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.

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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