State Politics
Better Get Ready To Walk
Nov 17th
The Future of Hampton "Crumbling" Roads
The state is getting ready to cut another billion dollars from VDOT. This is in addition to the over $3 billion that has already been cut out.We already can no longer afford to build roads or even maintain them. Now, we will be unable to plan and design them, meaning that we will be ineligible for future federal stimulus money that requires projects be ’shovel-ready.’ In other words, you might want to look at moving closer to your work, because in the not-to-distant future, the roads will not only be completely gridlocked, but also reverting to gravel. We need to think outside of the box on this. We can no longer rely on the State legislature to fund our transportation projects. We have to start looking at options that we would have thought unthinkable in years past. Nobody wants tolls or new taxes. But I can guarantee you that there are even fewer people that want to have to walk to work because our roads are closed or crumbling. To make it worse, our new Governor wants to pay for roads with education money and money from profit sharing oil operation off of the coast of Virginia. We need to make it known to our representatives that we will not tolerate lack of action.
Either we act now to raise money for our roads or we need to raise money for new welcome signs. They will read:
Welcome to _______
A Hampton ‘Crumbling’ Roads Community
Proudly Sponsored By:
Fix-A-Flat
Do they know something we don't?
Nov 3rd
I think that a law should be passed that would make it illegal to report the results of an election before 95% of the precincts have reported. I get tired of hearing the election results getting called before the polls have even closed. This is especially true for Presidential elections. In the 2008 Election, the results were pretty much finalized by the media before all the states had their votes in.
Get out and VOTE!
Nov 3rd
****200th POST****200th POST****200th POST****
Today is the day! Election Day! I hope that you have made you choice thoughtfully and that you go to the polls and vote. Today is the chance you have to make your voice heard. Tell our officials what you think by voting for the candidate that shares your views the most.
Finally, High Speed Progess
Nov 2nd
Source of Image: The Virginian-Pilot
Finally, with only months left before the deadline, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization has voted to push for High Speed Rail to the Southside, terminating in Downtown Norfolk. The vote was unanimous among those in attendance. Nay-sayers might say that it doesn’t really mean that there is support, since four of the Peninsula cities went unrepresented but they had their chance. They obviously did not think that it was important enough for them to need to go. I have to say, however, that the Mayor of Hampton, Molly Ward, should get some sort of reward. Fhe was quoted as saying, “You do whats best for the region and the commonwealth. You don’t make any progress when you just say no.” That was definitely a show of regionalism. If only our other localities had mayors that were smart enough to speak out publicly and say that it wasn’t just about what was good for their city, but instead it was about what was good for the region. Good job Mayor Ward.
This move is not the final say, however. It will not be final until the Commonwealth Transportation Board votes on the issue. If it passed the Board, it opens the door to High Speed Rail to Hampton Roads. This new High Speed line will terminate near Harbor Park, where a proposed multi-modal station would be built where High Speed Rail, Light Rail, and local buses could meet. All is not lost for the Peninsula, however. Under this plan they would receive upgrades to their current rail service.
Please contact the CTB and urge their support of this option. You can email Carol Mathis, the Assistant Secretary to the Board with your comments.
Creigh Deeds Rally
Oct 28th
Creigh Deeds Rally 2009 - Norfolk, VA
Before I continue, let me enlighten you if you did not previously know my sentiments. It is always difficult for me to choose a candidate due to my pickiness and tendency towards a candidate that is, in my opinion, the most good for the most situations. In addition, I tend to vote for the person that is not the incumbent, unless (in the rare instance) the incumbent has actually made improvements to our problems. Politically, I tend to vote more Republican than Democrat, however I will never vote for somebody solely on what party they belong to. My preferred party is actually Libertarian because I feel that the less government the better.Regardless of what I believe however, I also feel that it is every individual’s own duty to decide who they should vote for based on their own personal preferences.
That said, I attended the Creigh Deeds Rally at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk yesterday. I was not planning on attending, but my grandfather called me up with an extra ticket and asked me to go. So I did. At first, I felt kind of dirty and uncomfortable actually, being in a room with a large crowd of Democrats. I quietly failed to mention to those around me that I had not voted for Obama, nor did I think that he has been as spectacular of a President as they did. Regardless, as I snapped a total of 1,160 photographs, I listened to each Democratic candidate endorse themselves and each other. In attendance and speaking, we had Steve Shannon (Attorney General Candidate), Jody Wagner (Lieutenant Governor Candidate), City of Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, current Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Creigh Deeds (of course), and President Obama. I actually got the most influence from Mr. Deeds’s speech. He was not a particularly good public speaker, but he was intelligent. He spoke of how his experiences growing up have shaped his view of politics today. Compared to McDonnell, he seems to be more “Virginian,” having lived in Virginia for most of his life. McDonnell, on the other hand has lived virtually everywhere else. Deeds knows what he wants to do and what should be done, his only problem is explaining it during his campaign stops.
I am voting for Deeds on Election Day. I feel that it is the correct decision for myself and I hope that it would be for you, but that is for you and only you to decide.
As I mentioned earlier, President Obama was there and regardless of who you are or how you feel about him, it still is a great feeling to shake hands with the President of the United States of America.
Finally, everybody always found pictures of Bush that made him appear less than intelligent. I always found them hillarious and so, had to post this one of President Obama:
"Oooooo, a teleprompter..." 
I just had to.
