Category: Politics
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Swallow the Money, Part 2 of 3
by Joe Fitzgerald There’s a donor in CFReports named “no name.” He, she, or it is listed on the report as “Name, No.” This same donor is called “Unknown Entity” in VPAP. Or perhaps “Entity, Unknown.” (VPAP and CFReports are described in Part 1.) This donor’s address shows up as Matt Cross’s house on his…
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Swallow the Money, Part 1 of 3
by Joe Fitzgerald When a governor was accepting gifts and amenities from a supporter some years back, the surprise for many Virginians came when it was time to indict him. The Feds had to do it, because he probably hadn’t broken any state laws, and eventually, after trials and appeals, he didn’t stand convicted of…
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Biting the Hand that You Need
by Dick Hall-Sizemore If you are a Virginia governor entering the last two years of your term with your party in the minority in both houses of the legislature and are depending on the other party to help you put in place a major project which would be part of your legacy, why would you…
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Five Far-Left Virginia Democrats Vote Not to Deport Illegals with DUIs
by Kerry Dougherty If you hobnob with prominent Democrats and find yourself in the company of any of the following Virginia Congress members — Bobby Scott of Newport News, Gerald Connolly of Fairfax, Jennifer McClellan of Richmond, Jennifer Wexton of Leesburg or Don Beyer of Alexandria — invite them to take a drive with you…
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Dems Want to Block a Tough-On-Crime Parole Board Chief
by Kerry Dougherty Virginia Democrats are audacious. You’ve got to give them that. During the lawless McAuliffe-Northam years, Virginia’s Parole Board was headed by bleeding hearts, who specialized in releasing criminals. They were rewarded for their soft-hearted approach with judgeships. Because that’s how Democrats roll. You’d think the party that favors criminals over victims wouldn’t…
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But It’s Just a Little Bit of Money
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Ben Cline, the Commonwealth’s Republican member of the U.S House of Representatives from the 6th District, is very upset about the level of federal spending and the state of the federal deficit. Cline is chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s Budget and Spending Task Force. In a press release last year, he…
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Barbie, Liars, and Newspapers Circling the Drain
by Kerry Dougherty Warning: I’m a tad grouchy today. You see, I’m a hyperactive gym rat who hasn’t worked out since last Tuesday and has been slowed down by surgery. That happened Wednesday, by the way, when a skilled orthopedic surgeon sawed off part of my leg. In other words, I’ve had way too much…
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Didn’t We Settle This Divisive Concept Long Ago?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed on to a constitutional position that Virginia and other Southern states used to justify secession from the United States over 170 years ago. Here, in a nutshell, are the events that led to this situation: Greg Abbott ordered razor wire placed in the Rio Grande River to…
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Richmond Shoots Itself in the Foot–Again
by Dick Hall-Sizemore It never ceases to amaze me how the City of Richmond seems unable to accomplish even the most basic functions of government right. The latest snafu occurred in the office of the General Registrar. A fourth of the voters requesting absentee ballots for the upcoming Democratic presidential primary election received outdated instructions.…
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The Monster at the End of the Book
by Dick Hall-Sizemore We have created a monster. The genie is out of the bottle. Whatever metaphor you want to use, there is no going back and the way forward poses great dangers. The monster or genie is AI. The media are full of the promising possibilities of AI improving our lives—great leaps in medicine,…
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A Doggone Tale
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A recent special election in Southside Virginia is a stark illustration of how a small special interest group can exercise out-sized power. In mid-December, long-time state Sen. Frank Ruff (R-Mecklenburg), announced he was resigning from the Senate, shortly after having been re-elected to a seventh term. He had received a diagnosis of…
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Still Acting Like a Rookie
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Glenn Youngkin does not seem to be a fast learner. He seems to think he is still at the Carlyle Group where the top brass announced deals and the rest of the organization fell in line. That’s not how it works with a bicameral legislature, especially when your party is in…
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A Modest Suggestion
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Gov. Glenn Youngkin has taken a tough stance toward the Chinese. He has prohibited state agencies from using the TikTok platform. He wants to ban the use of TikTok by Virginia residents under 18. He championed legislation prohibiting the sale of Virginia farmland to Chinese buyers. Finally, he scuttled the location of…
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God Made Nikki Haley, Too
By Steve Haner On or before March 5, I will cast a vote for former Governor and Ambassador Nikki Haley for the GOP nomination for president. She edges out Governor and former Congressman Ron DeSantis with me mainly on questions of temperament and foreign policy. I am not an isolationist. There are six names on…
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Republican Rock Star Campaigns with Kiggans
by Kerry Dougherty An enthusiastic, overflow crowd crammed into a ballroom at the Marriott Oceanfront on 42nd Street Sunday afternoon to kick off Rep. Jen Kiggans’ re-election campaign. I’m not good at crowd estimates – plus I’m short and didn’t have a good vantage point – but there had to be 500 or more people…