Governor McDonnell gives himself a fair assessment

While discussing the accomplishments of his first year as Governor of Virginia, McDonnell said, “The only thing that really matters is getting results.”

Politicians of late have been judged not by what new legislation they have moved forward but how much they were able to hold the line in the face of a national economic crisis. Virginians can certainly give Bob a pass on the economic front as Virginia has maintained an unemployment rate below the national average, and has created over 65,000 new jobs in the last year. However, McDonnell only rates his own performance as ‘fair.’

The Governor’s plan to privatize ABC stores in Virginia has met obstacle after obstacle and has stalled while he attempts to restructure the proposal to make it more palatable to opponents. The Obama administration also dealt his agenda a serious blow when they announced a seven year moratorium on east coast drilling. The promise of revenues from oil drilling off Virginia’s coast played heavily in McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign in which he touted this as a possible funding source for much needed transportation investment.

VA's transportation budget.

The failure to move forward either of his primary campaign promises makes his self-assessment seem a fair one (bad pun intended), but also worrisome for Virginia. These measures were both aimed at funding our aging transportation infrastructure, and the prospects for either occurring or creating any significant revenues are shaky at best as we head into 2011.

Sadly, Virginians have grown accustomed to transportation being the elephant in the governor’s mansion. Real movement on the issue has repeatedly fallen upon partisan lines as state republicans refuse time and again to explore tax increases to fund our ailing roads and rail. McDonnell unfortunately seems poised to fall into those same patterns as he looks for cuts that can be made from the state highway department and up to 3 billion in bonds to fund long tabled transportation projects. Neither of these solutions meets the size of Virginia’s need, nor do they do anything to address the long needed dedicated funding source.

Transportation systems need a good amount of upkeep just to keep from crumbling. Virginia has 57,867 miles of state highways, making it the third-largest system in the United State. We can hardly keep up with preexisting roads and rail, let alone much needed new projects. Each year maintenance goes unfunded the price increases to maintain these roads. The passing of the buck from governor to governor in Virginia has been going on for some time now.

There needs to be a coming to terms with fact: you cannot address Virginia’s transportation needs adequately without raising the taxes. Even if we used bond initiatives to fund every transportation project currently on the table, ten years from now we will be having this exact same conversation because we do not have an adequately funded VDOT.

If Bob wants to ever honestly give himself something better than a ‘fair’ rating he is going to need to think outside of the partisan lines that have hobbled our last couple of governors. Come on, Bobby, make it your new year’s resolution.

Ed Rendell don’t take no shit

Kerry Dougherty offers us up a history of why sledding is illegal at Mount Trashmore, why this bothers her so much, and most importantly her solution to the problem: Virginia Beach needs to stop being a bitch. Kerry thinks we have all become too soft, especially our children, and that is what ails Dougherty’s America.

In her estimation, we need to be more like Ed Rendell, the tough guy governor of Pennsylvania. Ed wouldn’t put up for this no sledding crap from the city, according to Kerry. Ed Rendell does not sled down hills; he fights down them. I heard that the blizzard skipped over Pennsylvania after Ed stood on a roof in Philly and told the storm he’d punch its lights out.

In a radio show last week, Ed opined, “We’ve become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything.” This was in response to the cancellation of a football game due to the more than 7 inches of snow on the field–making any field markings absolutely invisible. Why elected officials feel the need to weigh in on NFL affairs of late, I am not particularly sure.

Kerry could not agree more with the pugnacious Pennsylvanian, complaining, “Rendell is right. We’re becoming a nation of soft, risk adverse, litigious panty-waists.”

It seems we are not aggressive enough for Kerry, not man enough for the suburban samurai. In a terrifying thought experiment I tried to internalize Kerry’s mindset this morning. Immediately a list of enemies, threats, and fears began to run through my mind. I felt attacked and in constant competition with all the people around me. I told my friend Zane, who sat across from me at the coffee shop, I could drink coffee better and more efficiently than him and that he was a bit of a bitch for using soy milk.

The most disturbing part about being Kerry was that I could not shake the image of a billion Chinese children pounding Mountain Dews and taking rusted, jagged pieces of tetanus ridden corrugated steel sledding down triple black diamond mountains. Each successful sled ride those little commies took was another nail in the coffin of America’s superpower status. Lamenting the creation of ‘participation awards,’ I ran screaming into the bathroom, where I was found sometime later sprawled on the floor. I had written, “America is number one” at least 60 times on the floor and walls of the restroom using a Chinese made pen.

Please, Kerry, can’t something not be adversarial? Sure, we should be able to sled down Mt. Trashmore, but the fact that we can’t is not the sign of America’s decline. Some kid broke his collar bone and that is why we can’t sled there, but don’t you worry about our toughness Kerry; between you and Ed Rendell I have no doubt the next generation will see this world in terms of, “Us against them” in ways that will be sure to make the world a safer place.

Teachers will have to overcome faulty textbooks

Teachers are to be given instructions on how to teach around the historical inaccuracies in a textbook adopted around the state. One of the historians reviewing the book had this to say regarding the text:

“There are spelling errors, errors of historical fact, grammatical errors, faulty illustrations, mistaken maps, punctuation errors, careless errors of repetition, and inexplicable changes in font style.”

I remember loving my textbooks as a child. Textbooks to me represented unmitigated truth. Formulas, dates, grammar, and spelling were immovable objects and the true shape of the world about me. I spent a couple years in pretty crappy schools as a child, and I recall a day when my second grade teacher told me that Columbus was Spanish and that he discovered America in 1592. Being a little 7-year-old brat I raised my hand and corrected my teacher on both accounts, which she did not take kindly to.

My family and I used to laugh at this story as foreshadowing for the future know-it-all I would grow into, but I think it illustrates the importance of textbooks. Teachers are the most important source of information for most of our children, but we cannot guarantee that every teacher, in every school system, will always be the smiling, shining Samaritan that we all want our children to learn under. Textbooks are supposed to be the equalizer. They are meant to ensure a baseline of facts and information that all children should be exposed to, and any corruption of that safeguard can have disastrous effects should your child end up with an instructor like my second grade teacher.

I learned that Columbus was Italian and that he came to America in 1492 from my textbook.

Good news for the bay

The Chesapeake Bay needs to clean up its act and the EPA has a plan. Our bay which has a health score of 31 out of 100 (gross!) is a top priority of the EPA who aims to decrease levels nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants making their way to the bay. One of the most effective means for keeping these things out of the bay is by implementing and enforcing Best management practices (BMP’s) on farms along the watershed.

BMP’s are simple solutions that minimize agricultural runoff getting into our streams and eventually the bay. Most of these are not only environmentally friendly but fiscally responsible moves. Unfortunately, many of these practices have steep upfront costs that turn off farmers who are barely scrapping by. State subsidies for BMP’s have made implementation a reality for many farmers around Virginia, but as times are tight this funding will undoubtedly be in jeopardy come general assembly next month. Let your delegate and state senator know that you think we need to continue to fund BMP’s in Virginia, doing our state’s part to nurse the bay back to life.

Virginia’s Tea Party Leader does me a favor

Jamie Radtke, the leader of VA’s Tea Party, has announced her candidacy for the 2012 Senate race against Senator Jim Webb. My heart soured when I heard this as the two other names being kicked around thus far have been giving me serious heartburn. Rumors have been abounding that our former Senator Allen, who lost to Webb last time after being recorded making racist slurs, plans on looking for a rematch. Why, when we have so many qualified not racist republicans in Virginia, they would nominate him again I am not sure, but he is a sweetheart of the conservative movement and come primaries they are the voting population. Jamie’s candidacy could split up the conservative vote and even clear the way for a more moderate (and less offensive) candidate to emerge.

The truth is that Jamie has very little to no chance of winning the primary but could play a crucial role in deciding who does. Which is important since the other name people are kicking about as a possible senate candidate… the Cooch.