Virginia's Public Square
Virginia's Public Square
The 41st president was always known and will remain forever known as being one of the most “prepared” people to take over the Oval Office. He spoke of political unity in his 1989 inaugural address, adding that lawmakers and Americans throughout the country should rise above mere partisanship.
“Moving the date of the primary elections for the House of Delegates, and all of the deadlines and requirements that stem from that date, is fair and reasonable for all parties — especially the voters,” Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said in his 33-page request to the Eastern District Court as a decision on redistricting in the Commonwealth from the U.S. Supreme Court is set to come in 2019.
Considering the People’s Republic of China is attempting to influence the feelings of Western society into acknowledging that Beijing’s woeful civil rights violations and new brand of imperialism is “ok,” per a study of experts on China, it should be a wake up call to all Americans.
As a leader in Washington, one that put action and effort above rhetoric, out-going Republican Congressman Scott Taylor (VA-2) said his primary goals upon becoming an elected representative were to expand the military, help veterans through post-active duty care and other areas, and to help improve the Virginia Beach and Eastern Shore economies. Perhaps this list of accomplishments teamed with a renewed sense of Republican values and a strong will can lead Taylor to victory again down the road as he keeps his options open.
Although President Donald Trump has commonly remarked that “tariffs are the greatest,” it seems that rural America bailouts are not helping stave off farming bankruptcies in the heartland.
Members of the Northam Administration claim that these fiscal overruns have nothing to do with the expansion of the healthcare program under the Obama-era federal Affordable Care Act, which has led the state to extend coverage to over 300,000 low-income Virginians. They explained that it will help save the state money, but that will continue until the federal government rescinds the plan, leaving Virginia to pick up the bill somewhere down the road.
One area in the Commonwealth that needs extra attention insofar as state funding is concerned is public education infrastructure. Virginia has funded K-12 public education through the state lottery system, which has brought in around $9 billion, with record profits topping $600 million in 2018. If the General Assembly repeals Virginia’s existing ban on casino gambling, a potentially large coffer could be opened to fund not only higher education or K-12 education, but other areas that need vital funding – transportation infrastructure, combating the opioid epidemic, school safety measures, countering human trafficking, creating a larger law enforcement presence towards gang violence, more affordable healthcare, among many others.
It has come forth that when then-candidate Donald Trump was alluding to the possible prosecution of then-FBI Director James Comey and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when he was running in the 2016 presidential election, he actually was not kidding about that. Reportedly, President Trump inquired with White House Counsel Don McGhan, who departed from the Trump Administration in October, about moving forward with legal proceedings for the two top political bureaucrats.
In the Spring, attorneys within the White House apparently warned the President about the political consequences associated with prosecuting Comey and Clinton, claiming that impeachment proceedings could be used to remove him from office, which has been the goal for congressional Democrats for the past two years. AP reports that McGahn told Trump that he had no authority to order such a prosecution, arguing that the commander-in-chief could, instead, request an official probe into wrongdoings on part of the two former government officials.
Regardless, any action into the situations could have led to accusations of abuse of the Office of the Presidency.
Nevertheless, President Trump is said to still be mulling the future of the two, including discussing with some close to him about appointing a new special counsel to investigate Comey for his handling of the investigation of private email servers from Clinton during her time at the State Department. Notably, just over a week after Trump took office in 2017, he sat down with the former FBI director, asking for “loyalty,” for what has been alleged to mean the future prosecution of Clinton.
Comey, however, was fired by Trump. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe also resigned from the bureau following rising tension between the agency and the White House.
Last year, recently-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed senior federal prosecutors to investigate issues raised by House Republicans related to the Clinton Foundation and a Russian-based uranium mine transaction benefiting the foundation that was approved when Clinton was head of the State Department.
In December 1619, 38 English settlers traveled up the James River through its many tributaries and landed at “Berkeley Hundred,” an 8,000-acre swath of farmland, ending the treacherous trip in remembrance and prayer, establishing the first Thanksgiving in Virginia.
The legislation that may be coming in 2019 follows a study created by a General Assembly subcommittee to investigate election laws and reform that could be made to make Virginia elections run more smoothly, add transparency, and maximize voter participation.