novatownhall blog

To all of my conservative and libertarian friends who for various reasons are sitting on their hands this presidential election, I have a couple questions. What is the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your minds?

For all of you who for whatever reason have decided to sit back and watch Rome burn due to some misguided sense of principle, I am calling you out. I am loudly screaming at the top of my lungs, get your head out of your ass and get in the game before this country we all love is damaged so badly it is irreparable. Yes, I have heard all of the objections about standing on principle. I have heard every one of them, so save it! Based on whom our opposition is, and the direction they want move this country, these objections are naïve, foolish and flat out dangerous to America’s survival.

Read me loud and clear. Your cavalier attitude towards this Presidential election and this Republican candidate, Gov Romney, plants you squarely amongst those who are aiding and abetting the worst President in American history. Choosing to sit on the sidelines, keeping your time, energy, talents and money in your hip pocket for another day because you deem this candidate imperfect is just stupid. That’s right, I said it, you are being stupid! Liberals are inherently stupid, they can’t help it. You, on the other hand, are supposed to be smarter than this. You are supposed to be able to see the big picture. You are supposed to be able to recognize when our way of life, our freedoms, our very liberty and existence are under assault by a full fledged leftist. You are supposed to get it. So, I ask again, what the hell is wrong with you?

America might not survive another four years of Barack Obama. The American system may be damaged to such an extent that there is no turning back. This crew, this group, this movement HAS to be dispatched to the ash heap of history, so the repair process can begin. That will not happen without your active participation.

If conservatives like Gov. Scott Walker, Virginia’s own Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and our Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan are out fighting for this ticket, then you can put your objections aside for the good of the country, get off your dead asses and fight.

Have a wonderful day.
G.Stone.

Our friend from Ashburn Ed Kravitz, is again asking for our help in defeating the cash sucking black hole Metro Silver Line.

We should thank Ed for staying in the fight despite being outspent  by the special interests trying to foist this overpriced, ineffective and rejected transportation project on Loudoun County. It is good to know someone else cares about fiscal responsibility and the truth. It warms my heart to know there is someone in Ashburn who passed 10th grade economics. Hope.

Thank you Ed.

G.

Ed’s email:

Fellow Conservatives:
 
Many of you are very angered today by the Supreme Courts ruling upholding Obamacare, I am as well.  So lets stop government wasteful spending right here, right now ! No matter where wasteful spending generates from, Leesburg, Richmond, or Washington, it must be defeated !

The Obamacare decision is a smack-in-the-face reminder that we need to be ever diligent in selecting those who represent us, and voicing our opinion on issues that matter to you and your family. Obamacare pushed by the left in Washington,or wasteful transportation projects promoted by crony capitalists in Loudoun County, the results are the same, liberty lost and your money wasted.

Maybe we should adopt the slogan from those crazy environmentalists: “Think Global, Act Local.”
 
 This Friday or next Tuesday our own Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will vote on this biggest financial boondoggle in the history of this county, Metro to Loudoun!  It looks like the Developers,Democrats and their political allies looking to feather some nests have the votes, but we are still unsure about where Supervisors Ken Reid and Suzanne Volpe are on the proposal. They both seem to  be playing both sides of the issue. However, the Developers and their free spending allies claim to have them both in the bag!  This concerns me.

If you are as concerned as I am and furious about the take- over of big government and unnecessary spending at all levels of , then make your views known today! There is no time to waste.
 
Call, Email and Fax these two Supervisors. Tell them NO TO METRO !

Email Supervisor Ken Reid- Ken.Reid@Loudoun.Gov
 
Email Supervisor Volpe- Suzanne.Volpe@Loudoun.Gov
 
Board of Supervisors Phone- 703-777-0204  Fax- 703-777-0421
 
Your fiscally conservative friend,
 
Ed Kravitz
 p.s. Go down the basement and grab your Gadsten Flag, we have work to do.

I received the following email this morning from a concerned fiscal conservative, Mr. Ed Kravitz of Ashburn. Ed is not at all happy with the less than forthright job his Supervisor Ralph Buona is doing in providing objective information to the citizens of Ashburn regarding the Metro Silver Line to Loudoun. Like me, Ed believes Metro to Loudoun is being pushed by a narrow band of special interests, and their allies in both political parties. It would appear that those who ran as fiscal conservatives were not at all different than their opposition, at least on the subject of spending millions on Metro. Millions for a project that by MWAA’s own study does nothing to ease traffic on Loudouns roads.

Ed’s email :

Taxpayers of Loudoun County, you are being Hoodwinked into believing Metro to Loudoun will do anything to alleviate traffic and gridlock.
 
This from Supervisor Ken Reid’s newsletter:
 
“During the Board’s review of Dulles Rail — which was allowed under a 2007 agreement with Fairfax County and the Metro Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) we discovered documentation in the projects required Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) showing that the Silver Line to Routes 606 and 772 in Loudoun will not alleviate traffic congestion on our major commuter roads.”
“I-66, Rt. 50, the Greenway, and the Dulles Toll Road will all remain at service F (Severely congested, gridlock) with or without Phase II! Unfortunately, only a small percentage of Loudoun Commuters are projected to use the Metro for commuting.”
 
You will spend millions annually to fund a transportation project that was rejected by the Federal Government as a transportation project and for good reason, it provides little or no relief to Loudoun County commuters, it will do nothing to take cars off our roads.
 
What a waste of your money !
 
Regards
 
Your fiscally conservative friend.

Ed Kravitz

Supervisor Volpe:
 
I received some very disturbing news over the last few days regarding your changed position on the upcoming Metro Rail vote. Let me begin by saying, I am very disappointed. Those for whom I have been in contact are extremely disappointed. The list of the disappointed is large, and growing by the hour to include the entire LCRC leadership team ,a majority of LCRC members, our new 10th District Chairman, and most conservative activist drawing breath in Loudoun County.
 
The evolution of your position in favor of Metro to Loudoun is in no way keeping with your proclaimed  fiscal conservatism, and is an abandonment of the core principles for which you were elected. Changing your position based on the false pretense that Scott York and his coalition of developers and business interests can provide for Metro to Loudoun with no new taxes for YOUR district or any other such plan, is both an economic and political mistake.
 
I watched the entire Dulles Rail Work session of June 06 the other day via archived webcast. The premise that the county can move forward voting yes to Metro under some loosely agreed upon framework developed after the vote to opt-in is simply not acceptable. No conservative in their right mind would sign onto a project with the issue of financing being left to future non binding discussions,  not to mention how MWAA and WMATA will effect that process. This is a formula for disaster. This is much the same process that was used to formulate what we now know as ObamaCare.
 
 It would appear  that some of your colleagues on the board are working in concert with a lobbyist paid for by a  local developer in an attempt  to  promise and cajole you into voting yes for Metro. First, their promises of no tax increase for YOUR district can not be delivered.  As you know, this board can not bind the next board from doing whatever they want in the way of a tax increases for Metro, or anything else for that matter. Secondly, and I hope you realize, these same developers and their allies will throw you under the bus the second another candidate from either party comes along that better suits their needs at the time. They did not get you elected, your base did. They did not do the hard work to move you into this important position, the LCRC and its coalitions did. Our current Attorney General, and conservative leader Ken Cuccinelli provided the support and political capitol that elevated your campaign. The conservative activists in Loudoun did the grass roots work to advance your cause. The same conservative and party activists who are not at all happy with your change in direction. 
 
Further, let me add that I have great concern about the ability of some of your colleagues to understand and manage this process. Supervisor Letourneau for instance, can’t seem to discern the difference between a public in-put session and a ballot referendum. These are the architects of the process being promised you. This should concern all given the nature and the weight of the issue at hand. We are talking about taking on obligations in the Billions of dollars, for as far as the eye can see. This is the biggest issue to be before this Board of Supervisors for some time..

 
There are three conservative political leaders very much in the news since the Obama administration was foisted upon the American people, Virginia’s Attorney General and our mutual friend Ken Cuccinelli, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. These three men have in their DNA traits the American people are yearning for, core political beliefs shared by a majority of Americans coupled with an inner strength that provides them the ability to do the right thing in the face of heavy opposition or criticism. These are principled men who don’t waffle, don’t trade away core convictions for political expediency, and most important have a deep belief that what they are doing is right for the American people.
 
I don’t know Rep. Ryan or Gov Walker, although I admire both men.  General Cuccinelli is a friend, and I suggest a mentor to both of us. I admire Ken immensely. It is my want that Ken be elected our next Governor, and I am dedicated to helping make that happen. If we as conservatives are going to be the ones to rescue the nation, our work must start at home, our efforts must begin in our counties , towns, cities, and states. In order to make that happen, those principled leaders such as  Ken Cuccinelli need to be provided the opportunities to exhibit the leadership America craves, wants and needs. This means providing support for that person and their stated positions that embody our mutual beliefs. We can not cut the legs out from under our leaders by going along with policies we know to be wrong, simply because political pressure becomes too much to bare. The future pain will far exceed that presently being felt.
 
I want you to review THIS video as a reminder that our Attorney General had very high hopes for you as an elected official. Pay very close attention to his opening remarks in that he captures all I have been trying to convey to you here, but in a far more elegant manner.

Dear Member of the Board:
 
Please find attached letters from Congressman Frank Wolf outlining his concerns as to the egregious behavior and practices currently being engaged  in by MWAA. The concerns expressed, are in response to the systemic mismanagement and potential corruption engaged in by this organization.
 
With this in mind, it is clear that Loudoun County can not join into a regional partnership with this organization for the purposes of bringing Metro into Loudoun County beyond Dulles Airport. Therefore, the only sensible way moving forward, is for Loudoun County to Opt-out, allowing the project to terminate at the Airport. This will enable Loudoun to manage its involvement with MWAA and Metro, with minimal capitol outlay, while still providing for access to rail service from  Dulles Airport.
 
Congressman Wolf has provided the off ramp needed to you as a member of the board to Opt-Out. His release of these letters is both a public policy and political lifeline, providing the cover required, to distance yourself from this poorly planned and troublesome project, while crafting a positive and sensible solution.
When you find yourself standing at the bottom of a hole, knee deep in muck, and someone lowers you a rope, climb out.

Opting -Out is a win win for Loudoun County.

The Velvet Turd feels good, but it Stinks. The same can be said about Metro to Loudoun County, it feels good, but the more you hold it, the more it stinks. Sorry lovers of the Choo-Choo, and those interested in promoting feel good projects that poll well knowing full well their popularity is based on bad information and faulty assumptions, but this thing stinks. Put it down and walk away or your hands are going to smell like …… for a very long time.

Metro Phase 2 to Dulles and its 2.5 mile jaunt into Loudoun County is unraveling as we speak. This is a good thing. Let us hope that as a result of the poor planning of the project and its financing that those interested in crafting a rational and affordable fix can get engaged and reconfigure the projects lay-out and its costs. As presently configured, this project with its subsequent long term costs and debt, are a losing proposition for Loudoun County taxpayers.

The 2.5 mile section of this project projecting into Asburn is the portion of this project that simply has to go. This portion of the proposed route is not a transportation project, it is a huge land deal that tethers Loudoun County taxpayers to Metro and MWAA for the rest of our lives at the behest of a select few landowners and developers who stand to profit in a big way. They make millions we get the bill. They get to profit from development directly adjacent to the proposed stations, we the tax payers get to fund not only the rail project, but the surrounding infrastructure that feeds the development. BTW, those of you in the west get to pay huge tolls for the privledge of driving to these end of the line stations to park and hop on the Choo-Choo. Just this week Supervisor Buona admitted that tax increases will be required in order to construct and maintain Metro. No kidding, this is a large part of the opposition to Metro 2.

If the Obama administration were to design and implement this scheme as a part of some Stimulus Package, or other such Federal Mandate, Republicans of all stripes would be screaming at the top of their collective lungs-Crony Capitalism ! However, when the local Republican leaders join the big spending Democrats in Richmond, the  Public Sector Unions, and the Editorial Board of the Washington Post,  all we get is crickets. Those same supposed fiscal conservatives who would tear into Barack Obama like a free lunch, have all of a sudden lost their voices.

Those trying to ram this project through like Nancy Pelosi at midnight, based on the Choo-Choo as the tool of economic development for Loudoun, should give it a rest. Please don’t urinate on my leg and tell me it’s raining. Does anyone think that Tysons Corner, Reston or Herndon is lacking developement? Tysons Corner has more office and retail space than the entire city of Miami. All of this happened without rail service. Metro into Ashburn is not the magic solution to Loudoun’s development imbalance.

One has to ask the question, if Metro Phase 2 is such a great idea, why aren’t the feds kicking in funding for the project? They helped fund Phase 1. Well, it turns out, that this phase of the Silver Line does not meet the federal guidlines for a transportation rail project deserving of federal funding. That’s right, even the inept Obama administration, a group that can not walk past a rat hole without filling it up with cash, will not fund this sorry excuse for a transportation project. It would appear the gang who failed 10th grade economics because they were in the parking lot listening to Jefferson Airplane while doing bong hits have come to the conclusion that even they can’t in good conscience, fund this land deal. Which leads to my second question. If these goof balls figured it out, why can’t 9 Republican Supervisors do the same? BTW, I am not going to let the Obama Administration off the hook entirely, they did dispatch Ray LaHood to broker a deal and convince the stakeholders to flush more of their own cash down the Metro 2 rat hole. Thanks Ray, but please stay in Washington and assist your boss in the destruction of the rest of the country, we here in NOVA are perfectly capable of screwing this up all by ourselves.

Don’t let them tell you that if Loudoun Opts Out, Metro Rail to Dulles won’t happen. Metro to Dulles Airport is going to happen come hell or high water. This is all the more reason for Loudoun to Opt-Out and spend our tax dollars on projects that actually effect transportation in a meaningful way.