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  • House Expenditures Now Online

    Number of comments: 0
    It's either a sure-fire insomnia cure or a plot by optometrists to ruin your eyes, but either way, the House of Representatives has finally placed its official expenses claims online.The huge pdf file contains everything the muckraker-in-training could desire -- from staff wages, to how much Eric Cantor's office spent [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 4:14pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • What to do when caught red-handed

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    If you're Michael Mann, the Penn State professor caught up in ClimateGate (and being investigated by the University), you really have only one recourse: shift the focus off you by questioning you're opponents motives.So, according to the good professor, this is all a highly questionable smear campaign that takes everything [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 2:05pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • A second Supreme Court test for the 2nd Amendment

    Number of comments: 0
    On this episode of Freedom & Prosperity radio, we talk with Dr. Stephen Halbrook, an attorney who regularly argues for our Second Amendment rights before the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous federal and state courts. He is also the author of several books on the subject; his latest is "The" [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 12:36pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Joe Biden and Dr. Strangelove

    Number of comments: 0
    Joe Biden promises the health insurance version of a free lunch, but does so under the totally non-ironic banner of "who do you trust."Gotcha. Except after watching Biden emote his way through the cue cards, I can't help but think of Dr. Strangelove:' [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:19am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Going Beyond Hamilton

    Number of comments: 0
    There's an increasing amount of juice behind ethics reform in the next session, and that's a good thing. But let's not pretend that former Del. Phil Hamilton was the only bad apple in the bunch. There's also the matter of Sen. Tommy Norment and how the current reporting system allowed [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:43am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Someone tell Mr. Hurt there is a difference

    Number of comments: 0
    This statement from Sen. Robert Hurt, one of the contenders for the 5th district Republican congressional nomination, does make me wonder whether he's been paying much attention to politics over the last few years:Many grassroots Republicans have been critical of Hurt’s voting record — which includes his 2004 vote in [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:26am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Fairfax looks at more taxes and fees

    Number of comments: 0
    Or at least its current roster of supervisors is keen on the idea:Despite the recession, a growing number of Northern Virginia officials say they think people would be willing to pay more when dining out to avoid further cuts in budgets for schools and local government.Facing nearly a half-billion dollars [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:55am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • ClimateGate gets worse

    Number of comments: 0
    If having your email system hacked and the contents spewed across the internet for all to see wasn't embarrassing enough, now it appears that much of the raw data used to indicate a rise in temperatures over the last century and a half have been erased:Scientists at the University of' [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:18pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • The Big Idea may come off the shelf after all

    Number of comments: 1
    Bob Holsworth is more correct than he lets on in this matter:The Governor-Elect gave a tantalizing hint in an interview last week when he noted that his economic team is looking at some policy initiatives that were not highlighted during the campaign. I could certainly be wrong, but this sounds [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:48am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • What a difference an election makes

    Number of comments: 0
    Recall, if you can, that in the waning days of the campaign, Democrats desperately tried to tag Ken Cuccinelli as an embarassment and a bigot, a militant conservative who would make Barry Goldwater look like a wimp.How times, and a landslide win, can change things:"We frequently disagree with Senator Cuccinelli," [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:31am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Goochland opens the checkbook

    Number of comments: 0
    A few months ago, in a move to increase transparency, the Goochland Board of Supervisors voted to put the check register online. Today's editorial in the Times-Dispatch commends the county and asks the all important question:If Goochland can do it, why can't all? The county and school check registers are' [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 9:52am EST
    by Nick Howard

  • "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"

    Number of comments: 1
    A timeless holiday classic -- the WKRP turkey drop: [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:28am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • For legislators considering tax hikes...

    Number of comments: 0
    ...Barnie Day has a few words of advice:Buy a crash helmet and a parachute if you’re thinking about increasing the state’s income. That fancy leather chair you’re sitting in is going to become an ejection seat the instant you vote to increase the state’s income. A crash helmet and a [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:18am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Underwater

    Number of comments: 1
    Bob Holsworth beats me to the punch in making this observation regarding the number of Virginia homeowners who are underwater in their mortgages and how that may reflect on their political preferences:But if you’re interested in knowing why many Virginians didn’t seem to care too much about the Democrats’ arguments [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:05am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Howell releases ethics report on Hamilton

    Number of comments: 2
    Only a week ago, Speaker Bill Howell had no intention of making public the ethics investigation into former Del. Phil Hamilton.What a difference a week makes. Via press release, Howell makes the committee's (maddeningly paltry) findings public and also makes a move to get ahead of the ethics reform train [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 3:55pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Welcome to the (10th Amendment) Revolution

    Number of comments: 2
    To support upcoming state legislation intended to nullify federal health care mandates, the Virginia Campaign for Liberty has created a website dedicated to the fight for Virginians’ Tenth Amendment rights.VA10thAmendment.org is a great place for Virginia voters and activists to keep up with the latest on initiatives and events surrounding [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 10:54am EST
    by Josh Eboch

  • Giving Warner and Webb "an earful" over health care

    Number of comments: 1
    Yes, Virginia, if you call or email your Senators, they notice:On Saturday, the day the U.S. Senate voted to move health-care legislation to the floor, Sen. Jim Webb's office received 1,200 calls at the front desk.That's compared with an average of 1,000 phone calls per week.The story was similar in [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 9:57am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • So...are we winning?

    Number of comments: 0
    RedState's Dan Perrin makes the case that opponents of the Reid health insurance bill are actually winning, even if it doesn't seem like it to many of them:You may feel like the political system is broken and the Democrats are not listening to the voters. You feel that way because' [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:50am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Know Campaing has to tell all

    Number of comments: 0
    Just a few days before this month's election, a group called the "Know Campaign" was planning to mail voting histories to selected residents in order to shame them into going to the polls.Questions about how the group obtained the voter data forced them to suspend their plans. Now, the State [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:14am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • What Would Benjamin Graham say?

    Number of comments: 0
    Here's some news that's guaranteed to make your day regarding congressmen and their investment portfolios:After examining trading data contained in financial disclosure forms from 1985 to 2001, the researchers found that congressional portfolios have regularly outperformed those of average Americans over the years. The report said a "portfolio that mimics" [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 4:44pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Mark Warner's phone problems

    Number of comments: 1
    My colleague Krystal Slivinksi sends the following about her adventure trying to contact Sen. Warner's office:It took me 30 minutes to get a real person on the phone. The DC office phone line is constantly busy, and the local office phones just went to voice mail. When I finally got [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 2:28pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Kaine: tax hikes on the table

    Number of comments: 7
    Taking a cue from the late and unlamented Deeds campaign, Gov. Time Kaine says, according to NBC's Adam Rhew, "...tax increases are on the table to help balance budget. McDonnell says he will advocate against raising taxes."This will be a test of several things...1. Bob McDonnell's "read my lips" pledge [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 1:52pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Replaying HillaryCare

    Number of comments: 0
    On MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell draws the parallels between HillaryCare's fate in 1994 and the President's current health insurance initiative. The similarities are striking -- as are the uncertainties.O'Donnell says that the Democrats needed 60 votes to even begin debate is "stunning and shows how weak support for the bill really" [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 9:48am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Could Carlyle Group be looking at Virginia's rest areas?

    Number of comments: 0
    The Carlyle Group has taken over the concession for Connecticut's rest areas and is promising to completely refurbish them. Today, we learn they may be casting their eyes on Virginia's shuttered rest areas:DJ: Why did Carlyle chose Connecticut’s rest stops to invest in?Gold:McDonald’s and Mobil have had the concession for [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:34am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • NPR makes a bold discovery on health care

    Number of comments: 0
    National Public Radio -- a bete noir of the right for as long as I can recall -- has produced a report that looks into the current health care mess and discovers that free markets aren't the problem and the current legislation under debate won't fix anything. This leads National [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:10am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • To rehire, or not to rehire, that is the question

    Number of comments: 1
    The RTD managed to cover the protest in front of the Warner and Webb offices Friday, and in they manage to capture Mark Warner at his "radical centrist" best:He stressed the costs of inaction."You guys hired me. At the end of the day, if I don't perform, don't rehire me." [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 7:25pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • "100 Blanche DuBoises"

    Number of comments: 2
    The deals that allowed the Senate to invoke cloture yesterday are just the beginning of what could prove to be an orgy of legislative self-indulgence:[Sen. Mary] Landrieu and [Sen. Blanche] Lincoln got the attention because they were the last to decide, but the Senate really has 100 Blanche DuBoises, a [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 9:03am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • 60 the hard way

    Number of comments: 1
    Byron York on why it was so difficult for senate Democrats to get the 60 votes necessary to being debate on Harry Reid's health insurance bill:But the Democrats' problems in keeping their side together, in the face of united Republican opposition, are an indicator of how public opinion is beginning' [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:29am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Mary Landrieu's honest graft

    Number of comments: 1
    "It's not a $100 million dollar fix, it's a $300 million fix"...but it had nothing whatsoever to do with her decision to allow debate on the health insurance bill that contains this hefty dollop of federal lucre: None dare call it a bribe. At least in the Senate. But it's entirely [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 4:03pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Scenes from a protest

    Number of comments: 1
    Here are some photos of the protests on Friday in front of the downtown Richmond offices of Senators Warner and Webb (courtesy of Jim Smyers).In spite of the outcry, both worthies are intent on voting for cloture on the Reid health insurance bill. [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 3:51pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • HSAs on the Chopping Block

    Number of comments: 1
    in an email, Sen. Mark Obenshain ponders alternative health insurance approaches for state employees, both as a way of addressing cost and providing greater flexibility. He suggests the state consider adopting health savings accounts:The idea is to give state employees more choices about how to manage their health, to let [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:17am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Warner, Webb both to vote "yes" on cloture

    Number of comments: 2
    Both Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb intend to vote "yes" on the cloture motion tomorrow evening that will bring Sen. Reid's health insurance bill to the floor for debate.Warner makes it clear he's looking for a handout (though probably not in Sen. Landrieu's league...but you never know), while Sen. [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 5:12pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • A federal gas tax hike in the offing?

    Number of comments: 1
    Possibly. Or at least an attempt by a few Democratic congressmen to engineer one (via RedState):I just came from dinner and recognized the voices beside me. It was Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and three other Democrats. I knew the other faces but names escape me.They were strategizing on how to raise [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 4:02pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Ben Nelson: For it before he was against it

    Number of comments: 0
    Mark Warner syndrome is spreading. Now it's Nebraska's Ben Nelson, who likes folks to think he's on the fence on just about everything, who has the "for it before he's against it itch":"Throughout my Senate career I have consistently rejected efforts to obstruct," he said in a statement. "That's what" [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 12:18pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Mark Warner: For it before he was against it

    Number of comments: 4
    Via NBC reporter Adam Rhew's twittering of a Mark Warner appearance in Richmond this morning, we learn the following:Warner indicates he will vote FOR cloture tomorrow: "moving to debate it simply starts the process"Warner isn't a "yes" on Harry Reid's insurance bill as a whole -- yet -- because he' [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:31am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • The petty tyrants and eminent domain

    Number of comments: 0
    In a follow-up piece on an eminent domain case in Roanoke that pitted a small business owner against the city, two state-supported universities, a powerful non-profit and a housing authority, Bart Hinkle offers a warning to the rest of us who think our property really does belong to us:In the [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:26am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Here's one way to re-open Virginia's closed rest areas

    Number of comments: 2
    A public-private partnership between the Carlyle Group (owner of Dunkin' Donuts) and the state of Connecticut is one example of how a cash-strapped state like Virginia can re-open its shuttered rest areas:The Carlyle Group said Thursday that it has signed a deal with Connecticut to refurbish and run the state's [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 8:33am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • How to fix the state's budget problems

    Number of comments: 1
    Barnie Day puts on his Jonathan Swift hat and offers some solutions to Virginia's budget problems. Snip:Remove all the chairs from the Capitol and the General Assembly Building. Make everybody stand up. This move alone would cut the ‘long’ sessions from 60 days to 10, and the ’short’ ones from [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 8:22am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Voting for cloture mean voting to pass the bill

    Number of comments: 3
    Senator Reid's health insurance bill faces a cloture vote tomorrow. He needs all 60 Democrats to vote for cloture so the bill can proceed to debate and a final vote. Erick Erickson provides a timely reminder of just what all this Senate mumbo-jumbo means:This is important — a vote in [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 8:01am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • A $100 million bribe for Mary Landrieu

    Number of comments: 5
    It's not unusual for legislators to add sweeteners to their bills in order to gain their colleagues' votes. In the case of Harry Reid's health insurance bill, he needs every Democratic vote just to bring the measure to the floor. So...to get one fence-sitting Democrat, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu on board,' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 4:04pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Does Reid have the votes?

    Number of comments: 3
    Harry Reid needs all 60 Democrats to vote in favor of a procedural vote on Saturday to move his health insurance bill to the floor. Does he have them? Maybe, maybe not:At a rally with supporters of the healthcare reform bill, Reid would not say he had secured commitments from [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:39pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • State budget hole gets even bigger

    Number of comments: 0
    What happens to a state's budget once the federal stimulus money goes away? Virginia is about to find out:The next two-year budget is expected to fall approximately $600 million short in revenues and include about $2.9 billion in additional spending, according to analysts for the Senate Finance Committee.The increased spending [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:10pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Health insurance protests on Friday in Richmond

    Number of comments: 0
    Via WRVA's Doc Thompson we learn that local activists will be mobilizing in opposition to the Saturday health insurance procedural vote at Jim Webb's and Mark Warner's Richmond offices:Healthcare Protest Tomorrow - Noon-2pm. We hope to have a continuous chain of people between Webb's office at 507 E. Franklin and [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:49pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Million Med Marches" in Newport News and McLean

    Number of comments: 0
    On the same day that Sen. Reid has promised his procedural vote on health insurance, there will be a few protests going on in opposition. Via email, here's information on one of them:You are invited to join fellow doctors, healthcare providers and patients from across the nation to attend The [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:37pm EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Education Tax Credits the Choice for Independents in Virginia

    Number of comments: 0
    My last post focused on the general results of a school choice poll in Virginia. Contra conventional wisdom, education tax credits are significantly more popular and less opposed than are charter schools. Even more interesting is the stability of support for donation tax credits across party identification. A stunning 64 [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:02pm EST
    by Adam Schaeffer

  • What’s the Most Popular Choice Reform in Virginia?

    Number of comments: 0
    Pop Quiz: What’s the best education policy a moderate politician in Virginia can pursue? A. Vouchers B. Charter Schools C. Education Tax Credits Conventional wisdom says go with charter schools, because they are a bipartisan, moderate compromise reform that will get you the largest number of Independents and the least [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:00pm EST
    by Adam Schaeffer

  • Health Insurance vote possible on Saturday

    Number of comments: 0
    The Senate could vote by Saturday on whether to proceed to debate Sen. Harry Reid's nearly $900 billion health insurance bill. The machinations are many, the stakes high, etc, etc. But following up on the post below about the insurance mandate, here's a glimpse of the penalties Reid's bill contains [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:15am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • The ethics dodge, and McDonnell's move to embrace reform

    Number of comments: 2
    The Governor wades deeper into the Phil Hamilton ethics mess, calling for the House probe to continue, and for legitimate reasons, including overall ethics reform as well as clarity:Kaine also suggested that if left unexplained, the episode could taint ODU's reputation at a time when the university's stature is on [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:53am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Changing the relationship between people and their government

    Number of comments: 0
    Regrettably lost in the debate over health insurance reform is this point about the mandates that are at the core of the legislation:But the problem is that Democrats don't need the public option to engineer a "federal takeover of our health care system." All they need is the power to' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:13am EST
    by Norman Leahy

  • Tax credits for school buildings? Sure. Students inside? Eh, no.

    Number of comments: 0
    The chorus of current, former and hope-to-be pols in favor of extending tax credits to refurbish school buildings gains Gov. Kaine's support today.That's great. But what about education tax credits for the kids inside those buildings?Not so much.As our Adam Schaeffer notes regarding education tax credits in Virginia:Contra conventional wisdom, [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:52pm EST
    by Norman Leahy
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