Election Day 2009 ... vote GOP McDonnell~Bolling~Cuccinelli

Virginia's winning Republican team ...
Bill Bolling ~ Bob McDonnell ~ Ken Cuccinelli

Election Day 2009
Please exercise your freedom to vote
and go to the polls today.

Nothing is so sweet as the taste of freedom....

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
GOP Flyaround at Weyers Cave Airport - 1 November 2009

Augusta BOS votes to continue spending over citizen objections

Augusta resident Ed Long presents facts to try and persuade BOS not to spend $60,000 a year on new cell phones.

~We will REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER 2011.~

Ignoring county citizens who spoke before the board of supervisors Wednesday night to ask that the county postpone unnecessary spending until the financial atmosphere improves, Augusta County supervisors unanimously voted 6-0 (Supervisor Tracy Pyles was on a business trip) to provide new cell phones and Blackberries for employees at a minimum cost of nearly $60,000 a year.

County resident Ed Long had charts showing the depressed economy with research that showed a huge never-before-seen drop in consumer confidence, Virginia unemployment that has continued to rise, home foreclosures that have continued to rise, median home prices that are down 20%, home sales that are down 11% the past year, and a state budget that projects a $3.3 billion deficit for 2010.

David Karaffa echoed Mr. Long's concerns and ask that supervisors consider making do with current cell phones until the economy improves.

It fell on deaf ears.

My own cell phone is a used model that was provided to me when my phone failed ... it is old and battered ... and I would like a new one but have held off because my husband had taken a 15% pay cut this year to help his company and we have cut back expenses.

But our tax money is paying for new equipment for county employees. Meanwhile, supervisors wonder why county residents are upset with their lack of representation when citizens are dealing with lost jobs, repossessed houses, decreased salaries, and furloughs.

SWAC bloggers respond....

- Bob at The Journey writes Why it's time to retire the Augusta County BOS:

"Get real! My cell phone is several years old. I'll replace it when it breaks. Then I'll buy the nicest one I can afford."

- David Karaffa at the Augusta Conservative notes an Augusta County Board of Supervisors wasteful spending alert!

Augusta BOS: "Be careful how you speak out against our decisions"

Staunton News Leader cartoon by Jim McCloskey

~Board seeks financial sanctions against local citizen~

Churchville attorney Francis Chester goes to court today in a return of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington ... Augusta County style.

In exercising his First Amendment right and representing over 10,500 citizens against the County of Augusta, the board of supervisors, and commissioner of the revenue Jean Shrewsbury, Mr. Chester has been smacked up side the head by Augusta County government with a lawsuit asking for financial sanctions against him for having the audacity to question his public officials.

Today's Staunton News Leader editorial, appropriately named "The fly and the hatchet," illustrates the reality of the little guy going up against City Hall when City Hall has unlimited taxpayer funds to fight against the very taxpayer who dares to question the public servants he voted into office.

The News Leader wrote:

An irritating little fly has landed at the Augusta County Government Center. It's notification of a lawsuit filed in circuit court claiming the Board of Supervisors erroneously assessed real estate values in the most recent reassessment.
...
The county in turn asked its lawyer to file a motion asking the judge not only to dismiss Chester's lawsuit — it's frivolous, after all, because there's no such thing as a class action lawsuit in Virginia — but they also asked the judge to sanction Chester for filing it. In other words, ask for attorney's fees and related charges.

In doing so, the county has raised a hatchet to kill the irritating little fly.
...
In asking that Chester, a county resident and a spokesman for thousands of residents angry about what they saw as unfair property assessments, be sanctioned, the supervisors are sending a clear message — be careful how you speak out against our decisions. [Emphasis added]

County attorney Pat Morgan admitted to News Leader reporter Trevor Brown that this action is extremely unusual ... but the county is going through with it anyway:

"It is kind of an unusual procedure," Morgan said of his decision to move for the sanction, "but I did not file it on behalf of the defendants lightly."

The News Leader editorial concluded:

Rather than asking for sanctions against Chester, the supervisors need to let it go. Let the case go before the judge and let justice rule. No need for a hatchet, no need for recrimination. No need to send the message that disagreement will not be tolerated.

This time when the supervisors picked up the hatchet to kill the irritating little fly, they didn't realize the fly had landed on their own forehead. [Emphasis added]

Because of their actions, the Augusta Board of Supervisors has come across as extremely arrogant to the citizens they were elected to represent.

The county has indicated it wants all 10,500 cases be tried individually in the court system. The court filing fees alone for that many cases would equal almost $1 million, and the sheer number of cases could tie up the court for years, something Mr. Chester was trying to avoid to save taxpayer money and time.

Augusta is a microcosm of the larger taxpayer unrest going on nationwide as manifested by the tea party events and the 9/12 March on Washington three weeks ago. As pointed out in this editorial, the supervisors have little interest in working with the "little people."

The hearing is today, October 1, 2009, at 1:30 at Augusta County Circuit Court at the corner of Johnson and Augusta Streets in downtown Staunton. The public is invited and ecouraged to attend.

We will remember in November 2011.

Recent articles about today's court action:
- Staunton News Leader: Judge to hear reassessment case
- Waynesboro News Virginian
- SWAC Girl: Augusta pursues lawsuit against local tax assessment hero
- Staunton News Leader editorial cartoon

Deeds calls one man on stage a "debate"? Isn't that an "interview"?

What is going on with the Democrats and debates? First Democrat Jody Wagner pulls out of a debate with Republican Bill Bolling and blames it on the Lt. Governor.

Now Democrat Creigh Deeds, at the eleventh hour, has decided he wants to be on stage alone for the Tuesday "debate" with Republican Bob McDonnell.

Is it called a "debate" when there is one candidate on the stage at a time? Or is that more of an "interview"?

The press release explained it all:

Tomorrow night's Community Forum with the gubernatorial candidates at Virginia Union University was originally planned, as many are aware, to be a joint event with Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds. Both candidates were to have been on stage, together, for the full event from 6:15 to 7:45pm. The two would have jointly taken questions from the moderator, allowing the audience to hear from both candidates at the same time. However, late Friday the Deeds campaign officially requested that this format be changed. The Deeds campaign requested that each candidate now appear separately, and not be on stage at the same time as the other. In order to ensure that this long scheduled event would still take place, we have agreed to the Deeds request to change the format. We are disappointed the Deeds campaign will not allow the audience the opportunity to hear from both candidates at the same time. We apologize for any confusion or difficulty this change presents. The formal media advisory can be found below.

So is Deeds running scared after his dismal performance at Thursday's Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate? Does this follow the line of thinking of, "Better to be silent and thought a poor debater than to open your mouth and prove it"?

Details of the debate:

Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Attorney General of Virginia, will participate in the gubernatorial community forum on the campus of Virginia Union University tomorrow night, Tuesday September 22, beginning at 6:15 pm. The exact time of Mr. McDonnell's now individual portion of the program is still to be determined.

The Community Forum is sponsored by Radio One Inc., the Chesterfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Richmond Crusade for Voters in partnership with Virginia Union University.
All members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend. What: Bob McDonnell Participates in Community Forum at Virginia Union UniversityWhen: Each Candidate's New Separate Time Still to be Determined; Event Will Start at 6:15 pm; Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009Where: Coburn Hall, 1500 N. Lombardy Street, Virginia Union University, Richmond

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

The real story behind the Bolling-Wagner debate

Over the weekend when the lib bloggers began broadcasting their talking points that the debate between Republican Bill Bolling and Democrat Jody Wagner was off, they put the blame on Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

Something didn't ring quite true with me. I've known Bill Bolling for six or seven years and I've never known him to run from anything ... especially a debate with an opponent. The man is charismatic and a great public speaker, and he seems to thrive when in circumstances such as debates and grassroots discussions.

So when I began to read that the Wagner campaign was accusing the Bolling campaign of "backing out" of the debate, a red flag went up and I did a little research.

Try this out for truth about the matter ... information from the Bolling campaign:

Unfortunately, earlier today the Wagner campaign released a statement accusing us of attempting to back out of the debate, and changing rules that had previously been agreed upon. Neither of these charges were true, and we have no idea why they chose to release such a statement, other than an obvious attempt to score some cheap political points, which seems to be their standard mode of operation.

At this point, it became painfully clear to us that the Wagner campaign was more interested in debating about debates than actually holding a debate. No final rules had ever been agreed to, and to state otherwise is simply a lie. In addition, the organizers of the debate had requested that we keep all discussions on rules, etc private and out of the press. The Wagner campaign's attempt to score cheap political points at the expense of our organizers is inexcusable. Frankly, behavior like this is the kind of thing that turns people off of politics.

Read the entire explanation of what happened at the Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor website.

Karaffa invites Sen. Webb & Warner to Valley townhall meeting

~Using own money to rent facility and advertise event~

His name is David Karaffa, he is 25 years old, and he is an Augusta County resident. He's a cardiac RN at the local hospital and he has many questions about the Democrat nationalized health care bill.

David wants to talk to his U.S. senators about his concerns. The problem is his senators are nowhere to be found. He has tried calling, emailing, sending faxes -- everything he can think of -- with no response other than form letters that don't answer his questions.

Since Jim Webb and Mark Warner were not holding any townhall events anywhere in the Commonwealth of Virginia, David decided to invest his own money and rent the auditorium at Riverheads High School in southern Augusta County and set it up so all the senators have to do is show up.

Invitations have been sent to Sen. Webb and Warner.

Friday morning David called Glenn Beck's conservative radio program to spread the news about his townhall meeting. He went on the air and explained his concerns and why he felt it necessary to go out on his own to set up a townhall meeting that may end up with the names of the senators on signs sitting on empty chairs.

But a townhall meeting ... with or without the senators ... gives local residents the opportunity to bring their concerns about nationalized health care to a public forum. This young man is moving forward in his quest to receive answers to his health care questions.

The Shenandoah Valley
invites
Virginia U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner
to a
Healthcare Town Hall Meeting!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009
6-8 p.m.
Auditorium at Riverheads High School
Augusta County, Virginia

All Valley residents are encouraged to attend. Please bring your questions, support, or criticism.

This is the Valley's opportunity to have its voice heard.

Come out and be heard!

Obama: "Get in their face" ... America, read HR 3200

Americans ... that vast "silent majority" of law-abiding citizens ... are silent no more as they speak out against government programs being jammed down their throats, showing up at townhall meetings to get answers from their elected representatives.

Now the White House is throwing out accusations that townhalls are being taken over by "organized mobs." Apparently the masses are not being the sheep the Democrats would want them to be. Angry lefty liberals are swarming conservative blogs to slam the townhall protests ... hypocritical minions with short (or selective) memories, protesting the very tactics they have used for years.

The staggeringly huge "stimulus bill" was passed earlier this year without Congress reading the details. The government is micromanaging automobile companies and banks, its fingers reaching farther and farther into private enterprise.

Now, with the 1,017-page HR 3200 socialized health care bill* being forced onto unwilling Americans, they are pushing back ... speaking up ... making their voices heard. Hundreds are showing up for townhall meetings that in the past saw 15 or 20 participants.

In what should be a two-way discussion between electeds and constituents, the White House is now critical and accusing the gatherings of being organized mobs, trying to silence and cease discussion so to keep the masses in the dark on the wicked details of socialized health care ... separate and isolate a la Sun Tzu.

Don't insult the intelligence of the American public.

A lead "community organizer" is now the President of the United States. In this video he can be heard telling people, "I need you to go out and talk to your friends ... I want you to argue with them and get in their face."

Mr. President, we are getting in your face. We are trying to get your attention. We don't want to sign on the dotted line without knowing the facts. Why are you afraid of that? What are you hiding? Why the rush? Why not practice some of that "transparent government" you campaigned about while running for president?

My folks used to say, "When in doubt ... don't."

An issue as big as nationalized health care needs serious debate and discussion with information given as questions are asked. It is only common sense! I was raised to check the details ... read the fine print ... be sure of what I am signing before I sign it.

Why are the Democrats not doing the same?

Read HR 3200.* Then read an abridged version that highlights the problems with the bill.

Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Mark Warner have no townhall meetings for Virginia on their schedules. We need to hear from our elected representatives. Call and ask for a townhall meeting so you can be informed of this important impending vote.

Jim Webb: (202) 224-4024
Mark Warner: (202) 224-2023

* Many changes were made to HR 3200 on Friday, July 31, and those changes may not be published online for several weeks.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl