DPVA on McDonnell: “Misplaced priorities have struck again – and this time it’s our environment that is at risk”
The Democratic Party of Virginia released the following earlier today.
Governor McDonnell: Drilling at any cost
Meets with oil execs while Obama administration takes prudent steps to prevent future tragedies.
The Democratic Party of Virginia is calling on Governor McDonnell to support President Obama’s call to delay any new offshore drilling projects until a full understanding of the causes of this most recent disaster can be determined. Both of Virginia’s United States Senators, Jim Webb and Mark Warner, have made it clear that they support the President’s decision, and expect any lessons learned from the Gulf tragedy to be incorporated into federal regulations that would govern offshore energy production off Virginia’s coast. Yet Governor McDonnell continues to declare unrealistic goals for when drilling should begin and he appears to ignore the safety and environmental considerations that the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has brought to light.
“Some Virginia leaders are reconsidering their support for drilling off the state’s coast after a fatal well accident in the Gulf of Mexico, even as Gov. Robert F. McDonnell continues to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without delay,” the Washington Post reported today. “McDonnell (R), who has made drilling off Virginia’s coast one of his administration’s top priorities, flew to Houston on Monday to tout the benefits of offshore drilling at an industry-sponsored conference.” [Va. officials reconsider support for drilling after gulf oil accident, Washington Post, Tuesday, May 4, 2010; A10]And in an interview on WTOP Radio on April 27, Governor McDonnell stated, “”This is certainly a setback, but I certainly continue to be dedicated to making us first to drill, 2012 at the latest, and over the next couple years these safety and environmental issues will be addressed.”
“Governor McDonnell’s misplaced priorities have struck again – and this time it’s our environment that is at risk,” said David Mills, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia. “When responsible leaders learn of relevant new information, they adapt their positions. Senator Webb and Senator Warner have agreed that the President’s call for a delay on new projects is the responsible course of action until the cause of the tragedy in the Gulf is determined — yet Governor McDonnell continues to push for unrealistic timetables.”
Mills further stated, “Just last night, Governor McDonnell was in Texas rubbing elbows with oil industry executives as they discussed the profits to be had from offshore drilling. A spill of this magnitude off Virginia’s coast would devastate our coastal economy and endanger the effectiveness of the world’s largest navy base at Norfolk. A responsible leader with the right priorities for Virginia would join Senators Webb and Warner in their commonsense approach. “
Very well said by the DPVA!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Priorities Bob, Priorities. The responsible thing to do is take a step back and pause. Throughout this debate, we’ve been repeatedly told how safe offshore drilling was and how any fear was unfounded. Clearly this is a huge issue now and the safety of such rigs must be looked at more carefully.
McDonnell is more concerned in assisting the oil industry fat cats than Virginia businesses and workers who rely on a strong coastal economy. Imagine what kind of hit a spill like this would be to Virginia’s tourism industry that relies so heavily on state beaches ($19.2 billion industry, 210,620 jobs) or its fishing industry ($1.23 billion in output sales, $717.4 million in value-added income and 13,015 jobs). This doesn’t even take into consideration the negative environmental impact to our wetlands, wildlife and aquatic life or water quality. Oh yeah, the U.S. Navy is also deeply opposed to drilling.
Could you imagine the impact that a spill would have on our economy?! I cannot even begin to imagine.
Given the immense risk of drilling, one has to wonder is it worth it? The Virginia Conservation Network’s data clearly suggests no.
The Atlantic OCS has significantly less recoverable oil and gas reserves than any other OCS region, with an estimated 3.82 billion barrels of oil and 36.99 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. At current rates of consumption, the entire Atlantic OCS would supply the U.S. with only 6 months worth of oil and 18 months worth of natural gas; Virginia’s offshore supply of oil and gas would last less than 7 and 18 days, respectively.
Meanwhile, four times more gas and oil is available in areas already open to drilling than in waters protected by the moratorium, and the industry is using only a fraction (18-20%) of what it already has access to. These unused areas could produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day, nearly double current domestic oil production.
Weighing the effect such a spill would have on our economy against any potential benefit, I would have to say that drilling doesn’t seem worth it to me. Regardless, the only course of action right now should be to pause and reassess. This decision is far too important to be made rashly and the consequences too great. McDonnell should follow the lead of Senators Warner and Webb and put commonsense above ideology.
Cooch Denies Existence of Health Care Lawsuit Records, Pushes Forward With Frivolous Lawsuit
In case you somehow missed it, Virginia Attorney General (AG) Ken Cuccinelli (R-VA) recently filed a lawsuit (Virginia v. Sebelius) that challenges the legality of the health care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama last week.
Cuccinelli is certainly no stranger to controversy. From the moment he assumed office in January, he has made a point of using the Attorney General’s office to push his right-wing social agenda. This includes arguing in a letter to the state’s public colleges and universities that “sexual orientation” could not and should not be included in any anti-discrimination policies.
So his latest push to mount a legal challenge to the recently passed health care reform legislation should come as no surprise? This is simply another attempt to use the AGs office to further his political agenda – and that of Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA).
As Virginia is facing a severe budget crisis that will affect so many folks throughout the state, Cuccinelli and McDonnell file a frivolous lawsuit that is politically motivated. Not to mention that this lawsuit comes at a cost to taxpayers, right? You’re darn right!
As Blue Virginia reported on Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Virginia formally filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) formally requesting records of:
hours spent by Cuccinelli and Office of the Attorney General staff preparing Commonwealth of Virginia v. Sebelius; cost to taxpayers of staff work on the suit; a list of conference calls or written correspondence that the Office of the Attorney General had with other states’ attorneys general or national conservative groups in planning the lawsuit; any outside firms contracted to assist on the lawsuit; and, the Attorney General’s full schedule since taking office, including any scheduled television interviews in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
David Mills, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia summed up things best when he said that
the Attorney General is acting like taxpayer funds are just a piggy bank for his personal political agenda. More than 10,000 Virginians [(in a petition launched by the DPVA)] have demanded that Ken Cuccinelli come clean about his use of taxpayer-funded state resources. This week, we’ll find out if Ken Cuccinelli still believes he’s accountable to the taxpayers of Virginia. We’re looking forward to his response.
Drum roll please. In response to the FOIA request, Stephen R. McCullough, senior appellate counsel for AG Ken Cuccinelli has responded by saying that “No such record exists” listing any attorney’s, both inside or outside the AGs office, that worked on producing the legal filing and any hours that they may have billed to the state to prepare it.
McCullough did acknowledge that existence of “correspondence between Cuccinelli’s office and the offices of 13 other state attorneys general who have also filed suit against the federal government, as well as Cuccinelli’s schedule since his took office Jan. 16.”
There were a total of 40 records related to correspondence between the Virginia AGs office and the offices of 13 other state attorneys general; and 170 pages that would provide insight into Cucinelli’s schedule, since he took office in January. McCullough said that the AGs office would not be releasing them, since the office considered them “working papers of the attorney general that are entitled to remain confidential.”
In a release yesterday, Cucinelli actually made the claim that all work “was being done in-house and said costs would be minimal beyond the $350 fee to file the suit in U.S. District Court.”
Color me skeptical, so much for government transparency. Taxpayers deserve to know the cost that is being accrued to fund Cucinelli’s personal political agenda, especially when the health care lawsuit has zero chance of being won. That’s right, ZERO!
Nevada’s Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto provided a good analysis in a letter to Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons on why joining Cuccinelli’s health care lawsuit was essentially pointless and “would not come without a cost.” When looking at Supreme Court precedence, AG Masto writes:
One theory to consider is that Congress lacks authority under the Constitution’s Commerce and Spending Clauses. However, the authority give to Congress is extensive and appears strong enough to support the Act. Health care costs affect our nation’s economy, and the Act is Congress’ answer to alleviating those costs. The United States Supreme Court long ago determined that insurance is commerce and is therefore subject to federal regulation. United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Ass’n, 322 U.S. 533 (1944). Since the 1930s and the “long-rejected Louchner-era precedents,” MeadWestvaco Corp. ex rel. Mead Corp. v. Illinois Dept. of Revenue, 553 U.S. 16, 128 S.Ct. 1948, 1510 (2008) (Thomas, J. concuring), Congress’ broad authority has been acknowledge to, among other things, uphold mandatory contributions to the Social Security Act system, Helvering v. Davis, 301 U.S. 619 (1937), and legislate many other federal programs.
So while Cuccinelli and McDonnell defund our public education system (and make several other extreme cuts) they have no problems wasting taxpayer dollars to further their radical political agendas. Hey while national Republicans plan to “sweep problems under the rug,” Virginia Republicans have become masters at creating problems. Where’s the TEA Party when you need them!
Cooch Exposed as an Obama Birther, Called Out by DPVA
As Not Larry Sabato has reported, a tape from a 2009 campaign event has surfaced that shows Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R-VA) suggesting that President Obama was not born in America. Who knew that Cooch was a birther?!
Moments ago, David Mills (DPVA Executive Director) called out Cooch for his “extreme agenda” and this latest revelation:
Wow. We knew Ken Cuccinelli was a right-wing ideologue. We even knew he denied the existence of a global climate change problem and that he wanted Virginia colleges to rescind protections against discrimination.
But it wasn’t until a tape from a 2009 campaign event was made public this morning that we learned just what our Attorney General is: A BIRTHER.
That’s right, when asked about finding proof that President Obama was a U.S. Citizen, Ken Cuccinelli responded “Well… that’s a good question … Someone is going to have to come forward with nailed down testimony that he was born in place B, wherever that is. You know, the speculation is Kenya. And that doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility.”
With MSNBC, the Politico and other national organizations covering this story, the world is finding out what we have always known – Ken Cuccinelli’s priorities are out-of-whack.
[…]
Since taking office, Ken Cuccinelli has used his taxpayer-funded position as Attorney General to implement his social views. First, he sued the federal government over the existence of climate change. Then just last week, he wrote a letter claiming Virginia state colleges and universities didn’t have the authority to enact their own non-discrimination policies. He’s pursuing one extreme, right-wing idea after another.
[…]
With your help, we can fight back against extremist Republicans in Virginia, and make sure our Attorney General is focused on the issues that matter to Virginians.
Sincerely,
Dave Mills
Cooch has issued the following response to the controversy:
I absolutely believe that President Obama was born in the United States. I don’t buy into the claims that he wasn’t. On the recording, I was asked a hypothetical legal question, and I gave a hypothetical legal answer in response.
As I said previously, this issue was not a part of my campaign, and it is not part of what I am doing now as attorney general.
The Cooch is full of you know what! How folks voted for this guy is beyond me.
McDonnell’s War on K-12 Education
The Commonwealth of Virginia is currently facing a $4.5 billion shortfall in the 2010-2012 biennial budget. All of this is on top of the $7 billion already cut under the prior biennial budget. Information continues to emerge in small doses about rumored cuts to be proposed by Gov. McDonnell. It’s hard to figure out exactly what McDonnell will propose, since many of his meetings are taking place behind closed doors and he has continuously refused to share his ideas with the public. Based on various published reports, it appears that McDonnell plans on recommending more than $680 million be cut from K-12 education. This would represent more than 40% of the $1.7 billion in cuts he has been rumored to be proposing. This savings would be realized by moving away from the state’s Standards of Quality mandates. I’ll discuss this more in a moment.
The main funding formula that is used to determine state versus local education funding responsibility is something called the Local Composite Index (LCI). The LCI is the result of a four-decade old Supreme Court ruling that sought to uphold the constitutional guarantee that all children are required to receive an equivalent education. How the LCI is calculated is a bit complicated. Basically it weights a localities real property value, per capita income and student population against the rest of the Commonwealth.
Every year the LCI is rebenchmarked to reflect the economic climate. Gov. Kaine had proposed, prior to leaving office, to delay rebenchmarking for one year to save approximately $29 million. When Gov. McDonnell took office he had initially said that he would uphold Gov. Kaine’s decision and actually took it a step further by proposing to delay rebenchmarking the index until FY ’12. In Stafford County, this would have resulted in a $4.5 million reduction of education funding from the state. The state would have only been required to provide 63.71 percent of Stafford’s school budget.
Gov. McDonnell finally succumbed to public pressure and announced that he would indeed allow this key index to be rebenchmarked this year. The winners locally would be Stafford and Fredericksburg. The state would now be responsible for providing 66.38 percent (a 2.67% increase) of Stafford’s and 22.37 percent (a 1.8% increase) of Fredericksburg’s school budget. Spotsylvania County would actually receive 2.59 percent less funds from the state. I’m hearing that would reduce Spotsylvania’s state funding by $1.1 million.
As I mentioned earlier, Gov. McDonnell is rumored to be planning on cutting more than $680 million of K-12 education funds by moving away from the state’s Standards of Quality mandates. These mandates define the “minimum” requirements of a “basic” education in Virginia. The major budget driver is the staffing standard contained within the Standards of Quality. The staffing standards prescribe teacher to student, principal to student, librarian to student, school counselor to student and clerical to student ratios; maximum class sizes; the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) instructional positions for students needing Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation services; limited English proficiency teacher to student ratios; art, music and physical education teacher to student ratios in grades K-5; and technology support to student ratios. Also, depending on a school division’s combined failure rate on the English and Mathematics Standards of Learning tests the teacher to student ratio ranges would fluctuate within those areas. What I just described is at a high level and things are broken out in much more detail within the Standards of Quality. Additionally, the staffing requirements must also conform to the 2009 Appropriation Act.
It is important to reiterate that these standards represent a “minimum” standard. Many school districts exceed these requirements by further reducing the aforementioned ratios. Based on these “minimum” standards a locality does not currently receive any state funds for any art, music or physical education teachers above 5th grade. If a school wants to provide these essential positions, they must find the funding for them locally. Again, the Standards of Quality are “minimum” education standards.
Let’s get back to what is rumored to be Gov. McDonnell’s education war plan. He wants to move away from the Standards of Quality, which could only mean that he will propose increasing the aforementioned student ratios, potentially eliminate intervention funding for struggling students, and potentially eliminate K-5 state funding for the arts, music and physical education. So at a time when we should be talking about raising our education standards, McDonnell’s solution may be to drop them. How will this lead to a more competitive workforce? While other countries are investing more money and raising standards, we are going to reduce them?
Let me state in no uncertain terms that McDonnell’s plan to allow the LCI to rebenchmark combined with a lowering of the Standards of Quality will lead to a decrease in funding for most school districts, regardless of the results of the rebenchmarking. Anything now above these even lower “minimum” standards will now have to be paid for by the localities. With many localities struggling, this could only mean an even deeper cut to our education services and many more teacher layoffs.
I strongly urge everyone to contact the Governor’s office and demand that our standards be raised and not lowered! It’s past time for Gov. McDonnell to level with all Virginians and end the closed-door meetings.
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