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 We must reform our outdated revenue system if we’re going to have sustainable budgets.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.

Goode Deal

Virgil Goode, the eccentric former congressman from Rocky Mount, Virginia captured the Constitution Party's nomination at its Nashville convention yesterday. James Clymer, a Pennsylvanian who has been the party's chair for more than a decade will be Goode's running mate.

Goode promises to attract disaffected Republicans and Democrats, saying,"Romney's and Obama's positions are not all that different. There's not much distinction. My position would be significantly different from either of them." Mirroring the Constitution Party platform, Goode wants to close the borders and sharply curtail programs like food stamps, foreign aid, and defense. The platform, and presumably Goode, also support life begins at conception laws (like the controversial trans-vaginal ultrasound), repeal of the 17th Amendment, reversing the "surrender" of the canal to Panama, and reestablishing the religious basis of all education. Reading the platform is akin to jumping into a time machine and finding your way into the minds of men such as Edmund Ruffin.

The Constitution Party has qualified for the ballot in just 15 states, but Goode and party officials promise they will be on many more ballots by Election Day. In Virginia Goode will begin circulating petitions - he needs at least 400 valid signatures in each congressional district and 10,000 statewide.

Hopefully Goode will qualify for the Virginia ballot. He will prove attractive to the Fire-Eater types in the tea party who despise President Obama and who, with no other choice, might hold their noses and vote for Romney. With a close race in purple Virginia that could make all the difference for the Commonwealth's electors and the White House. Goode's presence on the ballot could stir the pot in the 5th District congressional race as well.

So Virgil, welcome to the presidential race. May your appeal be irresistible to the birds of a feather now flocking together in the Grand Old Party.

Sending out an S.O.S.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is sending out an S.O.S. to radical right wing bloggers to save its scrawny ass. Facing the loss of an increasing number corporate sponsors and exposure from the usually lame MSM, ALEC is clearly hurting. PRWatch exposed ALEC's blogger training at the Heritage Foundation (another Koch brothers beneficiary):

ALEC Director of External Relations Caitlyn Korb spoke yesterday at a Heritage Foundation "Bloggers Briefing," begging conservative bloggers for help while prepping "a very aggressive campaign to really spread the word about what we actually do." Korb appears to be a new ALEC employee who recently worked for the Cato Institute. Both ALEC and Cato have received funding from Koch family foundations. The Heritage Foundation is an ALEC member.

Today, at a luncheon hosted by the Augusta and Staunton Democratic Committees, Delegate David Toscano and Senator Creigh Deeds briefly touched on ALEC's influence in the Virginia General Assembly. Each man noted that ALEC has recently removed previously public information from their website. Delegate Toscano said that he'd found some bills that were clearly modeled on ALEC's draft legislation. But, neither seemed to have first-hand knowledge with Deeds noting that "none of the legislators with whom I associate have attended their conferences...." Well, I didn't really expect either of these guys to have direct relations with ALEC, but many Valley Republicans are roosting with ALEC on a regular basis.

Along with the Citizen's United case, super pacs, and voter suppression laws ALEC threatens the very roots of our democracy by separating citizens from a meaningful say in their government. As I proclaimed in an earlier post, it is everyone's duty to stay informed and follow ALEC's  subverting and corrupting influence. If you patronize companies that support ALEC let them know your strong disapproval and take your business elsewhere. Sign PROGRESS|VA's petition to send a message to legislators to stand with constituents rather than ALEC. Join with Common Cause and the national campaign to expose the corrupting influence of ALEC.

Around here, when all the turkeys are removed from the poultry house the doors and windows are opened to allow breezes and sunlight to cleanse the fowl environment. That's exactly what we must do with the American Legislative Exchange Council - cleanse the foul environment. In politics as on the farm, bright sunlight is the best disinfectant.

More on ALEC at Mother Jones.

UPDATE 4/23/12: The New York Times exposes ALEC in a front page story, "Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist."

Levon Helm - R.I.P.

Levon Helm passed away at age 71 after a long battle with throat cancer.

Why would anybody leave so quickly for?

The old neighborhood, just ain't the same.

Why do the best things always disappear?

Hell No (I'm Not Alright) - Nanci Griffith in Charlottesville

Nanci Griffith performed in front of an appreciative crowd at Charlottesville's historic and beautiful Paramount Theater last night. The singer/songwriter, sang a few songs off her just released album, Intersection, but the show was dominated by classics like "Love At the Five and Dime," "The Flyer,"John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness," and "Trouble in These Fields." As always, her version of Julie Gold's often recorded "From a Distance" simply has no peer. Performing a set of their own and then joining Griffith were The Kennedys.

Introducing her award winning "The Loving Kind," Griffith showed obvious admiration for Mildred and Richard Loving, the courageous couple who brought an end to the Commonwealth's anti-miscegenation laws in the landmark case Loving v. Virginia, 1967. As Griffith's lyrics remind us, "they changed the heart of my nation...." I can't imagine I was the only one reflecting on how today's politicians still want to peek into our bedrooms and tell us what we can do in our personal lives.

Her only encore was the upbeat "Hell No (I'm Not Alright)" which is building a large fan base in both Europe and U.S. and has become sort of an unofficial anthem of the Occupy Movement. Even some bankers claim it - in the long tradition of conservative politicians taking liberal songwriters' words and music to further their policies and campaigns.

Learn more about a too-little-known national treasure, Nanci Griffith, the singer/songwriter who builds deep connections with people from her place on high ground in this interview (you can even learn what bumper sticker she has on her truck). If you aren't familiar with the Loving case check out the 2012 HBO documentary, The Loving Story. Nanci Griffith reminds us that while everything seems beautiful "from a distance," we live life up close with greed, hate, and prejudice. It is up to each of us to listen to the "better angels of our nature" and make our communities and world a place fit for all of us.

Wild & Scenic Film Festival comes to Staunton

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2012 comes the the Visulite Theatre in Staunton on Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM. The event (along with one the previous night in Charlottesville) is sponsored by Wild Virginia, an organization working to protect public lands, especially the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, since 1995.

According to the festival website, "this year’s selections will not only take audiences to some of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet, but introduce them to the magnificent animals that inhabit these places and the courageous individuals who are working to protect and preserve both for future generations. The films instill a deep appreciation and a sense of wonder for the natural world that surrounds and supports us."

Tickets are $10. The Visulite Theatre is at 12 N. Augusta Street in Staunton.

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.