Gilmore's $50,000 loan to himself...

In another sign of a desparate campaign trying to stay afloat, former governor and former Republican candidate for president Jim Gilmore gave his bid for the U.S. Senate $50,000.

Gilmore is trying to iceskate uphill against former governor Mark Warner. Warner is not only extremely popular but has about 4.4 million dollars in the bank.

The race is often touted as the easiest pickup in the Senate for the Democratic Party this year. It's a race so toxic that the RNC won't touch it with a ten foot pole. Gilmore expects funding to pick up once he's the official nominee but why would anyone give to him or any Republican this year? Why chase good money after bad? John Sidney McCain isn't able to raise money at the clip that Republican presidential candidates have in the past. If he's not getting money, why would Gilmore get it?

Democrats in Virginia this year are poised to pick up 2-3 congressionnal seats, another senate seat, and contribute to winning the Electoral College for President. It's looking like a BEAUTIFUL year!

McCain...Cuba...Position Change...Again...

In 2000...



In 2008...



McCain has done too many interviews for his own good. He contradicts himself in debates, interviews, and town hall meetings. Sometimes he does it in the same setting a few minutes later, such as his gay marriage position.

Seriously, we are going to trust this man with the highest office in our country even though he can't remember if he ate his applesauce a few minutes ago? The Democratic Party needs to come together behind whatever candidate comes out of the process (safe money on Obama). McCain is too dangerous.

McCain blunders...again...

What Commander in Chief threshold did he pass? It's never good when a presidential candidate who proclaims to be an expert in foreign policy, doesn't know who the actual leader is in Iran. This is the country that McCain is using as a bogeyman against Barack Obama. It would be prudent for McCain to know who pulls the strings.

McCain is a dangerous individual for this country. He obviously doesn't know what he is talking about on Iran. He doesn't know what is happening in Iraq in terms of security. He doesn't know who we are fighting in Iraq and confuses Sunnis and Shi'as. He likes to joke and makes a parody song about bombing Iran.

No matter who you are for in this Democratic Primary, don't forget who the real enemy is. Democrats must protect this country from McCain's lunacy. This man is the embodiment of four more years in a Bush Administration.

Hat tip from MissVa on MyDD.

OMG!!! Clinton wins Kentucky...

Oh, you already knew that...sorry...I thought I had some breaking news.

Does it change anything? No. Will it stop some Hillary supporters from proclaiming this a mandate like West Virginia? No. But like a basketball team that outscores their opponent by 10 points in the 4th quarter while still losing the game by 25, it will not matter in the slightest.

Congratulations on the hard fought win. What will Oregon bring?

McCain will lie to your face...

Do we really want this man to represent us as the President of the United States? So what does McCain really stand for? What happened to the "Straight Talk Express"?

Comedy in the Metro Section of the Post

From today's Washington Post:

"Fairfax County taxpayers should brace for a 3-cent rise in the property tax rate to cover funding shortfalls for public schools and human services this year, several supervisors said."

Ok, sounds like doom and gloom. But a couple of paragraphs later...

"Because of an average decline in property values of 3 percent this year, most tax bills would remain the same or decline slightly with a 3-cent rate increase, to 92 cents for each $100 of assessed value. Such an increase would produce a tax bill of $4,600 for a property worth $500,000."

No tax increase should be taken lightly. But saying that residents of Fairfax should "brace" for this three cent increase while the amount paid is actually the same or less than last year is hilarious. It's 150 dollars for every $500,000 of assessed value. Sound the sirens!

How can you sound like an alarmist in the first paragraph and then have a perfectly good explanation of how it will actually affect people a couple paragraphs later? I know the value of a good opening paragraph to grab readers attention but this is incredibly deceiving.

Just because we are in an economic decline, doesn't mean that the investments we have made in education, the fire department, rescue squad, and other improvements just stop. Belts do need to be tightened. The School Board has already cut 35 million with another 20 million or so still to be shaved off. Building improvements and infrastructure will be pushed back. Summer school has already been revamped with less than desirable results. Teachers COLA could be cut which will lead to more teachers defecting to neighboring counties.

So we're talking about 30 dollars for every 100k of assessed value right? Shouldn't we maintain services that makes Fairfax one of the best counties to live in?

Natural Bridge

I went to the Natural Bridge for the night a couple of weeks ago during Spring Break and snapped off these photos.






Anyways, the stay at the hotel was decent...3 stars. Good breakfast...loved the potatoes.

Daytime at Natural Bridge...majestic, stunning, tranquil. Nighttime at Natural Bridge...expect a sermon and a light show that I could put on.

Went to the caves...thought I was going to have a heart attack on the climb back up. Went to some lake...no water was in it...off season means they drain the lake.

Pink Cadallac...good food, better prices, excellent service, lumpy booths.

Interstate 81...white knuckle driving and muscle fatigue.

Best post about housing this year

This is the best post on housing that I have seen in 2008.

There is a Board of Supervisors budget hearing tomorrow at the Fairfax Government Center where property values, taxes, and public services will be discussed. This article, while in Loudoun, touches everyone in the area right now. Fairfax County has to realize that they have a responsibility to their constiuents to maintain public services at least at 2007 funding levels during this downturn. Hopefully, Chairman Connolly and the Board will recognize that an increase in the property tax rate of four to five cents is necessary.

ZOMG!!! Riley and Kos agree?

Hillary Clinton mentioning the spectre of Alan Greenspan has allowed these two disparate spirits to collide...

On the Daily Kos...

On Virginia Virtucon...

Also on Riley...

Update: Shocking McCain Development!

A horrible story is developing that might sink John McCain's presidential dreams...more to come!

Update: We all know John McCain has been given a free pass by conventional media. He's known as a "maverick", a "reformer", and from what I can gather he can lift the front end of a '57 Buick...with one arm. From the "Straight-talk Express" to giving the commencement speech at Liberty University (even though he called Jerry Falwell an "agent of intolerance"), McCain has managed to finesse the TV and newspaper pundits and journalists with his Grampa Simpson impersonation.

Everyone laughs it off...Iran/Iraq/al Qaeda? What's the difference? When the man could seriously get us into some deep trouble internationally with his bumbling, stumbling presence, you would like him to know what he is talking about.

BUT THAT'S NOT THE WORST OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!!!!!

Did you know that John McCain's middle name is...get this "Sidney"? I'll let that sink in for a minute...has it hit home yet? Sidney...Sidney...Sidney...sounds like some bad one hit wonder, '80s pop star.

That's right John Sidney McCain! Or JSM, as I like to call him. Do you know the horrible implications of having a name like Sidney?

Over the next few weeks, I will let you in on the origins of "Sidney" and how insidiously it has snuck in our culture with out even knowing it. So get used to it. On this site, the Republican candidate for President will be known as John Sidney McCain, JSM, or just Sid.

Much ado about nothing...

That sums up Hillary's "victories" last night. I put victories in quotes because last night was just symbolic. Obama will still come out of last night with more delegates in total and possibly received more delegates than Hillary last night even though he lost three races. Remember, Hillary's own campaign communications director Howard Wolfson said,"This is a race for delegates…It is not a battle for individual states.

Obama will push his lead further this upcoming week with victories in Wyoming and Mississippi. Both campaigns will work on securing Pennsylvania with the latest polling showing Clinton only up by four there.

Congrats...Hillary has now extended the primary for another couple of months. Woo hoo! We can burn some more money and bridges while the Republicans solidify. Democrats could be looking at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

Sudan and the VRS...

Call your delegates today to help end the genocide in Darfur and possibly damage the Virginia Retirement System!

Republicans and Democrats go hand in hand today chipping away at the VRS. Nobody has looked at the economics of our retirement system to know the ramifications of pulling out of companies that invest or have some connection to the atrocities in Darfur. Do we pull out of mutual funds? Bonds? Securities? Just plain old stocks? It looks like there are exemptions to certain funds. But the financial implications have not been looked into in depth.

What happens when other legislators decide that they have a cause that can be rectified by divesting the VRS? What about an explosive issue like abortion? The VRS should not be a political football.

I want an end to the genocide in Darfur too. We have to make sure that the investments you get out of are replace with one that will match or exceed those other investments. My reading of the law as it stands to be passed, does not seem to have any recourse to replace the investments.

John McCain wins GOP nomination...

The collective screams you hear are eminating from the Shenadoah Valley...

With Mitt Romney's endorsement of presidential hopeful John McCain today, Romney has unofficially given McCain the keys to the Republican nomination.

Mike Huckabee's best hopes were for a Romney endorsement to further fracture the base and give him momentum into Washington and Wisconsin next week. Unfortunately for Huckabee, the states that are left will not give him enough delegates to compete past March 4th when Texas and Ohio will put the nails in his coffin.

McCain will now busy himself with stabbing party loyalists in the back by going back to his "moderate" persona for the general campaign. After all the gnashing of teeth over the past year, will those who are Republican party purists go back and begrudgingly pull the lever (or tap the screen) for McCain? Probably not. I expect a few posts soon about how loyal Republicans need to line up behind their nominee "for the country's sake".

Have fun swallowing your pride!

VD and what you can do about it...

I dug up this old post from two years ago and I still agree with it.

So what can we do about VD? Well for starters, don't buy into the hype. That's all this "holiday" is...hype. That means no cards, flowers, or tokens of your affection. If you must, take him/her out to dinner but if you have to make it Denny's.

Secondly, make sure to love your significant other throughout the year. Why kowtow to the norm? Make your affection known every day of the week.

Lastly, wear something other than red. Wear black or some other dark color to show others that you will not be a slave to corporate America.

Remember you can prevent VD from spreading. God speed!

Vote Obama!!

Today, Virginia will help select the next President of the United States. That person will be Barack Obama!

There are 9 1/2 hours left to vote. With turnout expected to be heavy, make sure you leave enough time in between your errands. Every vote cast for Obama could mean the difference in delegates that could swing the election. Remember that you can vote as long as you're in line by 7 p.m.

What side of the Connolly Coin do I want?

Heads- Gerry Connolly as Fairfax Chairman

Tails- Gerry Connolly as Congressman

It's agonizing. On one hand, he's let me down as Chairman a couple of times. Once, with the property tax decrease while times were good. Thus leaving us with the current Fairfax County budget crisis. The other time was with the rail to Tysons and not sticking up for the underground option. Would Connolly leaving his post as Chair be better for the county? Who would replace him? Why put us in this situation when the whole time Congress was on the mind?

As a Congressman, would he truly represent my values in Washington? Would he give in to the corporate greed and lobbyists that run amok? Could I count on him to be a voice of change instead of the status quo?

I truly do not know. But I don't like the idea of leaving a job that you haven't finished. To me, it's cutting and running from a situation that has left us hamstrung budget wise, our public schools in limbo, and transportation that leaves us sitting in our cars asking these questions.

So what is it? Connolly at the local level? Or national?