Death to ALEC

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right wing lobbying group with ties to the Koch brothers, Exxon-Mobil, the NRA and others, has tentacles reaching deep into the Commonwealth and the Shenandoah Valley. But, ALEC isn't just your garden variety lobbying group trying to influence bills that legislators draft based on ideas from constituents; it actually writes the laws and recruits the legislators to sponsor and support them.

In Virginia alone, some 50 ALEC-drafted bills were introduced including ones designed to curtail voting; to change tax, environment, and education policy; and to end even the most reasonable and timid gun safety laws. Delegate Dickie Bell's Castle Bill is one modeled by ALEC as is the Stand Your Ground law that led to the tragedy in Florida.

So how deep is ALEC's influence in the Commonwealth? Among the findings of a recent report (download the full PDF report here):

• Speaker William Howell is a member of ALEC's national leadership team. In 2009, he served as the group's national chairman. Howell asked several of his colleagues to carry ALEC bills and approved the expenditure of taxpayer money to send his colleagues to ALEC conferences.
• Between 2001 and 2010, the Commonwealth spent over $230,000 of taxpayer money to send legislators to ALEC conferences in order to meet with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.
• ALEC spent over $70,000 directly lobbying legislators (and who knows how much more paying for conferences, meals, etc.).

In the Shenandoah Valley, Delegate Dickie Bell has especially tight ties with ALEC. In addition to the Castle Doctrine bill, Bell has introduced legislation to allow charter schools to circumvent policies of local school boards, to reduce regulations on greenhouse emissions, and a vague bill about rights with the intent of undermining and privatizing public education. His predecessor in the 20th District, Chris Saxman, had ALEC conference and registration fees paid so he could attend meetings in Washington and Texas. Saxman was also reimbursed, with taxpayer money, for travel to those meetings.

Delegate Steve Landes (District 25) and Delegate Ben Cline (District 24) cosponsored many of the same bills as Delegate Bell including bills pushing privatization in public education, the Castle Bill, and the bill to give tax breaks to businesses that create scholarships for students to attend private school.

Senator Emmett Hanger (District 24) received an $800 "gift" from ALEC to attend an ALEC health conference and used campaign funds to pay his $250 ALEC dues.

These Shenandoah Valley legislators' monetary and corrupting ties with ALEC pale in comparison to some the General Assembly's big dogs - Speaker Bill Howell, Delegate Kirk Cox, Senator Steve Martin, and many others are nestled so soundly in the ALEC bed that they probably only have vaguely charming notions of something called "constituents." Some legislators are feeling the heat - earlier this week Speaker Howell got testy (1:32 into the video) with the executive director of PROGRESS|VA and found himself apologizing (sorta) yesterday.

The danger inherent in ALEC's behind-closed-doors influence has recently been exposed with a bit of cleansing sunshine, both nationally and in many states. Some corporate sponsors such as Wendy's, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Kraft Foods have cut support and distanced themselves from ALEC. But so far ALEC has little to fear - many in corporate America simply set up a shell game of nonprofit political groups that do not have to disclose sources of funds.

So how do we, the "constituents" who have lost our clout in Virginia's "citizen legislature" fight back? First, get informed and follow this story into the muck and slime. Second, if you patronize companies that support ALEC let them know your strong disapproval and take your business elsewhere. Third, sign PROGRESS|VA's petition to send a message to legislators to stand with constituents rather than ALEC. Fourth, join with Common Cause and the national campaign to expose the corrupting influence of ALEC and to boot ALEC from the behind the closed doors of our legislative halls.

Dining out safely... or not?

Governor Tim Kaine, House Speaker William Howell, and other key legislative leaders announced a compromise bill to ban smoking in restaurants. The deal allows exceptions for private clubs and restaurants with a designated smoking room that is physically separated and independently ventilated from non-smoking dining areas. This is good legislation and great news for the health of Virginians. There is no debate about the dangers of second-hand smoke. Finally, I guess, the tired bullshit argument about "smoker rights" blew away. I never could find it in the Bill of Rights.

On the other hand, there is Senator Emmett Hanger's bill to allow individuals to carry a concealed weapon into restaurants/bars serving alcoholic beverages. Emmett is a good guy, but this bill is a dumb... no make that a dumber idea. Alcohol and guns do not mix. It is concealed for Christ's sake... how am I to know what the guy sitting next to me is packing? The bill has passed the Senate, will probably pass the House, but faces likely veto by the Governor. One more good reason crazy Bob McDonnell should never reside in the Executive Mansion!

So, you'll no longer be able to blow smoke in my face, but the crazy SOB in the next booth may blow my f#@&ing brains out. Where is the logic?

Bowing at the Alter

In what has become an annual pilgrimage, a host of legislators bowed at the alter of Dean Welty and the Valley Family Forum at their annual "Unveiling" last Friday. Attending werethe predictable Republicans: Del. Matt Lohr of Broadway, Del. Steve Landes of Weyers Cave, Del. Chris Saxman of Staunton, Del. Ben Cline of Rockbridge, Sen. Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg, and Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel of Winchester. Noticeably absent was Sen. Emmett Hanger who, while he may agree on some issues, is clearly not in lockstep with this crowd . Todd Gilbert was also a no-show.

According to Welty, the mission of the Valley Family Forum is

"Our purpose is no different tonight than [in years past]. Our purpose is to defend and rebuild the moral foundation of the nation. Unless we rebuild the foundation that protects our culture, we cannot survive."

No real specifics there, but one can assume they want to ban all abortions, give vouchers or tax breaks for private schools and home schoolers, support abstinence-only sex education, promote prayer in public school, make their God a player in public policy.

So, what did the legislators offer up? Off-shore oil drilling. Anti-union legislation. Kicking Planned Parenthood out of sex education classes. Requiring parental permission for students to join clubs.

I guess off-shore drilling might connect to families by providing some jobs, but it is difficult to see the relationship to VFF goals. How about green jobs like might be provided by wind power? Unions are anti-family? Huh? So, because you disagree with organization's stand on choice/abortion, the state shouldn't work with Planned Parenthood in preventing teen pregnancy? That's hardly productive solution!

Some of the ideas made some sense, but probably aren't high on the VFF wish list. Lohr suggested easing some mandates of SOLs and NCLB because of the coming budget cuts to public schools. And, Landes' idea about donating unused medications to free clinics has merit and should be explored.

Read more at the DNR and check out the long list of comments in their online forum. Make your own comment. Those comments and common sense tell us the "family values" pushed by Valley Family Forum are out of the mainstream of many families in the Shenandoah Valley and most people in the Commonwealth. We can hope that, as they make decisions affecting us all, legislators will listen to the other voices that make up their constituencies. 

GOP Exit Strategy

All the national right wing pundits are trying to downplay the Obama landslide by saying America is a center-right country. If only Republicans would be more conservative, they'd win more elections.

Of course, much of that talk is pure chicken litter designed to make the losers feel better and the give them some hope to reconstruct the tattered GOP. The reality is that Americans are totally angered with conservative incompetence that brought us Iraq, torture, Katrina, and a recession (or worse)! Americans are also frustrated with lack of progress in dealing with health care financing and a host of other issues.

Local politicians have heard the pundits and are echoing "center-right" at every opportunity. State Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta) expressed that view to the News Virginian which reported:

Though a Democrat carried Old Dominion for the first time since 1964, Virginia remains a state right of center.

That’s the assessment of state Sen. Emmett Hanger, the Mount Solon Republican who has endured assaults from within his own party...

Hanger went on to explain that he supported Gilmore as a conservative but that he was too "combative" to appeal to many voters. Stealing a page from Mark Warner, Hanger went on to talk about working across party lines and getting away from the Rovian politics of "warfare." To give Hanger credit, he has in recent years been more bipartisan in tone. But, when he was elected to the Virginia Senate, his campaign engaged in some pretty nasty stuff. Perhaps his tone changed from the vantage point of incumbency and after seeing that many in his party - swacgirl, Kurt, yankee phil, and Anne to name a few, can go even lower in the gutter.

Truth is, the core activists of the Valley GOP are far right. Very far. While Emmett Hanger may be right of center, the swacs see him as a liberal and maybe even a socialist too willing to work with Democrats. Those wingnuts have a pretty good hold on the local GOP committees and in 2011 Hanger will have a hard time winning the nomination. 

Unless they take this "exit strategy." As they are totally disillusioned with America for electing a liberal, radical, socialist, friend of terrorists, and African-American to the White House (I had one person tell me that's why it is called the "White House"), maybe they should just move. And I have a great place: Alaska!

What's good for them in Alaska?

• Open space - live far away from liberals
• Sarah Palin.
• Ted Stevens - master of jailhouse leadership.
• Books banned in libraries.
• Drill here, drill now.
• Todd Palin and his successionist movement. If it is successful, you can ban the Democratic Party.

There is one downer for these right wing fanatics if they take my advice and move to Alaska: they'll live in the most socialist of states. Yep, the State of Alaska takes money (about $6 billion per year) from from oil companies and doles it out equally to each and every resident ($1,200). From each according to his ability, to each according to each according to his need? But, you'll feel better 'cause you'll have the bucks to buy Ann Coulter's latest drivel. 

Let me know when you are ready to go... I'll chip in for some snow shoes.

Shenandoah Valley Omelet

A couple items whipping up the eggs today (actually some of this is a couple days old - rotten eggs?):

The News Leader had a virtual orgasm covering all the gossip and scuttlebutt of the Augusta Republicans. They had reported that Kurt Michael would resign on June 7, but they never followed up to report that he actually did so and what would happen next. Coitus interruptus, for them I guess. The News Virginian did get the story about "Dr. Mikey's" resignation from Lynn Mitchell. Perhaps, Lynn hates The News Leader so much she delivered the scoop to their cross-county rival. At any rate, she has her own gushing orgasm over Kurt on her daily wingnut trivia.

Apparently, the temporary chair of the committee will be Bill Shirley. Bill's a retired teacher and football coach. Mild mannered and polite when compared to Kurt, but every bit as rabid a theocratic right winger. Is he the heir apparent? Or a bad yoke? Will the Hanger/Roller folks turn out the folks to control to the next caucus? Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Will Jim Bailey chair the caucus? NO! Unless he gets a crash course on Robert's Rules of Order. Guess we'll have to sit in the nest a while to see who hatches as the next permanent chair. 

Scott Sayre is the new vice chair of 6th District GOP committee. All of this underscores several points: 

• The old mountain-valley Republicans are a dying breed and have been replaced by the Grover Norquist/Federalist Society reactionaries who have taken over the local committees, the district committee, and the state party. They are scary people if they ever get power, but this rooster thinks this shift is good news for Democrats.
• Emmett Hanger is among the last of those mountain-valley Republicans.
• Sayre will challenge Hanger for the nomination in 2011 or Hanger may consider running as an independent or (cluck) a Democrat.

Harrisonburg independent Carolyn Frank seems to be between a rock and a hard place. The city is trending Democratic and will move to November elections. Because of those changing dynamics, she may be tempted to join the Democratic Party - but many of them seem to be keeping her at arm's length. Or, is she a secret religious-right Republican - she has connections with Greater Hope Ministries and has dabbled in GOP politics? If you live in Harrisonburg, you may want to vote in this poll about the city council candidates.

Sam Rasoul is holding a press conference on health care in Fishersville tomorrow, June 11 at 12:30 PM. Will be interesting to see if he gets media coverage - the local TV and print media has been mostly asleep on the congressional campaign. Yes, it is early and it is hot, but the Daily News-Record, The News Virginian, and The News Leader all seem to be taking a siesta when it comes to covering this race.

The cockfight gets nasty

Feathers are flying in the Augusta Republican Committee. No wonder these guys have so much trouble governing responsibly. More in the Daily News-Record. 

Sorry about the bad link earlier. Now you have both parts 1 and 2 for your viewing pleasure.