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A slick postcard mailed by the Republican Party of Virginia arrived in the mailboxes of many voters in my district last week just as many people were completing their tax forms. In the standard Republican charge against Democrats, the card text read that I wanted “to take even more” of my constituents’ tax money. The…
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Couture fashion – not exactly what you’d expect to find in Waynesboro, but that is one of the latest additions to Downtown Waynesboro with the addition Mariah Amine Couture. Don’t be too intimidated by the word couture, though; the shop still has the local feel that local shoppers are comfortable in. It’s within a few…
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Gov. Bob McDonnell on Friday vetoed the redistricting plans approved by the Virginia General Assembly, citing issues with the plan passed by the Democratic-majority Senate. Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw vowed that Senate Democrats will not back down. “The only thing Governor will accept is absolute surrender on the part of the Democrats of the…
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President Obama on Wednesday released a down-the-middle plan for dealing with the federal government’s deepening budget crisis. I meant the term down the middle to mean one thing – that it features some elements that appeal to the left and some that appeal to the right. But I full recognize that it can mean something…
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A group of 16 moderate Democratic senators, led by Mark Udall of Colorado, today sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, urging him to prevent a shutdown of the federal government that would hurt our country’s still-fragile economy and distract from the need to work together to address greater, long-term fiscal challenges. The senators…
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So far, agriculture has kept up with population – there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone. But not everyone’s getting fed – at least a billion people live with hunger, according to the U.N. World Food Program. And the world is in the midst of yet another spike in food prices. As long…
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Over the past several weeks, there has been great speculation, poor reporting, and gross misrepresentation of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s positions on pension reform and collective bargaining. The erroneous claims have traveled through the blogosphere and grabbed the attention of mainstream media. Unfortunately, due to little or no fact-checking, ALEC’s positions and activities have…
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Legislative maneuverings are nothing new, but the Virginia General Assembly, with some last-minute shenanigans, may have just maneuvered itself into reproductive rights morass with very real legal implications. Last week, the House of Delegates passed SB 924, a bill that requires the Board of Health to issue regulations related to infection prevention and disaster preparedness…
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This past week, the House debated HR 1, the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act. This bill would fund the government through September 30th of this year at $100 billion less than the amount President Obama requested in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Given the current fiscal crisis that faces the Fifth District and the nation,…
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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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