The Pork Scorecard

The Club for Growth has released a tally of how each representative voted on the 19 Flake Amendments. Virginia was a collective 9 for 209. We should be so proud. Only three could muster the courage to vote against any of these important projects. Eric Cantor, Jo Ann Davis, and Tom Davis each voted to not fund three of the projects.

BVBL has a post up too. As he points out, these projects may have some merit, but is it the responsibility of the federal government to fund them? No, it is not the necessary and proper role of government to fund museums, aquariums, dairy education, swimming pools, multipurpose facilities (whatever that means), or other pet projects.

The Virginia Science Museum was one of the targets of the Flake amendments. It received $250,000. The fact that it is near where I live means nothing to me. The federal government should absolutely not be funding science museums across the country. If Richmond wants a science museum it should be self supporting. If they can't convince people in the area to support them the taxpayers across the country should not foot the bill.

I'm especially disappointed in my representative, Congressman Cantor, and Virginia Republicans. I suppose Rep. Cantor is in a difficult spot since he is in a leadership position, but how can fiscal conservatives hold out any hope for real government reform and spending restraint when hydroponic tomato production is somehow considered a priority for the federal government? This fiscal conservative finds it disheartening. And before someone says Democrats are the answer, wake up, they aren't.

Donny Baseball crunched the numbers and he ranks Virginia as the number 2 "RINO Breeding Ground". Virginia Republicans in Congress should be ashamed.

AFP Meeting

Once again, it's bee a while since I blogged - two weeks - that's not good. My mind is still a "raging torrent" but work has been keeping me busy and I've been lazy. I do have another post in the works that I hope to finish up tomorrow.

Americans for Prosperity held a meeting on Tuesday evening in Goochland. I had hoped to help get a few more people out, but considering it was in Goochland it wasn't too bad, and what we lacked in quantity we more than made up for in quality.

Whitney Duff, the state directory for AFP, talked about what AFP is and some of the legislation they supported (AFP is not just a "no taxes" group, despite what you may hear, they support legislation too) and what they opposed. Of course, a lot of it focused on taxes and how another tax increase is not necessary.

It's easy for people to forget (especially in the summer) that the biennial budget grew by 20%. That is a lot of money. When you are spending billions and billions more dollars than the last budget it is absolutely outrageous to think that there is not money somewhere to pay for the transportation "crises". It's called setting priorities! Not everything can be number one.

One particularly humorous example of how the legislature does not set priorities is that there is $87,000 being spent on the “Virginia Transportation Museum”. Granted, that is not a large sum of money in the grand scheme of things, but it is not the amount of money that matters. It is the principle.

AFP is going to be going on a statewide tour beginning next month. If you are not on their email list you should sign up to stay informed and to learn when they will be in your area. There was much more discussed and I will try to expand on this later, but I would encourage you to try to make it to one of their meetings. I am glad they are keeping the issues front and center at a time when things are typically a little slower.

NRC Seeks Comment on SDEIS for North Anna ESP

Via the NRC comes the word that there will be another meeting on Tuesday, August 15 for the NRC to obtain public comment regarding the two new proposed reactors at North Anna. These comments are to focus on the recent changes dealing with the increased power level and the revised cooling system.

The ESP (Early Site Permit) process allows an applicant to address site-related issues, such as environmental impacts, for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at the site. The original North Anna application was filed Sep. 25, 2003, by Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC. If approved, the permit would give Dominion up to 20 years to decide whether to build one or more nuclear plants on the site and to file an application with the NRC for approval to begin construction.

The NRC staff’s preliminary recommendation is that a (ESP) permit should be issued. The staff’s conclusion is based on its independent review of a report submitted by Dominion, taking into account consultations with federal, state, tribal and local agencies. The staff’s preliminary conclusions include a finding that no environmentally preferable or obviously superior sites have been identified, and that any adverse environmental impacts from possible site preparation and preliminary construction activities at North Anna could be redressed.

So this step is just the beginning. The real battle, I believe, would take place over the construction permit, if that is what they still call it. The fortunate thing is that the process has been streamlined and there are two other companies in the same process, Exelon (in Illinois) and Entergy (in Mississippi).

I hope this meeting is as entertaining as the last one. "Miss Radioactive" showed up, an artist who played some bells that I didn't think would ever end, and some other interesting individuals.

I hope Dominion decides to build new nuke plants. It has been a long time, too long, since the last one. Nuclear power is clean, reliable, and safe. It is time (as I have seen on a t-shirt, not one I own) to: REJECT GREEN PROPAGANDA - NUCLEAR POWER NOW.

I do have a shirt that says "Another Environmentalist for Nuclear Energy". I wish I would have had it in college for a botany professor.....

Are there any unmarked ears left?

*Fixed the link to the LoC site.

One of my favorite topics is earmarks. Found this definition here.

Earmarks - For centuries, farmers have marked their livestock as their property by cutting distinctive notches in the animal's ears. Earmark in this literal sense first appeared in English around 1591, but the use of earmark in the figurative sense 'to designate' arose only in the late 19th century.

Norm discusses this morning the 1,700 earmarks that have been added to the Health and Human Services appropriations bill. After reading the article he referenced I thought I would try to find the entire list of 1,700. Thanks to Jon, I did, the "list" is here.

Here is the complete list of earmarks headed to Virginia. Certainly some worthy causes, but the role of the federal government? I don't think so.

City of Alexandria, VA, for an automobile industry workforce development and training initiative	275,000
Patrick County Education Foundation, Stuart, VA, for a workforce development project	100,000
Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA for the Residential Construction Academy	300,000
Southside Virginia Community College, Alberta, VA for the Heavy Equipment Training Center project	300,000
United Mine Workers of America, Fairfax, VA, for the UMWA Career Center's mine worker training and reemployment programs	1,000,000
Autism Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA for equipment	275,000
Blue Ridge Health System, Inc., Arrington, VA for telehealth services	75,000
Carilion Health System, Roanoke, VA for equipment for the Smart Operating Room	300,000
Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg, VA for dental hygienist development	250,000
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Health System, Norfolk, VA for a pediatric outpatient mobile MRI unit located in Chesapeake, VA	100,000
Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters Health System, Norfolk, VA for facilities equipment in the Princess Anne Pediatric Medical Office Building in Virginia Beach	1,000,000
Family Maternity Center of the Northern Neck, Kilmarnock, VA for equipment	150,000
Halifax Regional Health System, South Boston, VA for an information technology upgrade	300,000
INOVA Health System, Falls Church, VA for facilities and equipment for the Claude Moore Health Education Center	250,000
Piedmont Access to Health Services, Danville, VA for an electronic medical records system	100,000
Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA for facilities and equipment for a biotechnology lab	500,000
University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA for a telehealth project related to cancer prevention, education and treatment in Southwest Virginia	200,000
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA for facilities and equipment	1,000,000
Virginia Dental Health Foundation, Richmond, VA for medical equipment	125,000
Youth For Tomorrow, Bristow, VA for facilities	100,000
Chesterfield County, VA for the Dual Treatment Track program	100,000
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Alexandria, VA for an initiative to increase underserved participation in end-of-life care	350,000
Patient Services Inc., Midlothian, VA for a Medical Insurance and Co-payment Assistance Case Management Program for Chronic Diseases, including Hepatitis C	100,000
Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, VA for the Patient Navigator Program	200,000
Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Richmond, VA for a program to educate potential recipients regarding the Medicare part D drug benefit	175,000
Beth El House, Alexandria, VA for social services and transitional housing for formerly homeless women and their children	75,000
Helping Children Worldwide, Herndon, VA for support programs for low- income students and their families	250,000
Mary's Family, Orlean, VA to develop a respite program for Winchester-area special needs families	100,000
Shelter for Abused Women, Winchester, VA to develop a model for service delivery for domestic violence victims in rural communities.	100,000
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Fairfax, VA for naturally occurring retirement community demonstration project	150,000
Nursing Assistant Institute at the Jefferson Area Board for Aging, Charlottesville, VA for assessment and address of nursing assistant shortages in long-term care settings	100,000
Shenandoah Area Agency of Aging, Front Royal, VA for a model group respite center for persons with Alzheimer's disease or dementia	150,000
Northern Virginia Family Services, Oakton, VA to develop a network of local pediatricians providing affordable health care to the working poor in Loudoun County, VA	100,000
St. Luke Free Community Clinic, Front Royal, VA to coordinate a seven-county effort to address adult hypertension and inadequate dental care for the uninsured	350,000
An Achievable Dream, Inc., Newport News, VA, for education and support services for at-risk children, which may include teacher stipend scholarships	550,000
Best Buddies Virginia, McLean, VA, for mentoring programs for persons with intellectual disabilities	250,000
Chesterfield County, VA for assistive technology for special needs students	150,000
Fairfax County Park Authority, Fairfax, VA to develop a handicapped- accessible playground	100,000
Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA for an innovative Chinese, Arabic and Korean language program in Fairfax and Clarke County schools	300,000
Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA for the Emergency Medical Services Academy	150,000
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville, VA for the Boosting Student Achievement for Competitiveness program	100,000
Institute for Student Achievement, Lake Success, NY for an education enhancement program at Annandale High School, Annandale, VA	100,000
Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Beach, VA for educational programs	300,000
Way of a Champion, Chesapeake, VA to expand the after-school program for at-risk children to three other areas	300,000
Wolf Trap Foundation, Vienna, VA for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA to develop early childhood education programs	200,000
Radford University, Radford, VA, for a study of the feasibility of establishing a graduate program in optometry and/or dentistry	250,000
University of Virginia Center for Politics, Charlottesville, VA for the Youth Leadership Initiative	1,025,000
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA for the homeland security scholars program	150,000
Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA to establish a program in diplomacy and international economics	300,000
Children's Museums of Portsmouth Virginia, Portsmouth, VA, for exhibits and education programs	75,000
Virginia War Memorial Educational Foundation, Inc., Richmond, VA for four educational materials segments	200,000
TOTAL	13,500,000

TMG Recap

After missing the last two Tuesday Morning Group Meetings, I finally made it back to one today, albeit a few minutes late. Rick was there and Norm showed up too.

The first topic that came up (even though I have seen him numerous times I can't remember the name of the man speaking) was HJ 56 - the Constitutional amendment dealing with the assessments of real property and tax rates (similar from my understanding to CA Prop 13). Although it was continued to next year it sounds like it has some support, not too surprisingly, in the House. The Senate, I imagine, would be a different story.

Not long ago I was talking to a guy from California about property taxes and I asked him what he thought of Prop 13. I assumed that he would like it. Wrong. He doesn't like the system in CA because "it's not fair" - of course, he did not say what a fair system (in his eyes) would be. An acquisition based tax rate seems far fairer to me than the current system.

A valid question was asked about how easy this would be to get passed as it appears the housing market is slowing. The answer was that instead of skyrocketing assessments we will now see ever increasing rates. There is no way local government is going to slow their appetite for tax dollars. History has shown us that.

The next speaker talked about Virginia State University and the corruption of the administration. Apparently there are multiple cases in court (costing the taxpayers millions of $) due to what appears to be a pattern of questionable behavior.

Up next was a speaker from the College Republican National Committee. It sounds like they are working hard to further the Republican cause. Something I never did in college was join the CRs. It's not that I didn't want to, but I was working a lot.

Up next was Peyton Knight of the Nationl Center for Public Policy Research. He discussed H.R.5195. It's a bill being sponsored by Rep Frank Wolf and cosponsored by many of the Virginia Representatives. The list of VA cosponsors is below:

Rep Boucher, Rick [VA-9] - 4/25/2006
Rep Cantor, Eric [VA-7] - 5/24/2006
Rep Davis, Jo Ann [VA-1] - 4/25/2006
Rep Forbes, J. Randy [VA-4] - 5/24/2006
Rep Davis, Tom [VA-11] - 4/25/2006
Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [VA-5] - 4/25/2006
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 5/24/2006
Rep Scott, Robert C. [VA-3] - 4/25/2006

On the Senate side it is sponsored by Sen. Allen (S.2645) and also cosponsored by Sen. Warner.

On the surface this bill sounds nice. It "establishes the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area." Has a nice ring to it, I suppose. Not so fast my friends, there are many concerns about this bill as it pertains to property rights. Check out this article by Mr. Knight to learn more about the concerns.

I am sure there are those who would claim those who are concerned are being paranoid or overreacting, but read the article and ask yourself if you really think this is an issue for the federal government. The answer for me is that it is absolutely not an issue for the feds. In addition, anytime the feds setup a "management entity" your internal alarm should begin sounding. If it doesn't you may need to visit a doctor.

The final speaker was Chris Shores from Virginians for a Conservative State Senate (VCSS). I'm looking for big things from this group. They certainly have their work cut out for them, but something needs to change in the senate. The constant "raise taxes" answer to every question asked needs to end.

Now that I think about it I'm not sure I've got everyone in the correct order. In typical fashion my notes are terrible and my memory isn't much better. Oh well, you get what you pay for from this blogger.

10th Senate Rumor Mill

I am sure most of you have seen the post over at NLS about the rumored primary challenger to Senator John Watkins. To the best of my knowledge David Johnson is going to run against Watkins although, of course, there has been no official word.

Many of the comments at NLS focused on AG McDonnell and insinuated that he was somehow orchestrating this effort by Mr. Johnson. Not true and, quite frankly, laughable to suggest. As Lord Botetourt pointed out, Johnson has been very active in politics for quite some time.

Additionally, AG McDonnell is no puppet master of those who work in his office and Mr. Johnson is no puppet. There may very well be a reason why there has been no official word and rather than speculate perhpaps we should have a bit of patience.

Along with many others in the 10th Senate District, I am hopeful that Mr. Johnson does decide to run. Although I have only briefly met him I know him to be an incredibly smart, well spoken, principled conservative - the kind of person we in the 10th deserve.

Sen. Watkins has always been nice to me personally, but I cannot support a man who has his type of desire to see government grow and taxes raised (among other things). As soon as the word is official I will be volunteering my time and efforts to help David Johnson become Senator David Johnson.

The World Cup

I guess tomorrow the World Cup ends with the title game between Italy and France. I suppose I'll root for Italy. I like Italian food and .

When it comes to soccer I am not much of a fan. Perhaps I lack patience, but when a game can end with only 10-15 scoring opportunities it leaves a little to be desired. To me it would be like watching a baseball game where each team can only swing the bat once per inning and a tie would be settled by a home run derby. Or if you made a hockey rink twice the size and there were very few substitutions.

Fortunately the dreaded time of the year without football (REAL football) is nearing the end. Only 29 more days until preseason football starts.

Who is the guy in the tie?

Ok, what did the Sorensen Institute do with Norm and who is the guy wearing the tie?