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Are you clued in to the current slashing and burning going on in Washington? The new Congress is trying to settle on a federal budget that should have been voted on last fall. President Obama unveiled his idea for the next budget on Monday. How do you think they are setting priorities? After all, our…
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Mark Warner, once again, I’m right there with you, dude. “This problem cannot be solved simply by focusing on cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, which is only 12 percent of the budget. Increased revenues and economic growth by themselves will not get us there, either. That’s why we must have a grown-up discussion about spending…
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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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I have had enough of hearing about death panels for the elderly and the sickly in the new health-care law. There is so much to try and understand. Each political organization has a different take in the outcome of this legislation. I believed it was removed, but it made headlines again during Christmas. Gee, how…
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Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said the passage on Wednesday of the National Defense Authorization Act will improve the quality of life of our men and women in uniform while enhancing their operational capabilities throughout the world. The bill now goes to the president for his signature. “The passage of the defense authorization reflects our continued…
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Republicans played President Obama in the tax deal like mortgage hustlers played homeowners. Focus on the teaser rates, borrow more than you need and trust us to work with you to refinance later when rates jump. The teasers are the needed extension of unemployment benefits – always extended before with high unemployment – and continued…
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I don’t personally have any issue with the notion that government needs to be run more efficiently and run more like a business. Anybody with experience managing a business or organization knows that there are inevitably inefficiencies that can be accounted for and corrected to make things run more smoothly. A problem I have is…
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Dear Member of Congress: You’ve got a lot to consider in this month. You’re scheduled to debate international treaties and internet censorship. There’s talk of military affairs and revamping federal agencies. But this should be at the top of your agenda: extending benefits for unemployed workers and making sure struggling parents can continue to make…
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The head of the state Democratic Party is offering criticism of Gov. Bob McDonnell in the wake of his election as vice chair of the Republican Governors Association. “Bob McDonnell’s aggressive campaign schedule does raise valid questions about whether campaigning in other states is the best way for our governor to spend his time, especially…
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Before Wall Street drove our economy off a cliff, bullish Citigroup strategists dubbed the United States a “plutonomy.” They said, “There are rich consumers, few in number, but disproportionate in the gigantic slice of income and consumption they take. There are the rest, the ‘non-rich,’ the multitudinous many, but only accounting for surprisingly small bites…
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