uvAggravator2.0

That’s how Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton described the upcoming report on VDOT – and he didn’t mean it in a good way (WTOP via Tertium Quids):

“I will just tell you that in two weeks when we announce (the audit), it will make national news as to what we found,” Connaughton said during a business event in Northern Virginia Wednesday.

“The biggest issue we are looking at is financial management — money that was in the pipeline. We had some indications that we were facing some challenges when we took office, and the auditors confirmed that those concerns were valid.”

Without spelling out the specifics of the audit, Connaughton talked about personnel and policy changes that are on the way.

“We are going to be making some major changes in how we do business — particularly at VDOT,” he says.

In other words, as now-Senator Mark Warner and now-DNC Chair Tim Kaine were both screaming for higher taxes “for roads,” the folks they entrusted to put down the asphalt had so much trouble watching the money they actually had that it will reverberate from coast to coast.

The audit report is scheduled to be released on the 22nd.

Cross-posted to VV and On the Spot

Susana Martinez, Republican candidate for Governor of New Mexico, raises the bar for opposition research, advertising, you name it . . .

Memo to all future candidates, if you’re going to put someone on TV for your ad, make sure they’re not married to a criminal sent to prison by your opponent.

At one point, Martinez says of the Dems, “I don’t know what they’ll do next.”  I do, Susana; they’ll concede.

h/t Jim Geraghty

Cross-posted to VV

Susana Martinez, Republican candidate for Governor of New Mexico, raises the bar for opposition research, advertising, you name it . . . Memo to all future candidates, if you’re going to put someone on TV for your ad, make sure they’re not married to a criminal sent to prison by your opponent. At one point, [...]

That’s how Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton described the upcoming report on VDOT – and he didn’t mean it in a good way (WTOP via Tertium Quids): “I will just tell you that in two weeks when we announce (the audit), it will make national news as to what we found,” Connaughton said during a business [...]

The conservative publication “National Review” used Virginia’s Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) to illustrate the conflict the Obama administration and Pelosi/Reid Democrats might have in ending the Bush tax cuts.

While Connolly has been a rumber-stamp for most of Obama’s liberal agenda, riding the president’s coat-tails to victory in 2008, National Review highlight’s Connolly’s recent conversion to fiscal discipline, now that Obama is not at the top of the ticket.

“Connolly began to voice his concern as early as January 2010, when White House officials were preparing the ten-year budget plan. Now, with a number of Democratic candidates in tough races coming out in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts, Connolly appears something of a trendsetter, ” writes Andrew Stiles. “Connolly was a reliable vote for Democrats in his first term, supporting all of the Obama administration’s key policy initiatives, such as the federal stimulus package, health-care reform, cap-and-trade legislation, and financial reform.”

Can anyone say “election year conversion”?

While I understand the National Review wanting to show conflict amongst national Democrats over tax policy – Virginia’s 11th District voters should make no mistake: Gerry Connolly is still a liberal.

It felt like a chapter out of a book by Camille Paglia. Obama was going to be America's savior, because he was going to cure our sexual malaise by liberating us from the endless travail imposed by the Protestant work ethic and bourgeois propriety. As a demiurge risen from the...

I just KNEW that Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert’s prosecution of Carlos Martinelly Montano, the illegal alien who drove drunk and killed a Catholic nun, would go down like this.  Here’s what I said a month ago: All I can say is that he better not simply ask the grand jury to upgrade [...]

Incandescent light bulbs are going the way of the horse and buggy. And with them 200 manufacturing jobs at the General Electric plant in Winchester, Virginia.

The Washington Post called it “the end of an era.” The light bulb has changed very little from Thomas Edison’s basic concept until now.

But why is it changing now? Why are manufacturing jobs going away in the middle of this recession?

Fluorescent light bulbs changed the commercial market but didn’t impact the household market very much until compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) came along. CFLs were a much more energy efficient product. They lasted four times as long as incandescent bulbs. The problem is that they originally cost more than four times as much and Americans were reluctant to buy them. Although the price of CFLs has come down, 75% of the light bulbs sold in America are still incandescent.

So what’s a CFL manufacturer to do? Why, call their friends in the US Congress and the EPA.

Energy efficiency meant the CFL bulbs could be marketed as a “green” solution and that’s very popular on Capitol Hill. So in 2007, the Democratic controlled Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which imposed new energy-efficiency mandates on light bulbs sold for private homes. The legislation essentially banned incandescent light bulbs and created a 100% market share for CFLs starting in 2014.

Three years later, the unintended consequences of the legislation are already apparent.

Goodbye Winchester made light bulbs. Hello federally mandated CFLs.
Goodbye well-paying American jobs. CFLs are made almost exclusively in China.

And what about the environment? Well, CFLs are much more energy efficient but they also contain trace amounts of mercury, which is toxic and requires special handling and disposal. While the amount of mercury is not large enough to pose a household hazard, they do present a disposal challenge for landfills. Ideally, CFLs should be carefully sequestered and recycled using special processing methods. But not all local recycling facilities are equipped to process CFLs and many consumers are not aware of the long-term environmental hazards posed by discarding CFLs in trash that is headed for the landfill.

What’s at stake when big business joins with Congress and regulators to mandate that consumers buy a product for which there is far less demand in the unimpeded market?

Only liberty.

And jobs.

That was the response of Delegate Brenda Pogge (R-York County) to the McDonnell Administration’s assertion that no tax increases are in his ABC privatization plan.  Much of the Washington Post‘s coverage of the rollout centered on Republican anger about the tax increases.

None of it should surprise.  However, it also gives me cause for optimism.  The more grief McDonnell gets from within the GOP, the more likely the tax increases go away, leaving a clean get-the-government-out-of-the-liquor-business bill.

The House GOP, including Speaker Bill Howell, has seen this movie before.  They remember how sickness and rage turned into sweetness and light when they took tax hikes out of their transportation plan two summers ago.

Now the question becomes: can the House Republicans save the McDonnell Administration from itself?

Cross-posted to BD

As Jim pointed out to me the other day, the preview on the 11th reads like a Gerry Connolly infomercial, but it still paints a decent picture of the 11th. They attempt to paint Connolly as a moderate and mention a number of factors that could spare him from the Republican tsunami this November.

In his first term, Connolly has supported Obama on key issues such as the federal stimulus package, the health-care overhaul, cap-and-trade legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and financial reform.

But Connolly is quick to tick off issues in which he differed with Obama.

For example, last December he voted against a $154 billion jobs bill, saying that excess bank bailout funds instead should be used to reduce the federal deficit. He also opposes Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ proposal to cut defense contracting by 10 percent a year for three years, saying it would hurt small businesses.

“I’ve represented this area for now 16 years. I’m 60. I don’t have to cotton to anybody in power,” Connolly said Sunday during a brief interview before he addressed a gathering at The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.

“I like the president. I think he’s a person of great goodwill and skill, and I want to be an ally when I can be. But I also have to protect the interests of not only this district but, frankly, the country as I see it.

“And I try to be an independent voice in that regard, though proudly a Democrat.”

They also paint Connolly as conservative on fiscal matters, immigration, and taxes. They at least get a few good quotes from the Republican challenger Keith Fimian:

Fimian doesn’t buy it. He said Connolly is “trying to tack as far to the right as he can,” because he senses the prevailing winds.

“This guy is a shill for [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi,” Fimian said in a telephone interview. “To somehow call himself a fiscal hawk or an independent voice is laughable.”

He said Connolly represents “the radical, liberal left,” but “this district is Fairfax, Virginia, not Haight-Ashbury.”

Fimian also makes it clear what this election is really about: the economy. While Connolly runs to the center, Fimian isn’t trying to fool voters on his ideology. He stands for jobs, jobs, and more jobs.

During the rematch, he’s trying to score on Connolly by tying him to the sluggish economy. He has released statements about slow economic growth, weak home sales and rising jobless claims under a “Connollynomics” headline.

“The environment is radically different” this time, he said. Beyond his own comfort level — “I had never run for dog catcher before 2008″ — fears about the economy and government spending are galvanizing supporters.

“People are afraid,” Fimian said. “Fear motivates anger, and anger inspires action.

“You couldn’t have two candidates more diametrically opposed,” Fimian added. “He’s a career politician, a far-left, tax-and-spend liberal.

“I’m a businessman. I’ve spent the vast majority of my career starting and building a company that started in a room above a garage.”

In the 9th the RTD correctly identifies cap-and-trade as the seminal issue:

Voters in the district’s western, coal-producing counties also worry that tougher restrictions on greenhouse gases — whether through Environmental Protection Agency regulations or through cap-and-trade legislation — will choke an industry that fuels the local economy.

Boucher, who voted for the cap-and-trade bill, said it was better for Congress to exercise control over greenhouse-gas regulation than cede the authority to the EPA. He said that would be worse for the coal industry and consumers.

“Everything I did was to protect coal and protect jobs,” he said.

Griffith called Boucher’s reasoning “poppycock” and said Boucher should have used his power to persuade a handful of other representatives to defeat the measure.

This year, Boucher was one of 34 House Democrats who broke with Obama and voted against the health-care overhaul. He said the bill would require cuts of $450 billion in Medicare funding over 10 years and that two-thirds of his constituents opposed the measure.
But Boucher backed Obama on the stimulus bill.

“The Republicans think certainly there are some wedge issues that Morgan might play,” said Robert Denton, a political analyst at Virginia Tech.

“Cap and trade, [Boucher's] voting support of Obama — those are opportunities, they think. But voters have had very strong support of Boucher over the years.”

Of course the RTD couldn’t resist trying to make Morgan Griffith’s supporters out to be gun-toting heathens:

Griffith spent Friday afternoon strolling through the massive Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show in Hillsville. He spoke with prospective voters who were selling everything from firearms to lemonade.

“I hope you kick his [expletive],” said gun dealer Randy Winters, 58, from Atkins, as Griffith stopped by his counter to peruse his collection of handguns and firearms for sale.

Oddly, both articles end questioning whether voters really know the GOP candidate in the race:

11th:

Kaine noted that Connolly had about 1 million constituents as chairman of the Fairfax board, more than he represents in Congress.

“He was known in every neighborhood,” Kaine said. “I think that is probably one of the biggest features in this race — the degree to which people know him.

“And then, do they know his opponent?”

9th:

But Boucher will not be easy to defeat this time or next, Denton said. The GOP might be a little too optimistic in its hopes for the 9th, especially given that the national party has yet to dump a chunk of money into Griffith’s campaign coffers, he said.

“I think Boucher simply needs to remind them that he’s been a friend for them in Washington over the years,” [Robert] Denton said.

“There is the issue of trust — that’s what Morgan is trying to build. Do we really know you? In places like Bristol and Dickenson, they like to know people.”

That was the response of Delegate Brenda Pogge (R-York County) to the McDonnell Administration’s assertion that no tax increases are in his ABC privatization plan. Much of the Washington Post‘s coverage of the rollout centered on Republican anger about the tax increases.

None of it should surprise. However, it also gives me cause for optimism. The more grief McDonnell gets from within the GOP, the more likely the tax increases go away, leaving a clean get-the-government-out-of-the-liquor-business bill.

The House GOP, including Speaker Bill Howell, has seen this movie before. They remember how sickness and rage turned into sweetness and light when they took tax hikes out of their transportation plan two summers ago.

Now the question becomes: can the House Republicans save the McDonnell Administration from itself?

Cross-posted to RWL

The brouhahas over Park51 (a.k.a. the “Ground Zero mosque”) and the upcoming Qu’ran bonfire in Florida have exposed a glaring weakness in the discussion in America of global Islam.

Basically, most Americans know that more than one billion people call themselves Muslims (it’s roughly 1.5 billion, BTW), but they then crowd them in Europe, the Middle East and the AfPak region.  In fact, a majority of the world’s Muslims live outside of those three zones.

For example, Bangladesh is home to roughly 150 million followers of Islam – more than any other nation on earth save three (Indonesia, India, and Pakistan).  The last time Bangladeshi voters had the opportunity to elect their leaders (2008), the choices were a secular center-left coalition and a center-right grouping that included some troubling anti-Western radical Islamists.

The secular coalition proceeded to paste the Islamist-tinged right.

Fast forward two years, and we find a court has ruled on a college’s attempt to force “traditional” Islamic garb on its students (BBC):

A Bangladesh court has ruled that people cannot be forced to wear skull caps, veils or other religious clothing in workplaces, schools and colleges.

The ruling came after reports that a college in the north had forced students to wear veils.

The high court also ruled that women cannot be prevented from taking part in sports or cultural activities.

It does not surprise me in the least that this news is nearly three weeks old.  That is the painful reality regarding stories in Muslim lands that don’t fit the radical or faux-moderate mode.

We’re told that the Park51 project head (who can’t bring himself to call Hamas a terrorist group) and the Turkish AKP (they of the Gaza flotilla fiasco) are “moderate” Muslims, which (1) gives them a credo they don’t deserve, and (2) convinces Americans and others that moderate Islam is a sham.

Meanwhile, real moderate Muslims are ignored because they’re not in the Middle East or Europe (or, since 2001, Afghanistan and Pakistan).

Maddening.

Cross-posted to VV

It’s amazing to me to see Democrats get all upset about someone planning to burn a Quran, but have no problem with burning an American Flag.

I’m consistent. I think the idea for someone to burn either a Quran or an American flag is about the dumbest idea one could have. After attempts to ban flag burning failed, Louisiana passed a law lowering the fine for assaulting a flag burner to $25, and I had a nice, long chuckle. One city lowered it to $1.

Today’s chuckle is seeing these Democrats line up in outrage against a Quran burning after so passionately defending folks who burn the American flag.

President Barack Obama, who voted against a Constitutional Amendment to protect the American flag, is all against this Florida minister and his Quran burning plans.

Ditto Hillary Clinton who condemned the planned Quran burning but didn’t have any problem voting against protecting the American Flag from protest burning.

Wisconsin’s Sen. Russ Feingold, California’s Sen. Barbara Boxer, New York’s Chuck Schumer – all running for re-election this year, and all voted against Constitutionally-protecting the American Flag from burning.

No problem with flag burning – just don’t burn a Quran! There’s a campaign slogan!

Someone needs to ask these Democrats why flag burning is ok with them but Quran burning is not.

Media? Hello? Are you there?

The brouhahas over Park51 (a.k.a. the “Ground Zero mosque”) and the upcoming Qu’ran bonfire in Florida have exposed a glaring weakness in the discussion in America of global Islam. Basically, most Americans know that more than one billion people call themselves Muslims (it’s roughly 1.5 billion, BTW), but they then crowd them in Europe, the Middle [...]

Over at Virginia Virtucon, Riley has been doing an excellent job delving into 1st District Congressional candidate Krystal Ball’s finances.

The latest from Riley: So now they are on their FOURTH explanation of where and how Ball received the $1 million to $5 million in K12, Inc. stock that showed up on her latest financial disclosure form.

Head on over to Virginia Virtucon and check out: Krystal Ball’s Magical Mystery Millions.

Ball was profiled in the June Issue of Virginia Politics on Demand e-zine.

The official election season was kicked off last night in Arlington with the annual Civic Federation Candidates Night. For Arlington County Board, Republican Mark Kelly attacked 14 year incumbent Democrat Chris Zimmerman, who also moonlights on the Metro board, about the deteriorating conditions on the metro that have led to delays and deaths in recent years. A very polished Zimmerman generally rode the wave of high ratings Arlington receives from various groups and was unapologetic about the money wasted on lawsuits and trolleys.

The congressional candidates were much more feisty. Republican Patrick Murray came out swinging in his opening remarks asking Jim Moran “what planet” he was on by telling Hardball’s Chris Matthews that the economy has recovered. Moran responded that he was not trying to be universally liked and that he had achieved that. Moran went on to brag about how he controls $40-50B on House Appropriations committee and other involvement in groups for animal rights. The questions asked in the debate were weak overall but here is my recap:

Question 1: Directed at Moran, was it ethical to send out a very expensive mailer to all the constituents using tax payer money in an election year. A little background, 8th district voters received a booklet in the mail outlining several policies (i.e. healthcare, BP oil spill, etc)

Moran: The mailer cost taxpayers $100K, not the $1M that Murray has been telling folks, and that his staff actually returned $150K of the money allocated to his office back to the Treasury.

Murray: Pulled out the mailer and his reading glasses and read “at tax payers expense” and gave the Churchill joke about haggling over price to sleep with a woman.

Question 2: Directed at Murray, having lived in the 8th district less than 2 years, what makes him think he can represent us.

Murray: Started his response with a McCain-esque, “I was protecting our country” all that time but also mentioned that he lived in Alexandria for 8 years while serving at the State Department and Pentagon.

Moran: Quipped that US Congress is not an entry level position and that he spent 20 years in public service including being the mayor of Alexandria before even considering a run for Congress.

Question 3: This one got a little animated due to the person asking the question but among a yelling audience he finally asked, “do you believe in the Constitution and do you follow it?”

Moran: Yes

Murray: Yes, it is our owners manual.

The answers were short because the Civic Fed president basically invalidated the question due to the high drama.

Question 4: Directed at Murray, questioned his statement that Roe v Wade was the worst Supreme Court decision ever and what restrictions he would put on a woman’s privacy.

Murray: Started that this was not a critical issue on the minds of voters and that there are ways to work together to reduce the number of abortions (i.e. via adoption, etc). Ended with saying he was a federalist and that this issue should be handled at the state level.

Moran: Wants abortions to be safe, legal and affordable and the issue cannot be handled at the state level. Said the worst decision of the Supreme Court was Dredd Scott.

Closing Statements:

Moran: Talked about how he is able to steer earmarks, how he believes in the Federal govt and that he has seniority. Also added that due to his funding, Arlington has one of the fasted response times to fire and police calls.

Murray: Said the biggest threat to America is the national debt. Criticized Moran for being one of 15 congressmen to vote himself a raise and said if you’re happy with the way things are going then send Moran back to Congress for a 3rd decade.

Overall, Patrick Murray was on the offensive and sitting in the front row I could sense that Moran was somewhat agitated (partially due to the hecklers from the Murray crowd) but not on his game as I have seen him in the past.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor defeneded Minority Leader John Boehner’s common-sense economic proposals today to keep government spending at the 2008 level and not raise taxes. However, even though Cantor asked Democratic colleagues in Congress (Boucher, Nye, Perriello, Connolly, etc.) to support the proposal, they’re likely to ignore it in their quest for more government spending as “stimulus” – and claim the GOP is out of ideas.

“President Obama just doesn’t get it – our government simply cannot keep spending money that it doesn’t have, and it certainly cannot threaten small business people and job creators with massive tax hikes if the goal is to get people back to work. Today Leader Boehner challenged the President to support two simple measures that many in the House, Republicans and Democrats, could embrace—cutting government spending and preventing massive tax hikes on all Americans. Job creators, small business owners, and investors don’t know which burdensome tax hike, regulation or mandate will come next, and therefore are reluctant to hire new employees, assume risk and make investments—all crucial components of any economic recovery. Americans need a signal that their government finally gets it – stopping the reckless spending and removing the threat of massive tax hikes is a great way to start.

“The White House continues to blindly throw darts at the board and hope for a bullseye. That is not the kind of economic leadership required to overcome the serious challenges facing our country. There is a better way. For the last 18 months, Republicans have focused on cutting spending and creating jobs by offering better alternatives than the Democrat majority that specifically address the economic uncertainties facing our country. Washington has a spending problem, and the policies of the Obama Administration and the Pelosi/Reid Congress have caused the size and reach of the government to explode. Every member of the House should embrace this simple, common-sense proposal that will signal that the government is finally ready to start getting its fiscal house in order.”

Will Virginia’s Congressional Democrats support this rational approach to governance in the face of a $13+ trillion debt? I’m not holding my breath.

UPDATE 2.0 on 09Sep2010 - Go over to Dan's place - he says it so much better than I do.... You know, it's really a somewhat interesting topic... Frankly, I am of two minds about it, which shouldn't surprise my fellow Christians at all ;-) For those of you who...

- the past day and a half. It's just a little wall hanging, 33x43 inches, using real indigos (even the red, if you can believe it) from South Africa. The center of the blocks are little "Quilters' Sayings" from a panel I've had on my shelf for too long ;-)...

JERRY BROWN: ‘I HAVE A PLAN, I’LL TELL YOU AFTER THE ELECTION’

Jim Riley has the Governor’s press release on the ABC privatization plan, along with a helpful reminder that ending the government monopoly on hard liquor is very much a good thing.

That said, Jim glosses over a few things – namely the tax increases that the Governor claims aren’t there.

• The 2.5% “optional convenience fee” – I’m not as sanguine about this as Jim is.  For starters, the idea that bar and restaurant owners can just go to the retail liquor store if they wish may be more a function of our unusual ABC situation than anything else.  When one considers that staying with retail would also mean paying a 5% sales tax, this “option” turns into an offer they can’t refuse.  As far as I’m concerned, this $19.4M in new revenue is still a tax increase, and I suspect most would agree with me.
• The “wholesale license charge” – Jim skips that entirely, and I can understand why; this is obviously a tax in all but name.
• The $17.50 per gallon excise tax – This is a little trickier, because as I mentioned here, this is in lieu of a 20% excise tax.  Here’s the problem: the figures provided for the license charge (1% of gross receipts), projects revenue of $7.1M.  That means $710M in sales is projected.  If the old rate applies, that translates to $142M in revenue, far more than the current $111.4M (a sign of greater expected sales), but not the $175.7M that the Secretary of Finance is projecting from the new tax.  In other words, this is a de facto $33.7M tax increase.

By my count, that translates to ($19.4M + $7.1M + $33.7M) = $60.2M in higher taxes every year – enough to give Democrats plenty of cover to shoot the whole thing down.

That’s what irritates me more than anything else.  Without the tax hikes, the  difference in revenue is still merely $80.7M per year, or less than ¼% of the annual budget.  Was it really worth donning the tax-hike label, playing the voters for fools, and letting the Democrats party like it’s 2007 over less than ¼% of the annual budget (especially since the tax hikes couldn’t get all the way there anyhow)?

Don’t get me wrong; the government should not be in the liquor business, period.  I’d just prefer it be sold as such, rather than as a Rube Goldberg scheme at revenue neutrality that (a) raises taxes, (b) makes it a much harder sell in the process by giving the Democrats cover to shoot it down, and (c) last and least, doesn’t even accomplish that politically artificial goal in the first place.

Cross-posted to VV

On top of a series of recent polls that seem to show him opening up a huge lead over his Democratic opponent, Rand Paul is out with his first television ad of the General Election season:

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Jim Riley has the Governor’s press release on the ABC privatization plan, along with a helpful reminder that ending the government monopoly on hard liquor is very much a good thing. That said, Jim glosses over a few things – namely the tax increases that the Governor claims aren’t there. The 2.5% “optional convenience fee” [...]

Governor’s Staff Recommendation for ABC Privatization Unveiled Plan Provides Massive New Funding of $500 Million for Transportation 1,000 Retail Licenses to be Auctioned Off RICHMOND- Senior members of Governor Bob McDonnell’s staff today unveiled the official staff recommendation for ABC privatization in the Commonwealth at a meeting of the Simplification and Operations Committee of the [...]

Well it was fun while it lasted.

Two years after the Virginia Republican Party finally freed itself of the tax-hiking label that cost it elections in 2005 and 2007, less than one year after Bob McDonnell rode opposition to tax increases to lead the best Republican year in the history of the Old Dominion, McDonnell himself is about to blow the whole thing sky high today.

Here’s the damage report from the surprisingly subdued Washington Post (I suppose the giddiness will be saved for the editorial page):

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) will unveil a proposal Wednesday to impose a 4 percent tax on restaurants and bars as he tries to make up for $260 million the state could lose in taxes and profit if Virginia privatizes its liquor system, according to several sources familiar with the plan.

Included in the 4 percent is a 2.5 percent tax imposed solely on restaurants’ annual liquor receipts and a 1.5 percent tax imposed on restaurants and all stores that sell alcohol, including grocery stores (UPDATE-RWL NOTE: the latter is nowhere to be found in the Governor’s proposal; it may have been dropped). Together, they will bring in about $40 million, sources say.

McDonnell’s proposal also includes other fees, including a $17.50-per-gallon excise tax and a 1 percent tax on gross receipts, both charged to wholesalers, said Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington), who was briefed on the plan late Tuesday.

Not one, not two, not three, but four three new taxes and tax increases proposed in one day - this from the man who promised all of us he wouldn’t raise taxes (although his refusal to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge takes on a more poignant meaning).  One of the taxes (the 1.5% tax) is tangential at best to the alcohol-privatization plan (which is not the subject of my rant here; the state should not be in the liquor business). UPDATE: As noted above, this one appears to have been left on the cutting room floor.

Already, restaurants are wondering what hit them (see Randy Norton’s quote in the WaPo piece).  Thankfully, Delegate Tom Gear – one of the most consistent defenders of the taxpayer in Richmond – has put up the red-flag on this (end of same piece).

UPDATE: The McDonnell Administration played some “linguistic ledgerdemain” with the 2.5% receipts tax, calling it an “optional convenience fee.”  The “option” however, is solely the option to sell liquor. “Convenience fee” my foot; that’s a tax.  FURTHER UPDATE: As I noted here, the option is to avoid buying from retail stores, and paying the 5% retail sales tax that comes with it.  That’s more like an offer they can’t refuse, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s still a tax.

The 1% tax is being called a “wholesale license charge.”  Riiiiiiiiight.

The $17.50/gallon tax is trickier, because it actually replaces a 20% liquor tax.  Nice to see the WaPo had no idea about that one.  Still, McDonnell is expecting $175.7 million from the new tax, well over the $111.4 million the current one generates.  The Governor’s people say they expect higher sales, but their own “license charge” number anticipates sales of $710 million.  The current tax would bring in only $142M under that scenario. So this isn’t a new tax, but it is a tax increase.

The damage from this will be on several levels.

Economic: what was it Doug Wilder said again last year?  Ah yes, “This is not the time in our Commonwealth to talk about any tax increase” – and that was last September, when it was assumed recovery was on the way.  Now, recovery’s in a race with “double-dip” recession to claim 2011.  If anything, the last twelve months have made tax increases less justifiable. Moreover, whacking restaurants has the added pleasure of indirectly hurting tourism expenses.  All of this, mind you, is coming just as the Obama Administration is preparing to slam small businesses of all stripes with the reversal of the Bush-the-Younger tax cuts.

Finally, they will make the privatization of alcohol a much harder sell, and increase the likelihood that the birthplace of American liberty will remain one of social democracy’s unlikely redoubts in the hard liquor department.

Political: Doesn’t anyone in the McDonnell Administration remember 1990?  That was the year President Bush the Elder broke his “read my lips” pledge on taxes.  Before he broke his word, there was talk of the Republicans breaking the 36-year lock on Congress, and at least one poll had the two parties at parity in voter identification for the first time since World War II.  After the betrayal, the Democrats hammered the GOP, held their lopsided Congressional majorities, and voters drove Bush out of office in 1992 (his 38% remains the worst performance by an incumbent President outside of the Taft-Roosevelt split of 1912).  McDonnell will do less damage nationwide – he is only the Governor of Virginia – but I wouldn’t want to be Morgan Griffith, Keith Fimian, or Scott Rigell right now.  All of them could see whatever chance they had at victory slip away.  Even Robert Hurt could see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Don’t believe me?  Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw called this a tax “on people drinking alcohol” (WaPo) before the details were even leaked. He knows he won his majority by watching the GOP drown under tax increases. He’s already partying like it’s 2007.

So, in short, these tax increases are an unwelcome burden to the quest for a more limited government in the Commonwealth, bad for Virginia’s economy, and terrible for the Republican Party.

Perhaps we should have seen this coming with the manufacturer’s tax increase.

Cross-posted to BD

From FactCheck.org At least five freshman Democratic House members are running ads claiming they voted against the bank “bailout,” when in fact none was in Congress when the bill setting up the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, was enacted. . . . Glenn Nye’s ad tells viewers he went “against his own party” and [...]

Just in time for President Reagan’s 100th birthday next year, Hollywood is looking to make a Reagan biography (and they make quick note that they will NOT go the hatchet-job route of the CBS mini-series “The Reagans.”) Hollywood Reporter is running a poll on who should play Ronald Reagan in the film.  So far, the [...]

Well it was fun while it lasted.

Two years after the Virginia Republican Party finally freed itself of the tax-hiking label that cost it elections in 2005 and 2007, less than one year after Bob McDonnell rode opposition to tax increases to lead the best Republican year in the history of the Old Dominion, McDonnell himself is about to blow the whole thing sky high today.

Here’s the damage report from the surprisingly subdued Washington Post (I suppose the giddiness will be saved for the editorial page):

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) will unveil a proposal Wednesday to impose a 4 percent tax on restaurants and bars as he tries to make up for $260 million the state could lose in taxes and profit if Virginia privatizes its liquor system, according to several sources familiar with the plan.

Included in the 4 percent is a 2.5 percent tax imposed solely on restaurants’ annual liquor receipts and a 1.5 percent tax imposed on restaurants and all stores that sell alcohol, including grocery stores (UPDATE-RWL NOTE: the latter is nowhere to be found in the Governor’s proposal; it may have been dropped). Together, they will bring in about $40 million, sources say.

McDonnell’s proposal also includes other fees, including a $17.50-per-gallon excise tax and a 1 percent tax on gross receipts, both charged to wholesalers, said Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington), who was briefed on the plan late Tuesday.

Not one, not two, not three, but four three new taxes and tax increases proposed in one day - this from the man who promised all of us he wouldn’t raise taxes (although his refusal to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge takes on a more poignant meaning). One of the taxes (the 1.5% tax) is tangential at best to the alcohol-privatization plan (which is not the subject of my rant here; the state should not be in the liquor business). UPDATE: As noted above, this one appears to have been left on the cutting room floor.

Already, restaurants are wondering what hit them (see Randy Norton’s quote in the WaPo piece). Thankfully, Delegate Tom Gear – one of the most consistent defenders of the taxpayer in Richmond – has put up the red-flag on this (end of same piece).

UPDATE: The McDonnell Administration played some “linguistic ledgerdemain” with the 2.5% receipts tax, calling it an “optional convenience fee.” The “option” however, is solely the option to sell liquor. “Convenience fee” my foot; that’s a tax. FURTHER UPDATE: As I noted here, the option is to avoid buying from retail stores, and paying the 5% retail sales tax that comes with it. That’s more like an offer they can’t refuse, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s still a tax.

The 1% tax is being called a “wholesale license charge.” Riiiiiiiiight.

The $17.50/gallon tax is trickier, because it actually replaces a 20% liquor tax. Nice to see the WaPo had no idea about that one. Still, McDonnell is expecting $175.7 million from the new tax, well over the $111.4 million the current one generates. The Governor’s people say they expect higher sales, but their own “license charge” number anticipates sales of $710 million. The current tax would bring in only $142M under that scenario. So this isn’t a new tax, but it is a tax increase.

The damage from this will be on several levels.

Economic: what was it Doug Wilder said again last year? Ah yes, “This is not the time in our Commonwealth to talk about any tax increase” – and that was last September, when it was assumed recovery was on the way. Now, recovery’s in a race with “double-dip” recession to claim 2011. If anything, the last twelve months have made tax increases less justifiable. Moreover, whacking restaurants has the added pleasure of indirectly hurting tourism expenses. All of this, mind you, is coming just as the Obama Administration is preparing to slam small businesses of all stripes with the reversal of the Bush-the-Younger tax cuts.

Finally, they will make the privatization of alcohol a much harder sell, and increase the likelihood that the birthplace of American liberty will remain one of social democracy’s unlikely redoubts in the hard liquor department.

Political: Doesn’t anyone in the McDonnell Administration remember 1990? That was the year President Bush the Elder broke his “read my lips” pledge on taxes. Before he broke his word, there was talk of the Republicans breaking the 36-year lock on Congress, and at least one poll had the two parties at parity in voter identification for the first time since World War II. After the betrayal, the Democrats hammered the GOP, held their lopsided Congressional majorities, and voters drove Bush out of office in 1992 (his 38% remains the worst performance by an incumbent President outside of the Taft-Roosevelt split of 1912). McDonnell will do less damage nationwide – he is only the Governor of Virginia – but I wouldn’t want to be Morgan Griffith, Keith Fimian, or Scott Rigell right now. All of them could see whatever chance they had at victory slip away. Even Robert Hurt could see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Don’t believe me? Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw called this a tax “on people drinking alcohol” (WaPo) before the details were even leaked. He knows he won his majority by watching the GOP drown under tax increases. He’s already partying like it’s 2007.

So, in short, these tax increases are an unwelcome burden to the quest for a more limited government in the Commonwealth, bad for Virginia’s economy, and terrible for the Republican Party.

Perhaps we should have seen this coming with the manufacturer’s tax increase.

Cross-posted to RWL

While no doubt the pundits in Virginia will be watching Scott Rigell, Robert Hurt, Morgan Griffith, and Keith Fimain, another race to look at is the County Board race in Arlington. While voters in 2010 have important national issues in mind like health care and the economy, there are an abundance of local issues in Arlington that mirror Virginia’s interests.

Mark Kelly, GOP candidate for County Board

In Arlington, the former GOP Chairman Mark Kelly is running against Democrat Chris Zimmerman, who is seeking a forth full term (total of 18 years. He was first elected in 1996 in a special election.)

Even though Arlington hasn’t exactly been on the minds of the statewide GOP in some time, this year is different. With 2010 being such a big GOP year, a strong showing in a place such as Arlington County would really send a message. Arlington and Virginia as a whole face similar problems, but are governed completely differently. In Arlington, there is a debt of $1.12 billion, or about $5,345 for every county resident. While Bob McDonnell was able to turn a deficit into a surplus by cutting spending, Arlington usually responds with various tax hikes.

Another similar problem is transportation. To show you how local government truly impacts your day to day life, let’s use the Metro as an example. One of the reasons that I bring up transportation is the fact that Chris Zimmerman is serving on the Metro Board. It should be noted that he is the longest serving member and that he has been Chairman twice.

Metro, as anyone in the DC area knowns, is no where near perfect. Aside from safety issues, and shady worker contracts, it has horrrible customer service. It just added higher fares, as well as not allowing anyone to leave Metro stations with negative balances on their SmarTrip cards.

Aside from the dynamic issues that face Arlington County, there is a slightly less talked about factor making the race more interesting. During the summer months, I attended several events for Mark Kelly in which I heard people whispering about how they were focusing more time on helping Mark because of disappointment with the GOP nominee for Congress, Patrick Murray. While I am not making that up, whether or not these people are having a significant impact remains to be seen.

Either way, from a combination of all of these issues, it is an interesting race that needs to be looked at. During the first reporting period, Kelly just about caught up to Zimmerman’s cash on hand advantage. That alone is enough to turn heads.

A local Democrat – David Hill – penned an LTE to the Free Lance Star backing Krystal Ball, the Democrat who wants to defeat and replace Congressman Rob Wittman.

Hill (a genuinely decent fellow, BTW), opens his letter thusly:

Rep. Rob Wittman, a strong conservative, is in direct opposition to positions taken by Sens. Warner and Webb.  If you agree with the senators and disagree with Rep. Wittman, vote for Krystal Ball.

Read that last sentence again, carefully, “If you agree with the senators and disagree with Rep. Wittman, vote for Krystal Ball.”

Lest we forget, Warner (as a candidate) supported TARP, and Webb voted for it.  Wittman opposed it.  Warner and Webb voted for Democare; Wittman opposed it.  Warner and Webb voted to let the EPA impose anti-carbon “global warming” regulations; Wittman voted against cap-and-trade.

So by all means, “If you agree with the senators and disagree with Rep. Wittman, vote for Krystal Ball.”  I suspect most voters in the 1st District will, like me, vote to re-elect Wittman.

Cross-posted to VV and the Real Krystal Ball

Two years ago, national Democrats were feting Tom Periello’s 727-vote victory over popular incumbent Rep. Virgil Goode as evidence that, with the right candidate, Democrats can compete in even the reddest districts. Today, with scores of vulnerable incumbents to defend (even some senior incumbents in longtime Democratic districts) and fewer donors, the Democratic Party’s leadership is starting to rethink how it will allocate scarce resources in a manner to minimize its losses on November 2. Down 26-points in the most recent public poll, Rep. Tom Perriello is reportedly one of the candidates from whom the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is considering withdrawing its financial support. The reasons are not necessarily surprising.

This summer Rep. Perriello embarked on a townhall tour of every county in the 5th District that was plagued with missteps. Rep. Perriello initially refused to allow signs of any form to be brought into his townhall meetings citing the chilling effect signs have on civil discourse. The Charlottesville-based Jefferson Area Tea Party protested the congressman’s sign ban and, after threats of legal action from the Rutherford Institute, Rep. Perriello relented. Next, at a stop at Ferrum College, Rep. Perriello insisted that his vote for “Stimulus II” was necessary to prevent the Virginia General Assembly from imposing “a very costly tax hike” to keep teachers employed. Now, at a recent Perriello rally, Sen. Jim Webb publicly stated his opposition to Rep. Perriello’s position on Cap-and-Trade.

Perhaps sensing that the townhalls and campaign rallies were not going as well as expected, Rep. Perriello attempted to re-brand himself as a “[Ross] Perot-style Democrat” while formally calling for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s resignation.

Though he has changed the rhetoric, Treasury Secretary Geithner has too often championed President Bush’s economic priorities…. …The change many of us fought for in 2008 runs a lot deeper than changing the name plate on the door from Paulson to Geithner. I hope that President Obama will find the Arne Duncan of economic development, a visionary with ‘on the ground’ experience creating jobs.

Rep. Perriello’s statement on Sec. Geithner goes on to tout his dedication to rebuilding Main Street via “reinvestment” (a.k.a. the stimulus), which he asserts created–not saved or created but created–3 million jobs. Unfortunately, while supporting the Stimulus, Cap-and-Trade and Obamacare (which, unlike state Sen. Robert Hurt, Rep. Perriello still refuses to defund), Rep. Perriello does not appear to share Ross Perot’s concern for the deficit, which will soon affect everyone who still works on Main Street.

When you make numerous missteps during the summer and your state’s senior senator publicly disagrees with you while campaigning for you, the DCCC’s decision to divest only gets easier.

A local Democrat – David Hill – penned an LTE to the Free Lance Star backing Krystal Ball, the Democrat who wants to defeat and replace Congressman Rob Wittman. Hill (a genuinely decent fellow, BTW), opens his letter thusly: Rep. Rob Wittman, a strong conservative, is in direct opposition to positions taken by Sens. Warner [...]

Not Larry Sabato has the details.

This just strikes me as odd, especially if it came in the form of an official campaign email.

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The September Issue of Virginia Politics on Demand takes a look at Education in Virginia. Education often is seen as a national issue, represented through a debate on whether the federal government has the right to set policy, and to what extent. Often lost is the role of the states in determining how best to educate our children. It’s ironic that states and localities generally have the most direct control over public education, yet they are often neglected when we discuss education.

Read all the articles online at our magazine page.

Now that we are past the Labor Day traditional start of the fall campaign swing, it is evident to me that it’s time Kenny Golden made the race for the Second District a one-on-one race.

Let’s get the easy questions out of the way. Will Golden win? No. Not even close. Will Golden win enough to play spoiler? If the current wave sustains, and I think it most assuredly will grow, Glenn Nye is toast no matter what Golden does.

Golden isn’t hurting Rigell, and he isn’t hurting the Second District. But his being in the race is keeping Democratic Party interest and money in this seat, and thus more Republican Party money spent to win it.

At this point, money is a zero sum game. Money spent here means some other district gets less. Virginia House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith is within striking distance of entrenched incumbent Rep. Rick Boucher. The second the Democrats see a poll of Rigell vs. Nye alone, they’ll triage Nye right off a cliff, and Republicans can give Griffith the resources to pick up that seat.

If not Griffith, then some other seat that could be a GOP pickup with the right amount of resources will get help.

Bottom line: If we’re interested in taking back Congress and stopping Obama’s agenda cold, these are things that need to happen.

I’ve liked Kenny Golden a long time. There was a rough and tumble primary that he should’ve stayed a part of, and he has a good resume on defense issues. But the bottom line is most voters will never know it because Golden can’t afford to tell them about it. He’s doing a disservice to voters by courting their support with so insufficient a message machine.

Golden made his point. But compared to what’s going on in the nation, and what his point-making is costing us in not just this race, but in others that could turn the tide, Golden’s point is comparatively rather dull.

In two debates, he truly added no real reason for him to be there. Democrats have enough trouble wondering why they have Nye. Kenny’s assertion that they’ll vote for a former GOP chairman who still holds the same views he always had in the GOP camp is simply silly.

But as long as Golden’s impact was restricted to the Second District race, I bit my tongue. If Golden wanted to end his career saying “nyah, nyah” to people who didn’t endorse him by spoiling things for the guy they did, it’s his career.

But Golden’s windmill charge is now not only folly, but damaging to good Republicans in other districts who did nothing to Golden or anyone else.

That’s wrong, and it should give Golden pause to reflect and, I hope, to decide to exit the race and help recapture Congress.

Someone please tell Krystal Ball’s campaign to stop digging the hole that they are in.  We’re getting ready to invoke the mercy rule it is getting so bad.  (Okay, we won’t do that, but this is definitely becoming cringe-worthy.) So now they are on their FOURTH explanation of where and how Ball received the $1 [...]

Happy Labor Day!

I’ve used this weekend to catch up on some much need rest, housekeeping chores, and go hiking and to the theater with my date. And, of course, there was the traditional picnic: hot-dogs, cheeseburgers, potato salad, coleslaw, brownies and banana pudding.

For many of us who are employed, Labor Day is a welcome break from our work routines. Some may even remember the achievements of organized laborers, who fought for more humane working conditions and reasonable hours in a time before standard labor laws, the EEOC, OSHA, and Workman’s Compensation. Others look forward to football games and the kids being back in school.

But for many Virginians, Labor Day is just one more day without a paycheck and without any meaningful work to do. In August, unemployment nationwide climbed to 9.6%. Virginia’s unemployment rate stood at 7% in July. Our better condition is partly due to the high availability of stable government and government-dependent jobs, particularly in Northern Virginia and partly due to Governor McDonnell’s business friendly policies.

Even for those who are employed, times are hard. Housing values are down and many owe more than their house is worth. Some have taken foregone raises in order to keep their jobs and others are underemployed. We know because economic hardship affects our neighbors… and us.

More have to depend on charity – or government assistance. Yet private charities are struggling to get by on less too.

Small government conservatives believe charity begins at home – caring for your family – and then in the community, caring for those who are less able to care for themselves. What better place to start than with local food banks.

September is National Hunger Action month and there are plenty of inexpensive ways we can help families in need.

One of the best ways you can help is by finding your local food bank and volunteer or donate a meal.
Check out:
Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Capital Area Food Bank (Northern Virginia and DC)
Central Virginia Food Bank
Fredericksburg Area Food Bank
Foodbank of the Virginia Penninsula
Feeding America: Southwest Virginia

Many corporations and businesses are also participating in hunger relief drives this month.

Wal-Mart is donating $2 billion dollars and they have plenty of ways you can help them fight hunger – even on Facebook.

Your local grocery store may also provide easy ways for you to help feed the hungry.

Share how you are helping in the comments or let us know what your Virginia business is doing!

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Advice conservatives can only hope is taken by Democratic candidates from former part-time Virginia governor now full-time Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine:

Kaine has a message for Democrats trying to run from President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid: Don’t be foolish.

“If you run away from who you are and you’re a Democrat, it’s foolish,” Kaine said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s foolish because you’ve got a lot to be proud of.”

Proud of double-digit unemployment? A $13 trillion debt? The dismantling of health-care? Increasing taxes? An energy policy that punishes our energy sector?

Yep – a lot to be proud of. Please, run on that.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch previewed both the 2nd and 5th Congressional races recently saying the 2nd has much to do with military voting and the closure of Joint Forced Command (JFCOM) and the 5th is about “voter anxiety”.

In the 2nd, RTD points to military voting as part of the problem for Nye, but likely hits at his biggest issue later in the article — not being in a voting cycle with an Obama or Warner at the top of the ticket and alienating his base with his votes on key bills:

Quentin Kidd, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, said Nye was in political trouble before the Joint Forces Command uproar because of the bad economy and because he has voted against the Obama administration so many times that he has alienated the Democratic base.

Nye voted for the stimulus package and for financial regulatory reform. But he voted against Obama in opposing the health-care bill and cap-and-trade legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

“I think the people appreciate an independent-minded representative who doesn’t vote along party lines,” says Nye, a member of the Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats in Congress.

Nye may be correct in that assumption, but he may have not been in office long enough to behave that way. In the still conservative 2nd, in a mid-term year, Nye needs as much enthusiasm from his base as he can get to overcome an energized GOP – but that base has yet to materialize.

Of the 5th, RTD notes that economic conditions, particularly in the distressed areas of Martinsville and Danville, will play a role in this race. They also point out that there may be a “lesser of two evils” feeling amongst the electorate. However, in a nutshell, the article says of the campaign that:

“Perriello hopes to at least hold his 727-vote margin. In a limping economy. With pervasive voter anxiety.

“Perriello’s Republican opponent, state Sen. Robert Hurt of Pittsylvania County, is seizing upon that  dynamic, painting Perriello as a lock-step party loyalist to the Obama administration who is out of touch with the district.”

The bottom-line: it’s still the economy and jobs driving the electorate; an economy that has only gotten worse under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats.