Positive news :
Illegal immigrant population drops in Va.
Virginia was one of only three states to see a significant drop in its illegal immigrant population from 2008 to 2009, but it still ranked 11th in number of illegal immigrants in the state — with Maryland just in front at 10th.
The number of illegal immigrants in Virginia dipped from an estimated 300,000 to 240,000, while Maryland’s held steady at 250,000, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Our economy is in the toilet, agreed? We have non-compliance with our laws and apathy for those poor immigrants (legal and illegal) who just want to bilk our system yet retain their cultures intact. Well, why the hell not? I have a solution for a win-win proposition that will cure all our current woes…….land annexation. It is very simple when you think about it.
First, we send a shrimp boat down to Cuba heading for Gitmo….the long way around. Since we have won the war in Iraq, we now have a plethora of military personnel that need something to do. When Cuban forces open fire on our shrimp boat (which will have some insignificant U.S. diplomat aboard), we can declare war on Cuba. We’ll use the prisoners at Gitmo for “bombing missions” at military installations on the island. Of course they will do this for us or face having to eat a pound of raw bacon (tape worms are a backup plan). Now we have a strategic island to park nukes on (nothing new, right?)
Next we send another insignificant diplomat into Mexico to flirt with, say, the President’s wife or some cartel’s squeeze. Once that fight ensues, we invade them. Now we have all the medical marijuana that California needs and they can get their sorry ass out of debt without us having to do a bailout. The money we confiscate from the cartels will pay off politicians here to vote the “conservative way” and reduce those losing expenditures we are feeling. Of course, all Ex-panics look alike so we can just continue conquering all the way down to the (and including) Panama Canal. Now that we got the Jimma project back in our ownership we can levy heavy tolls on the Chinese ships that are making their way to the left coast Wal-Marts. In no time at all, we will break even with the China debt and go into the black.
Next we take all the illegals and park them down in their respective (or possibly) new countries and fit them with explosive ankle bracelets. Around each respective country will be one of those invisible fences that zaps you when you get too close only this will have harsher repercussions. That will keep the little suckers where they belong. And we can take all the Sharia compliant people and park them down there also (plenty of desert) where they can practice their way of life without having to change ours.
Now we can call the place the United States of South America or maybe The United States of America Part Deux but I think giving it a military rank would be more appropriate: The United States of America-Second Class. We can make Joe Arpaio supreme ruler and dictator of this little nation. Their main resources will be agriculture (wheat for bread) and pigs (for boloney of course) to feed the masses. Well, maybe not the Sharia-ites but change or perish I always say.
No, I didn’t forget about Cuba. Those missiles? Just go ahead and slam America one more time. I dare you.
Did you miss me???? 
Monday and Tuesday are my last two days as a teacher. (They are teacher work days … getting grades in, graduation, getting signed out and other “end of year” work.) Friday was the last day with students. What I find both very touching, encouraging, and also at least a little sad is that I had about 20 students come up to me and hug me. There were students that I had ridden hard to improve their grades, and some that had needed encouragement to do their best, and some that showed what appreciation they could.
As the students left on the last day, I can remember feeling sad. While I am sure that what I go to will be rewarding, I also know that there is little chance of the same kind of reward … knowing that I made a difference in a young student’s life. The kids are wonderful, and I earnestly hope they have even better teachers next year.
You have had time. Are you ready or do I have to beat you up all over again? The days the government says to fly a flag are here but this does not include the Southern Independence holidays. Best to just fly the flag all the time and you won’t forget. You’ve been advised.
Did I get your attention? Do I really mean that? Well, in some instances I do. Joe and I were talking and came up with an added approach for this blog. It appears that although we get many good comments on the issues of the posts, we don’t really resolve anything. The idea is for YOU to have control and a say that MEANS something. The idea is a series entitled:
“HOW WOULD YOU DO IT?”
The object is to post on an issue that can be resolved with the input YOU give. You could post on singular things like how to prevent a BP spill from happening ever again or generalize it like containing environmental catastrophies. We have some exellent posters here and anyone can continue the series with any issue they feel. What makes it different is this: you may agree with the poster completely and you are heard. You may want to add something which gives you a louder voice. You may disagree with some parts or totally BUT don’t comment why it’s wrong, rather say you would exclude something to REPLACE it with something else. Your voice is heard loudly. I know, not everyone has the rights of posting but EVERYONE has the rights of commenting. We will post for you on the subjects you desire. You comment by telling us how you would do things.
The blog will continue with its teeth gnashing-finger biting-in your face liberal points of view to the many sound and intelligent posts here. This will be different because we DON”T WANT BLAME–WE WANT CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS. And I intend to get these posts sent to political bodies of every state and the U.S. so someone can use them. It just isn’t much fun when you shoot ducks in the barrel all the time. Instead we want people to have ideas to work things and change things. These won’t just be solutions for today and now but to prevent problems tomorrow. That’s the beauty of construtive solutions.
You can put your subject ideas here. We will use them to post. I am up to my behind in things but in 3 days I will be able to relax. I have the priveledge of writing the first in this series and I hope to have it to you by the beginning of next week. The style is easy. The concept is sound. The end results very beneficial. And every one of YOU has a say on how YOU would do it.
I just got back from a Cuccinelli volunteer thank you open house sponsered by our own Suzanne Volpe. I wish to thank Suzanne for graciously opening her house to us. It was a wonderful time.
It was attended by many; members of the LCRC, LC government, local election candidates, friends and volunteers. I won’t name the usual names but I will say that it was a “family” affair. I felt very welcome there. I know that it was created to show appreciation for the people who helped propel Ken Cuccinelli to the Va. AG position but I can honestly say that I wasn’t there for me. I went there for Ken and to tell him how much I appreciate who he is and all that he has done. There is so much more to do and he is not only up to the task but working the issues. You see, Ken is one of those people that ISN’T a politician but truly a servant of the people. I have known very few of this nature in my long life and I am proud to say Ken is one of them.
This man gave a speech (as was requested of him) to tell us what was happening and what he and his department were doing. Now I won’t use a gay line like I had a tingly feeling running up my leg but I will say that the man spoke without remorse for his actions and beliefs nor with pretense. He is both witty and savvy; logical and understanding; passionate as well as compassionate. And very caring. Ken is the real deal, make no mistake about that. What enamores me about Ken is that all I have seen and heard over his career is who he is and what he believes…..and what he believes is againest the grain for the most part. He is conservative and not ashamed by it. He understands that he can lose an election by the beliefs of his moral core yet he doesn’t nor won’t waver from them. THAT is a sign of true devotion towards serving the people. That is why I appreciate this man so much. He is a conservative first and warned us all that if the GOP doesn’t come back to its core conservative roots, there is a very good chance that we could lose this nation and its Constitution forever. I’m truly surprised after the spending, greed and some unscurrupulous acts of the most recent couple decades why the GOP hasn’t come “back to God” sort to speak.
I don’t get “politically connected” to politicians because I like being wallpaper. I’m not out to curry political favors nor have my picture taken for any purposes with elected officials nor try to wield any power of any sort from my associations. That ain’t me. I will give all I have to people I trust and believe in but I do it from the background. That is the only reason I showed up to this event. Not for what I did because I didn’t do anything. The man I helped to elect is doing it all for me for he is the one that takes both the praise and the heat. I can only respect that and say “Thank you, Ken, for who you are”.
by jacob
They are having a poll over at the Loudoun Times today. Who would YOU like to see voted out of office. Well. We all know the answer to that question. The biggest idiot in the history of Loudoun Politics: Stevens Miller
Follow the link here
http://www.loudouni.com/themes/people
And put your displeasure on record. Power to the people.
by Brian Withnell
One of the things that I find frustrating beyond belief is the way our local government works. The Board of Supervisors [BOS] sets the budget, and they allocate how the money is to be spent, all except for the single largest budget item. That seems foolish to me, in that we have a system where the BOS can only put a cap on spending, but not actually say how the money gets spent. I know that is how things work in Virginia … it is the School Board [SB] that sets how the money gets spent in the schools. But what you have because of that bifurcation is the setting of the tax rate by those that have very little control over how the money gets spent. Not smart.
If we (the citizens of Loudoun) want to really have an effect upon the spending in the county, what we will have to do is not just gripe at the BOS, but get actively involved in the process of the SB … with the real issues of how to tell our elected officials where they need to start saving money. It does NOT make sense to tell the BOS to stop raising taxes without telling the SB what they ought to be doing with the money, and how they should provide for the increased student population. The BOS has very little control over how the money is spent, and ultimately, it is the SB that controls the cost and quality of the education our children receive (at least those in public schools).
Want to control spending? Go to the place were the money is spent and start working at making the spending frugal.
While it is a little late now, it seem truly stupid the way we pay for schools … through bonds. That way we get to pay more than twice as much for building a school as what it costs on paper. What does a frugal person do to keep their spending down first? Pay cash for everything, and borrow only for those things that cost more than a years income. If I carried credit card debt, I’d never be able to live on my income. We no longer can afford to borrow money to pay for anything, and we better pay off the debts we owe if we really want to save money.
Much has been written and discussed these past several days regarding this weeks LCRC meeting. With that discussion, comes a fair amount of misinformation, spin and curiosity from those who were not there, as well as those who were there, yet lacking the required background information to put the events of that meeting in the proper context. My friend, colleague and current LCRC Chair Glen Caroline, having chaired this meeting, has authored the following fair and accurate summation of this event.
G.Stone
There has been much back and forth on numerous blogs concerning what I believe to be some unfortunate events that occurred at our Jan. 26 Loudoun County Republican Committee (LCRC) meeting. As LCRC Chair, allow me to offer some thoughts.
First, keep in mind, the story line out of the Loudoun County Republican Committee is a strong one. We thumped our opponents in last year’s elections, and swept every statewide race and House of Delegate race in, or encompassing parts of, Loudoun County. Our Jan. 26 meeting started off where it should have—focusing on our successes and recognizing some truly outstanding volunteers for their efforts. I thank all who were involved in our efforts last year and feel we are strongly positioned for future victory.
Unfortunately, some in attendance—some LCRC members, some non-members who held proxies, and even one who is seeking to succeed me as Chair—decided that, rather than helping to make a difference, they were going to try and make a point. Though, for the life of me and scores of others in attendance, I do not know what that point was.
I commend Mark Sell and the others who took hours of their time a year ago to review proposed revisions to our LCRC Bylaws. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our Committee’s control (weather, lack of super-quorum), our best attempts to vote on these revisions in 2009 did not materialize. I was very pleased walking into to our Jan. 26 meeting that we had sufficient attendance to finally vote on these revisions, and finish the hard work that Mark and the others on the sub-committee started.
When the time came to vote on these revisions, Mark Sell, offered an obscure motion to, rather than vote on the bylaws revisions he himself supported and help draft as a whole, vote on them section-by-section. Why a supporter of the changes who was integral in drafting them would call for such a motion, only Mark Sell knows. Clearly his motion was going to cause what could and should have been a three minute procedure, to devolve into a 90 minute procedure, replete with parliamentary torture, unnecessary roll call votes, and at times, less than courteous behavior.
I offered Mark the chance to withdraw his motion because I thought it appropriate to afford him that opportunity. He declined. Others offered Mark the opportunity to explain what his concerns were that led him to offer his motion how to proceed. He declined. Similarly, at a later time, I as Chair ruled a motion out of order, and was subjected to boos and catcalls. Those of you who know me know that I could not have cared less about such reactions, as my skin is very thick. However, for the sake of fairness, hearing that a few attendees disagreed with my ruling, I invited a motion to over-rule the Chair. The motion made and was voted down—as was virtually every other motion made by these same individuals, thus sustaining my original ruling by a majority of the body.
As we went through the bylaws, section-by-section, under the steady hand of our Parliamentarian John Millhiser (who, earlier and prior to Mark’s motion being made, had informed the Committee of the proposed revisions to the bylaws and their effect), the maker of the motion, Mark Sell, never once participated in the debate; the very debate he asked for. Numerous motions were made for division, requiring a count of the “yeas” and “nays” and on every occasion less one, I accommodated the request. While every one of the revisions to the bylaws passed by majority vote, two failed because they failed to achieve the required super-majority. Perhaps these two failed because some in attendance decided to leave once they began witnessing the time-consuming and arduous process that was afoot. Could that have been part of the strategy?
Dimitri Kesari, who is not an LCRC member, but held a valid proxy, was the primary architect calling for the numerous division votes. I have seen Dimitri at very few LCRC meetings, as again, he is not a current member. Nonetheless, he apparently chose to attend this meeting, to call for vote by division on nearly every vote pertaining to revisions of the bylaws that govern a Committee that he is not a member of.
As I noted earlier, not only was Mark Sell part of the sub-committee that reviewed and approved the revisions to our bylaws, but exactly two weeks earlier at our LCRC Executive Committee meeting at the Rust Library in Leesburg, I mentioned to the ExCom and to Mark that we would be voting to review the bylaws and asked him directly, as a member of the subcommittee responsible for the revisions, if he himself had or knew of any potential concerns with the proposed revisions to the bylaws. He answered he had not. Similarly, at multiple times during the previous year when I was hopeful the LCRC would have the opportunity to vote on the revisions to the bylaws, I asked Mark in person at our mutual place of employment that, if he had concerns, knew of concerns, or wanted to discuss these or similar matters, to simply let me know, so we could chat and address them in advance. He did not take me up on my offer.
As the LCRC Chair, above is the factual recount of what occurred at the Jan. 26 LCRC meeting with a bit of historical background. All I ask of those who were in attendance, or are inquiring as to what happened, is that you look at the facts, and draw your own conclusions as our Committee moves forward.
The only reason I recount this is because I and others are receiving numerous queries, every day from many, many attendees, who are concerned and very frustrated over the manner in which Mark Sell, Suzanne Volpe, and Dimitri Kesari chose to proceed, and who don’t fully understand what happened. The only reason I am specifically referencing certain names herein is because people are asking me who these individuals were.
As I have always tried to do in my near two years as LCRC Chair, my preference would have been not to have been forced to engage in this type of fruitless exercise and instead focus on areas of commonality and mutual goals. I did not seek, nor did I relish the manner in which this debate was conducted, and feel it was handled fairly and openly. For me and the LCRC, these issues are resolved and the matter is now closed, allowing us to continue our work moving forward to expand and grow our Republican base of support so we can continue to elect Republicans to office in Loudoun County.
I remain humbled and honored to be the LCRC Chair.
Glen Caroline
The school board doesn’t get it. The BOS doesn’t get it. The liberal spend all citizens don’t get it. Everyone is so worried that our “schools” will be inferior to everyone elses schools so we must spend more and have all the new gadgets, new architecture, new buses, new this and new that. Bullshit!
To all of you lame ass empty headed people out there that subscribe to this tripe I’ll tell you what. If YOU want it then YOU pay for it. You need 3 things for a good education and take one away and you have nothing.
First you need a good teacher wanting..no..passionate about teaching.
Second you need nothing but the truth in subject matter.
Third, and most important, you need a WILLING and RECEPTIVE mind.
With those 3 things you could hold class in a barn, a hospital, an old football stadium or even out in the woods. It ain’t the building or the environment. And if you really want to learn or as parents have your kids educated well, you don’t worry about the transportation issue. Good golly, get a grip!
Think of it this way. Imagine being able to go to trade school FREE with the promise that you could get any job you wanted. No sports schlorships with a risky chance of making it to the big shows. A real career that would be both satisfying and rewarding. Wouldn’t you do whatever it took to make that happen? Then make it happen. We do need common laborers in this country and an education is not necessary. Cut funding, re-use existing buildings standing vacant, pay teachers who want to teach MORE and grade them yearly on their students achievements, and parents; teach your children responsibility. The real world is out there and if they don’t do it on their own, I sure as hell don’t want to do it for them!
End sermon.
Loudoun County Public Schools is asking the community to fill out a survey seeking input on a new academy program in 2011. LCPS has desired an advanced technology academy for years now, but it continues to get pushed back in the Capital Improvement Program, mostly because of the huge price tag. According to the CIP, the academy facility will cost a whopping $95.6 million to build and furnish, with the annual operating impact (operations, maintenance, and debt service) starting at $13.4 million in the first year. Think your tax bills are high now?
The Loudoun County fiscal picture is so dire that no new capital projects were appropriated in the FY 2010 budget. Many new school projects had to be deferred. The county is close to exceeding its debt cap (thanks in part to the $240 million being paid for its share of the Dulles Rail Project), which would push bond interest rates higher that would have to be paid for with a property tax hike.
LCPS already faces enormous new expenses with the opening of Tuscarora and Woodgrove high schools in 2010, followed by HS-7 in 2012. The total annual operating impact for Tuscarora alone, according to the FY 2008 CIP, is $33 million per year, which means these new schools will add another $100 million to the current budget.
The Advanced Technology Academy is not a necessity because Loudoun students can attend a similar program at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County for a tuition that is about the same as what LCPS would spend to educate them here. The academy is clearly a “want”, not a “need”. There are many other higher priority projects waiting to be funded. The county does not have the financial resources to fund an elite academy anytime in the foreseeable future. It is fiscal insanity to even consider such a costly program.
The survey on the LCPS web site is open to all county residents, whether you have school-age children or not. All Loudouners are encouraged to voice their opinions, as any new program will have a significant impact on their already crushing tax burden.
Delegate Tom Rust has arranged for a Town Hall Meeting to discuss Gang Violence in Sterling . Our local elected officials need to hear from all of us concerned about conditions in our communities brought about by the presence of Gangs and those Illegal Migrants engaged in unlawful activities.
Please make some time to attend this important event.
(Sterling, VA) — Delegate Tom Rust announced a Town Hall Meeting on Gang Violence to be held in Sterling. Rust will be joined by Congressman Frank Wolf, Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York and Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio in discussing state, local and federal efforts to combat gang violence.
“After speaking with many residents of Sterling, it is clear that people would like more information about what steps have been taken to stop criminal gangs,” said Rust. ”I hope this will serve as an opportunity for the public to find out more about the steps their government is taking to combat gang violence, and to give their representatives feedback. I am especially appreciative of Congressman Wolf, Chairman York and Supervisor Delgaudio for participating in this meeting.”
WHO: Congressman Frank Wolf, Delegate Tom Rust, Chairman Scott York, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio
WHAT: Sterling Town Hall Meeting on Gang Violence
WHEN: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Park View High School Auditorium
400 W Laurel Avenue
Sterling, VA 20164
WHY: Community Meeting
For more information, please call (703) 437-9400 or email trust@tomrust.org.
The LNA garners more attention in the local media this week – and we have had some very positive signs with new people signing on to the Agreement. Hopefully we will have the whole site translated into Spanish before long. I think this bipartisan effort could turn out to do some real good in eastern Loudoun.
Story in Leesburg Today/Ashburn Today.
Letter to the editor printed in Leesburg Today/Ashburn Today and also the Easterner.
Thanks to everyone who is getting involved. There is a time when it’s appropriate to leave the big picture aside and focus on what is happening around us everyday, since that is where we all live.
The Loudoun Neighborhood Agreement is a new joint project with my friends Ben Kelahan and Ricardo Cabellos. Both have impressive resumes as advocates for causes such as day laborer centers in Virginia. As a general rule, this places them both at the “Redskin Fan” level of people I am inclined to associate with. However since Ricardo’s parents had the integrity to name him after our 37th President, Ricardo Nixon, I agreed to get involved.
All joshing aside, the project came about when Ben, Ricardo and I were talking and realized that despite being on the opposite side of some big issues – such as illegal immigration – we shared similar views on smaller issues such as how we want our families to feel safe at home. From that common ground, we were able to expand to larger areas of common ground until we believed we had a sphere of agreement worth serious consideration.
Long story short, we agreed on a lot, and that is the basis of the LNA.
If I had to explain it in a paragraph I would say: My greatest concern as an advocate of immigration enforcement is the effect illegal immigration has in my neighborhood. And the factors in my neighborhood that concern me are chiefly the people who break the rules and make things worse for everyone. Yes, I care about the macro picture, I care about what is happening to our schools and the whole illegal employment mess – but in the end it’s the neighborhood issues that energize me to go door to door. If a person or family happens to be here illegally, but plays by the same rules as I do – maintains their property ok, does not turn it into a boarding house or heavy construction equipment lot, are not doing anything criminal – I will not take time out of my life to give them trouble. If we agree on having a safe, clean neighborhood, I consider them compatriots. I also have a lot of sympathy for people who are not illegal in any sense, but by virtue of their ethnicity feel lumped in with troublemakers. One thing that gratified me about the group when I was involved with Help Save Loudoun was we never allowed our message to demonize anyone because of their ethnicity, but the nature of the beast is the entire illegal immigration debate made people from Spanish-speaking countries feel put on the defensive. That is a big problem because in my neighborhood there are plenty of people of different nationalities who have the exact same standards as I do. We who care about neighborhood standards are walking past an open window if we do not make an effort to find common ground with our neighbors of all ethnicities.
The core of the LNA project is improved communication within our neighborhoods. I think just about everyone who lives in eastern Loudoun will agree that there is a huge open window. When a family of a different ethnic background moves in, is there open communication? Is it possible that no one ever told the person who owns the house that subdividing rooms and renting floor space by the month would evoke scorn and investigations? Yeah, I fully realize we have some really bad actors who flagrantly disobey the law, but I also think some people don’t know any better. If we could ameliorate the problem among the latter group, then the former would be easier to identify and possibly the feckless Loudoun County Zoning Administration authorities would have a better chance to actually do their job, as result of a smaller investigation workload.
In any case, with better communication within our neighborhoods, more residents would know the rules and it would be much harder for the Zoning Administration to continue to allow people to break them.
There is continued need to watch the illegal migration phenomenon and oppose what it is doing to our country. I will continue to do so. But as evidenced by the lack of concern over the Obama administration’s insane budget plans, macroeconomic idiocy takes a LOOONG time to translate into anything the average American cares about. Thus, Duncan Hunter’s one percent of the vote in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries.
In the short term, at the micro level, there are things we can fix, and by dropping the “immigration” issue altogether the Loudoun Neighborhood Agreement shifts focus 180 degrees by asking the question: Immigration status aside, what sort of neighborhoods do we want to live in?
I think it is safe to say that plenty of us would be on the same page, and could accomplish good things, if we would just make the effort to talk to each other.
UPDATE: Linked by Living in LoCo - thanks, Erica!
According to the Loudoun Independent, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has made arrests in the murder of a local couple which occurred several weeks ago. There will be a news conference today at 2:00 pm.
I will be out of the house for a while but if I hear anything I will send Twitter updates (bottom right hand column here).
UPDATE:
Loudoun Independent has the best local coverage today.
Here is the Channel 7 report.
Downside is now everyone knows about the other wife I’ve been keeping over in Lansdowne.
UPDATE II: NBC 4 coverage. Stone is a lot more lucid than I in this one.
View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.
