Kaine: Raise sales tax, grantor’s tax, car taxes

Leave it to a liberal to push a house tax in the middle of a housing crisis and push regional sales taxes that lost two referendums by a 2 to 1 margin. But that’s Gov. Tim Kaine’s plan. And guess what? The “house tax” won’t even go for roads.

If alcohol isn’t costly, it’s o.k. to drink and drive?

So says Judge Bonwill Shockley in a bizarre judgment in Virginia Beach where the defendant was found passed-out at the wheel.

School is worth quitting

That’s the message I got from the editorial in today’s Virginian-Pilot. I miss the days when the V-P editorial board pretended to be moderate, because lately they are diving deeply into the left side of the pool.
According to the Pilot, some students won’t care about grades if they aren’t in sports, so grade standards […]

Howell Endorses Hager

Speaker of the House William J. Howell has sent a letter endorsing John Hager for Chairman of the RPV. I like this paragraph:
National Republican organizations are taking note of RPV’s new progress. Unlike years past, the RNC’s ‘Victory 08′ operation and the McCain Campaign will work ‘hand-in-hand’ with RPV to elect our Party’s presidential, Senate, […]

Mother’s Day

A great Mother’s Day message from VB GOP Chairman Kenny Golden.

Appalachian killer dies in car crash

One of life’s ironies.

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel…

On Wednesday, I was down in Richmond at the meeting of what Delegate Oder hopefully called the “new urban majority.” Legislators from NoVA & Hampton Roads (HR) got together to talk about transportation.
Let’s just say that thinking out of the box wasn’t happening.

Republicans losing in everything

A couple days ago I wrote about how RPV’s new plan to tie party growth to dollars was a good one, provided there was a message to go along with it. That sentiment had no real basis in any poll or inside information, just an intuition.

Flower Feelings

Swiss experts say plants have rights too
Plants need protection from maltreatment and pollution, government experts said on Monday.
You will be relieved to know that these Swiss experts are cool with genetic altering of plant life — as long as the plant’s reproductive capacity isn’t diminished. Seriously.
Although the news is slightly old, I couldn’t resist […]

Education is sooooooo challenging…..

….that Mariel Alper graduates Old Dominion University today with a Criminal Justice degree and a near-A average.
And she’s 17.
She said eighth grade was boring, so she skipped High School and aced college. It says a lot about her, but it speaks volumes about education, too. Pilot story here.

The fast lane?

Looks like U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, is trying a foray into new media …and so far so good. “The Fast Lane” includes a post by Gov. Kaine, a discussion on the Metro, and some thoughts on a Gas Tax holiday, among others.
If transportation is your thing, then this is your blog.

Newest member of the BD team

Our newest blogger, De Civitate Hominis (DCH for short), is a northern Virginian who has been active in politics for fourteen years and has a wealth of experience and intricate knowledge of the inside baseball that goes on in both Richmond and DC. I’m very much looking forward to reading DCH’s perspective.
Welcome to the […]

TV/Tornado lawsuit dropped

WTKR, probably because they were the subject of serious eyerolls and more than a few laughs, has dropped their battle to defend the Constitution and 1st amendment rights. I lambasted them here, but there’s more….

RPV attempting to incentivize party growth

The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling have come up with a great idea to motivate local city and county GOP committees at taking a proactive approach to party growth and outreach — give them more money for achieving outreach goals.

How does an officer shooting impact police?

Scott White of Scott’s Morning Brew has an excellent post up on the dangers of police work. We owe all in blue an incredible debt of gratitude. By reading Scott’s post, you get a true sense of what these men and women who protect us have to live with every day.

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