A governor for all Virginians?

You may recall that Pat Robertson, responding to the shootings at Fort Hood, said Islam is "not a religion" but it is rather a "violent political system" that he compared to fascists and communists. Rev. Robertson is a close confidant and mentor of Governor-elect Bob McDonnell.

Last week a group of religious leaders, of many faiths from across the Commonwealth, sent a letter to the Richmond Times-Dispatch entitled Words Matter: An Open Letter to Bob McDonnell. They cautioned that words of hate, such as those spewed by Rev. Robertson, will create "new room for bigotry and intolerance." These men and women of faith continued, writing, "despite our theological differences, the fact that we Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same God seems to escape people like Pat Robertson."

They concluded by reminding the Governor-elect that words really do matter:

Gov-elect McDonnell, some of us had the pleasure to know you in the past and we firmly believe that you aspire to be the governor of Virginians of all faiths. In this spirit, we are anxious to hear your public remarks opposing the divisive words of the Rev. Pat Robertson and asserting your vision of an inclusive Virginia.

Perhaps I missed it over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I have not yet heard Mr. McDonnell disavow Robertson's detestable comments. Bob McDonnell ran as a governor for all Virginians and I hope he will be true to the voters' estimation - even if it means his friend, Rev. Robertson, never is given the opportunity to say grace or kneel in prayer in Virginia's Executive Mansion.

Conundrum

The bill for The News Leader has been sitting on my desk for a couple weeks - $133.69 for the annual subscription. My caller ID says they called on Black Friday. They'll probably call back today... and tomorrow... and later in the week. My conundrum - subscribe or not?

Today's paper is two thin sections, a total of 14 pages. Some days are a little bigger but not much meatier. About half of those pages are "news" or sports without ads. I say "news" because I don't consider things like road reports, restaurant inspections, TV listings, and horoscopes as news. Most days I spend 10 minutes or less with the paper.

Lots of pictures... is the one of the hunter on A3 recycled from a day or so ago? And the pictures, though colorful, are often huge and take up half or more of the page. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, but in the case of The News Leader I get the feeling giant pictures are used because the paper doesn't have enough words to print.

With the immediacy of TV and the internet, why do we need about a third of a page devoted to the weather forecast? By the time I get the paper, that section is out of date!

And then there are the ads... and lots of them. Taking up more space than text on some pages. Some days, there are ads on the font page. There are the sad foreclosures. Then there is the daily pumpkin or other three column x 5 inch ad by Francis Chester. He must have a sustaining membership. Doesn't he realize that sometimes less is more?

But, there are all the reasons for keeping the subscription... firing up the wood stove, cleaning windows, wrapping fragile gifts, and the valuable coupons. I think I saved $2 at the grocery store last week.... ah the math, $2 x 52 = $104. Almost pays for the subscription... that is if I remember to clip/use 'em!

But, there are so many other things to do with $133.69. A donation to The News Leader/Salvation Army's Neediest Families program, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and the Augusta Regional Free Clinic will give much more satisfaction than 10 minutes a day kicking myself in the butt for spending so much on a subscription that delivers so little.

Conundrum solved.

Play it again... and again

The Department of Environmental Quality just released the Virginia Annual Recycling Report that contains a mixture of good news, not so good news, and some so-so news. Statewide, Virginians recycled/reused 3,661,027 tons of material out of a 9,542,428 tons of solid waste generated, or about 38.5%. (see the report for details of the calculations). While to some that may sound pretty good, after a couple yeas of positive increases, the percentage rate has been flat since 2006.

No surprise that recycling rates are generally a few percentage points higher in urban/suburban areas where curbside recycling is available and lower in rural areas where folks have to take recycling to collection points. Rural curbside isn't cost effective and the long routes burning fuel would probably be more damaging to the environment than the lower recycling rates. Kudos to the Greater Richmond area that topped 50% for the second year and to Fredericksburg that got very close. On the flip side are places in our region like Botetourt Co. that only managed a 13.1% recycling rate. Caroline Co. earns my "Who Gives a Crap About the Environment" award for a dismal 10.4% rate.

In the CCC region, the rates are okay, but could certainly be better - Rockingham is 26.5%, Harrisonburg is 28.3%, and Augusta/Staunton/Waynesboro combined is 27.6%. But, Rockbridge, Lexington, and Buena Vista do a great job - 39%. Maybe other localities ought to recycle some of Rockbridge's ideas for boosting participation!

Perhaps recycling/reusing rates are actually higher than the DEQ numbers indicate? For example, plastic and oil recycling are available in my county but not convenient to where I live. So, I take oil to stores, like Advance Auto, where I buy it and take most plastic to a commercial recycler not located in my county. I also take high value aluminum to the commercial recycler - at least it pays for my gas to get there. Wood from projects and limbs from pruning are used as kindling in our efficient Jotul stove (I'm always amazed at the perfectly good firewood that is dumped at the landfill). We compost. Are those numbers factored in the DEQ statistics?

Recycling offers so many advantages - conserving resources, saving landfill space (tax $), and in cases like aluminum real production cost savings - it amazes me that everyone is not on board. But, I frequently see folks tossing card board, paper, cans, etc. that - with about 20 steps - could go into the recycling bin. I bite my tongue figuring that is better than a whoopin', but always wonder what whack on the side of the head it will finally wake these hardheads up.

The folks in Rockbridge probably have some great suggestions to boost rural recycling, but here are a few of mine:

• KISS - keep it simple stupid. Forcing folks to do an inordinate amount of separating things like different types of paper probably means less recycling. My county accepts mixed paper and mixed glass - a good thing.
• Make it convenient - recycling needs to be available at all waste disposal sites across the county. I my case it generally is, but plastic and used oil for example, is only accepted at the landfill.
• Set the example - all government offices and schools should recycle on-site. The cost and manpower of collecting recycling from schools should be bore by the locality, not by the schools. Many teachers encourage recycling but a school-wide emphasis from grades K through 12 would send a strong message to families.
• Rural or not so rural - most of our "rural" counties have larger subdivisions, small towns, and suburban areas that, if they aren't doing it already, could benefit from efficient curbside recycling.

Thirty-eight percent statewide is good, and slightly above the 33% nationwide average, but we ought to be shooting for 50%! And when we get there... 60%. We'll never achieve zero waste, but my personal experience and common sense tells me that 75% or more is quite doable. It is a matter of will, of leadership, and of the common good.

Beware unintended consequences

Delegate Lacey Putney (I-19th District) is chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He has a suggestion for the upcoming session of the General Assembly, an intermission of sorts:

The possibility of coming into session, maybe recessing, let the members go back, except the money committees working on the budget, in order to give us time to see what they're going to do in Washington.

Putney's idea was hatched as the Appropriations Committee considers a $77 billion budget amid uncertainties over healthcare reform in Washington, D.C. Depending on if and what kind of bill is passed could have direct impact on the Commonwealth's budget. So a pause for more up-to-date information makes sense from the perspective of Richmond.

But, beware of the unintended consequence of passing an interrupted timeline on the local governments and school boards. Typically, city councils, boards of supervisors, and school boards are deeply immersed in their own budget writing after the first of the year, a process that continues well into spring with required steps including public hearings. School boards are supposed to submit budgets to city councils and boards of supervisors by April 1. Since the General Assembly is developing the state budget during January and February, school boards always find themselves working with estimates of state funding rather than hard numbers that are available only after the House and Senate reconcile a budget at the very end of the session.

Putney's idea would indeed buy time for Richmond budget writers to factor in the ramifications of actions in D.C. But, if the General Assembly recesses for an extended period of time it will place greater uncertainty (above and beyond expected budget cuts) and and time constraints on local budget deliberations. Obviously, there are ways to work around these issues, if the General Assembly decides that a "Putney recess" is in order. Now is the time to think about dealing with possible unintended consequences that could get passed on to local officials. Like an unfunded mandate?

Collision Course... maybe, maybe not

As Governor Tim Kaine enters his final months in office and Bob McDonnell prepares to take office, the Virginia budget situation continues to deteriorate because of the nationwide economic downturn that started in 2008. The Commonwealth will cut $250 million, or more, from the current budget to balance the books. Bad enough, but the really bad news is the expected $3 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond delivered the bad news - this recession, like the last two, will see lagging job creation. Jobs = income taxes + retail sales which are cornerstones of state revenues. A tiny bright spot is NOVA, which generates a big chunk of tax revenues, seems to be rebounding a little quicker. Governor Kaine will have a strong hand in drafting the budget, but the new Governor will influence priorities and ultimately the General Assembly will have to deal with the tough times.

I guess there is a little comfort in comparing ourselves to our neighbors. Although joblessness across Virginia is bad enough, it is far worse in many other states. So while the Virginia budget is hurting, the situation in many other states is horrendous.

Coming at the same time as the budget woes, a coalition of "school choice" groups says Virginians want more nonpublic school options and are willing for tax dollars to go in that direction. Among the poll's findings is that 62% of Virginians see their public schools as good or excellent, 35% want to send their children to private schools, 10% prefer charter schools (a public school freed from most regulations affecting regular public schools), and 9% want to homeschool. The groups that sponsored the poll are pushing tax credit scholarships and/or school vouchers - both schemes where tax dollars go to private schools but not through direct government payments to the schools.

First, it is important to understand - there is school choice in Virginia. Any parent can choose to home school or to send their child to a private school. Oversight by the Commonwealth and local school boards is generally quite lax and there is little or no accountability such as public schools face with the Standards of Learning.

The issue is really about money, tax money to be exact. Should the Commonwealth give tax vouchers to parents or tax credits individuals and corporations who donate to special scholarships for private school tuition. Either way fewer tax dollars are collected and private schools receive support but without much public accountability. School funding in Virginia is complicated and beyond this post, but if less tax money is collected the General Fund is impacted - which will mean less funding not only for public education but perhaps for other core services.

With a state budget gasping for air, now might seem like a bad time for these school choice groups to be asking for a slice of the state tax pie. But, several dynamics have changed and new political leverage may favor this initiative:

• Although he rebranded himself as a moderate, Bob McDonnell owes much of his victory to the religious right. Groups like the Family Foundation, who support these school choice schemes, have an inside line to the Governor-elect and they expect for him to deliver, if not in 2010, certainly over the next four years.
• With the economic downturn, many private schools have experienced enrollment declines. Parents who formerly sent their kids to a private school now see the apple of their eye in an increasingly crowded (because of lack of funding) public school classroom. Hence, both parents and private schools are more motivated to join the fight.
• An anti-union resurgence has emboldened conservative groups who want to destroy all employee groups, including the Virginia Education Association. Can you really be a union without collective bargaining or power to strike? Groups like the Chamber of Commerce which may not join the fray on school choice grounds may chime in simply for the union bashing.

Over the past five years the House of Delegates passed legislation for scholarship funds but the Virginia Senate killed it each time. There will soon be two Senate special elections to replace Republicans Ken Cuccinelli who was elected Attorney General and Ken Stolle who was elected Sheriff of Virginia Beach. Even if the GOP wins both, it is difficult to imagine the head counting on these school choice issues is changed much - unless a few current Senators have a change of heart.

More likely, the advocates of school choice funding schemes see it as something, not to be achieved next year, but rather in the next two to four years. They've had their "preseason" over the past five years in the House of Delegates. Now it is game on - in the first quarter the House will again pass school choice funding legislation where it may well die again in the Senate for both philosophical and budget reasons. Afterwards, the school choice funding advocates will have field position and in the second half they expect complete victory. By 2012 the budget situation will have improved along with the national economy. Governor McDonnell's pen will set priorities and he'll be expected to pay the religious right back for their important role in getting him elected. In 2011, the General Assembly, including all 40 Senators, will be up for election and some Republicans who haven't been on the school choice side will be under extreme pressure to conform or be pushed out. School choice funding folks believe that trio of changes - an improved economy, owning the Governor, controlling the Senate - will converge to carry them to victory.

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Tom Perriello has been besieged with attack ads on NBC29 since his courageous vote on healthcare reform. Many of those ads are paid for and sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, which was once seen as nonpartisan and in many communities as a civic group akin to the Ruritans or Lions Club, has increasingly become aligned with the Republican Party. From where I roost, the Chamber of Commerce has joined the NRA and others as virtual wings of the GOP.

Another group by the name of 60 Plus Association has joined in the attacks against Rep. Perriello. Their ads feature grandma and grandpa types blasting the congressman for selling out Virginians. Being unfamiliar with 60 Plus Association I got a little assistance from our friends at Google to see what I could learn.

Claiming to be a "non-partisan seniors advocacy group with a free enterprise, less government, less taxes approach," 60 Plus appears to actually have few members and depends on funding from the pharmaceutical companies and other conservative groups. Its "leaders" seem to be in an interlocking directorate with conservative groups and individuals ranging from Amway, the National Right to Work Committee, and the Heritage Foundation to GOP direct mail mastermind Richard Viguerie. There's more online including at SourceWatch.

Below, Rachel Maddow exposes the right wing connections of 60 Plus in August of this year:

It is always helpful to know who is really spreading the BS. It may not be the pleasant looking grandma like you thought.

Southerners/Republicans Favor Federal Help

I was intrigued by this poll, but found my friend Riley already had an excellent post on Blue Ridge Data. Cross-posted here with his permission.

~~~~~

The anti-big government tea party and Gadsden Flag contingent, sure made a lot of noise and fuss this year, but here's some data to suggest that Southerners are more economically rational than the FoxNewsCorp sponsored "tea party" storyline would indicate.

New data from polling by Winthrop University, has some findings that run counter to GOP and FoxNews talking points. <> Overall, 71.6% Southerners strongly support government programs to create jobs and 62.7% favor assisting states in financial crisis. <> 94.5% of Southern Democrats strongly favor government-backed initiatives to spark economic growth. <> 68.9% of Southern Independents favor government-backed initiatives to spark economic growth. <> And to invoke Gomer Pyle ... Surprise, Surprise, Surprise ... 53.4% of Southern Republicans also support job aid programs and 50.9% support aid to struggling states.

Poll Dates: 10/24 to 11/7 2009

n=866 respondents in 11 Southern states.

MOE= 3.33%.

h/t Media Matters Action

Community Colleges Raise Tuition

Effective with the spring semester, tuition at Virginia's community colleges will go up by just under $22 for the typical three-credit course. On Thursday the State Board for Community Colleges approved a tuition increase of $7.30/credit hour to help offset cuts caused by the state budget shortfalls. The increase should help our community colleges avoid some of the layoffs and overcrowded classes that had been anticipated.

Even with the increase, Virginia's community colleges are a great deal!

Troubled waters

A new report (PDF file) entitled "Wasting Our Waterways: Toxic Industrial Pollution and the Unfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act" by Environment America says Virginia's waterways are the second dirtiest in the United States. The report says Virginia had more than 18 million pounds of toxic chemicals released into its waterways, second only to Indiana. The New River (NC, VA, WV) is the worst in the Commonwealth and second worst in the entire nation with 14,090,633 pounds of total discharges. Ranking second in the state (31st in the nation) is the James River with 1,686,939 pounds. The Roanoke River also made the nation's top dirty 50 in total discharges. The discharge numbers are from 2007 when Environment America says more than 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into 1,900 waterways.

Here at CCC I've previously posted about water quality issues with Shenandoah Valley rivers, most notably trash and animal/human wastes in our streams. When you consider the trash, the mostly unseen mix of chemicals, the bacteria, the nutrients, and the sediment/run-off that goes into our waterways it is pretty scary for anybody who wants to swim, canoe, fish, or use our precious water resources. W.C. Fields only touched on one irrelevant aspect of water quality in his famous quote about why he doesn't drink water. W.C., there are lots of other reasons!

Tom Toles' cartoon in the Washington Post November 13, 2009 sums it up pretty well.

Last week's other loser

Senator Emmett Hanger, I hope you are watching your back. Folks are already taking aim at your political life... and most likely they are your fellow Republicans. Democrats are still in a daze and aren't plotting that far ahead....

Senator Hanger represents the 24th Senate District that includes Augusta County, Greene County, Highland County, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro, plus parts of Albemarle County, Rockbridge County, and Rockingham County. You may recall that right wingers in the GOP worked hard to deny Hanger the party's nomination in 2007. They put up Scott Sayre who Hanger eventually defeated in the primary, but not until deep rifts between party factions were exposed.

Flash forward to the summer of 2009. At Staunton's July 4 parade Senator Hanger had his own float (actually a convertible) that was quite separate from the Republican float. Then later that month came Chris Saxman's surprise announcement that he was withdrawing from the 20th District House of Delegates race. Although there was a very public forum at Buffalo Gap High School, the local GOP chairs privately interviewed candidates and just as privately picked Staunton City Councilman Dickie Bell as their nominee. Bell easily won the election in November.

So, what does all this have to do with Senator Hanger? The bitter feelings from 2007 are still festering among local Republicans. Hanger, who is still popular with many in the GOP (and independent) electorate remains distrusted, even disliked, by his party's right wing. Reports indicate that the GOP chairs' interviews of potential candidates in the 20th District got not only into issues and electability, but also touched on their relationship and loyalty to the Senator. Anyone who was seen as too friendly to Hanger, or not tight enough with the conservative faction, had no chance of being the nominee. Equally important was picking a nominee acceptable to Delegate Saxman.

Looking forward to 2011, most observers assume Senator Hanger will seek renomination by the GOP and another term. But he faces considerable obstacles. Hanger, though he remains popular with many in the community, is largely estranged from the local Republican committees. Delegate Dickie Bell, who owes his nomination to those local chairs and to Chris Saxman will never be a Hanger ally and may well continue what some say was Saxman's behind-the-scenes sabotage of the Senator.

Speaking of Saxman, come January he is free to roam the political landscape. He says he will concentrate on "school choice" issues, but nobody buys that as his last waltz in politics. While some of the rumors swirling around his exit from the House race would, if true, likely end his career in electoral politics; the rumors of his future political aspirations have more credibility. Some say he may challenge Bob Goodlatte, but this bird wonders if his plans might be focused more on 2011.

Added to the toxic mix for Senator Hanger is the rise of the Tea Party activists and their appeal to right wing Republicans and the continuing local involvement of far right groups like the Club for Growth fighting healthcare reform. The nexus of a hostile party leadership and right wing grassroots politics spells danger for a mountain-valley Republican like Hanger. The Senator is well-advised to watch his back, to see who is following, to see who is gaining, to see who is taking aim. Might be a whole flock!

Rainy Days and Reading

Raw and rainy days, a warm fire, and a good book seem to go well together. In that spirit, I recommend In an Uncharted Country by Clifford Garstang, a Shenandoah Valley author. You can easily read the dozen short stories in a morning while listening to rain pecking on the window and rising to occasionally stoke the fire.

Garstang has written short stories about everyday folks in and around the fictional town of Rugglesville located in western Virginia. Several connected directly to my life, my experiences, my hopes and dreams... I think I've been to Rugglesville. I suspect many of these stories will relate to your world as well. In others I heard echos of neighbors or family dealing with all the twists and turns of life. While all the stories are compelling and thought-provoking, I was most moved by "Flood, 1978" and "The Clattering of Bones."

It wasn't until I got into the second half of In an Uncharted Country that I began to realize how these seemingly unrelated stories were interconnected in a way that brought a deeper richness and meaning to all of the characters and their experiences. It all came rushing together in the last story, "Red Peony."

Okay, I'll admit I read one story a day over a couple weeks. But, if you read In an Uncharted Country in one sitting by the fire or over a couple weeks matters little. Either way, Garstang will take you on an emotional, geographical, and psychological journey where you may just discover a little more about yourself and your own town.

For more information about In an Uncharted Country and Clifford Garstang, and to order your own copy, visit Cliff's website.

Blowin' In the Wind

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine joined his counterparts in Maryland and Delaware to announce a tri-state commitment to developing off-shore wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region. Governor Kaine stated:

With our extensive coastline and highly-educated workforce, Virginia is particularly well-suited to explore offshore wind energy opportunities. In these tough economic times, it's more important than ever that we invest in renewable energy sources that will create jobs and provide cleaner, more affordable energy for our families and communities. One of the best things we can do to lift ourselves out of a challenging economy today is to invest in a greener, cleaner tomorrow.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has long opposed off-shore oil drilling along the coast of the Commonwealth because of potential harm to our environment, it threatens commercial and sport fishing, and could have adverse impact on Virginia's vital tourism industry. The Sierra Club points out that off-shore oil drilling is even opposed by the U.S. Navy because it would interfere with unfettered access to the Virginia CAPES operating area.

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has long advocated for development of off-shore wind energy resources along the eastern seaboard of the United States. In the clip below, Ivy Main, the Club's Renewable Energy Chair, explains that the east coast of the United States has enough proven wind energy to supply a significant portion of our electricity needs with a clean and renewable resource that poses none of the adverse effects that the "drill here, drill now" crowd would bring to our Atlantic seaboard.

Kudos to Governor Kaine as well as governors Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Jack Markell of Delaware for joining in this forward looking project. Hopefully it will mean green jobs, a cleaner environment, and be part of weaning our nation off dirty coal and help end our dependence on foreign oil bought from regimes who do not share our values. The answer to our energy needs is indeed, at least part of it, blowing in the wind... now if only the recent political ill-winds that chilled Virginia don't blow out this flicker of progress.

Over the mountain

Across Afton Mountain from the Shenandoah Valley we find ourselves in a different political universe. Much of the Valley is strong Republican turf and the congressman from the 6th District, Bob Goodlatte, rarely if ever breaks from his party ranks. Goodlatte, who has a good number of constituents who will benefit from meaningful healthcare reform, was nevertheless a predictable NO vote yesterday.

But, just a few miles across the Blue Ridge, freshman Democrat Tom Perriello of the 5th District voted for the legislation. Last summer, Perriello held 21 town hall meetings on healthcare reform across his sprawling district. He'd been working behind the scenes to influence the legislation so it won't add to the deficit, to protect Medicare, and to assure it will be fair and beneficial to rural areas like much of his district. After the historic vote, Perriello stated:

[The bill is] profound shift away from the status quo towards progress and better, cheaper health care for more Americans. [It] will make health care more affordable for the middle class, provide security for seniors and reduce the federal deficit.

Whether for or against health care reform, most people in the district asked me to fight for deficit reduction, a fair shake for rural doctors, and no federal funding for abortions. I helped to score major victories on all three fronts. Today’s vote on health care legislation came down to a simple choice for me: do we sit back and let premiums skyrocket for middle-class families and small businesses, and watch the cost of prescription drugs bankrupt seniors and the cost of health care bankrupt the federal government? Or do we take this step today to support middle-class families and small businesses by encouraging competition to bring down premiums?

The time to act is now, because Virginians deserve a competitive health care market,” he continued. They deserve access to affordable health care, and they deserve better choices when purchasing insurance.

Perriello has been hammered for weeks in TV ads sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and other conservative/GOP groups. Several potential Republican challengers are on the campaign trail attacking Rep. Perriello. The barrage of misleading litter will continue all the way until November 2010.

Right now it appears unlikely that Democrats will field a candidate against Bob Goodlatte in the 6th District. So, I'd like to make a modest proposal to progressives and Democrats in the Shenandoah Valley - make a "Thank You" donation to Tom Perriello's reelection campaign. It is quick and easy to do online and it will send a message that Democrats across the state are standing with Rep. Tom Perriello because he had the courage to do the right thing for his district and country.

Win some and lose some

Blue Ridge Data has a great quote that offers sage advice to everyone after an election. Thanks Joe... and Riley.

Voter turnout

On election day I came home for lunch and tuned into the noontime news on a couple stations and checked The News Leader and a couple other newspaper websites. Though mostly anecdotal, the reports were brimming about the number of people at the polls and the high voter turnout. Later in the afternoon, similar "stories" about good turnout were posted on several news websites. I got a call from a family member in NOVA about the lines at the polling place.

Turns out, reports of high turnout were greatly exaggerated. With beautiful fall weather on Tuesday, 1,973,971 voters, or just under 40% of those registered, went to the polls. That compares unfavorably (especially when you figure the electorate has grown) to 2005 when slightly over 2 million voters, or 45% cast ballots. In 1985 when major flooding affected the western areas of the state, the turnout was 53%. In short, turnout in 2009 was the lowest for a gubernatorial race in 40 years. What is obvious is that the Republican base was much more motivated to vote, while many Democrats must have spent the day basking in the warm sunshine.

Creigh Deeds did well with African-American voters who went to the polls, getting almost 93% of their votes. But, African-Americans sat this one out compared to 2008 and the 2005 gubernatorial race. Turnout among African-American voters declined by more than 10% when compared to 2005. Apparently President Obama's coattails are pretty short when he is not on the ballot.

Political parties know that GOTV is essential to winning, but the dilemma is how to actually turn out voters committed to the party's candidates. A unified and hungry Virginia (and NJ) GOP won the GOTV ground game big time resulting in solid wins. Democrats, with a more muddled message and less unified electorate, lost the battle not only for independents, but in getting their own base to the polls. In the special congressional election in NY, it was the GOP who was divided... and lost.

More info on voter turnout at the State Board of Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball.

Pickin' Up the Pieces

The morning after. Sound thumpin' for the Dems locally, across Virginia, and in New Jersey. Pundits will offer all sorts of reasons and justifications over the days and weeks ahead. Today I will be gathering yard and field signs. We'll be taking it in for recycling and hope you'll do the same... the cardboard signs, as well as the corrugated plastic and sleeves can all be recycled. That's too much BS to pile in our landfills.

While I'll admit surprise at some of the margins, the outcomes of the races are not much of a surprise in to anyone paying attention over the past weeks. The Valley typically runs 65-70% red and the outcome in the House races confirms this advantage continues. If GOP House candidates hadn't campaigned at all, they'd still have easily won.

A least one local whiner has bemoaned the nomination (actually he used his blog to undermine the ticket since the primary) of Creigh Deeds, believing that Terry McAuliffe would have brought energy to the Democratic ticket... I doubt the outcome would have been much different. From my perch, McAuliffe would have divided Democrats and united Republicans even more... if that is possible. True, the Deeds campaign stumbled and missed opportunities, but the stars were aligned for a Republican win in Virginia in 2009 and only major mistakes by McDonnell and friends could have changed the result. Have you heard the rumor that Terry is hinting at a run in 2013?

Actually, the GOP win in NJ is much more surprising than their wins in Virginia. The Garden State is (was?) deep blue while Virginia, despite last year's win by Obama, is at best reddish purple. Virginia voters are greatly impacted by the blowback from across the Potomac... millions of dollars of ads on health care, climate change, card check and so forth affect NOVA and beyond (we get D.C. stations here in the Valley). The net result was a growing frustration with all things government that was a drag on gubernatorial candidates seen as incumbents or surrogates for incumbents.

Running contrary to the anti-government mood was the passage of the meals tax in Rockingham County. The tax will only affect restaurants outside of town limits and 100% of funds raised support schools. Proponents were able to sell the tax as a way to avoid raising real estate taxes and as a tax that would be paid by others such as travelers along I-81. So, a tax was sold as anti-tax?

Looking ahead, several things come to mind. Virginia's budget will present very real challenges to McDonnell, the General Assembly, and to all Virginians. Hopefully, bipartisan solutions can be found. Just as the Republicans used our wonderful system of checks and balances to block some of Governor Tim Kaine's initiatives, the Democratic Virginia Senate will likely block McDonnell if he tries to shift General Fund dollars from schools to build roads.

Ironically, Governor-elect McDonnell's future is now closely linked to President Obama's. The success of each depends on a recovering economy and job creation. For the good of everyone, we should all hope they are successful in that endeavor.

Full Moon

Election Day with a full moon. A full moon usually brings out all the crazies. After putting up signs at several precincts, I returned to mine to vote. Sure enough, a Cuccinelli crazy had moved some of my signs. I politely smiled and moved a couple back. When I left, he was talking to himself.

Election Day. Full Moon. Crazies. I fear for the Commonwealth.

DNR's bounce back censorship

Now it has happened to me.

I'd been hearing about folks who sent pro-Democratic letters to the editor, via email, to the Daily News-Record only to have them bounce back. These folks told be they'd double checked the address and found it to be correct. Most email delivery failures come back fairly quickly, sometimes within minutes. All of these bounce backs from the DNR are coming back days or even a week or more after the original email was sent. In my case, it was seven days, three hours, and four minutes later.

Given the right wing bias of the editors of the DNR and the fact that I am the third person who I know who has experienced this, and the returned emails come back too late to try again... I have concluded this is probably a case of "bounce back censorship."

Putting teeth in bay cleanup

Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland) has introduced legislation to put some teeth into cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. Among the provisions:

• Reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program which is run by EPA;
• States in the 64,000 square mile watershed would have to devise more specific plans to reduce pollution;
• States would have to write stormwater permitting rules that protect the natural hydrology of an area under development
• States would have to abide with a watershed-wide "total maximum daily load" limit on nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment.

The legislation also provides $1.5 billion in grants to help states achieve these goals. Starting in 2014, the states would have to issue progress reports every other year. A failure to make adequate progress could result in loss of those funds. There's the teeth!

More about the legislation and cleaning up the bay at the Washington Post and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Hunt? Fish? There's only one candidate for you

Roanoke Times outdoors reporter Mark Taylor recently talked to Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell about outdoors-related issues Virginia's next governor may face. Looking through the scope of the interview it comes into focus that, for Virginia sportsmen, there is only one candidate who understands their issues, who in fact lives and breathes, the Commonwealth's great outdoors.

Facts about the "Fact Book"

Each year The News Leader publishes its "Fact Book: a guide to Staunton, Waynesboro & Augusta County." The 2010 edition arrived rolled in a newspaper a couple of days ago. Was it bigger than the paper?

The first thing I noticed was that it is easily rolled, having shrunk considerably over the past few years. The 2010 edition is a total of 6o pages counting the covers; 12 of those pages are on glossy stock that, other than the front cover, are all full color ads no doubt demanding top dollar. Speaking of ads, the Leader's sales department, which must be their largest, sold 27 pages of ads. No wonder there isn't a listing of realtors - a bunch of them bought ads, mostly with pictures of themselves. Looks like a high school yearbook.... except more wrinkles and bald heads.

To my dismay, I next discovered there is no table of contents or index. I suppose such frivolous things take up valuable ad space. Okay, with only 60 pages I ought to be able to browse it easily enough. Damn, those newsprint pages keep sticking together.

So browse I did... hunting and pecking like an old rooster through the grist to see what I could find, or not find. Less than 10 minutes revealed:

• The listing for the Augusta County School Board is inaccurate;
• The Augusta County General District Court is AWOL;
• There is a long list of churches, but I have no idea how complete/accurate it is;
• There are only five Business & Professional Organizations in our community - groups like teachers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, car dealers, etc. are nowhere to be found;
• Other than a phone number, most listings have little information - usually no website or description. Exception - area colleges.
• The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce gets two listings - one under Business & Professional Organizations and another under Helping Agencies.
• Agriculture? What agriculture? I didn't realize all our farms have disappeared!

I'm sure another 10 minutes could double or triple this list of errors and omissions, but who really cares? While I suppose we should thank The News Leader for putting Fact Book 2010 together, the real fact is that it is virtually useless. Most of the listings for government offices, schools, and so forth are more easily (and more accurately) found in the local phone book. Almost everything in Fact Book 2010 is available online, more up-to-date, and quickly found by by our friends at Google. Even The News Leader has more and better information available in the Data Leader section of their website.

The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce is a "helping agency?" When you compare them to the other listings under that category - Red Cross, SPCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank - the chamber in no way qualifies as a "helping agency." Helping themselves! In fact, the Chamber of Commerce has become so blatantly partisan and FOXian in the last decade - deriding unions, spreading false information about climate change, trying to kill healthcare reform, attacking Democratic candidates - that it more accurate to call them what they are - a right wing lobby. Oh, I thought they were a wing of the GOP!

But, I digress... back to Fact Book 2010. I'll be putting this edition in the paper recycling. There is no reason to save it for reference and the paper can move on to another and perhaps greater use. TP? Besides, it has already served its true purpose of fattening the bank account of The News Leader.