First of all, there was already an exemption worked into the “requirement” for health care coverage, so is Bob just grandstanding? States rights vs federal rights is an ongoing fight, in many ways the civil war seemed to address that ying and yang, didn’t it?

How about those who are opposed to social security or medicare being taken out of their pay checks because they oppose that “government” intervention into their lives. There are credible arguments for ensuring that all Americans are insured, my issue with the requirement, is that you are just lining the pockets of insurance companies if you don’t also allow for a non profit public option! Anyway, there are lots of federal laws that we all abide by, and I would say that if the state can opt out of healthcare, what else can the state legislative body, at the behest of whichever party is in control, “opt” out of, if the opposing party happens to be in power at the Federal level.

Many extemists argue that the income tax is “unconstitutional”, but that argument has been resoundingly rejected!

The Culpeper County school superintendent said Monday that the school system had never formally removed a version of Anne Frank’s diary from classrooms following a parental complaint that some passages were objectionable.

Director of instruction James Allen last week told The Washington Post that the definitive edition of the diary would not be used in the future and that the decision was made quickly, without adhering to a formal review policy for instructional materials that prompt complaints. The remarks set off a hailstorm of criticism online and brought international attention to the 7,600-student school system in rural Virginia.

It’s bad enough to suffer such devastation, loss of your family, but to be at risk of being kidnapped for exploitation is just too horrible to think about, these poor little children.

Citizens are sending in e-mails, please, write one and send it in by 1:00 this afternoon! 

cstewart@pwcgov.org

I don’t know why Frank P voted in the majority to allow the deferral as he was clearly arguing with Mike Lubely about this bizarre premise that Avendale wasn’t “really” in the Rural Crescent. Hmmm, if that’s the case then why is the application a Comprehensive Plan AMENDMENT. Amendment being the operative word! The board has NEVER voted to take Avendale out of the Rural Crescent and Frank was absolutely right when he challenged Lubely.

I cannot tell you how incredibly disappointed I am in Corey. His leadership role was critical, and he chose the wrong direction. Avendale ONLY benefits the Developer and is a drain for every county resident who pays taxes. The Rural Crescent is a valuable land use tool, not simply from a “green” perspective, but from a planning approach. If the last five years has taught us one thing, it is that you can’t build homes as a means of supporting an entire county economy, or for that matter, and entire country!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am tired of being soley responsible for supporting the budget of an entire county. We HAVE to diversify the base of our County income, and living more than 80% on real estate taxes, is simply crazy from a financial perspective.

Let’s do a recap of the recent financial bloodletting in the real estate market for Prince William County. With thousands of homes still in foreclosure and more than 30 THOUSAND approved new homes still unbuilt, it’s fair to say that a lack of housing is NOT an issue for Prince William County.

Adding insult to injury, these unneeded new homes are proposed for the County’s “protected” rural area. Why is the Rural Crescent the most valuable land use tool this County can claim? Because it establishes a rural area with lower population densities, reducing the need to invest precious limited tax dollars for infrastructure.

Every citizen benefits, from west to east, by NOT having to invest tax dollars to build new roads, new schools, new hospitals, etc. in areas far from the County’s population centers. Instead, the County should invest our resources in areas where we get the biggest bang for our buck – the development area.

However, Developers have asked the Board for special consideration to build MORE homes in areas that don’t make sense. Considering the County’s current housing glut as well as the economic climate (both the County and the state are broke), you have to ask yourself, WHY would Supervisors approve this proposal.

This logic would be the same as going on a diet by eating MORE fattening food. Ah, if only, that could be true (audible sigh) However, living in reality, I realize that eating MORE food will not help me lose weight… just as I understand that building more homes and dismantling an effective land use tool, the Rural Crescent, will NOT solve the County’s infrastructure deficit or financial woes. In fact, such development would have the opposite effect in the short AND long term.

Chairman Stewart and Supervisors May, Principi, and Stirrup understood these concepts when they all signed the Rural Crescent Pledge during the last election cycle. Now, two years later, citizens are depending on them to follow through and honor their campaign promises.

When Supervisors vote on the Avendale proposal on January 12th I am hopeful they will vote to support effective long-range planning and limit future, unnecessary costs to taxpayers by voting to deny Avendale.

Update: Here’s the much requested Fiscal Impact Analysis on the Proposed Avendale Development by Bob Pugh.

Pugh’s Bio -

Bob Pugh, CFA was a Senior Financial Analyst for the Prince William County Government from 1999 to 2003. During that time he worked extensively on fiscal and economic impact analysis, including serving as the County’s liaison with Dr. Steven Fuller of George Mason University on development of a fiscal impact model for the County. His work included analysis of regional economic issues pertaining to Prince William County, analysis of tax burdens, revenue forecasting, proffer calculations and proffer calculation methodology, and projected returns on economic development projects.

Bob has many years of experience as an academic in economics, finance and investments, most recently teaching as member of the Practitioner Faculty in Finance for the Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business. He volunteers in many roles in the Prince William County community.

Currently, he owns and manages a financial planning and wealth management firm based in Gainesville, Virginia. He is a past-President of the 1,700-member CFA Society of Washington, DC and serves currently as the CFA Institute’s Eastern Region Presidents Council Representative, representing investment professionals in CFA Societies from Maine through Virginia. Bob is a long-time member of both the CFA Institute and the National Association for Business Economics.

WHAT? Who is Brit Hume to tell anyone that their faith is basically  inferior and that Christianity is the only religion with REAL forgiveness and redemption.  How self righteous and pompous can one person be?

Virginia Association of Counties’ (VACo), Position Statement on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

VACo maintains a strong commitment to ensuring the security and safety of our communities. Legislative reforms must recognize the contributions of immigrants to a complex economy as well as the costs associated with welcoming immigrants into our communities. The U.S. Congress must enact comprehensive immigration reform that provides a funding stream sufficient to address the fiscal impact on state and local governments for any guest worker program and earned legalization program. The states and local governments require a national immigration system that is fully funded at the federal level, recognizes the realities of the marketplace, eases the fiscal stress on states and localities, and properly secures our borders. It is important that the federal government establish a clear and understandable path to citizenship for those who are eligible.

Introduced in November 2009 by County Board Member J. Walter Tejada, Arlington, VA

VACo approved and adopted in November 2009 as VACo’s Position Statement on Immigration Reform

My first question is this….Does Corey know? This “Position Statement” seems purposefuly vague, vague enough that I don’t think any elected official would be willing to stand up in opposition.

Who could be against “securing the safety of our comminities” ?

So, what I am wondering, is how does this “statement” turn in to actual meaningful legislation?

Also, I am wondering, who actually affirmed our vote from Prince William County, do they have the authority to sign onto such a statement?

Captain of famed Exodus refugee ship dies at 86
By ARON HELLER (AP) – 5 days ago

JERUSALEM — Yitzhak “Ike” Ahronovitch, the captain of the Exodus ship whose attempt to take Holocaust survivors to Palestine built support for Israel’s founding, has died. He was 86.

He died Wednesday in northern Israel after a long illness, his daughter Ella said.

The Exodus 1947 ship left France in July 1947 carrying more than 4,500 people — most of them Holocaust survivors and other displaced Jews — in a secret effort to reach Palestine. At the time, Britain controlled Palestine and was limiting the immigration of Jews.

The British navy seized the vessel off Palestine’s shores, and after a battle on board that left three people dead, turned the ship and its passengers back to Europe, where the refugees were forced to disembark in Germany.

The ship’s ordeal was widely reported worldwide, garnering sympathy for the refugees, especially because they were taken to Germany, where the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews during World War II originated.

THIS is a story of strict immigration restrictions and its aftermath.  The Johnson-Reed Act in 1924, spearheaded by the KKK,  was intended to greatly reduce the number of immigrants from certain areas in Europe, mainly the undesirable eastern Europeans, and of course, the Jews.

When Hitler threatened to kill the Jews of Germany and Eastern Europe, fifteen years after the passage of Johnson-Reed, American Jews pleaded with Roosevelt to amend the immigration quotas.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1933, Americans were struggling to survive the greatest economic depression the country had ever seen. Many Americans feared that needy immigrants would take precious jobs or place an added strain on an already burdened economy.

Hmmm, sounds familiar doesn’t it?

America’s immigration laws have always placed quotas on the number of people allowed to enter the United States from other countries. For example, in 1939 the quota allowed for 27,370 German citizens to immigrate to the United States. In 1938, more than 300,000 Germans —mostly Jewish refugees —had applied for U.S. visas (entry permits). A little over 20,000 applications were approved. Beyond the strict national quotas, the United States openly denied visas to any immigrant “likely to become a public charge.” This ruling proved to be a serious problem for many Jewish refugees who had lost everything when the Nazis took power and might be in need of government assistance after they immigrated to the United States.

In May 1939, only a few months before war began in Europe, a passenger ship called the St. Louis left Germany carrying nearly a thousand refugees, most of whom were Jews. Many of these people had already qualified for, but had not yet received, American visas. They arranged for temporary Cuban tourist visas that would enable them to wait outside of Germany for U.S. visas. By the time the St. Louis reached Havana, however, the Cuban government had changed its visa regulations. It refused to allow most of the refugees to land.

Forced to leave Cuban waters, the St. Louis sailed up the Florida coast. The U.S. Coast Guard followed close behind to prevent any passengers from swimming ashore. The State Department refused to allow the refugees to land without special legislation by Congress or an executive order from the president. Efforts by American Jewish organizations to work out a compromise failed. The desperate passengers aboard the St. Louis sent President Roosevelt a telegram pleading their case; he never replied.

Finally, the St. Louis returned to Europe and several nations granted asylum to the refugees. But when Hitler’s troops marched through Europe, most of the St.Louis’ ill-fated passengers were eventually caught by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps.

I am not suggesting that the immigration issue facing this country today is akin to Nazi Germany, what I am suggesting, is that immigration law is MAN-made and so it will forever be a work in progress. Rule of law is relevant only as it applies to the man making the law in the present day. As we all know, many laws have changed, with much strife, throughout the history of this country.

Father Creedon says it best in this interview.

Washington (CNN) — Five people, including three police officers, have been indicted on charges related to the beating death of a Latino man in rural Pennsylvania in July 2008, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Two indictments charge the five with federal hate crimes, obstruction of justice and conspiracy in what authorities are calling a racially motivated attack.

 

The indictments come almost six months after a Schuylkill County jury acquitted two teens of aggravated assault and one of murder in the death of Luis Ramirez.

The undocumented Mexican immigrant was beaten into a coma during a street brawl involving the teens and their friends on a residential street in Shenandoah. The incident divided the small, rural mining town along racial lines and became a flash point for racial tensions nationwide.

After the verdict, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell denounced the attack as racially motivated and called on the Justice Department to intervene.

I am even more thankful for Chief Deane’s leadership regarding the premise that we are all human beings, no matter what your status, and in order to protect us all and maintain a safe community for all, you cannot allow the dehumanization of any one group.

See local news story on indictments for police cover-up.

See local news story on hate crimes indictments of murderers.