Bacon's Rebellion

The Kilgore campaign has issued a statement on the Town of Herndon’s decision to spend $175,000 in local funds to support a location for day laborers, many of them illegal aliens, to gather. The statement makes it crystal clear that Kilgore’s problem isn’t with immigrants, it’s with illegal immigrants.

“Legal immigration made this country what it is today and we honor those who have followed the example of other generations by becoming hard-working, law-abiding citizens who contribute daily to our uniquely American way of life. …

“When we begin to use public resources to reward and encourage illegal behavior, we demean those who have followed the rules and entice others to continue to flaunt our laws. I do not believe it is too much to ask that people obey the laws of our society before they attempt to take advantage of what our society has to offer. Were the day labor centers under consideration equipped with a mechanism to verify that taxpayer dollars are not subsidizing illegal behavior, I would support them. …

“As Governor, I would support legislation that clarifies Virginia law to say that those who are illegally present are not eligible for public benefits, including the expenditure of taxpayer money for services such as day labor centers.”

Other than the fact that the statement refers to”others who continue to flaunt our laws” when he means “flout” our laws, I have no problem with this statement.

Still, I recognize that this is not a cut-and-dried issue. WRVA radio interviewed a Herndon town councilman this morning who described the nuisance created by scores of day laborers loitering around the 7/11. Town officials don’t like the idea of catering to illegal aliens either. But they don’t know what else to do. They have asked federal Immigration and Naturalization officials to crack down on the gathering, only to be told that, with the war on terror and all, the INS lacks the resources to do so. Herndon officials asked if they could be deputized to enforce federal law. The answer: No.

Finally, the councilman noted, the Virginia State Police has declined to apply for permission to be deputized, as police in other states have done. That sounds like an issue worth following up. Why not? And whose decision was it not to seek that permission?

Is there no hope for curbing out-of-control Medicaid spending in Virginia without short-changing the poorest and most helpless members of our society? An experiment in Colorado with Consumer-Directed Attendant Support suggests that it is possible to save money and improve the quality of care for the severely disabled.

As reported in today’s Wall Street Journal op-ed page, the program allows patients to bypass the usual provider agencies and hire their own health aides. Half of any monthly savings goes into a personal account for approved purchases to advance the disabled person’s independence (such as voice-activated phones). In the first two years of the pilot program, average monthly spending was 21 percent under budget, while instances of abandonment, in which care givers failed to show up as scheduled, dropped to almost zero. As a pyschological benefit, Colorado Medicaid recipients felt more in control of their own health.

South Carolina, Flordia, Vermont and Arkansas are all looking at similar reforms. There was no word in the article about Virginia.

The Washington Post reports that a group of former Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Chairmen are urging that Russ Potts be included in the Chamber debate on September 13th.

Michael G. Anzilotti, one of the former chairmen who helped organize the writing of the letter, said some of the region’s business executives are dismayed by what they see as inadequate transportation proposals by Kaine and Kilgore.

Memo to Mr. Anzilotti: at least both Kaine and Kilgore have transportation proposals. Right now Russ Potts has only promised one sometime after Labor Day.

A controversy is brewing over the annual celebration of “Dixie Days” in suburban Hanover County just north of Richmond. According to the Washington Times, an 18-member advisory panel has advised that:

“Dixie Days” is “problematic” and … calling a Civil War commemoration by that name “tends to represent the past.” If “Dixie” remains, the county schools shouldn’t promote or endorse it. … Some residents, county officials say, find “Dixie Days” offensive and a symbol of slavery and racism. [Said Ms. Jamelle Wilson, a member of the advisory panel:} “The Hanover County community is changing rapidly with many newcomers that may be offended by the name.”

… Grayson Jennings, commander of the Cold Harbor Guards Camp division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans of Virginia, would rather hold the commemoration on private property or even outside Hanover County, than change the name from Dixie Days. “It’s our event. We can call it what we want,” Mr. Jennings says. “This is our heritage. We are not changing the name.”

A bad day at work today was wiped away when I got home and found my copy of Notes from the sausage factory in the mail. Notes is the just-published anthology of essays on Virginia politics co-edited by Barnie Day and Becky Dale.

The book looks great. I know that it has been Barnie’s labor of love for quite some time. It was Barnie who pounded the pavement, worked the phones, the shot the emails to snag the contributors and keep them on deadline. He and Becky can be justly proud of its look and contents. One thing I didn’t expect was the photo section–Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) behind the camera and Barnie writing the captions. Strange bedfellows, indeed!

I’m jumping around reading the essays, but it’s all good. You can get your copy from the exclusive distributor: Bacon’s Rebellion.

The Kilgore Camp is circulating another media poll, this one sponsored by WSLS in Roanoke, showing a 5 point lead. This one from Survey USA comes with the crosstabs, and they are instructive. In the firm’s own summary notes that the last survey with the same methodology showed a 10 point gap so Kaine has picked up a bit. It shows Kilgore with slightly less than the 60 percent of the white vote that most observers consider a bellweather for Republicans in Virginia elections, and it shows Kaine with a slight lead among self-described independents. Potts has the same 3 percent that other polls have shown, but oddly this one also gives respondents a fourth choice of “other” when there will be just three names on the ballot. By election day you’ve got to think Potts will be “other.” Looks like fodder for both camps to stuff in their artillery.

“The peculiar population of that suburb were gathered on the sidewalk; bold, dirty-looking women, who had evidently not been improved by four years of military association; dirtier, if possible, children; and here and there were skulking scoundrelly-looking men…hard at it, pillaging the burning city.”

From ‘To Appomattox–Nine April Days, 1865’ by Burke Davis, Eastern Acorn Press, 1959, 433 pgs., on the fall of Richmond.

According to this Roanoke Times editorial, “If Virginia’s next governor gets it wrong on transportation, people will suffer.” The transportation plans of Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore “are as inspiring as sitting in traffic and choking on fumes during a hot August day.”

A transportation plan that will satisfy the Times is actually pretty simple–in fact, it sounds suspiciously like the outlines of the after Labor Day promised Russ Potts plan. Just raise the gasoline tax, “develop and stick to a unified plan to combat the diversified needs across the state,” and, most importantly, stop this talk of regional taxing authorities and regional referendums. Regions can “weigh in” on their needs and offer possible solutions, but anything more than that is off the table. Oh, and throw some “intermodal solutions” in there, too.

This is the ultimate straight talk plan, not an attempt to “appease” voters like the exhaust sniffing Kaine and Kilgore plans. A plan to develop a plan and stick to the plan is just the plan Virginia’s transportation system needs to avoid needless suffering.

OK, ye readers of tea leaves, ponder this: The Kilgore campaign has issued a press release noting that Jerry Kilgore will take “a Warrenton Main Street tour” today. He will be joined by three town councilmen and Patricia Fitch, wife of Mayor George Fitch, whom Kilgore vanquished in the contest for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. There is no mention of Fitch himself participating in the tour.

Surely, this event must have some significance; the Kilgore campaign would not have issued a press release about a routine campaign stop. But the Kilgore crew offers no explanation. What could it mean?

For the record, the Blue Dog is dovetailing Barnie Day’s earlier post.

I’m assuming the ‘Much Ado’ Potts-Wilder summit at Richmond City Hall took place this morning between Russ Potts campaign manager and the Mayor’s policy advisor.

However, Paul Goldman told the Blue Dog, he has also held meetings with Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore’s campaign staff.

“There’s no reason why the Virginia Gubernatorial candidates can’t support these issues,” said Paul Goldman.

The list of the 10-urban issues, per policy wonk Goldman…

1) Support legislation allowing Mayors to require that agencies like the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority to use the City Attorney’s office for all legal work. Right now, state law allows these independent agencies to choose whether to use the City Attorney [and it would be free to them!] or hire outside legal counsel, which the RRHA does, for a whopping 1 million dollar a year last year! [It was 1.5 million two or so years ago!]. Thus, this state law change would cost the state NOTHING.

2) Support legislation that requires approval by voters in a referendum before the City Council can pass a new tax, or raise an existing tax, for the purpose of dedicating these new public tax dollars to benefit a private entity.

3) Support legislation expanding the definition of a “persistently dangerous school” under the No Child Left Behind law so that parents in such schools can have more options for their children and so that the school system will know that if such schools are not improved, then parents can take their kids out and send them to another city school.

4) Support legislation to make it easier for cities like Richmond to use existing state laws such as the one promoting public/private sector cooperation sponsored by Henrico Senator Walter Stosch, the leader in this area, to get a desperately needed new City Jail.

5) Support legislation establishing a pilot state/local program in certain cities with the highest Virginia murder rates, to help booster the effort of local police, something that Richmond Delegate Frank Hall has suggested.

6) Support legislation, similar to the current state law sponsored by Newport News Senator Marty Williams, that forbids a lame-duck City Council from giving lucrative golden parachutes to certain top city officials as was done last year in Richmond when a lame-duck City Council gave city manager Calvin Jamison a $170000 golden parachute.

7) Support legislation that gives localities more power to deal with unruly behavior by public school students and to hold parents or guardians accountable for the disruptive public school behavior by these students.

8) Support legislation requiring everyone sent to prison for a drug crime to take periodic drug tests for 18 months after release from prison as this will help them stay off drugs, encourage them to get jobs, be productive members of society and thus a new law would not just fight crime but also serve as a rehabilitation measure.

9) Support legislation giving a refundable tax credit to low and moderate-income families to offset the increase in their taxes passed last year.

10) Support legislation giving localities incentives to replace old-style public housing projects with newer and more modern approaches to developing such housing projects.

~ the blue dog

For those who are following the political hackspersonship that is being fomented around the Supreme Court’s Kelo v New London decision: Today’s WaPo has a front page story and a double truck jump spread on what is happening in Southeast Federal District in response to the baseball stadium plan.

Actually there are three points to be made:

One: It is a crime that the stadium is going forward with little apparent conceptual planning to create a Balanced Community in the area between the Anacostia and the Southeast Freeway nor is there any reported acknowledgment of the National Capital Planning Commissions Year 2050 Plan to make South Capital Street into an new monumental corridor with, perhaps a great setting for a relocated Supreme Court complex.

Second: The front page picture of the two story Star Market/open air drug market which is now next to two new 14 story buildings is exactly the sort of problem (if there were a well considered, comprehensive plan) that would be helped by the majority opinion in Kelo and wiped out the knee jerk pandering to erect “safeguards.” See our post of 23 June on this Blog titled New London Hotel Panic.

Third: All that new development and all those new “private property rights/property value” would not exist unless the public was investing/coordinating half a billion dollars in infrastructure and facilities. That reality is omitted in all the discussions of “property rights.”

EMR

Just as he’s putting the finishing touches on his ‘the-sky-is-falling’ campaign– based largely on opposition to last year’s tax increase–you remember, that one that was bi-partisan in nature and saved Virginia’s coveted Triple AAA bond rating–the Virginia Employment Commission up and announces Friday that the Commonwealth gained 50,300 jobs during the last year, shattering the previous 12-month record growth by 26,800. Wish as hard as he might that Virginia suffers under commonsense, centrist government, Kilgore must face the fact that it does not. What’s a guy to do? A thought: he’d be a lock for the role of ‘Chicken Little,’ opening at Republican playhouses everywhere come November. I doubt if he’d even have to audition.

The Martinsville Bulletin has several reports on candidate and officeholder appearances at the Peach Festival in Stuart over the weekend. (No word on whether Barnie did any “belly-bumping.”)

It appears that everyone is in favor of a new college in Southside, although they don’t want to be pinned down on the exact location or the funding.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-9th): “I’m strongly for that (a college in Southside.) I’m hopeful that the state will move forward … once that happens we can work on getting federal funding (for the college).”

Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine: “I am not walking out of office without a four-year university started in Southside.”

Jerry Kilgore: “I have been committed to a four-year college in Southside from the beginning.”

Sen. Bill Bolling: “I support it. I think it’s a great idea.”

Sen. Russ Potts: “Those politicians may tell you they’ll get $500 million for a new college but that’s not reality.” Building a college “step by step” is the way it should be done, he said.

I hope someone will ask the candidates about a university in Southside at the debate in Northern Virginia.

I also hope someone will ask Russ Potts who “those politicians” are and what figure is “reality.” Potts always seems to have plenty to say about everyone else’s position, but not so much about his own.

Based on media reports, Jim has his impression of the Jerry Kilgore and Russ Potts appearance before the Virginia Association of Counties meeting yesterday.

What I noticed in the coverage was the total lack of any specifics from third party candidate Russ Potts. Apparently, when you’re “heaping scorn” on the Republican candidate, you get a standing ovation for platitudes like “no free lunch” and “put every revenue stream on the table.” Kilgore’s specific proposals are detailed and dismissed; Potts’ criticism is hailed as “refreshing.”

Add county officials to the editorial boards as Russ Potts’ constituency. They both savor the idea of increased taxes–they don’t need to know anything more. I could be wrong, but I think voters will want to know how much their taxes will go up and where that revenue will go.

Tyler Whitley’s Richmond Times-Dispatch story is here; the Roanoke Times story by Michael Sluss is here; Kate Andrews’ coverage in the Daily Progress is here. Were 50 people in the audience–or 150? That’s one discrepancy in the coverage.

It will be interesting to see reports tomorrow on Tim Kaine’s appearance before VACO today.

Russ Potts received a standing ovation at a Virginia Association of Counties gathering in Charlottesville Sunday for a speech in which he stated his willingness to raise taxes and denounced Jerry Kilgore, as a “coward.” Kilgore, by contrast, drew a “tepid” response when he appeared earlier in the day and defended his proposal to cap real estate assessment increases at five percent, according to a story filed by Virginian-Pilot writer Warren Fiske.

For the first time in this campaign, I actually agree with Potts: State government should not meddle with local taxes. Enough is enough, the independent candidate for governor said. The flexibility of local governments has been crippled already by the General Assembly’s efforts to reduce car taxes. “Let me see a show of hands for how many people think the commonwealth of Virginia should have anything to do with the way local governments assess real estate taxes,” Potts asked. Of the 50 local officials in attendance, not one raised a hand.

There’s a fundamental principle at stake: The state should address those issues, including taxes, over which it has direct authority and for which it is accountable, and leave local matters to local elected officials.

Assuming the Pilot’s account was a fair and balanced capsulization of what transpired (not something that I take for granted), the Republican contender turned in a weak performance. Kilgore argued that a limit on assessment increases is needed to protect homeowners from the escalating tax bills that accompany soaring home values. “I know my plan is not popular in this room, but I also know it’s something we must do for the taxpayers of Virginia,” Kilgore said lamely. “I ask today that you not judge me on one proposal.”

What Kilgore should have done: He should have challenged local government officials to combat higher taxes by more aggressively cutting expenses. Local governments, like the state, should be continually re-engineering administrative processes and using IT to bolster employee productivity. Even more fundamentally, counties need to rethink their zoning codes and comprehensive plans that perpetuate scattered, disconnected, low-density development patterns that make it impossible to efficiently provide an urban level of municipal services. Unfortunately, Kilgore has never indicated that he has much of a grasp either of re-engineering or land use reform, so it’s not likely that we’ll ever hear such a message from him.

In fairness Potts seems totally unacquainted with those concepts, too. His solution to every problem is simply to raise taxes. But he’s right about keeping accountability where it belongs.