Opinion
More DMV politics
The battle is on in Richmond to restore funding to the DMV and reduce those ridiculously long lines prior to the upcoming campaign season. It’s going down to the wire to see who can make those embarrassing lines disappear while simultaneously getting credit for it.
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Serving America
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Our lawmakers and Pentagon officials must heed this advice when they consider tinkering with the armed forces and military service requirements.
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Act, don’t study
Things got a little edgy in Richmond Tuesday when a Senate committee brushed aside four bills designed to slow urban sprawl, sending them to a commission that is perpetually studying the topic.
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Richmond has no shortage of bitter politics
Perhaps the most volatile issue that threatens an otherwise good marriage is not lack of communication, or different interests, or even infidelity. If we believe marriage counselors and psychologists, the biggest overall stress on marital bliss and family is money, pure and simple.
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Tax focus
The cry for tax increases in Richmond have been muffled this year as state lawmakers try to balance the budget prior to going home to face reelection in November earlier for those tasked with primaries.
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Anti-war arguments reek of contradiction and hypocrisy
The flailing of local and national Democrats on the foreign policy front is reminiscent of those halcyon days of the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter ran United States foreign policy into nearly every shoal imaginable, succeeding only at brokering peace between Egypt and Israel.
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Homeland home
It was thought to be a done deal. The new Department of Homeland Security headquarters was to be built from the ground up in the Northern Virginia suburbs somewhere between a Super Target and a new townhouse community.
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Finding the story with little facts
Professional journalists are indeed chumps. Sometimes they are so desperate for fast-breaking news stories that they uncritically pass on unverified information and dubious facts to readers.
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Two dead bills
Two legislative committees acted on some unfinished business last week in Richmond killing two bills dealing with highway safety.
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Counties and taxes
Don’t expect much change in Virginia’s tax structure this year as the General Assembly continues to brush aside tax reform legislation choosing instead to send it to a committee for “further study.”
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Obesity and the law
A judge threw out a case against a popular fast food chain this week as plaintiffs tried to sue on the basis that the restaurant was responsible for the obesity of its patrons.
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War should never be taken lightly
I think most of us will agree that we live in strange times, yes? We pick up the newspaper or turn on TV and we’re confronted with pictures of anti-war protesters in Washington alongside scenes of troops in full military gear boarding airplanes bound for a potential war zone. It’s as if both these opposite, simultaneous activities are occurring in a vacuum, each side oblivious of the other. Only one side can be right. What’s wrong with this picture?
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A quick death
Delegate Michele McQuigg should be recognized for her persistence. The Woodbridge Republican is serving in her sixth General Assembly session and has worked to pass Photo-Red legislation each time. This effort has met with disappointment every year but she will try again next year.
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Why Photo-Red is a bad idea
A few years back, I made frequent “day trips” for court appearances and to meet other responsibilities in cases closer than the west coast. As a result, I was flying out of National Airport in the early morning on a fairly regular basis, and hence, driving up I-95 during the midst of rush hour.
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Going too far
Countless Virginians have died on the highways each year because they were too careless to wear a safety belt while driving. Others go through life scarred or paralyzed because this simple safety device was not utilized.
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Connaughton, Jenkins to save us from indecency
According to a front-page article in the Jan. 8 edition of the Potomac News, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a proposal to regulate adult-oriented bookstores and video rental stores. The action stems from a September 2002 recommendation by Board Chairman Sean T. Connaughton, R-at large, that the county should regulate businesses “catering to sexual stimulation or activities.”
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Human rights folly
It wasn’t exactly Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe against his desk, but the United States’ recent objection to a routine vote by the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission on Monday deserves high praise for its belligerence.
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Access denied
Officials with Historic Manassas Inc. went behind closed doors this week and are not expected to emerge any time soon. In doing so, the organization made it clear to local taxpayers that the organization’s status as a non-profit corporation shields it from open meeting laws which apply to government agencies.
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Lee in peacetime
“I have a self-imposed task which one must accomplish. I have led the young men of the South in battle; I have seen many of them die on the field; I shall devote my remaining energies to training young men to do their duty in life.”
Robert E. Lee,
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Democrats join the presidential race early
Can you believe that the Presidential primary cycle is in high gear almost two years before the 2004 elections? It seems that year after year the election cycle comes earlier and earlier. With a war going on, a bad economy and everything else going on around the world, it looks like the news cycle will have to make room for one more big news item ? the 2004 Presidential campaign in 2003.
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Big box, big worries
It’s ironic that the closing of a local Kmart in Woodbridge coincided with a proposal by a local county supervisor to place firm standards on big box retailers looking to build stores in Prince William County.
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Keeping our lawmakers honest
Something interesting occurred down in Richmond this week. Or rather, something did not happen. Lawmakers, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go slow on establishing a Code of Conduct for themselves.
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Tax amnesty
As predicted, it is very quiet in Richmond these days even though the General Assembly has been in session for one week. It’s tough to make noise in the State Capitol if there is little money at stake.
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Death penalty follies In Illinois
A cynic might suggest that he did it to curry favor with those soon to be his neighbors. Others might suggest that he hopes for a little pro bono legal aid from the Northwestern University Law School students who participated in a death penalty study which sparked initial concerns about its administration in Illinois.
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Wither AOL
“. . . Brother, can you spare a dime?”
It was the corporate merger that was to set the tone for big business in the 21st century. It was advertised as a convergence of traditional and digital media. It was the marriage of the old Hollywood studio system with the young brash khaki-clad emperors of the dot.com revolution.
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Bush’s war will be costly
There is a saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If this statement is true, President George W. Bush is leading the United States into a disaster of unprecedented proportions.
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Opening the doors
Gov. Mark Warner pulled a George W. Bush move last week when he announced the reopening of DMV the offices he closed last October when the state budget was slashed to help fill a $2 billion shortfall. This action, using a windfall from a recent court settlement, headed off plans by crusading Republicans at the start of this year’s General Assembly session. Dubya, whose made a living putting his own spin on Democratic issues, would be proud.
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Park Authority can’t wager on leniency
Newspapers are notorious hotbeds of gambling. Since the birth of the first composing room, it seems, betting has been a part of the journalistic endeavor.
Oh, I’m not talking about illicit slot machines in the washroom or numbers running supervised by mobsters. I mean that all uncertain outcomes seem to be fodder for a pool. The printer who helped Thomas Paine produce Common Sense probably had a pool on where and when Paine would be caught and hung.
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Public safety is a community responsibility
Thanks are in order for Chief of Police Charlie T. Deane due to his gracious invitation to discuss crime prevention efforts in Prince William County. He took an hour and a half out of his busy day to answer my questions and share a wealth of insight and information.
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A targeted industry
Prince William County officials often say they are powerless in stopping the slash and burn development of strip malls along our congested highways. Yet they’re about to roll up their sleeves to prevent the spread of strip clubs and adult video stores.
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Crowded driveways
Prince William County Supervisors took steps this week to restrict homeowners from paving over their lawns to accommodate more cars. In doing so, the board targeted only a single symptom in what is a larger problem in the D.C. suburbs a lack of affordable housing.
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Amen!
Gov. Mark Warner drew a line in the sand Wednesday threatening to veto any legislation that “raided” the Virginia Retirement System.
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There’s still a place in America for affirmative action
The debate over affirmative action, much like the debate over abortion, has to be one of the most divisive issues Americans have struggled with over the last 40 years.
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Heading for the hills
The critically acclaimed television series “The Sopranos” has been criticized by advocacy groups claiming the show unfairly stereotypes Italian-Americans through its portrayal of a New Jersey crime boss.
Now the hillbillies (er… an Appalachian-American advocacy group) are taking offense at Hollywood. The Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, Ky., placed ads in some of the country’s largest newspapers this week protesting a proposed television reality series titled “The Real Beverly Hillbillies.”
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Readers point out more tired, overused catch phrases
In last week’s column, apparently I just scratched the surface of last year’s words and phrases that many of us would like to see unceremoniously retired here in the new year. Beyond anything that has “synergistic” or “strategic” attached to it, several of you have your own verbal pet peeves.
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Tax tightrope
Prince William County has weathered the recent economic slump quite well the past couple of years thanks in part to a strong job market and surging home values. It’s the residential real estate market that has allowed for two things the past four years a lower real estate tax rate and money for schools.
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Real tax reform is needed
Beware! Your life, liberty and property are once again at risk as the 108th Congress convenes in Washington and Virginia’s legislature convenes for its session in Richmond.
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Outrage
The American Lung Association says billions of dollars in tobacco litigation money is going up in smoke as most states use the cash to cover budget deficits instead of paying for anti-smoking and treatment programs.
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Lawmakers short on cash, not legislation
Virginia’s General Assembly begins its 2003 session tomorrow, and by all indications it will be another ho-hum affair. There are two reasons for this.
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School choice is empowering, effective, economical and constitutional
I have this great cartoon picturing two kids strolling along conversing. One says “My Dad just returned from March madness.” Replies the other, “I didn’t know he was a basketball fan.” To which the first responds, “He’s not. He’s a member of Virginia’s General Assembly.”
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Down in Richmond
The Virginia General Assembly goes back to work on Wednesday with a heavy workload in what is called the “short session.” For 45 days lawmakers will introduce, debate and compromise on legislation while adjusting the state budget to eliminate a $ 2 billion shortfall.
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An informed public is a great equalizer in politics
I just returned from a trip to Wisconsin to visit family for New Year’s Day. In the midst of a pinochle game, the topic of politics came up. The conversation started with speculation on what Democrats would run for President and then evolved into a discussion on what’s wrong with the system.
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