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A resolution proposed by Rockbridge Republican Del. Ben Cline that calls on Congress to pass an amendment to the United States Constitution requiring it to adopt a balanced budget has the support of Gov. Bob McDonnell. “Over the last two years, the federal government has added approximately $3.37 trillion to the national debt, making the…
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It’s official: U.S. Sen. Jim Webb will not run for a second term representing Virginia in the United States Senate in 2012. “After much thought and consideration, I have decided to return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life, and will not seek re-election in 2012,” Webb said in…
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Losing 32 percent of Marine and 21 percent of Army combat troops in battle would devastate our nation. That is how many soldiers said they will definitely leave the US military service early if “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were repealed. Right before Christmas the “lame duck” Congress ended 232 years of military policy and 6000 years of…
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The 2011 General Assembly session is racing toward conclusion. We are now at the halfway point, the crossover, when each house must complete work on its own bills. We are just days away from having competing versions of the budget adopted and finalizing actions on a number of controversial issues. Intensifying the work is the…
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The General Assembly continues to push through a large docket of bills for the 46-day session. Our days are long now, often beginning at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m. Much of the controversy over the last week has focused on a number of proposed constitutional amendments. For a constitutional amendment to take effect…
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Ever heard of the American Community Survey? I hadn’t either, until I got the first of two threatening letters in the mail from the Census Bureau. “You are required by U.S. law to respond to this survey,” the letter read, as did its followup. “This survey” is a 28-page survey that took me about a…
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This week, President Obama gave his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. It was encouraging to hear the President focus on the pressing need to get our fiscal house in order. Where there is room for consensus on these important issues that affect job creation, I look forward to working…
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U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., today introduced the “STOP the OverPrinting Act” (S. 210), the Senate version of House legislation requiring the Government Printing Office to post legislative bills and resolutions online instead of automatically printing and distributing them to each congressional office. The senators estimate that the legislation should…
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The President’s challenge for all of us to create the country that 9-year old Christina Taylor Green thought we had when she made the fateful trip to hear her elected representative rings true to me. Christina had an ambition to be the first girl to play in the major leagues. Tragically it’s a chance she…
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An effort of conservatives nationwide that would permit the repeal of any federal law or regulation by a vote of two-thirds of the state legislatures has passed the Virginia House of Delegates. The so-called Repeal Amendment passed the House today by a 59-34 vote. The measure is backed by House Speaker Bill Howell, a Republican…
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