The AFP on WREL: Baseball season
AFP editor Chris Graham talks sports with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins with a look at ACC baseball. Can the #1 Virginia baseball team continue its prolonged hot streak all the way to Omaha? That’s the question with the Cavs at the top of a deep ACC field of likely entrants into the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
NFL Draft talk wraps us up. Tyrod Taylor will be a good steal for whatever team picks him up later in the draft, according to Chris.
Pothole blitz: 100K and counting
The Virginia Department of Transportation has repaired more than 108,000 potholes throughout the Commonwealth since the governor launched the 2011 pothole blitz campaign March 8.
“Virginia’s transportation network is vital to our economic prosperity and connects people to their work, homes, families and friends,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said. “Although the milder winter we experienced this year has led to fewer potholes to repair than the 161,00 filled during our 2010 pothole blitz, VDOT and its contractors promptly responded when Virginia citizens reported potholes to VDOT’s website or called their customer service center. The pothole blitz has helped to make travel safer and easier for all Virginia motorists.”
As citizens contacted VDOT to report potholes, crews were dispatched to work through assigned corridors and repairs were prioritized based on severity and location. Severe potholes on high-traffic roads were typically filled within 24 hours.
“I would like to thank VDOT and its contractors for their work day and night to make repairs during our pothole blitz,” added McDonnell. “Their efforts have created safer driving conditions and a much smoother ride for the citizens of Virginia across the 58,000 miles of state-maintained roadways.”
Potholes can form at any time, so citizens can continue to report them at www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-potholes.asp or by calling the VDOT Customer Service Center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD. Pothole patching videos and other useful information on potholes can also be found on the VDOT website.
In retrospect: Many payday loans were illegal
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled last week that when a payday lender “makes a loan to a borrower immediately after the borrower repays in full a previous loan,” that second loan was made in violation of the 2002 Virginia Payday Loan Act.
An estimated 9.2 million of those type payday loans were made between 2002 and 2009, when a new law passed by the Virginia General Assembly forced payday lenders to wait one day before making a new loan to a borrower. The Supreme Court ruling didn’t address whether loans made the next day could also be considered an unlawful loan refinancing or extension.
“I am pleased that the Virginia Supreme Court recognized that payday lending in Virginia has largely been an illegal scam,” said Jay Speer of the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
Advocates of payday-loan reform feel the high court’s decision should put legislators on notice that the predatory lenders cannot be expected to follow the law when “reform” measures are passed.
“The only way to effectively regulate predatory lending is to return to interest rate caps that worked well before the General Assembly started creating all these exceptions for payday lenders and others,” said Dana Wiggins, coordinator with the Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending.
Bridgewater students form green task force
Do you really have to take a 15-minute shower? What about that cardboard box you’ve thrown into the trash – is it recyclable?
And that cigarette butt that’s been tossed onto the ground…isn’t that toxic litter?These are some questions and issues Bridgewater College students are tackling as they form a task force dedicated to improving environmental conditions and education on campus. Students are banding together for brainstorming and action-planning with a goal of not only furthering Bridgewater College’s environmental goals, but also of giving students a framework for responsible environmental lifestyles beyond the college campus.
“Right now we recycle paper, cardboard and one or two plastics, but there is a great need for more recycling and other stewardship activities,” said Tyler Goss, a sophomore from Mechanicsville, Va., who is helping organize the BC Environmental Task Force. “Perhaps even more important than recycling is reducing and reusing – concepts we want to make students more aware of.”
Goss said the new task force is not the only group at Bridgewater College focusing on the environment, but that it is the only largely student group dedicated exclusively to the environment. He said its goal is to work with existing groups and to be “active” in its environmental pursuits.
“That means actually helping implement good ideas for environmental stewardship, such as increasing the number and quality of recycling bins on campus, or picking up cigarette butts and piling them outside the Kline Campus Center as a sort of visual reminder that this is toxic trash – and that smoking is bad for you,” Goss said. “It means putting up a sign in the shower that says, ‘If you take a five-minute shower, you will save this amount of water.’ It means taking an active role in improving the environment at Bridgewater.”
Goss said the task force hopes to organize an Earth Week next year in which different groups on campus will take a day of the week and raise an environmental issue that they are interested in, such as water conservation, recycling and how to save money by using environmentally friendly technologies.
“While we hope to eventually have an impact campus-wide,” he said, “we want to start with the students and educate them so that when they leave college they’ll know how to take care of the environment.”
The AFP on WREL: Baseball season
AFP editor Chris Graham talks sports with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
The segment begins with a look at ACC baseball. Can the #1 Virginia baseball team continue its prolonged hot streak all the way to Omaha? That’s the question with the Cavs at the top of a deep ACC field of likely entrants into the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
NFL Draft talk wraps us up. Tyrod Taylor will be a good steal for whatever team picks him up later in the draft, according to Chris.
Valley conservation leaders encouraged, cautioned
Funding challenges, the far-reaching impact of the Chesapeake Bay Act, and the rapidly rising importance of urban conservation took center stage at the Spring Meeting of the six Soil and Water Conservation Districts serving the 13 counties of the Shenandoah Valley and adjacent highlands.
Addressing the 60+ attendees, State Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, noted the shift in Virginia’s rural-urban populations and the resulting impact on urban conservation, to include storm water runoff and its costly effects – that is, the huge sums spent on water treatment to remove pollutants. The senator called for significant increases in the everyday use of non-potable water (e.g., toilets and yard watering), which he claimed would save hundreds of millions of dollars once widely implemented. Hanger also reminded districts that the historical reliance on data from government-subsidized conservation practices provided imperfect estimates on watershed pollutant levels. He encouraged districts to find ways to capture the untracked impact of voluntary conservation practices to more precisely identify and monitor contaminants.
Like his Senate colleague, State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, stressed the importance of conservation, but warned Districts that Richmond is notoriously frugal, a fact borne out in Virginia’s last-place ranking in per capita spending on conservation. Deeds cautioned districts that Virginia will suffer greatly from federal budget cuts, as Washington has provided most of the funding for the Commonwealth’s conservation program.
Ed Overton, president of the Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts, said the Association was “grateful to the Senate and House for recognizing the significance of the districts’ work in addressing statewide water quality issues.” He thanked the senators and their colleagues for appropriating one million dollars of the $2.8 million requested to implement Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in late November.
David Kriz of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service cautioned that forthcoming Federal budget cuts will soon force NRCS to push more conservation issues to partner agencies – including Virginia’s 47 Conservation Districts. Meanwhile, Jim Echols, regional manager for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, warned conservation staff and leaders about the difficult challenge districts face in educating Virginians unaware of the scope, depth, and size of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay WIP identifies numerous actions needed to reduce major sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment flowing into the Bay. Key sources targeted under the plan include sewage treatment plants, industrial facilities, urban areas, septic systems, and the agricultural and forestry sectors.
The VASWCD is addressing the skyrocketing importance of urban conservation with the creation of a dual-track program to aid the 30 percent of Virginians living in urban areas. The first component of this initiative is securing a grant to establish a pilot urban “cost-share” program. The second facet, modeled after successful efforts in Illinois and North Carolina, is the establishment of a diverse program of urban-focused options from streambed restoration and rain gardens to education and training in Low-Impact Development.
Individuals interested in learning more about the key roles conservation plays in the lives of all Virginians should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District or the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts at 804.559.0324. Additional information is available online at www.vaswcd.org.
David Mills: More than a soundbite
The Republican Party has mastered the art of looking good. They have an impressive ability to carve out campaign slogans, political sound bites and punchy policy catch phrases that resonate with voters and help them get elected. The problem, as the newest batch of Republican leaders are finding out as we speak, starts a few weeks after election day, when you raise your right hand and pledge to solve the problems that were so easy to describe on the stump.
Sloganeering is easy. Governing is hard. The trouble really starts when our representatives make promises so completely driven by campaign slogans that there is no way to actually make good on them. That inability to deliver is exactly where Virginia Republicans find themselves right now.
In 2009 candidate Bob McDonnell (R) told Virginians that privatizing the state’s Alcohol and Beverage System would be a painless way to find hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation. Gov. Bob McDonnell quickly found out that his plan would actually cost taxpayers money, but given the promises he made on the stump, he blindly went ahead and tried to get it passed anyway. It has become a classic example of slogan-guided politics failing to solve a big problem.
In 2010, candidates John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan told Americans they had a plan to cut the national debt without raising revenue. They failed to mention what we all learned shortly after they took the majority in the House of Representatives: Their deficit reduction plan breaks America’s promise to the elderly and the poor on items like Medicare and Medicaid, and then spends that money on tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
That plan, which Nobel Prize winning Economist Paul Krugman calls “a sick joke,” is the product of a Republican Party that recognizes the need to take action but is too bound by the rigid dogma (and their Tea Party base) that got them elected to propose a serious solution.
As good as Republicans are at campaigning, we are now seeing how poorly their slogan-driven election efforts prepare them to govern. Conversely, Democrats, who are often better at governing than they are at campaigning, are taking on complex policy challenges with clarity and purpose. Last week President Obama (D) put forth his own plan to reduce the national debt that offers a serious path to avoiding the looming crisis without leaving the elderly and the needy out in the cold.
During that speech, President Obama forcefully articulated what Republicans hope we all forget on Election Day: the solutions to the problems we face don’t often fit on a bumper sticker or in a tweet. Paul Ryan introduced a budget plan that in bumper sticker form sounded pretty good to a lot of serious people. But, as Krugman points out, upon close inspection, “The only real things in it were savage cuts in aid to the needy and the uninsured, huge tax cuts for corporations and the rich, and Medicare privatization. All the alleged cost savings were pure fantasy.”
Paul Ryan and the Republicans are proving that government by campaign slogan isn’t just dishonest; it’s dangerous to the health of this Commonwealth and this nation. President Obama, Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.), and our Virginia Democrats in Congress and in state government continue to strive for serious solutions to serious and complex problems. The sooner the Republicans drop the dogma and come to the table, the sooner we can confront our challenges and build a brighter future for this country.
David Mills is the executive director of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
Supreme Court refuses to expedite health-care reform review
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the request of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to expedite the appellate review of the state’s constitutional challenge of the 2010 federal health-care reform law.
The move had not been unexpected – as the Supreme Court rarely bypasses appellate courts in reviews of constitutional questions. Cuccinelli had asked for an expedited review citing what his office had characterized as a potential negative impact on Virginia and other states due to the pending implementation of the reform law.
“Expediting our case would have been the exception and so, although disappointing, this is not surprising,” Cuccinelli said in a statement today. “We look forward to making our arguments in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on the morning of May 10th here in Richmond. This case’s logical end point is the Supreme Court. It will simply have to make its way through the Fourth Circuit first.”
The move by the Supreme Court likely delays any action by the highest court in the land on the review of the law until 2012.
A federal judge in Richmond ruled in December that a key provision in the law requiring consumers to purchase health insurance is unconstitutional. The ruling contradicts other rulings in other federal courts that have found the purchase requirement to be within congressional authority.
“The court’s refusal to hear this case now will force states and businesses to incur increased costs and expend significant effort to begin preparations necessary to ensure compliance with this law, which ultimately may be ruled unconstitutional,” Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican who has been critical of the health-care law, said in a statement. “Supporters and opponents of this law should agree on one thing, we need a definitive answer to its constitutionality so that we can move forward in the appropriate manner.”
Democratic Party of Virginia chairman Brian Moran said the Supreme Court “did the right thing” in allowing the normal process for review to play out and urged Cuccinelli to devote more of his office’s resources to fighting for Virginians who are struggling in this economy.
“Instead of using his taxpayer-funded office to challenge a law that has already helped more than 100,000 young Virginians keep their access to health insurance, the attorney general should devote more of his time and our resources to fighting for middle class families that are struggling to find work and stay in their homes in this difficult economy. Virginians should not have to foot the bill for his personal political agenda,” Moran said.
Live from the Staunton Tourism Tradeshow
AFP editor Chris Graham reports live from the Staunton Tourism Tradeshow, Monday, April 25, 2011.
The Tradeshow is ongoing until 7 p.m. at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Downtown Staunton. More than 25 exhibitors – including our sister magazine, New Dominion Tourist – will be on hand to showcase what the Valley has to offer locals and tourists alike.
Drug take back day events set regionally for Saturday
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and its community partners will hold the second nationwide prescription drug take back day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 30, operating collection sites throughout the nation where unused, unneeded or expired prescription medications can be turned in.
Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue because they lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse, according to the DEA. Homes with children or elderly persons are especially vulnerable to the danger and need to take preventive steps, including getting rid of old, unused medications.
The DEA and the Food and Drug Administration discourage citizens from disposing of unused medications by flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage due to potential safety, health and environmental hazards.
Last September, Americans turned in 242,000 pounds—121 tons—of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners.
Locally, take back sites will be set up in these locations:
- Waynesboro Wal-Mart —116 Lucy Lane, Waynesboro. Coordinated by the Waynesboro Police Department (540.942.6675).
- Rockingham County Fairgrounds—4808 South Valley Pike Road, Harrisonburg. Coordinated by the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office (540.564.3850).
- Timberville Food Lion—14054 Timber Way, Timberville. Coordinated by Broadway and Timberville Police Departments (540.896.3321 or 540.896.1174, respectively).
- Elkton Police Department—173 West Spotswood Trail, Elkton. Coordinated by the Elkton Police Department (540.298.9441).
- Grottoes Town Park—1100 20th Street, Grottoes. Coordinated by the Grottoes Police Department (540.249.5707).
Drugs may be left in their original containers or emptied into the bins. After the drugs are collected, they will be incinerated according to federal and state environmental guidelines.
The drugs collected will be in the custody of a law enforcement officer until they are incinerated.
No questions will be asked of anyone about the drugs brought for disposal. The DEA asks that no syringes, marijuana or other street drugs be left at disposal sites.
In an effort to address the problem of prescription drug abuse, the DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, conducted the first-ever National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. Nearly 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation participated in the event, and Americans turned in 121 tons of pills on that day, according to the DEA website. Due to the overwhelming success of the first event, DEA has scheduled this second take back day.
To learn more about the dangers of prescription drugs, visit www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, a website for parents, and www.JustThinkTwice.com, a site for teens.
Robert Hurt: The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the great opportunity to continue to meet with and hear from Central and Southside Virginians in and across the District.
I have traveled to Martinsville, Farmville, Penhook, Keysville, South Hill, Clarksville, Cartersville, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Charlottesville, and Danville. I spoke to hundreds of constituents at a town hall meeting hosted by my alma mater, Hampden-Sydney College, spoke at the Cool Branch Fire and Rescue Flag Dedication, held constituent office hours, and toured several businesses.
Additionally, I hosted constituent roundtables where I met with Fifth District Virginians and discussed issues that affect both the agriculture and manufacturing industries. During these open conversations, I routinely heard about the pressing need to shrink the size and scope of the federal government by reducing the unnecessary and costly regulations that burden our farmers and small businesses and stall economic growth.
That is why I was proud to announce the introduction of my second piece of legislation this week, the bipartisan Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, which has been endorsed by the American Farm Bureau, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and Public Lands Council.
This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from burdening farmers and small business owners in rural America with additional dust regulations while maintaining our commitment to the environment, and is another step in our continued efforts to help spur job creation throughout Virginia’s Fifth District.
Further regulation of dust by the EPA would unnecessarily and severely hamper the ability of farmers and other agribusinesses to conduct business. By putting an end to the EPA’s costly dust regulations, our famers and small businesses in rural areas across Central and Southside Virginia will gain the certainty and confidence necessary to focus on expanding their business and putting people back to work.
As we continue to support policies that remove barriers to job growth, I look forward to hearing from all 5th District Virginians about actions we can take that will help move our economy forward.
If you need any additional information on these or any other issues, please visit my website at http://hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434)-395-0120.
Robert Hurt represents the Fifth District of Virginia in Congress.
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Janice “Jay” Johnson: Cutting Social Security is a dangerous calculation
Posted on April 26, 2011 · 1 Comment
There is no denying that reducing the deficit is important, especially after the problematic recent Standard and Poors rating. But the question is, how. I have a couple suggestions for the Gang of Six.
1.) Social Security does not contribute a penny to the deficit; it should not be cut to reduce the deficit. The program has a $2.6 trillion surplus. With modest, reasonable reforms like scrapping the pay roll tax cap, all promised benefits can be paid. Not only is the program efficient and cost effective to run, Social Security lifts 20 million Americans out of poverty.
2.) Let the Bush tax cuts expire and ask corporations to pay their fair share. The Bush tax cuts will cost us nearly $1 trillion to keep in place for the next 10 years. This amounts to 1/6 of the deficit reduction proposed in the House Republican budget proposal. Meanwhile, we have recently been reminded that many corporations pay no taxes at all. In fact, sometimes we pay them. Bank of America received a $1.9 billion refund from the IRS. GE received $4.1 billion from the IRS even though they have recently sent 1/5 of their jobs overseas.
Any reasonable look at our deficit problems must include closing corporate tax loopholes and must not gut vital programs like Social Security, relied on by millions of seniors like myself.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with budget cuts, gang of six, sen. mark warner, social security, virginia organizing