Va. House Puts Onus on Counties for Road Crisis

There has to be a lab in Korea that has been cloning county supervisors for at least the last few decades. Every county follows the same pattern without deviation regardless of the experience of their neighbors.

Growth comes to a county and the supervisors fall over top of themselves to help bring in the new people to expand the tax base. The state allows the system of proffers where the county can require some infrastructure development by the developers in exchange for approval of their zoning requests. Typically this system has been grossly under utilized. Rather that having roads and schools built the supervisors have settled for just some land set aside for a school site or park. Finally when the situation is so completely out of control the voters put an anti growth board in that tries to stop all development. The need for tax revenues to manage the current situation is greater that the current population can sustain and the lawsuits by land owning developers prevail in court so the pressure finally breaks the logjam and a new board comes in and the growth explodes. Still the proffer system is under utilized. For relief they start crying to Richmond for road development to relive the congestion. Some lawmakers in the Statehouse are telling the counties to take respectability for the problems they have created.

Speaking in blunt terms, House leaders said an eagerness by local officials to approve development was "an abdication of responsibility" to plan for the impact on traffic, and that supervisors in growing counties "have done a less-than-stellar job" in planning for the future.

"The easiest job in the world is to be a supervisor approving subdivisions," said Del. C.L. "Clay" Athey Jr. (R-Warren), who leads the House GOP effort to design land-use legislation. "You can approve it, and as soon as it's over and done with, you can say any impacts to the roads you don't have to consider at all and you can just start blaming the state."

Even easier has been the Statehouse politician's ability to buy votes by promising to build roads. The chickens have come home to roost however because the tax bill to fill these promises is just too much to swallow. The weakness in the system has been the inability or unwillingness to simply charge an excise tax on new residential development not to mention the local politician's vote buying schemes such as recreational centers, elaborate school and government facilities and bloated county payrolls. While this bill offers to address the development aspect, the county pols are screaming bloody murder.

"It just shows how desperate they are to find somebody to blame rather than themselves," said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D), who was singled out by name during the news conference. "This is all yet another attempt to sidetrack the public discussion from their unwillingness to put any new money on the table for transportation infrastructure."

Truth is the money comes from the same taxpayer pockets. Whether the state or the local government foots the bill, it is still the citizen who has to come up with the money. This bill would at least relieve the citizens outside of Northern Virginia and Tidewater from paying for roads they are not driving on. The current way of doing business sucks revenues from the counties which need development to underwrite the already developed counties infrastructure improvements. County supervisors have long enjoyed the ability to shift respectability for thier decisions to Richmond and it needs to stop.

It is my hope that this bill passes. I'm not holding my breath.




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Economics, Virginia, politics

Men Don't Do That Do They?

My oldest daughter gave me a copy of the movie Billy Elliot. I had told her of the time when I was twelve that I told my father that I wanted to be a dancer when I grew up. She saw this and it reminded her of that story. After seeing it myself I was quite amused.

Billy Elliot is an eleven year old son of a Irish coal miner. He discovers that he likes dancing and surreptitiously joins a ballet class. Needless to say the father and older brother are shocked. SHOCKED!. They do every thing to put a stop to such nonsense. My father's reaction was some what similar.

I said, : Dad, I want to be a dancer when I grow up!"

"Oh no son, only queers are dancers."

"But look what I can do." I said as I shook my hips and dipped. He just put his head in his hand and lamented about his son being a fag. I tried to assure him that although I had no concrete proof, I was sure that I was not. I decided to drop the subject and keep my dancing to myself.

I was the only boy in sixth grade that danced at the school dance. I was the only boy in gym class that actually enjoyed square dancing. I got asked to the prom because the girl that asked me wanted to go with someone who danced. I loved the 80's. I was encouraged to become a male stripper but declined because I just could not envision explaining to my daughters why it was OK for Dad to make a living dancing in a G-string , but not for them to do it. Don't worry Dad, dancing is not the only thing I like to do. I like to cook, paint lead soldiers, grow herbs, sing and lift weights.

My sons in law were telling me of a comedian they heard recently who claimed all men come to the point of asking the question, "Am I gay?'. Some say "no" and move on. Some say "yes" and move on , while others say "well, I don't know....I better go lift weights."

When I was 19 I sat on the end of my bed and asked the question, "Am I gay and don't know it?" I had by that time of my life been approached by more than my share of homosexual men who wanted to be my "friend". And with the exception of the girl that asked me to the prom I was decidedly unsuccessful in the dating department. I figured perhaps these men knew something that I didn't.

I thought of being in the showers after gym class and of being with the few girlfriends I had had at that point. It didn't take but an instant to realize that I was in no way going to give up the women, so I left the matter as settled. So much so that I don't care if someone thinks what I'm doing is 'gay". Not that I'm some wussy metrosexual either. I am old school man. I open the door or give up my seat for women. I do the ugly jobs around the house and I choose to do the right thing even when it's inconvenient. I go to church and try to be an example to my family of the importance of honoring God in all one does. Both machismo and homosexuality are aberrations of manliness that come from self-centeredness. Godliness is the beginning of manliness.

Excuse me but Emril is on.






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Traditional values, Christianity,

The Impass in Richmond

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one:

- Thomas Paine.

Every politician should have this tattooed on their right arm. It is this understanding that inspired the founders of our form of government to instal the system of checks and balances. The two chamber congress or bicameral is designed to limit the ability of the legislators to pass or repeal laws. This is a sound concept when one finds that the very act of being elected seems to convince those who benefit from the electorate's favor that any thought coming into their head has great merit. Seldom does the failure of a piece of legislation cause the writers to question the soundness of their bill. More often they find fault with their ignorant constituents or the system they have to work with.

Enter Delegate Mark L. Cole, a Northern Virginia Republican in the Virginia General assembly. He is frustrated with the inability of the state government to pass a transportation bill. Rather that find some workable solution or accept that throwing money at it will be insufficient to remedy the problem, he wants to combine the two houses of the General Assembly to grease the grooves of the legislative process. One can hardly imagine the pocket picking nonsense that would flood out of Richmond from an efficient legislature.

I do agree with his interest in changing the structure of the legislature. The two house system has one glaring redundancy. Both the House of Delegates and the Senate are elected from districts that are determined by population. This makes them essentially the same except that one has fewer members than the other. In the Federal government the difference between the two chambers of Congress is the Senate is elected two from each state regardless of population. This was done specifically to dampen the simple majority protecting the smaller states from being ignored by the larger more populous ones. If our State House were to reflect such a sound construction the Senate would be elected from individual counties without regard to population. This would protect the more rural, less populated areas of our state from supporting to interests of the urban population centers as is the case today.

Unfortunately there will be no consideration of such an idea because the urban centers already have the majority and too many politicians would lose their seat to a bunch of hicks from the center and western parts of the state. This would also throw a wrench into the legislative machine, not a desirable situation for politicians who wish to measure their effectiveness by the number of bills they pass and the amount of money they spend. But even if it were to come about we would still have to keep our hands on our wallets because as Thomas Paine says. Government at best is a necessary evil.




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Economics, Virginia, politics, General Assembly

A New Christmas Tradition

Long ago Thanksgiving had replaced Christmas as my favorite holiday. The very nature of Thanksgiving makes commercializing and vicim mongering difficult. Granted there has been a trend to just call it turkey day but as fads go it has been short lived. A day set aside for one to give thanks for the past year forces one to acknowledge something outside of one's self.

So what to do about Christmas? I still love it, it's just been an effort to try and overcome the traditions that have grown around the day that cause the stress which can overshadow the meaning of the day. As if the shopping and party attending schedules were not enough we now have to contend with people who don't identify with the meaning of the day who are too insecure in what they do believe that they wish for everyone else to stop expressing themselves. At our house we have chosen to institute a new tradition to just bypass the nonsense that Christmas has become.

A new tradition is an oxymoron. One has to have some history of repetition to justify a practice as a tradition. Just bear with me for a moment and you will see.

All our children are grown. We ourselves have become impossible to buy for because we have what we want or if we find we desire something new we just go and get it. As the kids have settled into their careers the same has begun to happen with them. Gift giving was not only difficult to do but expensive to practice. So much of the time the gifts were becoming a burden that were interfering with our desire to enjoy the gathering together with one another. Then my wife had an inspiration.

Instead of giving to each other, why not give to a charity? The plan was for each one of us to pick a charity and make a donation. Then on an appointed day we would gather for dinner and take turns describing the charity and the reason we chose to give to it. Last night we had our first annual Christmas charity dinner. The charities were diverse as the individuals who gave. They reflected the concerns of each person in a unique way. We all agreed that this was a wonderful way to commemorate the birth of God's ultimate gift to mankind, His Son and our Savior.




.See the Christmas Carnival at Adam's Blog






Christmas, Virginia, Traditional values, Christianity,

Ukraine Hospital in Stem Cell Probe

In August of 2005 the BBC reported that an investigation was launched into allegations that a maternity hospital in Ukraine was stealing new born babies, possibly for research. Today a report comes from BBC that there is credible evidence that such a situation has occurred and the babies were used for stem cells and organs.

Even the BBC acknowledges that fetal stem cell claims are unproven but that is not stopping what has become a flourishing market for human babies.

Disturbing video footage of post-mortem examinations on dismembered tiny bodies raises serious questions about what happened to them.

Ukraine has become the self-styled stem cell capital of the world.

There is a trade in stem cells from aborted foetuses, amid unproven claims they can help fight many diseases.

But now there are claims that stem cells are also being harvested from live babies.

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The abortion industry has perpetuated the myth that fetal stem cells hold the key to curing various diseases to help justify legal abortion. With celebrities such as Michael J. Fox making public advertisements supporting the concept it has become the populist's cause to allocate public funds for the research. Such research is not financed by the private sector because it has yet to show any value. Couple large government grants with a reliance on ethics rather than morals and this is what happens.

In its report, the Council describes a general culture of trafficking of children snatched at birth, and a wall of silence from hospital staff upwards over their fate.

The pictures show organs, including brains, have been stripped - and some bodies dismembered.

A senior British forensic pathologist says he is very concerned to see bodies in pieces - as that is not standard post-mortem practice.

It could possibly be a result of harvesting stem cells from bone marrow.

Ancient people sacrificed their children to idols to gain a favorable outcome for their endeavors. How it this any different?






Economics, pro-life, Stem cell,

Nuclear Weapons are the Answer

All this time we thought that nuclear weapons were a bad thing. Scientists at an American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco have presented a study that says just a small nuclear attack would cause the earth to cool.

... the researchers say black soot from the fires would linger in the atmosphere, blocking the sun's rays and causing average global surface temperatures to drop about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the first three years. Although the planet would see a gradual warming within a decade, it would still be colder than it was before the war, the scientists said.

This is great news! We don't need to worry over the global warming threat anymore. If the climate heats up all we need do is nuke some troubleshot in the world and kill two birds with one stone.

The possibilities are numerous. Many people worry that terrorist nations will attack the west or destabilize the region around them causing much human suffering. Others worry over their carbon footprint and want some way to offset the impact of their consumer life style. Here is an opportunity to address both problems. The UN could take payments to offset carbon emissions and use that money to launch periodic nuclear attacks on rouge nations to help keep the peace. The more carbon one uses the more peaceful the world becomes!

Basil's Bloggrolling.






Economics, UN, War on Terror, Global Warming, World Peace

The Nightmare Continues

If the whole rabid skunk episode were the end of the nightmare I could look back a laugh. The nightmare however is not over. Now comes the bill.

It cost $6 per shot to give our dogs and cats their rabies vaccine. The vet will charge $25-50 depending on the circumstance. I realize that human medications require some padding to cover FDA approval, potential lawsuits and whatnot, but the Fauquir Hospital charged me $4,000.00.

This is not new technology. There has been a rabies vaccine for ages. We have a health dept. that can provide such service, but they are not open on the weekend when my shots were scheduled. Still $4,000? I got ten shots altogether. At $400 per shot I might go into the rabies shot giving business.

Maybe I should become and illegal immigrant so I can just dump the bill on the hapless citizens. It's this kind of nonsense that makes people think socialized medicine is the answer. The problem is the hospital figures my insurance company will just pay the bill and move on. They are still screwing everyone because the insurance company needs to make a profit to stay in business and who do you think pays that bill?




Economics, Virginia, immigration, socialized medicine,

Two Very Different Christmas Displays

This is the time of year when decorations are ubiquitous. Everyone has their own reasons, most are simply to express their festive mood, some to impress their neighbors and others to make a statement. This year there are two distinctly different displays that were constructed to try and make a difference.

A Vancouver Island artist has put an effigy of a crucified Santa Claus on his front lawn, causing some neighbors to complain it's traumatizing their children.

Jimmy Wright said the figure is intended to be a comment on society's growing appetite for consumer goods.

"I don't know how it came into my mind but I thought I'm going to take Santa Claus and I'm going to crucify him."

I'll give Mr. Wright a hint. This came into his mind because there was nothing else there. Lots of people including myself feel that there is much too much emphasis on the buying and giving of gifts at Christmas time, but a disgusting display in the front yard does not seem to be an effective way of making a difference. In fact I would venture that it is counter productive. Real change comes from people following those who lead by example. Take Randy and Ann Schimka for instance.

First time parenthood for the Schimkas came with stunning surprise. Their son, nine-year-old Brandon is autistic. Part of the problem was that Brandon couldn't find a focus. That is, until last Christmas, when he fell in love with lights.

"So I said would you like to build a display with dad and maybe next year we can put on a display at our house," Randy said.

For ten months father and son worked on their Christmas display. By Thanksgiving it was ready. 36,000 lights and 12,000 ft of wire but more important a boy has been changed.

"I'm really sorry now that I didn't have a camera handy to take a picture of him, because the look on his face made it all worth while," Randy said.

It's a look that finally unlocked his son's imagination.

Some thing that the artist from Vancouver will only experience in a negative way with his display.

See the video here.






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Christmas, Traditional values, Santa,

IRS Says Donations Can't Go to Dead Firefighter's Families

I have seen and heard of many different individuals receiving financial aid from various sources. Churches often give to individuals in their community who need help. Trusts are set up to aid children who need expensive medical procedures. After a year and a half people who suffered from Katrina are still having their rent paid. Yet the IRS has ruled that the Central County United Way in Riverside, CA cannot give out any of the $1 million designated for the families of the U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died while protecting a home in Twin Pines.

... tax-exempt charitable organizations cannot raise money for a group as small and specific as the families of five firefighters. Under federal law, such groups can give money to individuals only if those individuals or families are part of a wider class and if giving the money ultimately benefits the community...

An IRS spokesman wouldn't discuss the firefighters' case specifically but said the agency has clear restrictions on how tax-exempt organizations can provide financial aid.

Bob Duistermars, the local United Way's chairman should have known of this law and informed those who chose to direct donations to the organization that there would be a problem. If he did not know of the rule one needs to ask whether he is doing his job or if the IRS is making it up as they go along. Either way the desire to give is great in this nation but having confidence in who handles the money is difficult enough without the government making it impossible to do so in some cases.




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Charity, Traditional values, Government, IRS

And Then What ?

Once more I wish to share with you a piece sent in by my favorite letter to the editor writer.

7 December 2006

Dear Editors and Members of Congress:

President Bush has maintained we are winning the war against terrorism; but, when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates testified at confirmation hearings Mr. Gates asserted we are not winning in Iraq. They are both correct, if the president was thinking strategically and the secretary tactically.

Military strategy can be defined as military activities which extend beyond the war zone; whereas, military tactics are confined to military activities in the battle area.

The war within Iraq is a work in progress. As such, it is too soon for us to achieve victory or suffer defeat. President Bush's strategic assessment recognizes the global reach of the war forced on us by devout Muslims (aka Islamic extremists); and it can be argued we are doing well strategically, because the president has chosen the location of the battlefield. As our commander-in-chief immediately after the 9/11 attacks, he sent troops straight to the Middle East rather than hunker down here at home.

In World War II, President Roosevelt overcame isolationist congressmen and sent our armed forces to hunt down our enemies in the Pacific, North Africa and Europe. In that war, aside from Pearl Harbor and the Aleutians the war was not fought in the United States. In the Korean War, we fought Mao, Stalin and their puppet Kim Il Sung in Korea, not here. Likewise in the Vietnam War we fought the war there, not here.

So long as we continue to prosecute the war vigorously in the Middle East, our Muslim enemies are less likely to attack us effectively here at home or elsewhere around the world. If they attack other nations (e.g., Great Britain), our coalition forces will only grow larger and more determined.

We should not be distracted by the tactical picture. And those who criticize the president for not having a plan for the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's fall should explain their own plans for our security if we abandon the battlefield within Iraq. Where should we fight next, Syria? Iran? Michigan?

Very Respectfully,

Francis Baker, Three-War Vet
giarmy@earthlink.net

Peacekeepers Coming to Somalia

There is one thing more useless than the Iraq Study group and that is a new UN peacekeeping Force for Somalia.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an East African peacekeeping force to prevent an alliance of Islamic militias from overthrowing Somalia's fragile interim government.

Haven't they had one in Darfur, Sudan for the last few years?

The Security Council adopted a resolution pushed by Britain and the United States to transfer peacekeeping in Darfur from an ill-equipped 7,000-member African Union force to a larger, better equipped U.N. force. But the Sudanese government rejected a U.N. force, claiming it would violate the country's sovereignty and was an attempt at recolonization.

So let's get this straight. The African Peacekeeping force in Darfur is being replaced by a UN peacekeeping force except the Islamic fascists running the country won't approve it, but an African peacekeeping force will work in Somalia because...? Oh and the Islamic fascists in Somalia don't have to leave or account for their terror, they just need to work it out with the government they have for all intents and purposes rendered powerless.

Resolution 1725 partly lifts a 14-year arms embargo so the East African force, which will be formed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, can equip and arm its peacekeepers. And it calls on the Islamic militias to halt any "further military expansion" and negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Transitional Federal Government.

Don't forget the ever-present appeasers. They fear doing anything without the approval of the Islamic fascists.

Critics said the decision to authorize foreign intervention without the approval of the Islamic militias may provoke even greater violence in Somalia. "The United States is leading the authorization of another intervention force in another Muslim country against the will of a large percentage of the people," said John Prendergast, an Africa specialist for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "The use of force as a substitute for diplomacy will have disastrous results in Somalia.

"You've got to get a negotiated power-sharing deal" before sending in a peacekeeping force, he added. "Doing the reverse simply alienates the courts and potentially will drive them to preemptive military action."

One could make the argument that they engaged in preemptive action when they started conquering the country for Allah. The question that needs to be answered is how have we ended up with such a deep bench of nit wits making decisions like this. I would like to know of ONE negotiated peace that lasted more that a few day. They seem oblivious to the rate of failure that peacekeeping missions have experienced. At some point one would expect them to realize that the true peace process is the rendering of one side to the point of not having the will or resources to continue to fight. Until world leaders figure this out they will continue to see millions of people suffer under the watchful eye of peacekeeping forces.




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politics, War on Terror, UN, Islamic fascists, Somalia

Iraq Study Group Answers Wrong Question

Any one who offers to help solve a problem must first demonstrate that they understand what that problem is. If they begin with an inaccurate view of the source of the trouble they cannot logically offer a constructive opinion on how to overcome that problem. Politicians these days seem quite adept at addressing every aspect of an issue without ever touching on the reason the problem exists. It's like trying to drive a nail by hitting the wood around it but never hitting it on the head. Such is the situation with the greatly ballyhooed Iraq Study Group.

Most will agree that the main problem in Iraq is stopping the violence. On page ten of the report issued by the Iraq Study Group the address the sources of the violence. No where do they mention Syria's or Iran's support of groups within Iraq that are killing citizens and police in an effort to destabilize the country. The closest they come to this most important aspect of the trouble there is this:

Foreign fighters— an estimated 1,300— play a supporting role or carry out suicide operations.

OK, where do the foreign fighters come from? Who sends and supports them? Evidence of Iran and Syria supporting the insurgency is already public yet these people want to consult these two terrorist nations on how to stop the violence. Sounds a lot like Neville Chamberlain consulting Germany on solving the problem of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. More importantly however is they are doing that same with Iraq as was done with South Vietnam.

Not willing to deal with the real issue of the aggression of the North Vietnamese against the South with the support of the Soviet Union, the liberals forced the acceleration of the training of the South Vietnamese army to an impossible deadline and redeployed our troops with the promise to return if the North violated the peace treaty. The North never honored the treaty. Our promises were not only never kept but funds to support the South Vietnamese army were cut in half leading directly to the fall of the country to its enemy. The diplomacy this group advocates only works with nations that want to come to an agreement. It only helps an enemy that is actively engaged in opposing us.

By pretending that Syria and Iran are not part of the problem the Iraq Study Group is fooling itself and endangering us all.


Political dishonesty says, DO NOT Let the Iraq Study Group’s Report Fool You!


Basil's Blog has morning tracks

Obsidian Wings has read the whole thing






politics, War on Terror, Democrats, Islamic fascists, Iraq

The Nativity Story Film

When I was young my impression of biblical characters was one of people who by their great virtue had earned the favor of God. As I grew older and read the scriptures for myself several times I began to realize that those people in the stories were just plain people who God used because they were willing to believe Him despite their flaws. So is the case in The Nativity Story.

Mary and Joseph are just two people in a poor village with plans of their own only to find that God calls on them to usher into this world his incarnation. Being a student of ancient history as well as biblical history I found the scenes and costumes to be well done. The characters were real in their insecurity over the reality of their situation and the story itself was in no way incompatible with the gospel accounts even though there was much more character development than one gets from just the new testament.

I was very pleased with the whole film. I am quite harsh in my judging of artistic license or as is the case in many films, convenient fantasy. Where previous films dealing with the birth of Jesus have been poorly produced or held so tight to the gospel accounts that the characters never seemed real, this film fleshed out the familiar story with artistry as well as accuracy. One of the devices used to symbolically depict the Holy Spirit was a flying hawk. It worked well in expressing the presence without intrusive lighting effects that have been used in the past.

Herod the great was a complex character in history. He built some amazing things and ruled under Rome's thumb skillfully. Palestine was a contentious place then as it has remained to this day. Herod's family life was as dysfunctional as his ruling of his kingdom was efficient. In this film his paranoia over the possible loss of his throne was the main focus of his character. When he tells his heir that he will stop at nothing to preserve it he reminds the young man he has already killed two sons and a wife for treason. All that is found in the history written for Rome by Josephus.

My wife predicted that it would be a film we would enjoy when she saw that is scored only a C+ from the critics.

I will definitely add this to my collection when it comes out in DVD.




THE CARNIVAL OF CINEMA EPISODE X: BLOGGERS UNITED at Nehring the Edge.






Christianity, Traditional values, Movie Review,

Arizona Hispanics Help Pass Anti Illegal Immigration Laws

Arizona voters passed all four of the anti illegal immigration propositions on the ballot in the last election.

Proposition 100 denies bail to illegal immigrants who commit a felony in Arizona; Proposition 102 denies punitive damages in lawsuits brought by illegal aliens against citizens; Proposition 103 makes English the official language of Arizona;...
Proposition 300 denies state tuition and childcare benefits to illegal immigrants

For those whose reason is not clouded by leftist nonsense these are measures that should not have required a ballot initiative. Common sense should be sufficient to inform our political leaders that a person who breaks the law to come into this country does not qualify for any of the benefits that citizens and legal aliens enjoy by right. One clue that this is a simple principle is the 40% support these propositions received from the Hispanic citizens of Arizona.

In several different surveys, pollsters found that many Hispanics in Arizona continued a trend of voting in favor of anti illegal immigration measures.

Rod Fernandez, 44, said he voted for all four of the anti-illegal immigration propositions partly because he deals every day with the headaches of illegal immigration....

... "I'm not against Hispanics from Mexico," he said. "I'm against them coming out here and getting all the benefits I have that I'm entitled to because I'm a taxpayer."

This simple logic is lost on the illegal immigration activists. They like to claim anyone wishing to see the law enforced to stop illegal immigration is anti immigrant, racist or nativist when in fact there is nothing incompatible with being opposed to illegal immigration and being in favor of immigration. They feel that anyone should be free to enjoy the benefits and privileges of America without restriction. I don't necessarily disagree except there is a process that is required to help screen out the scum and it needs to be adhered to. If they so admire the American way of life that they wish to see everyone free to enjoy it, perhaps they would better serve those they represent by bringing our system to the countries that people are fleeing fromto come here.








politics, immigration, Democrats, Mexico, Arizona