Pam Solo and Grant Smith: Solyndra and the real risk to American taxpayers

AFP

The bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar company that received a federal loan guarantee, has made the front page because of charges of cronyism. But among the biggest risks to taxpayers, who underwrite federal loan guarantees, isn’t renewable energy. It is nuclear power. The Department of Energy declared its intent to conditionally issue a loan guarantee…

Frank Knapp Jr.: The Corporate Attorneys Full Employment Act

AFP

Congress is considering a proposal that portends to offer commonsense rules to affect how federal agencies analyze costs and benefits. Instead it will be disastrous to taxpayers, small and mid-sized businesses and the country as a whole. The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011 (RAA), which passed in the U.S. House, provides extensively detailed procedures for…

Marshall: GOP loyalty oath requirement sends ‘wrong message’

AFP

Del. Bob Marshall is urging Virginia’s GOP leaders to ask the State Board of Elections to rescind its ruling that voters, before taking part in the March 6 Republican presidential primary, must pledge in writing that they intend to support the party’s White House nominee in the Nov. 6 general election. “Ironically, requiring a loyalty…

Staunton Music Festival receives NEA Challenge America Grant

AFP

The Staunton Music Festival is one of only 162 grantees nationwide to receive a Challenge America Fast Track grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The CAFT program primarily supports projects of small and mid-sized arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved audiences—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are…

Moran: ‘We owe’ Iraq veterans

AFP

Jim Moran was a critic of the Iraq war when being a critic of the Iraq war was not only not cool, but was considered by more than a few to be treasonous. The Virginia Democratic congressman spoke Thursday on the day that the U.S. officially declared the end to the military action that began…

William Browning: A key to rural economic growth – increased availability of broadband services

Chris Graham

Many of Virginia’s rural communities still lack access to high-speed wireless Internet service, including right here in the Shenandoah Valley and parts of western and southwestern Virginia. While our political leaders continue to discuss, debate, and attempt to reach a workable solution on how to create more quality jobs and jumpstart our economy, it is…

Remarks by Obama, Al-Maliki at joint press conference

AFP

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Please have a seat.  Good afternoon, everyone. When I took office, nearly 150,000 American troops were deployed in Iraq, and I pledged to end this war, responsibly.  Today, only several thousand troops remain there, and more are coming home every day. This is a season of homecomings, and military families across America are…

Margot Dorfman: Big business tax holidays are bad for small business, bad for America

AFP

If small business owners decided to stop paying our fair share of taxes, we’d be sent to jail. Big business tax dodgers want Congress to reward them with a tax holiday. The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce strongly opposes legislation in Congress that would reward U.S. multinational corporations with massive, unwarranted tax discounts to bring…