No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Barnie Day

Biting the Hand

Their criticism of Virginia FREE puts William Howell and Morgan Griffith neck-and-neck in the running for the Dimwit Hall of Fame. VA FREE donates to Republicans two to one over Democrats.

Speaker of the House William Howell, R-Stafford, on the Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic Education’s (Virginia FREE) recent report card on the state’s legislators: “These guys really are, I think, irrelevant.”

‘Irrelevant,’ Mr. Speaker? Is that the word you used?  ‘Irrelevant?’

It just so happens, Mr. Speaker, that I’ve included a list of the Virginia FREE membership at the end of this column. The list includes such ‘irrelevant’ companies as Altria, American Electric Power, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Bank of America, Boone and Company, Browning Ferris Industries, Carilion Biomedical Institute, Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, Hunton and Williams (that little lawyer outfit down on the river there, Mr. Speaker), International Paper, Luck Stone Corporation, 7-Eleven, Sprint, Suntrust, Troutman Sanders, Ukrop’s (you mighta heard of them, too, Mr. Speaker), Verizon, Coors, DuPont (I think they might make chemicals and stuff), Georgia Pacific, Medial General (careful, Mr. Speaker, these are the ‘irrelevant’ newspaper folks), Norfolk Southern Corporation (you heard of them?), and nearly all of the professional associations in the state.

And guess what, Mr. Speaker?” These ‘irrelevant’ folks gave you $377,000 during the last election cycle. You don’t have to put up with that. Why don’t you just do the relevant thing and give it back?

And while you’re at it, make Morgan Griffith give his back, too. You see, Mr. Speaker, Morgan is the one who popped his mouth off the other day about how Virginia FREE is rarely generous to Republicans — despite the fact that they gave him more than any other single House candidate — even more than you, Mr. Speaker, and despite the fact that their contributions to Republican candidates beat what they did for Democrats two to one.

Take a look at this data. Of the top 12 House recipients of Virginia FREE campaign donations, 10 were Republicans:

The ratio was about the same for Senate recipients.  Nine of the top 12 were Republicans.

And do the breakdown on PAC contributions by Virginia FREE members:

Honest to God, you guys are unbelievable. Consider this: 

¨ On average, Virginia FREE members contributed 40 percent of all campaign dollars raised by incumbent legislators seeking re-election in 2003. This compares to 11 percent contributed by the major political parties, 1.6 percent from the trial lawyers and 1 percent from organized labor.

¨ One third of all House members received at least 50 percent of their campaign dollars from Virginia FREE members. Two thirds of all House and Senate incumbents received at least 33 percent of their re-election campaign dollars from Virginia FREE members.

¨ Virginia FREE members contributed $2.6 million to major political Party and “leadership” PACs.

¨ Half of the $1 million raised by the Joint Republican Caucus came from Virginia FREE members.

¨ Half of the money banked by House Speaker Bill Howell’s re-election campaign ($115 k of $132 k) and a third of the Speaker’s PAC funds ($262 k of $826 k) came from Virginia FREE members.

And what’s with Steve Landes? Half a dozen House Republicans asked Katie Webb, of the Hospital and Healthcare Association, for campaign contributions, she said, ‘No’, and told them why, and Landes thinks that’s bribery? Please. The funny thing about that is his effort to drag the attorney general into it.

For crying out loud, this guy wants to be governor.  His largest contributor is that fat-cat pharmaceutical fellow, and now you drag him into this?

Steve, next time just send Kilgore a twenty-five pound package of bumble bees. That would make him happier, I promise you.

Listen, here’s the thing, fellas. There is no political conspiracy against you. What you don’t understand — and I don’t think you ever will — is that these Virginia Free members — and most Virginia citizens, for that matter — don’t care whether you’re Democrat, Republican, or Rastafarian. What they’re interested in is the good, decent, reasonable, thoughtful governance of this state. No more. No less. 

But that’s not what you’re giving us. There is nothing approaching that coming out of the House Republican Caucus. That’s what these mediocre ratings are about. No more. No less.

-- June 21, 2004

Virginia FREE Membership

     • Abbott Laboratories/Ross Products Division

      • Advocates of Virginia

      • ALLTEL

      • Altria

      • American Electric Power

      • American Insurance Association

      • The Angler Companies

      • Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

      • Anthem

      • Apartment & Office Building Association

      • Associated Asphalt, Inc.

      • Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc.

      • Associated General Contractors of Virginia

      • Atlantic Dominion Distributors

      • AT&T

      • AT & T Wireless Services, Inc.

      • Bank of America

      • Bank of Southside Virginia

      • BB&T

      • Mr. William W. Berry

      • Better Living, Inc.

      • Birdsong Peanuts

      • Blackburn, Conte, Schilling & Click, P.C.

      • Boone & Company

      • Bowman Companies

      • Boxley Materials Company

      • BP Amoco Corporation

      • BRC Group

      • The Brinks Company

      • Browning Ferris Industries

      • Bundoran Farm

      • Cabaniss Construction & Development, Inc.

      • Canon Virginia, Inc.

      • CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield

      • Capital Interior Contractors, Inc.

      • Carilion Biomedical Institute

      • Carilion Health System

      • Carter Machinery Company, Inc.

      • Carter Myers Automotive

      • CCA Industries, Inc.

      • Centennial Contractors

      • Centra Health

      • Century 21 Clary & Associates

      • Chase Investment Counsel Corporation

      • ChemTreat, Inc.

      • Circuit City Stores

      • Colonial Mechanical Corporation

      • Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

      • Columbia Gas of Virginia

      • Commonwealth Consultants

      • Coors Brewing Company

      • CSX Corporation

      • Culpeper Farmers’ Cooperative, Inc.

      • Dan River

      • Mr. Eugene F. Dearing, Jr.

      • Dodson Bros. Exterminating Co., Inc.

      • Dominion

      • DuPont

      • DynCorp

      • Eagle Corporation

      • Easter Associates, Inc.

      • Eddie Edwards Signs, Inc.

      • Electro-Mechanical Corporation

      • Erkiletian Construction Corporation

      • Ethyl Corporation

      • Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce

      • First Bank

      • First Colony Life Insurance Company

      • Framme Law Firm, PLC

      • GE Financial Assurance

      • GEICO

      • Gentry, Locke, Rakes & Moore

      • George E. Jones & Sons, Inc.

      • Georgia-Pacific Corporation

      • Golden Rule Insurance Co.

      • Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce

      • The Greater Washington Board of Trade

      • Greif Brothers Corporation

      • Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce

      • Hancock, Daniel, Johnson & Nagle, P.C.

      • The Harrington Corporation

      • Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, Inc.

      • Heavy Construction Contractors Association

      • Hecht's

      • Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs

      • Hilldrup Moving & Storage Company

      • Hoffman Beverage Company

      • Clarence A. Holland, M.D.

      • Jill K. Holtzman, Attorney At Law

      • Holtzman Corporation

      • Home Builders Association of Virginia

      • Hoover Color Corporation

      • Hunton & Williams

      • Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia

      • Inova Health System

      • International Paper

        John C. Nordt Company, Inc.

      • JWB Consulting Company, Inc.

      • Keeler Obenshain, PC

      • Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves

      • Mr. Herbert V. Kelly

      • The Kessler Group, Ltd.

      • Lanford Brothers Company

      • Law Office of J. Christopher LaGow

      • LeClair Ryan

      • Lindl Corporation

      • Luck Stone Corporation

      • Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

      • Thomas E. Martenstein, Attorney

      • McCale Development Corporation

      • McGuire Woods

      • MeadWestvaco

      • Media General, Inc.

      • Medical Facilities of America

      • Medical Society of Virginia

      • Merrill Lynch – The Hubbard Fletcher Group

      • National Federation of Independent Business

      • National Fruit Product Company, Inc.

      • National Institute for Labor Relations Research

      • Nationwide Insurance

      • Next Century Technologies, Inc.

      • Noland Company

      •  Norfolk Southern Corporation

      • Northrop Grumman

      • Northrup Grumman Newport News

      • NVBIA

      • Old Dominion Box Company

      • Old Dominion Highway Contractors Association

      • Outdoor Advertising Association of Virginia

      • Paramount Kings Dominion

      • Petersburg Ford-Chrysler-Jeep-Hyundai

      • Philip Morris USA

      • PriceWaterhouse Coopers

      • QS&A Research Strategies

      • RCD, Inc. - Electrical Services Division

      • RGC Resources, Inc.

      • R J Reynolds Tobacco Company

      • Retail Merchants Association of Greater

           Richmond

      • Richmond Area Municipal Contractors

           Association

      • Richmond Corrugated, Inc.

      • Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation

      • Roanoke Regional Chamber

      • The Roberts Family Limited Partnership

      • Mr. John W. Roberts

      • Rockingham Group

      • Rockydale Quarries Corporation

      • Schewel Furniture Company, Inc.

      • Scott & Stringfellow, Inc.

      • Sentara Health Management

      • 7-Eleven, Inc.

      • SERCC

      • Service Distributing, Inc.

      • Shenandoah Life Insurance Co.

      • The Smith Group, Inc.

      • Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation

      • Sprint

      • SunTrust

      • Synagro Technologies, Inc.

      • TIBA Corporation

      • Trebor Group, Inc.

      • Tredegar Industries

      • Troutman Sanders

      • Ukrop's Super Markets, Inc.

      • Union Bank & Trust Company

      • United Parcel Service

      • Universal Corporation

      • Vantage Point Consulting, LLC

      • Vectre Corporation

      • Verbatim Editing

      • Verizon

      • Virginia Aggregates Association

      • Virginia Agribusiness Council

      • Virginia Association of Health Plans

      • Virginia Association of Insurance & Financial

            Advisers

      • Virginia Association of Mortgage Brokers

      • Virginia Association of Private Career Schools

      • Virginia Association of Realtors

      • Virginia Automatic Merchandising Association

      • Virginia Automobile Dealers Association

      • Virginia Bankers Association

      • Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association

      • Virginia Biotechnology Association

      • Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association

      • Virginia Chamber of Commerce

      • Virginia Dental Association

      • Virginia Farm Bureau Federation

      • Virginia Financial Services Association

      • Virginia Forest Products Association

      • Virginia HealthCare Association

      • Virginia Hospital & HealthCare Association

      • Virginia Hospitality & Travel Assoc., Inc.

      • Virginia Manufactured Housing Association

      • Virginia Manufacturers Association

      • Virginia Motorcoach Association, Inc.

      • Virginia Natural Gas, Inc.

      • Virginia Optometric Association

      • Virginia Petroleum Convenience & Grocery

           Association

      • Virginia Petroleum Council

      • Virginia Poultry Association

      • Virginia Retail Merchants Association

      • Virginia Road & Transportation Builders

            Association

      • Virginia Society of CPAs

      • Virginia Society of Ophthalmology

      • Virginia Society of Professional Engineers

      • Virginia Soft Drink Association

      • Virginia Thoroughbred Association

      • Virginia Trucking Association

      • Virginia Utility & Heavy Contractors Council

      • Virginia Wholesalers & Distributors Association

      • Virginia Wine Wholesalers Association

      • Virginians for High Speed Rail

      • Vulcan Materials Company

      • W.M. Jordan Company, Inc.

      • W. Thomas Hudson & Associates

      • Wachovia Bank, NA

      • Washington Gas Light Company

      • Waste Management

      • Whitehead Consulting, LLC

      • Wilkins' Shoe Center

      • Willcox & Savage, P.C.

      • William R. Smith Company

      • Williams Mullen

      • Williams Mullen Public Affairs

      • Winchester Evening Star, Inc.

      • Woods, Rogers & Hazlegrove, P.L.C.

      • John O. Wynne

      • Zeller, Morck & Company, Inc.