Democrat-controlled Senate okays gas tax increase

That was the headline in today's Richmond Times-Dispatch. As you likely have read in various news reports, the Democratic-led Senate of Virginia made their views on gas prices loud and clear yesterday: "You're not paying enough."

Legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax) proposes to:

1. Hike gas taxes 6-cents per gallon statewide;
2. A 5% increase statewide in the sales tax;
3. Increases the sales tax on new car purchases.

That's not all! Saslaw's bill also includes additional tax hikes on hardworking Northern Virginia families -- including even higher sales taxes and increasing the taxes for the privilege to sell your home (we aren't making this stuff up). It is worth noting that this NoVA sales tax hike is the very same one voters rejected in referendums in 2002 by a strong 55-45% vote.

First, you have Governor Tim Kaine traveling the Commonwealth attempting to sell the citizens of Virginia on his $1.1 billion tax increase plan, and now you have the Senate Democratic leader upping the ante.

But wait... what ever happened to the Governor's plan? Here's what the Washington Post had to say:

"After a day of fierce partisanship and escalating rhetoric, Senate Democrats ignored a proposal by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), approving a plan that would raise the gas tax over the next six years, increase the statewide sales tax by 0.25 percent and boost the tax on vehicle purchases by 0.5 percent."

With the Governor's mansion and Senate both controlled by Democrats, one would think that they could come together and unify behind some sort of plan to address Virginia's transportation challenges. Guess not.

Democrats have little to offer other than the same tired approach of calling for more of your hard-earned money every time government faces a challenge. Raising taxes is the only solution Democrats seem to ever have.

I wonder if Virginia taxpayers can go to their bosses every time they face tight times? Probably not.

Democrats just don't get it.

At a time when Virginians all across the Commonwealth are paying record, wallet-flattening prices at the gas pump, higher food prices, and also trying to negotiate the uncertainty of an economic slowdown, Democrats in Richmond want you to cut your family budget because government refuses to better prioritize it's budget.

The good news is that your General Assembly Republicans are united in opposing these taxes. Not a single Republican Senator supported the Democrat's tax-and-spend plan.

Most people in Virginia believe that when your state budget doubles in 10 years, there are opportunities to find efficiencies and innovations that can make government serve the people’s needs without always resorting to higher taxes as a solution -- and this is exactly what Republicans in Richmond are working to do to meaningfully address transportation over the long term.

From the Republican Party of Virginia

AFP Rally in Richmond - Part 8: The House of Delegates

Del. Chris Saxman (R-20th House) in hallway outside House Chambers.

Del. Morgan Griffith and Del. Chris Saxman exit the Capitol Rotunda as they head back to the House Chamber on the first day of the General Assembly Special Session.


Americans For Prosperity supporters and GOP activists Suzanne Curran (left, Shenandoah County) and Sandy Gates (right, Botetourt County) on the stairs leading from the House Galley to the House Chamber entrance.

Outside the House Chamber door minutes before the 2008 Special Session was convened.

Photos by SWAC Girl

"Democrat-ick" raises its head in the House

A high five to Del. Steve Landes ... although I am sure he did not mean anything by it. Democrats, however, jumped on it.

The Post reports "House Republicans and Democrats Get Testy" ... relaying an exchange while debating a bill at the Rules Committee this morning. They write:

... Del. R. Steven Landes (R-Augusta) started to use the term "Democrat friends" when he was quickly interrupted.

"Excuse me, did he say Democrat?'' House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry) asked. "I believe it's Democratic." [emphasis added]

Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) defended Landes. "Friends was the important word,'' he said.

"Actually grammar matters. Sorry, Mr. Speaker," Del. Kristen J. Amundson (D-Fairfax) said.

When Landes resumed talking, he stayed away from the word and used the safer term "friends from the other side" instead.

Broth-er!

Chris Saxman's off-shore bill passes House Rules Committee

The House Rules Committee today passed Del. Chris Saxman's HB 6006 that proposed using proceeds from off-shore oil and gas drilling for transportation needs. A similar bill prosposed by Senators Wagner and Cuccinelli died in committee in the Democrat-controlled Senate earlier this week.

There have been estimates that such off-shore proceeds could amount to $200 million a year for the next 40-50 years.

Larry Elder: A black man's response to a black Democrat's question

Larry Elder is described on his website: "A 'firebrand libertarian' according to 'Daily Variety,' best-selling author and radio talk show host Larry Elder has a take-no-prisoners style, using such old-fashioned things as evidence and logic. Larry shines the bright light of reasoned analysis on many of the myths and hypocrisies apparent in our system of government, our society, and the media itself. He slays dragons and topples sacred cows using facts, common sense and a ready wit. "

His column today is a response to a black Democrat who asked how a fellow black American could support John McCain and not Barack Obama.

The letter writer said the following:

Mr. Elder,

I am shocked that you oppose Barack Obama and belong to the Republican Party. We must get over ourselves and realize there is room at the top for everyone, and we must get there by helping each other – instead of agreeing with policies and old politics that are proven not to work.

To endorse John McCain, a person who will not make it easier for the underprivileged, is just too much. How can a fellow black American feel this way?

Your Former Supporter

Larry Elder had a ready response. It began:

Dear Former Supporter,

Do you have any Republican friends, let alone black ones? If so, how many of them want to make it harder "for the underprivileged"?

You also might want to familiarize yourself with the history of the Democratic and Republican parties, and see which party has stood up longer for the rights of people of color.

Do you know that Democrats opposed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution – abolishing slavery, granting citizenship rights to newly freed slaves, and guaranteeing the right to vote (at least on paper) to blacks, respectively? [emphasis added]

He ended by saying:

Compassion is about encouraging personal responsibility, and getting people to understand that life is about making choices.

Poverty does not cause crime. Crime causes poverty. Poverty does not cause a child to have a child. A child having a child causes poverty.

Finishing high school is a choice. Not joining a gang is a choice. Not having a child until you have the maturity and the means to raise that child is a choice.

You ask how can a "fellow black American feel this way"? Quite a statement. You may disagree, but it doesn't make me less caring and compassionate than you are. I'm sure you truly consider yourself open-minded and tolerant. But based on your letter, tolerance ends – especially with "fellow black Americans" – if someone has an opposing point of view. Larry

Be sure to read the entire article here.

Supreme Court upholds gun rights

Breaking ... Supreme Court rules in favor of gun owners, 5-4. Fox News is updating with all the details. The National Rifle Association had been all over this case ... check their website for updates.

HUGE Support the Troops event today ... 4 til Midnight EDT

Move America Forward ... TODAY ... historic event to help our U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ... tune in from 4 pm until Midnight eastern time.

Move America Forward is conducting a live, online telethon TODAY in an effort to raise funds for the largest shipment of care packages to U.S. troops in history. The show will be hosted by Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin, and feature all-star guests including Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and many more.

Please support this great effort!

No Kaine Tax Hike ... Special Session continues

Americans For Prosperity

All Virginians should be paying attention to what is going on in Richmond during this Special Session. The Democrats are trying to reach into your pockets again so keep an eye on your pocketbook. Let your representatives know you do not want any new taxes.

And while you're at it you may want to let them know you are for off-shore drilling for oil and gas to help with Virginia's transportation needs.

The devil's in the details, as DJ uncovers SB 6009

Read what the mainstream media print about bills coming out of the General Assembly and you get an overview picture of what's going on.

But dig a little deeper ... take the time to read the fine print ... and you may be surprised at what you find. That's what DJ McGuire discovered when he delved into SB 6009, the "gas tax" bill. Can you say sales tax? Because, apparently, there is a provision to raise your sales tax, too. Read his post, Under the Senate Democrats’ bill, sales taxes would also go up in SWAC, the Richmond area, and the Fredericksburg area, for all the details.

Here's unity for you ... Dems want Lieberman removed

It's called politics ... and the Democrats are practicing it on Joe Lieberman right now. A website called Lieberman Must Go is up with a petition because he, supposedly, has lined up too much with Republicans.

The petition says:

We CANNOT tolerate a leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus who supports George Bush and McCain's War in Iraq. We CANNOT tolerate a Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee who endorses and stumps for McCain. We call on the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to strip Joe Lieberman of his chairmanship and his leadership role.

It's called politics.

H/T Yankee Phil

It was one of those summer days in the Valley....

Wednesday was one of those summer days in the Valley that make you happy to be alive ... warm, sunny, upper 80s ... and there was a breeze that made it comfortable....

I washed clothes and hung them outside ... there is something about the fragrant smell of clothes that have dried outdoors. Three loads out ... each load dry on the line as I went out to hang up the next. Warm sunshine and stiff breezes did the trick....

On warm days such as these it is not unusual to see a black snake draped across the branches of a tree or bush trying to keep cool....

The flowers needed watering so I lingered outside a bit longer ... deadheading along the way ... filled the bird bath with water ... wandered to the garden to see if any tomatoes had ripened (they hadn't)....

I put a chicken in the crockpot to cook along with home grown onions and Yukon Gold potatoes out of the garden ... got a jump on supper since I would be gone in the afternoon and would not have time to cook before time for dinner....

In the Valley and the mountains there are "summer sounds" that I remember from camping up this way while growing up ... the birds calling back and forth to one another ... the leaves rustling in the breeze ... the drone of insects ... the heat of mid-day causing everything to pause....

The robin with the nest in the wisteria has hatched all four eggs and is taking shifts with Mr. Robin feeding the hungry little critters. They will be grown up and gone before long....

In between all the activity throughout the day, I periodically stopped at the computer to publish a blog post or read the latest coming out of the General Assembly. These are busy days in Richmond and it is exciting watching to see what our legislators are coming up with in this Special Session, and to read how the bloggers are covering it all....

We ate dinner on the deck in the cool of early evening....

It's summer in the Shenandoah Valley....

Contact State Senators ... just say NO to gas tax increase

Immediate Action Needed: Senators are debating the gas tax hike...send an immediate email to your Senator to oppose this tax!

State Senators are debating a 35 percent increase in the gas tax right now. Such an increase at a time when we are paying nearly $4 a gallon and will likely pay more in the coming months would impact working families more than perhaps any other proposal in this special "tax session." This is a regressive tax that harms families.

Senators need to hear from you NOW! They have their computers at their desks and will see the emails coming in.

ACTION: Send a strong message to your state Senator immediately! Tell them to vote NO on an increase in the state gas tax.

Click this link to send an email ... log in and send your message.

H/T Family Foundation

Congrats Kilo and Wise County ... Dominion power plant permits approved

Good news indeed for the good folks in Southwest Virginia. Carl Kilo has all the news over at Spark It Up!!

AFP Rally in Richmond - Part 7: SWAC Delegates

Ben Cline (R-24th House)

Sen. Steve Martin (R-Chesterfield) is interviewed in background for Americans For Prosperity Rally.
Chris Saxman (R-20th House)
Steve Landes (R-25th House)

Ran into the SWAC area delegates in the Capitol and the General Assembly Building. They were all in high spirits ... laughing and talking with constituents and each other.

Delegate Steve Landes (R-25th House) covers the eastern part of Augusta County and Waynesboro.

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) covers the western part of Augusta County, Staunton, and Stuarts Draft.

Delegate Ben Cline (R-24th House) covers the southern part of Augusta County and Middlebrook.

Thanks to them for their dedication and time.

NRA Alert: Cruising Skyline Drive could make you a felon

Going Out To See The Scenery? In Virginia, You Could End Up A Felon!

It's a beautiful summer day. You decide to take your family for a drive to see the scenery of Virginia. And, as a Right-to-Carry permit holder, you also take your legal firearm with you, just in case. Problem is, you may be about to violate federal law!

Here in Virginia, even with a carry permit, you are breaking federal law if you take a ride down Skyline Drive and are carrying a loaded, operable firearm for self-defense. If you take the turn to use the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, you are in violation. In either case, you do not even have to leave your car. Just turn down a public road!

This is the current, unfair situation that will continue to exist, if you don't take action right now!

The U.S. Department of the Interior has issued a proposed rule to eliminate, once and for all, this prohibition on Right-to-Carry in national parks and wildlife refuges. NRA is leading the effort to change this policy and we are very close to winning this important battle.

Not surprisingly, anti-gun and anti-hunting extremists are contorting the facts to try to continue this prohibition of self-defense. They are launching e-mail broadsides in an all-out push for their supporters to oppose this common sense measure. (Read a recent HSUS attack e-mail.)

These new rules cannot take effect until after a period of public comment. And make no mistake; our opponents are aggressively ramping up their efforts to try to convince the Secretary of the Interior to reverse his decision.

To combat this effort, you must take a few moments to submit comments on this issue by June 30, 2008.

You may also mail your comments to:

Public Comments Processing
Attn: 1024-AD70
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222
Arlington, VA 22203

Your comments will have the most impact if you use your own words. To assist you in drafting your comments, keep the following points in mind:

* Rules on carrying and transporting firearms should be consistent-across the board-with the laws of the state that includes the national park or wildlife refuge;
* Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting themselves and their families while enjoying America's national parks and wildlife refuges;
* The new rules should provide uniformity across all federal lands, eliminating the patchwork of laws that create confusion for gun owners;
* Current regulations fail to account for the significant change in state laws since 1984. 48 states now have laws that permit laws that permit carrying and 40 have strong Right-to-Carry laws. Federal regulations should recognize the change in state laws and follow their lead, and;
* The new regulations should restore the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms for all lawful purposes on most DOI lands, just as they do now on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands

Remember, all comments must be received by June 30. Submit your comments TODAY!

Please share this information with your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners and encourage them to act on this issue RIGHT AWAY by sending comments of their own!

Move America Forward Thursday ... HUGE telethon for troops

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, 2008 ... tune in for Move America Forward's eight-hour telethon. The nation's largest pro-troop organization, their goal is to ship the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S. history to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ... half a million dollars' worth of care packages for our Armed Forces.

The grand finale to this effort will be a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon ("From the Frontlines") on June 26th (from 4:00pm - Midnight - Eastern). This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan & Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event. We are also deeply honored that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has also signed on to support the "Candy Diplomacy" portion of this effort! CLICK HERE for complete details regarding the "From the Frontlines" 8-hour telethon that takes place on June 26th.

Many well-known conservatives have joined in the effort and are promoting it. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Lt. Colonel Oliver North (Ret.), Monica Crowley, Michelle Malkin, and Melanie Morgan are all part of this historic broadcast.

- On Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated radio show.
- The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it.
- The Sacramento Union has printed two stories about the broader effort.
- Also check out Wake Up America.
- Another article is avaiable at DigitalJournal.com.

Contribute, tune in, help our men and women in uniform who do so much to preserve our freedoms. God bless them all!

Get well wishes for a SWAC Patriot

Jason Bibeau aka The Augusta Water Cooler blog is still under the weather but the Water Cooler is still open for business ... "Republican politics spoken here...."

I couldn't send just any old get well balloons to such a Republican Patriot so these patriotic balloons are for Jason.

Continue to recuperate ... we've got your back!

Bill Bolling: Response to Democrats' rejection of off-shore drilling

TO DEMOCRATS REJECTION OF OFFSHORE ENERGY REVENUE FUND AND SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES FOR HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTAINENCE

Richmond - Earlier today, Democrats in the Senate of Virginia rejected two Republican proposals to create a special fund for revenue derived from the potential off shore development of energy resources and dedicate a significant portion of these revenues to highway construction and maintenance in Virginia. In response to this action, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling issued the following statement:

“By rejecting this commonsense legislation, Senate Democrats have dealt a double blow to the people of Virginia,” Lieutenant Governor Bolling said. “First, they have shown that they are unwilling to move forward with the development of significant domestic energy sources to help reduce our dependency on foreign sources of energy. Second, they have shown that they are unwilling to address Virginia’s transportation needs through the use of existing revenue sources or future revenue sources, insisting instead that the only way to address Virginia’s transportation needs is through new and higher taxes. They are wrong on both counts.”

SB6011, as introduced by Senator Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), would have created the Virginia Offshore Energy Revenue Fund and directed that any royalties and other moneys paid by the federal government as a result of the development of offshore energy resources be deposited in the Fund. Forty percent of all money transferred to the Fund would have been allocated to the Transportation Trust Fund and used to address highway maintenance and construction needs in Virginia. An additional 40% would have been used to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and other impaired waters.

Similar legislation, introduced by Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) would have transferred 100% of all royalty payments related to offshore energy development to the Transportation Trust Fund. Under the terms of SB 6005, which was also rejected by Senate Democrats, the Commonwealth would have petitioned the federal government for authorization to conduct natural gas exploration and drilling activities in the coastal zones of the.

“One of the most important issues facing our country today is the development of additional domestic energy sources. Likewise, one of the most important issues facing our state is the need to secure additional resources for highway construction and maintenance. By rejecting this legislation, Senate Democrats have turned a deaf ear to each of these issues and shown once again how out of touch they are with the people of Virginia,” Lieutenant Governor Bolling said.

Democrat Sen. Creigh Deeds voted against off-shore bill

Democrat Sen. Creigh Deeds wants to run for governor of Virginia ... and yet he voted against a proposal to allow off-shore drilling with the profits to go into transportation, a number that has been estimated at $200 million per year for 40 to 50 years. That would certainly take care of the transportation issues we are facing.

All the Democrats voted against the proposed off-shore bill, and all the Republicans voted for it.

Republicans want to lower energy costs. Republicans want to repair roadways and maintain bridges. Republicans are finding solutions ... and Democrats are shooting them down.

Remember the names of these Democrat senators who voted against the energy and transportation funding bill....

• Patricia S. Ticer - (D - Alexandria)
• Mary Margaret Whipple - (D - Arlington)
• W. Roscoe Reynolds - (D - Henry)
• Phillip P. Puckett - (D - Russell)
• R. Creigh Deeds - (D - Bath)
• Donald McEachin - (D - Henrico)
• J. Chapman Petersen - (D - Fairfax)
• Ralph S. Northam - (D - Norfolk)

Ask those senators how they propose to pay for transportation needs in Virginia, how they propose to lower the price at the pump and the price when your winter heating bills roll around, and ask them what kind of "environmental" damage they expect from drilling off-shore.

Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.

Special Session continues today ... No Kaine Tax Hike

Americans For Prosperity