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By O.Hank!, March 19, 2013 8:31 pm

March 19, 2013 — I found this blog over the weekend.  It points out how Republicans created the debt and deficits that they now say are immoral and want you and me to pay for, while they protect their moneyed pimps and the defense industry.  The article further details how Wall Street and Big Banks tanked the economy, received a bailout, gave out millions of dollars in bonuses and now join Republicans in trying to close the debt on the backs of the middle class, kids, the elderly and the poor.

As the article notes, after having created the mess, Republicans suddenly had their Debt Baptism and were born again the very same month that Barack Obama was sworn in as President:

“Republicans became debt and deficit sensitive in January 2009 just as President Obama was being inaugurated, and they embroiled the entire country, including Democrats, in their single-minded reduce the deficit mission. However, Republicans exempted those who benefited from the debt of any repayment, and are attempting to rob Americans’ health and retirement accounts, domestic programs, and government services to repay the debt and give more “free stuff” to the debt creators. It is important to note that the people who caused Great Recession were bailed out by taxpayers, and are reaping 93% of the recovery and if Republicans have their way they will give more to those responsible for the Recession.”

But, wait!  Now, Republicans are once again debating themselves….

On the Sunday news shows, Republican Speaker John Boehner and self-professed Republican Budget Boy Wonder Rep. Paul Ryan said that the debt was not an immediate threat.  Huh?  After four years of blaming President Obama for the debt they created and then becoming born again Debt Baptists who’ve been preaching from street corners about the evils of debt, now we hear from Republican leaders that what they’ve been preaching about the debt is not true.

This should offend everyone with an ounce of common sense and intelligence.  But, more offensive than Republican lies – they’ve been doing that for years! – is how the media just continue to let them get away with their bold-face lies and glaring hypocrisies.

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By O.Hank!, March 12, 2013 7:44 pm

March 12, 2013 — A sad note today, as I write about Duval Dickinson, who passed away this weekend. I know the Dickinson family, and especially like talking to Duval’s son, Clay, who is smart and carried his Father’s joy for people and life. I took my lawn mowers to their shop every late winter for tune-ups, and they were always honest and fair and good.

Honest, fair and good. Those were the values that Duval and his wife instilled in their children. And that was Duval.

Duval was a Republican through and through. But, he wasn’t the kind of extremist, fear and hate, scorched-earth Republican that we see all too often these days.

He was the kind of Republican I grew up with in my family and friendships. To him, being fiscally responsible meant managing your budget in a balanced way by watching spending and yes, if it was called for, appropriate tax hikes and other ways to raise revenue. He believed in a limited role for government without demonizing it, and he believed in individual freedoms that government shouldn’t intrude upon. He was an old-line, true conservative in every way, who espoused the reasonable conservative philosophy we remember in Eisenhower, Buckley, Goldwater and yes, even Reagan, who raised taxes 11 times when it was necessary and didn’t pretend he was the Nation’s preacher by legislating right-wing social issues.

And that is why Duval fell out of favor with today’s new breed of Republicans. Today’s paper recounts the right-wing revolt led by Del. Mark Cole and others that ousted Duval from the Chairmanship of the Spotsylvania Republican Committee:

Dickinson chaired the Spotsylvania County Republican Committee for a decade, until religious conservatives disenchanted with the GOP leadership staged a coup. A major reason for their revolt was the old guard’s opposition to Christian right candidates such as Oliver North, who unsuccessfully sought a U.S. Senate seat in 1994, according to an article that appeared in The Free Lance–Star in 1999.

No, Duval was not one of this new breed. He was not one of them. He was reasonable – and honest, fair and good.

[Image via FLS.]

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By O.Hank!, March 10, 2013 6:59 pm

March 10, 2013 – Republican Attorney General Ken Cucinelli, the presumptive Republican nominee for Governor, opened up his Fredericksburg area campaign office over the weekend.  Joining him were Cong. Rob Wittman, Del. Mark Cole and Sen. Bryce Reeves, all of whom spoke of their support for less government.

Of course, all Republicans talk of smaller government, except when it comes to wanting government in your bedrooms or involved in women’s Ob Gyn appointments.  Or when they vote for more government benefits for their friends and benefactors.  Or when they rely on government jobs and take government paychecks, like Wittman (a long-time state employee before his election to Congress), Reeves (long-time government employee until his wife hired him) and Cole (government contractor for over 20 years and now local government employee).  They are largely forgiven by constituents, many of whom are government employees or retirees who profess a belief in less government and who elect these gentlemen.  Amazing how paychecks and retirement benefits can quickly blind principles.

I guess it’s not surprising that these Republicans support Cucinelli, the darling of the right-wing.  Cole and Reeves’ actions and voting records on social issues clearly show their right-wing credentials, and Wittman is so scared of a primary challenger that he will say and do anything to appease the far right.  As I wrote in a previous blog, Wittman has put his intelligence and common sense in a blind trust to secure his place on the Republican ballot.  He has chosen to even forget his career as a biologist to endorse Cucinelli, who doesn’t believe in science or evolution, and spent a lot of his time as A.G. and taxpayer money to sue a UVA researcher, who wrote about the dangers of climate change.

In addition to their rhetoric about smaller government, Cucinelli, Wittman, Reeves and Cole will tell you that they are pro-business and worship at the altar of the private sector, though they haven’t spent any real-time working in the private sector.  They will repeat the Republican mantra that less government, less taxes and less regulation will cure all of our ills and create economic nirvana.

However, Virginia’s economy is at a crossroads, and it’ll take more than this worn-out talking point to create a prosperous path of opportunities for all Virginians.   Our over-dependence on federal contracts will become tested over the next several months as federal budget cuts kick in.  Some business leaders and politicians understand the challenge.  They have been working together to lay the groundwork with public investments and policies to foster innovation and tech-based economic development.

This is a new economic era – the innovation economy – that requires a new mindset.  It requires leaders willing to rise above their narrow ideologies and partisan needs to understand the needs of this new innovation economy – e.g., collaboration between government and business on research, investments and workforce development - including an understanding of the more tolerant social beliefs of new workers needed to make this economy thrive.

What this new innovation economy does NOT need is Ken Cucinelli, or people who think like him: Wittman, Reeves and Cole for starters.  Cucinelli wants to cripple and shrink government.  He attacks researchers.  He attacks women’s rights and gays.  He attacks the very things necessary to transition Virginia to this new future.  A Governor Cucinelli will do things and say things that will brand Virginia as an intolerant place to work and live.  He will promote policies that discourage public-private collaboration and investments.  No emerging technology company, and no young worker who works there will want to stay or come here.

In short, if we want to wean ourselves off the federal dole and transition to the innovation economy; if we want to enhance Virginia’s brand as the best place for these new emerging businesses; if business leaders care about their bottom lines; if voters care about creating a better future, they do not need to hire Governor Cucinelli as Virginia’s CEO and top salesman.  They need to vote for McAuliffe, a successful businessman who gets it.

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By O.Hank!, March 4, 2013 7:04 pm

March 4, 2013 – Once again, because Republicans in Congress would rather play politics and avoid potential primary challenges instead of doing what’s right for America, we are facing yet another crisis of their own making.  Of course, like Pavlov’s dog when that alarm bell rings, they foam at the mouth and blame the President.

They say that this was President Obama’s idea.  They are partly right, because THEY agreed to it during the 2011 Budget Control Act, which incorporated the sequester in case Congress and the President couldn’t agree on a compromise plan to develop a budget while tackling long-term debt.  The thinking of the Administration in suggesting the sequester was that no one in Congress would be so stupid as to let the sequester happen.  They’d HAVE to compromise.

Well, the Administration was wrong.  Evidently, there ARE enough stupid people in Congress to let it happen.  We have a Congress now that is sabotaging the economy because Republican Speaker John Boehner can’t control his unruly House and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell still wants the President to fail.

Just so folks know, in addition to slowing economic recovery and increasing unemployment, this is what we face if the Republicans allow the sequester to happen (White House document):

Impact of March 1st Cuts on Middle Class Families, Jobs and Economic Security: Virginia

Unless Congress acts by March 1st, a series of automatic cuts—called the sequester—will take effect that threaten hundreds of thousands of middle class jobs, and cut vital services for children, seniors, people with mental illness and our men and women in uniform.

There is no question that we need to cut the deficit, but the President believes it should be done in a balanced way that protects investments that the middle class relies on. Already, the President has worked with Congress to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion, but there’s more to do.

The President has put forward a balanced plan to not only avoid the harmful effects of the sequester but also to reduce the deficit by more than $4 trillion in total. The President’s plan meets Republicans more than halfway and includes twice as many spending cuts as it does tax revenue from the wealthy.

Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress refuse to ask the wealthy to pay a little more by closing tax loopholes so that we can protect investments that are helping grow our economy and keep our country safe. By not asking the wealthy to pay a little more, Republicans are forcing our children, seniors, troops, military families and the entire middle class to bear the burden of deficit reduction. The President is determined to cut spending and reduce the deficit in a balanced way, but he won’t stick the middle class with the bill. The President is willing to compromise, but on behalf the middle class he cannot accept a deal that undercuts their economic security.

Our economy is continuing to strengthen but we cannot afford a self-inflicted wound from Washington. Republicans should compromise and meet the President in the middle. We cannot simply cut our way to prosperity, and if Republicans continue to insist on an unreasonable, cuts-only approach, Virginia risks paying the price.

VIRGINIA IMPACTS

 If sequestration were to take effect, some examples of the impacts on Virginia this year alone are:

Teachers and Schools: Virginia will lose approximately $14 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 190 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 14,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 40 fewer schools would receive funding.

•  Education for Children with Disabilities: In addition, Virginia will lose approximately $13.9 million in funds for about 170 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with disabilities.

 Work-Study Jobs: Around 2,120 fewer low income students in Virginia would receive aid to help them finance the costs of college and around 840 fewer students will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college.

 Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 1,000 children in Virginia, reducing access to critical early education.

Protections for Clean Air and Clean Water: Virginia would lose about $2,997,000 in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. In addition, Virginia could lose another $826,000 in grants for fish and wildlife protection.

Military Readiness: In Virginia, approximately 90,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $648.4 million in total.

o Army: Base operation funding would be cut by about $146 million in Virginia.

o Air Force: Funding for Air Force operations in Virginia would be cut by about $8 million.

o Navy: Cancel the maintenance of 11 ships in Norfolk, defer four projects at Dahlgren, Oceana, and Norfolk, and delay other modernization and demolition projects.

 Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: Virginia will lose about $276,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

 Job Search Assistance to Help those in Virginia find Employment and Training: Virginia will lose about $348,000 in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, meaning around 18,390 fewer people will get the help and skills they need to find employment.

Child Care: Up to 400 disadvantaged and vulnerable children could lose access to child care, which is also essential for working parents to hold down a job.

 Vaccines for Children: In Virginia around 3,530 fewer children will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for vaccinations of about $241,000.

Public Health: Virginia will lose approximately $764,000 in funds to help upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. In addition, Virginia will lose about $2,140,000 in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 1,700 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs. And the Virginia State Department of Health will lose about $337,000 resulting in around 8,400 fewer HIV tests.

STOP Violence Against Women Program: Virginia could lose up to $172,000 in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 700 fewer victims being served.

 Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Virginia would lose approximately $1,215,000 in funds that provide meals for seniors.

I would close by urging you to contact our Congressman, Republican Rob Wittman, who is a smart man.  But, it’s no use.  Sadly, it seems that he has put those smarts and commonsense in a blind trust in order to tow the Party line dictated by Republican Leader Eric Can’t-or and to avoid a primary challenge.  Profiles in courage?  Doing what’s right for America?  Not here in the 1^st and 7^th Congressional Districts.

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By O.Hank!, March 4, 2013 10:26 am

March 4, 2013 — Today’s Fredericksburg Freelance Star has a piece on Dawn Shelley, Republican on the Spotyslvania County School Board, asking the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors for more money in the upcoming budget.  Going further, she asked the public to “beg” for more money.  As we know, that Board is now run by a Republican majority that ran on the same ticket with Shelley…. This will be interesting to watch.

Shelley was responding to the budget proposed by Spotsylvania County Administrator Doug Barnes, who was given instructions by his Republican Board not to raise taxes.  In order to do that, Barnes’s proposed budget recommends a school budget $7 million less than what the School Board requested.

To make things more interesting, the Republican Board of Supervisors imposed categorical funding on the schools last year, which means that they have the authority to fund school programs they deem important and cut those they don’t.  According to a member of the School Board, this has reportedly outraged them – although you’d never know it because they have been extremely silent – because they have the Constitutional authority to manage those funds.  This can and will be debated – and has been in years past – but the fact of the matter is that most residents believe that the School Board is the elected body responsible for schools, including the management of their budget.  Like Supervisors, School Board members are elected by the people to manage our schools, and they can be held accountable.  Pretty simple proposition.

But, what makes the pleas by Shelley interesting is that in the 2011 elections, she sought, and received, the endorsement of the Spotsylvania Republican Committee.  In doing that, she ran on a ticket who ran on a platform and promise to cut taxes while fully funding education and strengthening public safety.  So, if they promised these things, especially the full funding of education, then why ask the public to “beg” for something they said they would do?

Again, elections matter.  Promises matter.  Honesty and integrity matter.  Will the people of Spotyslvania County remind Shelley and her Republican allies of their promises?  And if they break those promises, will the people hold them accountable?  Perhaps, but only if the people are reminded; but unfortunately, there is no real reporting in the local paper, and no real loyal opposition in the County keeping people informed.

To fill that vacuum, I created this blog, and it is my hope that through this, we can leverage our voices to keep facts alive and keep our elected officials honest.

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By O.Hank!, February 20, 2013 8:18 pm

February 18, 2013 — In an op-ed in yesterday’s Fredericksburg Freelance Star, Alfred King, Spotsylvania Republican money man, perennial candidate and budget advisor, admitted that math, not ideology, is the driver behind budget making and praised former Spotsylvania County Board members for sound fiscal stewardship.

In his piece, King concluded that the current Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, headed by the new Republican majority, has to decide between cutting services or raising taxes when formulating the County’s upcoming budget.  As a wise man once said, “No sh***, Sherlock…!”

Now, most rational people understand that this is pretty much always the case when formulating budgets.  But the new Republican majority, like their brethren at the state and federal levels, promised no new taxes!  That they would take this pledge is nothing new, but they also promised to fully fund education, strengthen public safety services, particularly fire and rescue, return to taxpayers the $9 million surplus built up by the previous Board AND cut taxes!  Alfred King, running for Commissioner of Revenue, was right there with them.

It will be interesting to see how they tap dance their way through this budget and hold onto their promise.  They spent a lot of time and money in 2011 lying about how the old Board and County Administrator mismanaged budgets and other services.  However, now that they are in charge of a growing County with a growing appetite for good schools and safe streets, they are finding out that governing is hard work and not something you can do with bumper sticker slogans and empty pledges.

I fully expect them to walk back their promises by blaming the old Board or announcing something unforseen that they just learned!  No matter what they do, it will be interesting to see if the people of Spotsylvania County – and the Spotsylvania Democratic Committee – hold the new Republican majority to the bold promises they made in 2011.

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By O.Hank!, February 12, 2013 12:19 pm

Feb. 12, 2013 — After a year in office, we know that the new Republican majority on the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors has broken campaign promises. They also promised to be more open and ethical than the previous Board. Looking at their actions, it looks like the Republicans have broken that promise, too.

In 2004, the previous Board adopted a Code of Ethics  ”to  assure public confidence in the integrity of local government and its effective and fair operation.” It has been endorsed and signed by Board members, top officials and appointees ever since.  Out of the 18 ethical tenets, these are perhaps the most important ones that govern the actions of Board members:

Act in the Public Interest
Recognizing that stewardship of the public interest must be their primary concern, members will work for the common good of the people of Spotsylvania County and not for any private or personal interest….

Comply with the Law
Members shall comply with the laws of the nation, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the County of Spotsylvania in the performance of their public duties. These laws include, but are not limited to: the United States and Virginia constitutions; the Code of the County of Spotsylvania; laws pertaining to conflicts of interest, election campaigns, financial disclosures, employer responsibilities, and open processes of government; and County ordinances and policies.

Conduct of Members
The professional and personal conduct of members must be above reproach and avoid even the appearance of impropriety….

Decisions Based on Merit
Members shall base their decisions on the merits and substance of the matter at hand, rather than on unrelated considerations.

Conflict of Interest
In order to assure their independence and impartiality on behalf of the common good, members shall not use their official positions to influence government decisions in which they have a material financial interest, or where they have an organizational responsibility or personal relationship that may give the appearance of a conflict of interest.

In accordance with the law, members shall disclose investments, interests in real property, sources of income, and gifts; and they shall abstain from participating in deliberations and decision-making where conflicts may exist.

Gifts and Favors
Members shall not take any special advantage of services or opportunities for personal gain, by virtue of their public office, which are not available to the public in general….

Policy Role of Members
The Board of Supervisors determines the policies of the County with the advice, information and analysis provided by the public, boards, commissions, and committees, and County staff. The Board of Supervisors delegates authority for the administration of the County to the County Administrator.

Members therefore shall not interfere with the administrative functions of the County or the professional duties of County staff; nor shall they impair the ability of staff to implement Board policy decisions.

Looking at these once again, I would say that the new Republican Spotsylvania Board has violated all of these ethical guidelines.  For instance, the proposed Route 3 bypass had been reviewed and advanced by state and regional government officials, experts and private sector partners for eight years. They invested hundreds of thousands of public-private dollars.  Studies showed that the road would alleviate congestion on hated Route 3 for 30 years, and its alignment was the least intrusive of other alternatives studied, perhaps impacting four or five properties. Granted, any property impact is problematic, but this alternative was better than others that would have destroyed hundred of homes, not to mention the historic  battlefield and the beautiful Rappahannock River.

But the new bypass might’ve impacted Supervisor David Ross’s property. Ross, a retired Marine and government employee who had never been involved in local affairs, ran for office for the sole purpose of killing the road project to save his property. He was subsequently elected, and two months later on the night of his first meeting, the first vote he made was to stop the project, and his Republican cohorts followed suit. With that one vote, Ross killed the road project, saved his property from being impacted and therefore, personally benefitted, and violated six, if not more, tenets in the Code of Ethics. Legally and according to the County’s Code of Ethics, Ross should have recused himself from voting, but he did not. No one, not even the County Attorney, said a thing.  Oh, he and his Republican colleagues, all of whom were backed by the Tea Party and like to brag about saving tax dollars, ended up wasting hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars.

It was bad enough that Ross and his Republican Board killed the badly needed road project and wasted tax dollars. They also forced the Commonwealth Transportation Board to take away the $14 million dedicated to the project and give it to a project in Stafford County. Moreover, Ross and his Republicans didn’t have an alternative plan to fix Route 3 traffic for the next 30 years. Their big idea was to get VDOT to synchronize the lights on Route 3, which made things better for a week – until someone “unsynchronized” them during Sunday church service at Life Point - but it’s not a 30-year solution.

In their ignorance and arrogance, Ross and his colleague, Tim McLaughlin, started bragging to people, as recently as a November HOA meeting in Lake Wilderness, that they had a plan to build the outer connector along the Route 20 corridor in Orange County. This came as news to property owners, preservationists and state and regional officials, who have never seen any real plans and would have to approve and fund the project. Of course, Ross and McLaughlin don’t have a plan, nor do they have any idea where the money would come from. They are finding out that they are no longer barking orders in the Marines; they are finding out that the pesky thing about being an elected official is that you have to govern….

Fast forward to the budget and tax vote in April.  At least two of the four Republican Board members – Heidig and McLaughlin – are substantial property owners.  Heidig owns the Lake Anna Winery, and McLaughlin owns over $3 million in commercial and residential properties, which he manages on the side in his real estate business.  During the tax deliberations, McLaughlin and Heidig led the charge to cut the property tax, directly benefitting themselves.  Furthermore, McLaughlin led the plan to cut the BPOL tax, which, again, directly benefitted his real estate business. Again, legally and according to their Code of Ethics, Heidig and McLaughlin should have recused themselves from voting. But, again, no one, not even the County Attorney, said a thing.

(As a side note, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that McLaughlin is ethically challenged. It was reported by LeavingMyMarc during the 2011 election that public documents indicated that McLaughlin committed voter fraud and dodged Virginia state taxes by claiming as his primary residence in Florida a house that he sold in 2005, while also claiming to live in Spotsylvania since 2002.)

God knows what these guys did over the summer months when no one was watching, but jumping to the fall, the Republican Majority came up with the plan to directly hire the deputy county administrator and other department heads. This move not only subverts the authority of the County Administrator, but it also violates another tenet in the Code of Ethics:

The Board of Supervisors delegates authority for the administration of the County to the County Administrator…. Members therefore shall not interfere with the administrative functions of the County….

Then, to add insult to injury and to commit more ethical violations, the Republicans worked with Republican State Delegate Mark Cole to hire him as the new deputy county administrator.  (As was noted in reports, Cole, a professed government-hater, was laid off from his government contracting job.) Cole and the Republican Majority had campaigned together in 2011, and exchanged campaign contributions. One would think that hiring Cole was and is an outright conflict of interest, not to mention the appearance of one, but they were allowed to vote and give Cole his new cushy job with a salary and benefits approximating $150-160,000 a year.

It is almost comical and very Spotsyltucky-esque that the government-hatin’ Republican Majority, who each now receive 2-3 government paychecks a month, would turn around and give a top government job to their friend and fellow government-hater, Del. Mark Cole, who is also on the government dole. But, as they say, we get the government we deserve, and Spotsylvania voters elected this bunch….

As I mentioned in a post last month, the ethical violations surrounding Cole’s hiring go beyond Spotsylvania. According to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics, the hiring and retention of Cole violates at least two of the tenets, possibly more: personal relationships, conflicting roles and participation in elections.  In any case, his hiring does violate common sense and our intelligence when he and the Board try to convince us that out of 104 candidates, Cole was the most qualified.

After a year in office, the new Republican Majority has broken promises and committed ethical violations that would sound alarms in most towns and counties. But, no one, not even the Freelance Star, or the Spotsylvania Democratic Committee, or the County Attorney, or the people of Spotsyltucky say a thing. And so it goes….

[Read: Spotsy GOP Board: Do as We Say, Not as We Do - Part 1]