Better Choices for Virginia

A broad coalition of groups and community leaders have come together under the umbrella, Better Choices for Virginia, to promote a more balanced and people-oriented approach to the Commonwealth's short term and long term needs. According to their website, the following principles guide the coalition's efforts to influence policymakers' as they craft state budgets:

• Take a balanced approach. A balanced approach to meeting Virginia’s current budget crisis will lead to faster, more sustainable recovery. Innovative funding and revenue solutions must be considered along with cuts to public services, as available resources are falling billions of dollars short of need.
• Address the immediate crisis and plan for the future. Now more than ever is the time for long-term strategies and lasting solutions. Virginia must thoughtfully invest in education, public safety, health, and our natural resources to ensure that we honor our legacy of sound management and make the investments we’ll need to return to prosperity.
• Craft revenue solutions that allow us to invest in Virginia’s future. Virginia is facing its fifth year in a row of budget shortfalls. The uncertainty that results from these shortfalls, along with the economic harm that results from a cuts-only strategy hurts working Virginians and Virginia businesses. We must reform our outdated revenue system if we’re going to have sustainable budgets.

Coalitions involve compromise and finding common ground. True, the seeds to disunion are sown in every coalition, yet it is remarkable that these groups have set aside differences to achieve goals for the common good that seem elusive to many in our current crop of indoctrinated-by-ALEC politicians:

AARP / AFL-CIO / All-Med Express Medical Supply / Comprehensive Health Investment Project (CHIP) of Virginia / Communication Workers of America / Housing Opportunities Made Equal / Laborers International Union / League of Conservation Voters / Legal Aid Justice Center / Mental Health America of Virginia / Metropolitan Business League / Virginia National Organization for Women / Progress Virginia / Social Action Linking Together / SEIU / Sierra Club / The Commonwealth Institute / Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations / Better Housing Coalition / Virginia Housing Coalition / Virginia Education Association / Virginia Executive Leadership Council / Virginia First Cities / Virginia Interfaith Center / Virginia Interfaith Power & Light / Virginia New Majority / Virginia Organizing / Virginia Poverty Law Center / Virginia PTA

As I scanned the list, I found that I am currently an active volunteer in two of the organizations, was during my career very active in a third, and have supported activities or attended events of several others. The organizations are grassroots and reflective of we the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Far more reflective of the state's diversity and cognizant of the needs than the governor or the 140 members of the General Assembly.

Find out more and get involved at Better Choices for Virginia.

Learn more about the subversive influence of ALEC in this New York Times article and at Common Cause.

Where's my refund?

I e-filed my taxes a few weeks ago and used direct deposit, so I was curious... where's my refund? After all, my kids received their refunds in about 10 days. If you are in the same boat, there is a quick and easy way to get the answer. Just go to the IRS website and look for the "Where's My Refund" link on the right. All you need to enter is your Social Security number, filing status, and refund amount. The site is secure and the info is usually available 72 hours after your e-file is confirmed (longer of course if you file on paper). The results indicate an exact date you can expect a direct deposit.

Speaking of taxes, a great free resource for senior citizens and for low/moderate income taxpayers of any age is the AARP Tax-Aide program found all across the country. Well-trained counselors will prepare your forms and e-file most federal and state returns. In the central valley they have locations in Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, and Verona. Locate a site and find the hours of operation and other info here. There's absolutely no sense in handing over a hefty chunk of your refund to a paid preparer when AARP will do it right and do it for free.

Fox in the Hen House

CCC visited the Virginia Democratic Convention in Hampton this weekend. The famous Will Rogers quote comes to mind: 

"I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat."

I'm sure you've pecked through the news coverage and found the most compelling headliner about Mark Warner rejecting any speculation about being a VP candidate. He is committed to serving Virginia in the United States Senate.

The other big story is about the Democrats running good candidates in each of the 11 congressional districts. If you've been following CCC you already know this. Each of the candidates gave great speeches and the convention center, inside and out, was dotted with signs from all the campaigns. Sam Rasoul was meeting and greeting and had a loyal band of followers sporting his T-Shirts.

But, there was a sneaky fox in the hen house. I spent a little time pecking through the displays and vendors - of course, the candidates had tables. And there were the folks selling shirts, buttons, signs, neckties, and all sorts of campaign materials. AARP, NARAL, and other groups had displays, information, and answered questions. So who was the fox in the hen house?

Near the end of the line, attracting little attention, was an Americans for Prosperity table staffed by a couple of attractive young ladies who I was told were GMU Young Republicans. A slick pamphlet, a membership application, and a letter about "transparency" were the only handouts. The craftiest thing was that letter which among other things, praised Barack Obama for working for earmark reforms and Delegate Ken Plum (D-36) for attempting to get House of Delegates subcommittee votes recorded (Republicans blocked it).

Looking at the literature, one might incorrectly conclude that AFP is a bipartisan group that enjoys lots of support from Democrats. Untrue! AFP is a right wing, anti-tax group that is funded primarily by Koch Family Foundations. The Koch folks are the nation's largest private energy holdings with revenues of more than $25 billion. They are anti-tax, anti-regulation, anti-global warming, anti-environmental protection. The Koch family has close connections with the John Birch Society, the Cato Institute, and other right wing groups. In CD6 such reactionaries as Scott Sayre (he's now some sort of regional director for AFP - a springboard for another run for public office?) and Lynn Mitchell help organize events and can be spotted protesting at forums like Governor Kaine's town hall meetings on transportation.

We can all admire the young ladies for standing up for their views at the Democratic Convention, where they were greeted with smiles and treated with courtesy and respect. However, caveat emptor - the AFP's glossy literature can't hide their right wing, anti-government agenda.