Fairfax County Considers Reinstating a Local Car Tax

Facing declining revenue, and an expensive county government, the Democrat controlled Board of Supervisors is said to be considering a plan to reinstate a local car tax. This would cost the average Fairfax County resident about 33 dollars.

The county estimates that revenue will decline by 7 percent next year,perhaps more, forcing the board to make a choice, cut spending or raise taxes? In the past when they got in a bind, they simply raised real estate taxes. However, with home prices declining the revenue brought in might not be sufficient to satisfy the county's desire for money.

County leaders have always lamented the fact that they depend so much on real estate taxes for their revenue. Liberal Democrat Supervisor Gerald Hyland complains that the county lacks "Revenue diversification," What is that you ask, well Hyland wants more ways to tax you! For him taxing your home is not enough.

Ideas being considered are reinstating the local car tax, or raising the meals tax.

I say cut spending, but my guess is the people running, or should I say ruining Fairfax county will opt to raise taxes. They always do.

McDonnell Promises to Make Virginia the Best State in America in Which to Open a Small Business

The small business policy proposals come at the same time that McDonnell is airing a new television commercial focused on his commitment to working across party lines to bring new jobs and more opportunities to every region of Virginia, and help Virginia’s small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The McDonnell small business policy proposals unveiled today include:

Commit Virginia Government to Approve Most Routine Business Applications within 48 Hours

Significantly enhance the “The Virginia Business One Stop” website into a “First and Only Stop” by increasing the information, resources, and assistance available to ensure that only one stop is necessary to get a new business up and running with minimal delay

Update and combine Virginia’s four different small business guides into one user-friendly document: “How to Start or Expand a Business”

Work with Virginia localities to get all necessary paperwork and forms for small business start ups online

Fast track the permit process for small businesses

Make it easier for businesses in good standing that are expanding within Virginia, or moving into the state, to operate under temporary licenses while awaiting official approval

Promote Virginia as the “Best State in America in Which to Open a Small Business”

McDonnell will make further small business policy proposals in the months ahead.

Speaking about his focus on helping Virginia’s small business owners and creating new jobs, Bob McDonnell remarked, “Small businesses are the backbone of Virginia’s economy. 97.5% of Virginia’s businesses are small businesses. These small businesses account for approximately 75% of new job growth in the Commonwealth. And total employment by small businesses is roughly 55% of the job force in Virginia. A small business really represents the dream come true of the owner. That individual has dared to take a risk and open up a small business. In so doing they employ their fellow citizens, add needed revenue to state and local coffers, and strengthen the fabric of their communities. We need a resurgence of this entrepreneurial spirit in the Commonwealth. As Governor I will make Virginia the best state in American in which to open a small business. And I will make Virginia the most business friendly state in America for small business owners. This will lead to new jobs and more opportunities in every region of Virginia.”

Mona Albertine, the owner of Jabberwocky Children’s Book Store, noted at today’s event “Bob McDonnell understands the importance of small businesses like Jabberwocky and what we do for our local economy. Anything that can be done to help streamline and expedite the process for future small business owners is very much appreciated.”

Ms. Albertine’s comments were echoed by Thomas Johnson, of Thomas A. Johnson Furniture Co, Inc. in Lynchburg, who remarked, “It’s refreshing to learn that Bob McDonnell will stand up for the little guy and not only encourage small business development across Virginia, but also remove the bureaucratic red tape so that future entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to truly live the American Dream.”

Gary Barlow, who owns Frank’s Trucking Center in Chesapeake, commented, “In an economy where every little bit helps, it’s nice to know that we will have someone in the governor’s mansion that will make our life a little bit easier. As a small business owner, I commend Mr. McDonnell for understanding the pivotal role we play in the communities we serve. Anything he can do to limit government involvement and make it easier for small business owners to open and maintain their establishment is a big win for all Virginians.”

McDonnell’s latest television advertisement, “Resurgence”, continues his focus on creating new jobs, helping small business owners, and bringing more opportunities to every region of Virginia.

The ad can be viewed here: http://www.bobmcdonnell.com/index.php/blog/comments/our_newest_ad_resurgence

Part time Governor Tim Kaine Racks up Major Frequent Flyer Miles

When he agreed to become Chairman of the Democrat National Committee, Governor Tim Kaine promised that he would do the DNC job on personal time, evenings and weekends. And he added, “‘I think it will be an electronic gig anyway, using e-mail and phone,” Instead Kaine has abandoned the Governors office, and the people of Virginia, and is spending most of his time working for national Democrats.

The Washington Post has uncovered previously undisclosed accounts of Governor Tim Kaine’s travel as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, clearly outlining an itinerary that appears to contain political trips occurring almost exclusively during the normal work week. Seven of the nine excursions revealed by the Post took place on weekdays, amounting to nearly 78-percent of his travel.

May 2 – Durham , NC – Saturday
May 8 – Ft. Lauderdale , FL – Friday
May 20 – Dallas , TX – Wednesday
May 30 – Miami , FL – Saturday
June 11 – Chicago , IL – Thursday
June 18 – Cincinnati , OH -- Thursday
June 19 – Kansas City , MO – Friday
June 24 – Philadelphia , PA – Wednesday
June 29 – New York , NY – Monday

Boost Virginia's Economy, Cut the State Sales Tax.

With our economy struggling, and with many Virginians looking for work this seems to me like the perfect time to cut taxes. Specifically, cutting the sales tax which is currently 5% (4% state tax and 1% local tax).

Cutting taxes now would save Virginia consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, money which can help create other businesses. Cutting the sales tax can help Virginians meet their obligations while they cope with the national recession.

Today I propose cutting the sales tax 1/2 percent on all goods. This would stimulate Virginia's economy and ultimately create jobs.

Governor Kaine AOL

On Friday, June 19, 2009, Virginia GOP Chairman Mullins submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the governor’s office, seeking information pertaining to the daily schedule of the governor dating back to January 2009, when he became chairman of the DNC. It further requests records pertaining to expenses related to the use of the State Police Executive Protection Unit assigned to guard the governor's safety.

Under Virginia's FOIA law, the governor's office has five working days to respond or can obtain an additional seven days if extra time is needed to compile the requested information. The office can comply completely with the request, issue a partial collection of documents while explaining what legal exemptions allow them to omit others, or deny the request completely while explaining which legal exemptions allow them to refuse the request.

“It is a major accomplishment for Tim Kaine to have enacted the two-day work week,” Mullins said. “Until now, most Virginians believed that the weekend started on Friday afternoon. Through Tim Kaine’s leadership, we now know that the weekend can start as soon as midday on Wednesday. I’m sure this will be heartening to the 20-percent of Martinsville residents that are currently out of work.”
An accounting of Kaine’s travel as reported by various news outlets around the country revealed only six disclosed destinations. They are as follows:



· May 2 – Durham, NC – Saturday

· May 8 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Friday

· May 20 – Dallas, TX – Wednesday

· May 30 – Miami, FL – Saturday

· June 11 – Chicago, IL – Thursday

· June 19 – Kansas City, MO – Friday

My take on the Part time Governor is a little different. I am inclined to think the less time Kaine spends in Virginia the less damage he can do.

(Photo by WUSA)

Where Does Deeds Stand on Cap and Trade?

American Solutions for Winning the Future, a group chaired by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has asked each candidate for governor for his views on the controversial Cap and Trade proposal currently being debated. While Democrat Creigh Deeds’ position remains unclear, Bob McDonnell has taken a firm stance against the plan, calling it “misguided” and a “job-killer” that would have a negative impact on the economy. Costs to families under the plan could reach nearly $2,200 annually. In this difficult economic period, increasing costs on hard-working Virginians and threatening job growth are absolute wrong-headed ideas.

Bob has called on Deeds to make his position clear - a request that has yet to be answered.

Bi Partisan group forms Virginians for McDonnell

A broad group of Democrats, Independents and Republicans, from every part of the commonwealth announced their endorsements of Bob McDonnell for Governor, and the formation of “Virginians for McDonnell.” The group will be led by Judy Ford Wason, who headed “Virginians for Mark Warner” in 2001 and was a member of the group in 2008, and Wyatt Durrette, former candidate for Attorney General and Governor, who endorsed Tim Kaine for Governor in 2005. Joining the two in the leadership of the bipartisan group are two former cabinet secretaries in the Mark Warner administration; a former Democratic delegate from Chesterfield County; a former Virginia Attorney General who served as Chief Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Mary Sue Terry (D); the Director of “Virginians for Mark Warner” in 2008 and a host of other leaders from across the Commonwealth.

Regarding the formation of “Virginians for McDonnell” Judy Ford Wason remarked, "Virginians look for strong leaders they can trust and depend on to bring people together to forge consensus on tough issues and advance positive solutions. Bob McDonnell is this type of leader. He has a background in business management, a qualification that is especially important in these tough economic times. As Attorney General Bob worked consistently across party lines on pressing public safety issues and I am confident that is how he will lead as Virginia’s next governor. We face great challenges in Virginia. We need elected officials who have demonstrated their ability to lead and their experience in achieving positive results. Bob McDonnell has demonstrated these qualities as Attorney General and they will serve him well as governor.”

She added, “In each election I, like so many other Virginians, look at the ability of the candidate, not the party label and I have made the decision to strongly endorse Bob McDonnell for governor. I encourage all Virginians, regardless of party, to look at Bob’s record, study his bold policy proposals, and join us in the ‘Virginians for McDonnell’ effort.”

Speaking about the group Wyatt Durette noted, “This group of Virginians is composed of men and women who have not consistently supported candidates of a single party. Rather we are individuals who have chosen to support candidates belonging to both parties, when we believed that was in the best interest of Virginia and the country. This year we have united behind Bob McDonnell because we strongly believe he is best suited to lead Virginia and meet the very significant challenges facing our Commonwealth during the next four years.”

Durette continued, “As Attorney General he has established his ability to work across partisan lines to solve problems, a quality we highly value. While we recognize the role of partisanship in the service of ones principles, we hold equally high the ability to work together and to seek consensus in pursuit of solutions to extremely complex problems. The task of leading Virginia through these challenging times requires a person who knows where the partisan line stops and the governing line begins and Bob McDonnell has demonstrated that he does. Virginians for McDonnell is the vehicle in this election to support a candidate for Governor while maintaining the independence to choose candidates from either party for other offices. Where Virginia’s next Governor is concerned this is not a time to sit on the sidelines. It is time to choose. We have made our choice and we invite all like-minded Virginians to join us.”

Bob McDonnell noted, “Virginia faces many challenges. To create the new jobs and more opportunities that our citizens need we must come together across partisan lines for the common good. As Attorney General I worked across partisan lines to dramatically toughen penalties for sex offenders, combat online crime, reduce burdensome and unnecessary government regulations, and make Virginia safer and stronger. 92 of my 105 legislative proposals passed the General Assembly, with strong bipartisan support. I was particularly pleased that my opponent in this gubernatorial campaign voted for 98% of my successful proposals. That is the record of bipartisan success and cooperation I bring to this campaign and it is the model for how I will lead as Virginia’s next Governor. I am honored to receive the support of so many accomplished leaders. We are running a positive campaign dedicated to reaching out to all voters with policies that will make this a better Commonwealth for all Virginians. Our message is resonating, and I am honored that Virginians are coming together from all regions and parties to support our campaign.”

Fairfax GOP Fields Strongest Slate of House Candidates In Years

Today Anthony Bedell, Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, announced the new slate of candidates running for the Virginia House of Delegates this November.

"This is the strongest top-to-bottom Republican ticket we have fielded in a very long time. Not only do we expect our statewide ticket (McDonnell-Bolling-Cuccinelli) to win but we also expect to hold our three House incumbents and win many of our challenger races. Our Party is unified and motivated," said Bedell.

The Fairfax County Republican Committee was able to use the momentum from the Herrity and Cook races as a springboard to recruit candidates. The strong showing county wide by Herrity and the win by Cook in Braddock proved that the GOP is still a viable party in Fairfax. This led to many of these candidates stepping forward to run for office.

The candidates in Fairfax also drew praise from the Virginia's Speaker of the House William J. Howell, "Like so many, I'm excited about the unprecedented number and quality, diversity and energy of Republican House candidates in Fairfax County this year. We have 15 impressive, principled leaders who are committed to serving their constituents and helping to create more jobs and opportunities as well as improving the quality of life in our communities. I look forward to working with them in the Virginia House of Delegates to deliver the positive and constructive change the people of Fairfax County demand and deserve."

Delegate Dave Albo (R-Springfield) also commented on the impressive slate of House candidates "It is unprecedented that so many seats are challenged. When there are important issues at stake in our neighborhoods, good people rise to the occasion. I've been working on campaigns since 1989 and I've never seen so many people step up and run for office."

The FCRC has made candidate recruitment one of its top priorities since December 2008. The Committee delivered on that promise by fielding strong candidates in 15 out of 17 House seats in Fairfax County. By comparison, in 2007, the Party only fielded candidates in 6 out of 16 House seats.

House of Delegate Candidates

Barbara Comstock 34th House District www.comstockfordelegate.com
Jim Hyland 35th House District www.hylandfordelegate.com
Mark Whited 36th House District www.whitedfordelegate.com
Danny Smith 38th House District www.dannyfordelegate.com
Joe Bury 39th House District www.joebury.com
Delegate Tim Hugo 40th House District www.timhugo.com
Kerry Bolognese 41st House District www.bolognesefordelegate.com
Delegate Dave Albo 42nd House District www.davealbo.com
Tim Nank 43rd House District www.timnank.com
Jay McConville 44th House District www.gojay.com
Vicki Vasques 45th House District TBA
Sasha Gong 46th House District www.sashagong.com
Chris Merola 53rd House District www.merola09.com
Jim LeMunyon 67th House District www.lemunyon.com
Delegate Tom Rust 86th House District www.tomrust.org

"We are so proud of our incumbents and challenger candidates who are running for the House of Delegates. It is a tough thing to put your life on hold and dedicate yourself to run for office. But none of our candidates even hesitated. They have already been working hard and this has inspired our Republican base. Over the next five months, we look forward to the opportunity to make our case and earn the support of the voters in Fairfax County," added Bedell.

Deeds Wins Democrat Nomination for Governor

Well, to the delight of the editors of the Washington Post, and perhaps more than a few reporters, Virginia Democrats nominated Creigh Deeds for Governor. In an extremely low turnout, Deeds won every part of Virginia over his two hapless opponents. Deeds received 50% of the vote, followed by Terry McAuliffe with 26%, and Brian Moran with 24%.

It seems that Democrat voters made a strategic decision, their bleeding hearts may have been with Moran and McAuliffe, but they clearly want to win in November. And the fact is that liberals Moran and McAuliffe would get crushed by McDonnell. Deeds, who already lost once to McDonnell, is the Dems best hope in November.

I must say I am happy with the results. We now never have to hear from Terry McAuliffe ever again! For that we should all be eternally grateful.

Moran, McAuliffe or Deeds?

Tomorrow Virginia Democrats will decide who to nominate for Governor. And who will win is anybody’s guess. Certainly, I have not figured it out, if you have read this blog over the last couple months you will know that I have been all over the map. I have gone from thinking that Moran would win because of his strong liberal voting record and Northern Virginia base, to thinking McAuliffe’s money would put him over the top, and now I am inclined to think that Deeds wins because of his perceived moderation, and therefore ‘elect ability’. Democrats may believe that Deeds is most likely to beat McDonnell, although Deeds already lost to him once.

Deeds has seen his lead grow in the latest polls. I am not sure why. Perhaps it was the Washington Post’s endorsement, or Toddy Puller’s seal of approval(please note some sarcasm). I have noticed Deeds road signs exclaiming “Washington Post Endorsed”. Gee the Washington Post helping a Democrat? Imagine that.

But Deeds is also helped by his opponents ‘inability to connect with voters. Terry McAuliffe seems to have all the appeal of a skunk at a picnic. Think about it, he has outspent his rivals, has more campaign workers by far and yet continues to slip in the polls. In fact more voters hold a net negative view of McAuliffe. You have to conclude that the more people see of him the less they like him.

Democrats also don’t seem to be warming to Brian Moran. I heard one Alexandria Democrat say that she was turned off by Moran’s ‘negative campaign.’ It may also be the case that many voters just don’t think Moran is ready to be Governor.

However, there are a number of things to watch tomorrow. A high turnout would probably help McAuliffe and Moran, especially in Northern Virginia. Deeds will probably benefit from higher turnout south of the Rappahannock.

We shall see what happens tomorrow.

(Photo By the Daily Press)

McDonnell Enters General Election Campaign in Good Shape

In addition to being ahead of his possible Democrat opponents in the polls, Bob McDonnell has more good news. His Campaign announced today that it had nearly $4.9 Million Cash on Hand, and raised $3.7 Million from April 1st-May 27th. The campaign said it raised $3.7 million during this period with the help of 2,159 individual donors.

Speaking about the fundraising numbers campaign manager Phil Cox noted, “We continue to build the resources we need to win this November. And we are doing this while our potential opponents are waging an expensive and increasingly negative primary race. This is a crucial advantage as we take Bob McDonnell’s positive message of new jobs and more opportunities to every voter in Virginia. We thank each of our 2,159 individual donors. This is a campaign with growing momentum, a positive vision, and broad support.

Last weekend, Bob McDonnell officially accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for Governor. McDonnell is traveling the state today with Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General candidate, Ken Cuccinelli on the “Just Say Yes” Republican Ticket Tour of Virginia. The tour is stopping in Southwest Virginia, Roanoke, the Shenandoah Valley, Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg and Hampton Roads.

Dark Horse Deeds Pulls Even in Latest Poll

With a week remaining before Democrat primary voters go to the Polls, a new poll out today shows Creigh Deeds has pulled into a statistical tie with Terry McAuliffe for the lead.

The Washington Times Reports

According to the results of a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling of 559 likely Democratic voters. Mr. Deeds had the support of 27 percent of respondents, up seven percentage points from a poll released May 22, while Mr. McAuliffe fell to second with 24 percent, down five percentage points from the last poll. Delegate Brian J. Moran climbed two percentage points to 22 percent, while undecided voters made up 27 percent.

The results do not bode well for McAuliffe who has greatly outspent Deeds. It may be that the more voters see of McAuliffe the less they like him.

McAuliffe's Money Advantage Remains Strong

With just over a week to go until Democrat primary voters go to the polls, Terry McAuliffe maintains his huge financial advantage. It seems that all the fundraising trips to San Francisco, Hollywood and Miami Beach have paid off for the New York native. According to the Washington Post:

McAuliffe's enormous financial edge -- he outspent Moran on television by more than 20 to 1 and Deeds by more than 2 to 1 through Wednesday -- has enabled him to mount a two-pronged assault, with money spent on advertising and on a sophisticated, staff-intensive effort designed to get his voters to the polls.

A few months ago Democrat Brian Moran, lagging in fundraising and slipping in the polls, warned his fellow Democrats that the New York native McAuliffe was trying to buy the Democrat nomination.

While I agree that money can give a candidate a leg up, it can’t guarantee victory. In fact, McAuliffe’s main asset may not be money, rather it may be that his Democrat opponents are so weak. Moran has raised 4.8 million and Deeds has raised 3.8 million, clearly enough to get their message out, but they have failed to inspire Democrat voters. It seems to me that neither Deeds or Moran are compelling candidates.

Therefore, with weak opponents, and with more money, McAuliffe wins by default. At least that is what I think. We shall see next week.

(Photo by Newsday)