keith Fimian, and Kerry Bolognese, who is running for the 41st House of Delegates seat against David Marsden.
I got to meet several participants who traveled from Sterling and Manassas to join the rally here in Fairfax. Both the Loudoun and Prince William County Board of Supervisors will be addressing this issue soon.
Here are some pictures from the event:
**Pictures courtesy of B.J. Bluth, Ph.D.**
Video will be posted tomorrow morning of the rally. Hopefully, you will be able to attend the Northern Virginia Tea Party on April 15th at the Merrifield Post Office from 5-7 p.m. For more information on this event, please check out the Northern Virginia Tea Party website.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
McDonnell Kickoff: A Huge Success in Annandale
March 28, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
On a rainy Saturday morning, a gathering of about 700 supporters (confirmed by the Fairfax County Republican Committee) filtered into the Annandale Fire Hall to rally around Bob McDonnell as he officially kicked off his run for Governor. This enthusiastic crowd was pumped to welcome the McDonnell/Bolling team to town, as they held signs that said, “Bob 4 Jobs,” “Welcome Back Bob!,” and “Maureen 4 1st Lady.”
The event started off with Rep. Tom Davis, who was the emcee. Davis discussed how the Republican party will regain the statewide offices, as well as retaining the majority in the House of Delegates. Davis introduced Rep. Frank Wolf, who discussed how McDonnell will work to improve the transportation in Northern Virginia, and how McDonnell is a strong leader in passing legislation on strengthening internet safety. After Wolf delivered his remarks, he introduced Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who is seeking re-election. Touching on themes of improving the economy, transportation, and protecting Virginia’s status as a Right-to-Work state, Bolling delivered a strong speech that helped motivate the crowd. Bolling said that both he and McDonnell are working towards a better Virginia as a team.
Read more
Where’s the Leadership, Fairfax County?
March 19, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
I wrote before on the potential for tax increases in Fairfax County to compensate for a large budget deficit. Now, Brian Ledbetter at Snapped Shot unveils the true leadership in Fairfax County, rather the leadership you can believe in.
The County Board of Supervisors acknowledge that they are in a dire budget crisis, yet they have increased their budget by almost $210,000. You can see the evidence here on Pages 23 and 30. The amazing thing is that they have voted for their own pay raises, but they are talking about job cuts and still have a budget downfall. Hmm…interesting.
Maybe, it is time to cut back in troubled economic times. With many businesses cutting out bonuses and pay raises to help them stay afloat, Fairfax County could have done this to help lead by example. Maybe, this is a lesson that voters will learn in the next election.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Transparency is good for government
March 16, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Politics
If there is one thing that residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia will soon love, this will be the fact that they can watch how the government spends money. In addition, they will be able to monitor virtually every aspect of the state government. Transparency, not only provides accountability, but it provides an insight into which programs receive more money than others, etc. This is simply put, good politics and good government.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch recently discussed how transparency will benefit the government. While we can monitor how the government spends our hard-earned dollars, many of our lawmakers will also be able to see the benefits as well. They can take a glimpse into which programs are receiving more funding than others and know where to make cuts. Even, Del. Sam Nixon (R-Chesterfield) made a good point when he said, “The public has the right to know when people are being paid by other people to represent their interests before the government.”
While there had been some dissension in the past with transparency, this will be beneficial to hold our legislators and government accountable for budget expenditures.
Property Taxes on the rise in Fairfax County
March 12, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
With the current budget crisis and in these trying economic times, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are raising your property taxes. According to The Washington Post, the final rate will not be set until a later date, but no doubt, this will cause more economic hardships for working families here in Fairfax County. The proposed fee is $1.05 per $100 assessed value, along with a stormwater service charge.
In the current economic situation, there are ways to be innovative in the legislative process that will not necessarily raise taxes. One of those innovative ideas is to eliminate all wasteful expenditures by sitting down and reviewing the budget carefully. From there, make any essential cuts. Of course, programs are going to be eliminated, but this is the only way we can solve this problems. Trust me, I would rather have an unnecessary service eliminated, rather than having a tax increase.
Maybe, it is time for Fairfax County to take a fiscally responsible approach and find ways to eliminate unnecessary programs, as well as reducing spending. It’s now or never, and the residents of Fairfax County are certainly feeling the pinch more due to rising unemployment rates, etc.
