Virginia GOP Down in Flames

By Floyd Bayne

May I speak frankly? I mean very, very frankly? Of course I may, this is my page. Get ready.
Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party and am not advocating for any particular party. My statements are based on my desire to live the vision of our Founding Fathers, as a free man, in a free country. A man who can exercise his freedom in any manner he chooses, as long as he harms no others and does not infringe on their rights. A man who believes that the fruits of his labor are his and his alone. Not the governments or any other person or group of people. A man who recognizes and is willing to accept the consequences of his actions. A man who cares not what party you claim to represent, but cares what your principles are and how you reference free men their rights.
 
That said, let's begin.
 
Tonight's results will have Republicans once again pointing fingers at any and everyone seeking to lay blame for another astounding defeat. You have to wonder how a party with a creed that spells out freedom and fiscal responsibility can be so far from actually implementing those things. You voted for Trump, even though he is not a true Republican, because he was not part of "the swamp." He was an "outsider" who was going to be a breath of fresh air in politics. But in all other elections, you keep voting for more swamp monsters. You offer up shit for candidates and then wonder, seriously wonder, why no one wants to go vote for them.
 
Let's wait until the numbers are all in and see how many R's did not vote this time. When you see that the number is high then you have to ask yourself, "Why?" If this race was so important and if there was such a stark and obvious difference between the candidates, why did so many R's stay at home? But you won't ask and you won't look into it, because you don't really want to know the answer. You are afraid you won't like what you see, what you have to admit to yourself, what you must come to grips with. Introspection and self-analysis are not easy, but if you hope to make real, effective changes it is necessary.
   
And Lord help the man or woman who suggests that you might want to look at other choices (Libertarians or Independents) who are concerned more with the Constitution and freedom than they are about a political party. You get angry with them, you challenge their patriotism, you call them names, you even question their sanity. You question THEIR sanity, when it is you who keeps DOING THE SAME THING ELECTION AFTER ELECTION and getting the same shit for results.
 
Republican voters, it is time, if it ever was time, to start looking elsewhere. I mean seriously, for the love of sanity, what is it going to take to wake you up?! Don't you dare talk to me about continuing to "work from the inside" and "getting involved" in the process, while you keep offering up the same milquetoast, spineless, feckless, lying, party hacks every election. State or federal, when Republicans are in charge have you seen government get any smaller? Have you seen government spending less money? Have you seen government giving up any of its power over your life? GET A CLUE!

As for the Democrats among us - They will be celebrating tonight. They can now poke Republicans on FaceBook and in chatrooms and in street demonstrations and say, "SEE! We won! Our party won!" Yes, a party won. A political entity whose primary goal is the acquisition of more power and money (As they both are) has won and you get to gloat for four years. But freedom has not won. Personal liberty has not won. Democrats are just as myopic, partisan, and incapable of thinking things through as their Republican counterparts. They care only about their party and being able to wag a finger at the loser and yell "neener neener neener," like a six-year old on the playground.

At no point do any Democrats look around them and ask, "Why hasn't any of this worked before now?" They don't want to contemplate how all the $Billions of dollars taken from working Americans over the years and given to "the poor" has not done thing one to eradicate poverty or bring people out of the ghetto and into the suburbs. If they think about it at all it is only to tell us that "we just haven't spent enough money yet." More laws to create "equality" has only served to drive more wedges between us. More money spent on "fighting poverty" sees the same percentage of blacks in this country STILL living in poverty as they were fifty-years ago. More money, more laws That's the answer. And so, in Virginia, we'll see four more years of that sort of thinking trying to be implemented, and people will not be brought out of poverty, equality will not be achieved as a result of government efforts, and we will be less, not more, free.

So, you party faithful just keep doing what you're doing, keep on beating up on each other and leaving the rest of us to deal with the fallout, keep on extolling the virtues of your party, while freedom, both personal and economic, continues to fade away. After all, it's not about the state or the country, it's about your party. Right?

Genius of our local government officials raising taxes (on our food)

Ah, the genius of our local government officials. They seem to have learned nothing from history. Chesterfield and Henrico Counties wish to implement a "meals tax." Ostensibly this is to make up for revenue shortfalls in other areas and to help pay for schools. It's always about the children, isn't it? Of course we are told that if this tax is not implemented that the real estate tax or some other tax will necessarily have to be increased. As with the federal and state governments at NO TIME IS CUTTING SPENDING EVEN MENTIONED! No, we cannot possibly find ways to cut government spending or weed out inefficiency, that would require too much actual work on someones part. Just as the state, thank you Republican governor Bob McDonnell, had to increase our taxes to pay for roads. This, even though we already have taxes in place for that purpose and those funds are to be used specifically for roads. Yet, once again, there was no money in the fund, so we had to raise taxes. But back to the meals tax. OK, you super-geniuses you, see if this makes sense to you: The tax is implemented and the cost is passed on to the consumer (Just study economics 101 for a brief while and you'll understand). Because jobs and money are tight right now disposable income is at a premium. People decide to stop eating out at local restaurants as often as before. This means the restaurant's business suffers. They do not bring in as much money, thus the taxes our elected representatives hoped to raise are far less than expected. Because business is slow the restaurants have to lay people off, as they are unable to meet their overhead, which includes salaries and benefits. These laid off workers now must either a) find a new job in a poor job market or b) go on the government dole. If they choose B guess who pays for that. Guess what is going to have to happen to bring in the money to pay for the "benefits" for these new welfare recipients. That's right - Another new tax increase! Of course we could always borrow the money from China or just print up some more. What a bunch of incompetent, bungling, non-thinking imbeciles!

Tell your legislators to vote NO on Virginia HB 2313 Tax Hike Bill

Virginia has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

The 109-page conference report on HB 2313 wasn't released to legislators until last evening and we are told it's even worse than we originally thought.

  

Delegate Ben Cline called it a "Frankenstein Monster" of a bill.  

HB2313 raises the state sales tax, regional sales tax, vehicle and tangible personal property taxes, vending machine tax, heavy equipment tax, recordation tax on commercial, industrial and residential real property sales, hotel tax, hybrid vehicle tax, and diesel fuel tax.

They call this a transportation bill but not all of the raised revenues will go to roads. Much of it will go to Metro and some to the General Fund.

To make matters worse, the NEW Regional Transportation Funding Authorities, an unelected governing board, in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads will decide how the transportation funding is spent. If they get it wrong, they are not vulnerable to the electorate.

The vote on HB 2313 will be today, despite the fact that few will have been able to read the Conference Report.

Please contact your legislators and tell them to vote "no" to the HB2313 conference report.

Tell them an increase in taxes will further weaken the economy.

Tell them they need to cut spending, not raise taxes.

Please contact your legislators without delay and demand that they vote "NO" to the HB2313 conference report.

Yours in liberty,

Donna Holt

Executive Director

Virginia Campaign for Liberty

Please urge Governor McDonnell to keep his promise and reject any legislation that seeks to accommodate “Obamanocare.”

Passing on a message from Bob Marshall to Virginians to message Bob McDonnell

Dear Fellow Virginians,

Please urge Governor McDonnell to keep his promise and reject any legislation that seeks to accommodate “Obamanocare.”  The “Affordable Care Act” does not require States to run their own Health Care Exchanges.  At least 26 states have refused to set up exchanges which are website marketplaces of health insurance plans meeting federal criteria. (Google: “Virginia Health Care Exchange.” Several private marketplaces already operate).

If states refuse to set up their own exchanges, it will probably take longer for the federal government to deform healthcare and perhaps postpone enforcement of mandates requiring abortion pills and “medical” inquiries regarding which homes have guns.

In 2010, Governor McDonnell’s Secretary of Health set up a Commission to study health care “reform” with a $1 Million grant.  I asked Secretary Hazel why Virginia was proceeding with government-run health care while we were challenging the law in federal court.  I was told Virginia must be “prepared.”

Governor McDonnell has publicly stated he would not set up a Virginia exchange. Now he appears willing to sign bills which authorize state involvement while purporting to provide state “oversight” of a federal exchange. In reality the bills commit Virginia resources, including personnel from several state agencies, claiming (without guaranty) that Virginia will be reimbursed by the federal government (still our tax money).  If this is not a state insurance exchange then what is it?

Instead of Virginia exercising its right to refuse to set up a state exchange as other states are doing, Virginia will use its authority, resources and personnel to grease the Obamanocare skids and objectionable mandates.

Several bills have already passed the General Assembly. Senate Bill 922, introduced February 11, 2013, passed the House of Delegates.  It states in part:

Section 32.1-16 (b): “The Department shall be compensated for expenses incurred in providing such services. “   Does this mean compensation by state agencies or Washington?  In either case, it involves additional tax money.

Section 38.2-326 (A)(i) states in part: “full funding is available.”  Funding from where?

Section 38.2-326 (A) (ii) states in part:  “technology infrastructure, including integration with federal, state, and other necessary entities, is made available to the commission by or through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources…”  Will funding come from the feds or the state? What are the costs? Understand that “made available,” does not mean “provided free of charge.”  If the feds “provide,” what will they charge Virginia taxpayers?

Section 38.2-326 (B) states in part:  “the Commission may contract with and enter into a memoranda of understanding to carry out its plan management functions with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other state or federal agency…”   A MOU with another state agency simply would obligate more Virginia tax money and resources from the other state agency to pay for costs associated with the plan.

Section 38.2-326 (C) states in part: “the Commission’s obligation to perform plan management functions described in subsection A is contingent upon receiving federal funding sufficient to pay the operating expenses necessary to carry out the plan management of functions.  The Commission shall seek full reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for such expenses.  “Seeking full reimbursement does not mean obtaining full reimbursement.   Without wording which states, “The SCC shall not perform plan management functions unless all Virginia expenses are paid in full by the Federal government” this section does not assure plan management functions will be paid for by the feds (still our money).   Even if the Commission has no obligation to perform plan management functions, there is no prohibition on their performing plan functions.

Section 32.2-326 (E) states in part that “Technology resources provided by the Commission in carrying out the plan management functions shall be limited to existing commission technology support functions…” How much will this cost Virginia taxpayers?

Section 32.2-326 (F) states in part that “The Commission shall make available to the public on its website a written report on the implementation and performance of its plan management functions during the preceding  fiscal year, including, at a minimum, the manner in which all funds utilized for its plan management functions were expended.”   How much will this cost the State to carry out this function? How many state employees will be needed? Will others need to be hired?

If you do not want Virginia to speed up compliance with “Obamanocare” please call (804) 786-2211 or email the Governor here: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/aboutthegovernor/contactgovernor.cfm

Ask him to veto any legislation that accommodates “Obamanocare.”

Thank you for your help!



P.S. I thank Dr. Mark Berg for his help and insights on this bill.

High Speed Rail Public Meeting for Chesterfield County, Virginia

Is this good for Chesterfield Citizens? Or will this make property taxes go up for surrounding neighborhoods and businesses and force people to give up their houses at rock bottom rates in the name of Public Domain?

Time: February 26, 2013 from 5pm to 8pm

Location: Chesterfield Public Safety Training Center

Street: 6610 Public Safety Rd

City/Town: Chesterfield

(Map with directions from your house)

Website: www.sehsr.org

Event Type: Public Meeting

Organized By: Southside High Speed Rail