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Election
seasons in Virginia, like tax seasons, never
end. One season rolls behind the other like
cars stacking on your most hated Interstate
highway – I-81, 64, 264, 95 or 395. Yet,
Labor Day is to elections as Washington’s
Birthday is to taxes. It’s time to get
serious about finishing finish well. Both
seasons end with a resounding crash at date
certain. The winners and losers for elections
and taxes are settled – for another season.
So,
the unending cycle of annual elections in one
small spot of Virginia – the 91st House
District - pits the big money of government
profiteers against The People every year.
Back
in 2001, a Republican-turned-Democrat-turned-
Republican member of Hampton City council
challenged the Republican incumbent in a
district gerrymandered (York, Poquoson and
Hampton connected by water) to make it the
second most conservative HD in the
Commonwealth.
Surprisingly,
most of the rank and file Republicans
supported the challenger for his conservative
heart against the incumbent who was a lap dog
of the power and money special interests of
The Peninsula. The elected Republicans
lined up behind the incumbent without
question. Yet, outspent over 3:1 the underdog,
Tom Gear, won the second victory since
Reconstruction over an incumbent in a primary.
In
2002 the Transportation Tax Scam, the sales
tax referendum, was forced down the throats of
the voters by the Democrats and Republicans in
power who stood to profit from transferring
billions in sales taxes directly to an
unelected regional government with no
oversight. Only one Republican on the
Peninsula voted against the tax and spoke out
in public over and over against the wrong
plan, wrong tax, wrong administration – Tom
Gear.
The
People, outspent $2.2m (Yes!) to $40k (kNOw),
beat the referendum almost three to one in the
91st house district.
In
2003 the husband of the Democrat Treasurer of
Hampton bought an additional $130k home, but
didn’t move his family, just to challenge
conservative Tom Gear – when there was an
open seat in the district he actually lived
in. The big money came out again spending 2:1
to buy the 91st district. The People beat back
the faux Republican over 2:1.
In
2004 Tom Gear went back to the General
Assembly to vote against the largest tax
increase in Virginia history after the phony
baloney budget crisis (revenue actually
increased) from the short Recession of 01-03.
In
2005 the Republican senators and one delegate
on the Peninsula who serve the Special
Interests’ government clients went trawling
for a candidate to challenge Tom Gear as a
Republican. The Mayor of Poquoson demurred.
Instead, the fat cats have Democrat city
councilman Randy Gilliland running as an
‘independent’ against Republican Gear.
The
same power, same money, same greed, same
arrogance that fought Tom and The People in
01, 02, 03 and 04 is back again. They think
they can buy a seat in the House of Delegates
from a thoughtful, literate conservative
constituency.
Their
candidate, Randy Gilliland, is being recalled
by The People of Hampton for the arrogant use
of power that bordered on racial bullying. His
days on city council are numbered so he is
trying for another government gig.
Randy
can’t name a tax he doesn’t love and
hasn’t supported. Randy complained that Tom
Gear is pro-life. He supported every Democrat
from Bill Clinton to Mark “I promise I
won’t raise taxes’ Warner. Randy voted
every Hamptonian fool’s gold public project.
And, to capture his essence, Randy talks about
his support for public schools while sending
his own kid to private schools from day one.
Tom
Gear doesn’t have a personal political
agenda. Actually, that is one complaint
against him. He asks his constituents what
they want and serves their interests. Del.
Gear has had Sen. George Allen, Jerry Kilgore,
Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell show up on the
Peninsula to personally support his honest
conservatism.
Now
that the election season is full swing, the
voters can check out the faux Independent
Randy Gilliland and the real true-heart
conservative (100 percent Virginia
Family Foundation rating) Republican Tom Gear
based on facts – not the fancy flyers paid
for and delivered by the same big shots who
profit from your taxes. Follow the money.
Follow the stench of government ‘takers’.
“All
politics is local”, but the 91st district
shows the real struggle across the
Commonwealth. Do The People serve government
to profit the moneyed ‘elite’ of
arrogance, ignorance, bold lies, power and
pride? Or does Virginia’s government serve
The People?
--
Sept. 5, 2005
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