Wednesday, December 19, 2012
In interview on WTOP Tuesday, Gov. Bob McDonnell says idea should be explored.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday that it may be time to explore the idea of arming teachers and other school officials. The Republican governor made his remarks in an interview Tuesday on WTOP. His remarks came during a discussion of the killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., on Friday. The governor was asked: "What about the idea of allowing people—adults, supervisors, principals, teachers—to be armed inside the public schools of Virginia?" "I know there's been a knee-jerk reaction against that," McDonnell said. "I think there should at least be a discussion about it." "If people were armed, not just a police officer but other officials who were trained and chose to have a weapon, …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Virginia's gas tax is a flat rate tax, but changes could be in the making.
Next year’s Thanksgiving road trip may be a little more expensive as Virginia officials grapple with how to adequately fund Virginia’s growing transportation infrastructure needs. Gov. Bob McDonnell said earlier this month that raising Virginia’s gas tax, tying it to inflation or otherwise adjusting it is not off the table. “I’m looking at a range of things,” McDonnell told reporters in Richmond. “I can tell you that every other major tax in Virginia—the sales tax, the corporate income tax, and the [personal] income tax—all fluctuate with economic activity because they’re a percentage. ... We’re looking at whether or not ... it should fluctuate with economic activity, like every other tax in Virginia.” Right now, Virginia’s state gas tax …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Politico reports that McAuliffe announced his intentions to his supporters in an email Thursday.
Just days after the presidential campaign season ended, another campaign is about to gear up. McLean resident Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday he intends to run for governor of Virginia in 2013, when Gov. Bob McDonnell's term ends, Politico reports. McAuliffe, the former DNC chairman and co-chair of Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, wrote in an email to supporters on Thursday: "I realize that after any election some people’s immediate question is about the next campaign. I want to be straightforward with you: I plan on running for Governor of Virginia in 2013. Over the past four years, I’ve traveled to every corner of Virginia for over 2,400 meetings and events. It is absolutely clear to me that Virginians want their next …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The governor said power should be restored to all Dominion customers by Thursday.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said in his final press briefing for Hurricane Sandy that Virginia was "spared a significant event." “First responders and private partners, they have really done an amazing job preparing for the storm and applying lessons learned from previous storms and putting in an incredible amount of hours,” McDonnell said. McDonnell cited concerns about rivers cresting as flood waters go into the major arteries, and he expected an update on that later Tuesday. Virginia was awarded a federal disaster declaration yesterday, said McDonnell, noting he was “delighted” that President Barack Obama and FEMA were on it immediately. "That is only for federal direct assistance to allow them to provide resources directly and as we do our …
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Governor's speech will focus on small business and the economy.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will give a speech on small business and the economy Tuesday during the Republican National Convention. According to The Richmond Times Dispatch’s Virginia politics blog, McDonnell’s keynote address will air after 8 p.m. on Tuesday—a premium speaking slot. McDonnell's speech is titled “We Built It,” referring to a remark made by President Barack Obama during a July event in Roanoke that has since become controversial on the campaign trail. Obama was speaking about the role of government investment in infrastructure and businesses when he said, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that,” Obama said in July. “Somebody else made that happen.” The statement, which some argue has been taken out of context in …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Alexandria resident Paul Friedman questions the efficacy of the governor's decision to hold the special election on Sept. 4.
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Friday, August 17, 2012
On Thursday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 4, Democratic voters in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County participated in an “unassembled” caucus to select a Democratic nominee for the recently vacated Virginia 45th House of Delegates seat. Amazingly, over 2,400 voters cast their ballots for an election that had only been finalized a week prior. That high turnout number is a tribute to the voters of the 45th District, who are some of the best voters America, as well as the two Democratic candidates, Rob Krupicka and Karen Gautney, who focused on educating voters as much as possible about the dates and times of the election. Even though thousands of voters came to the caucus, having a “shotgun” election is a horrible way to run a government. …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Should he have chosen McDonnell? What role could McDonnell play in a Romney administration?
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced his VP choice, Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Saturday morning as he prepares for a day of campaigning across Virginia. Romney will be in Manassas this afternoon on a campaign stop. (Go to Manassas Patch for live updates starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.) Who is scheduled to stand alongside Romney today in Manassas helping him campaign? Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was talked about as a possible running mate for Romney. McDonnell has spent time this year campaigning with Romney across Virginia, as well as South Carolina, Florida and other states. McDonnell endorsed Romney after longtime McDonnell friend Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race. On Saturday morning, McDonnell …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Alexandrian Sarah Shellock seeks to ensure the delegate representing the state's 45th District is nonpartisan.
To the editor: Congratulations to Rob Krupicka for winning the nomination in the Democratic Primary for the 45th District House of Delegates. It is widely anticipated that he will win the Sept. 4 election against his Republican opponent in this heavily Democratic district. As a voter in Alexandria, I am disappointed with Krupicka’s early attacks on his future Republican colleagues and Governor Bob McDonnell for having the Special Election on Sept. 4. There are two special elections that day in Virginia, and due to the fact that the delegate in Norfolk should win the nomination for the Senate, his delegate seat will need to be filled on the Nov. 6 ballot. That is the reason Sept. 4 is the statewide date. If Krupicka goes to Richmond with a …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Democrats, Republicans and hundreds of private sector government contractors gathered at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on Monday afternoon to protest sequestration, which would cut $500 billion of federal defense spending.
ARLINGTON — U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly on Monday called on Congress to cancel its upcoming five-week recess in order to solve looming $500 billion defense cuts that could cost Northern Virginia thousands of jobs. That sentiment was echoed by Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce President Jim Corcoran, who said the federal government shouldn't balance its budget on the backs of the defense industry. And Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who arrived late to the "Stop Sequestration" rally thanks to a flight delay, said afterward he supported Connolly's idea. "Sequestration" is the name given to $1 trillion federal budget cuts that will happen in January if Congress doesn't reach a compromise. Half of that would affect the defense industry, which …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'
Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …
Michael Cardin
5:17 pm on Tuesday, January 1, 2013
It's about time that someone leads with some common sense. Gun deaths are not caused by legal gun owners and sane people. We use all kinds of constraints to keep mentally ill people away from guns and they get their hands on one because someone like the mom in CT and now we blame every gun owner. If the weapons were not in the house or locked up the young man would have looked elsewhere for a gun… more ›