January 31, 2011 7:08 PM EST
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida ruled Monday that President Barack Obama's entire health care overhaul law is unconstitutional, placing even noncontroversial provisions under a cloud in a broad challenge that seems certain to be resolved only by the Supreme Court.
Unlike the previous Judge in Virginia, this ruling followed the same general reasoning as one last year from the federal judge in Virginia. But where the first judge's ruling would strike down the insurance requirement and leave the rest of the law in place, The Florida Judge took it much farther, invalidating provisions that range from Medicare discounts for seniors with high prescription costs to a change that allows adult children up to age 26 to remain on their parents' coverage...
Still, the particular issue remains the constitutionality of the law's core requirement that Americans carry health insurance, or face a high fine.
Judge Vinson wrote in a 78 page decision : "It is difficult to imagine that a nation which began, at least in part, as the result of opposition to a British mandate giving the East India Company a monopoly and imposing a nominal tax on all tea sold in America would have set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place," the judge wrote. "If Congress can penalize a passive individual for failing to engage in commerce, the enumeration of powers in the Constitution would have been in vain."
"In making his ruling, the judge has confirmed what many of us knew from the start: Obamacare is an unprecedented and unconstitutional infringement on the liberty of the American people," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said.
Other states that joined the lawsuit were: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Update: While most of the yellow press is reporting that this ain't an injunction...Riley delves into the matter and finds page 75 of the decision.
We don't need no steen-kin injunction.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Public Hearings on PATH this Wednesday & Thursday
Just a quick reminder that The State Corporation Commission will be in town this week to take public testimony on the PATH line. These hearings are your opportunity to tell the SCC how you feel about the proposed transmission line -- how it would impact you, your family, and the environment.
If you testified during the last PATH hearings in 2009 and you want your opinions considered in this case you must appear and testify again, either at one of these hearings, at a hearing in Richmond on April 25, 2011, or by filing your comments in writing.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011: The hearing will be held at the John Handley High School Auditorium, 425 Handley Boulevard, Winchester. It will begin at 2pm and reconvene at 7pm.
Thursday, February 3, 2011: The hearing will be held at Loudoun Valley High School, 340 North Maple Avenue, Purcellville. It will begin at 4pm and reconvene at 7pm. If you plan to testify you should show up early and sign up with the State Corporation Clerk. You will be sworn in and asked to give your name and address. If you have documents you want to give to the Hearing Examiner you will be allowed to do so during your testimony. If you are a respondent you cannot testify at these public hearings.
If you are not an official respondent in the PATH case, these hearings are your chance to testify to the impact of AEP and Allegheny's project.
The most damning introduction is going to be the actions of adjacent States (not favorable), the looming Dominion Project that costs so much less, and the largest single reason....Allegheny/PATH's predictions about power use. The usage is going down severely, due in large part to faulty predictions on PATH's part, as well as alternative power sources taking many homes off of the grid, and in many cases, feeding back into the grid.
If you testified during the last PATH hearings in 2009 and you want your opinions considered in this case you must appear and testify again, either at one of these hearings, at a hearing in Richmond on April 25, 2011, or by filing your comments in writing.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011: The hearing will be held at the John Handley High School Auditorium, 425 Handley Boulevard, Winchester. It will begin at 2pm and reconvene at 7pm.
Thursday, February 3, 2011: The hearing will be held at Loudoun Valley High School, 340 North Maple Avenue, Purcellville. It will begin at 4pm and reconvene at 7pm. If you plan to testify you should show up early and sign up with the State Corporation Clerk. You will be sworn in and asked to give your name and address. If you have documents you want to give to the Hearing Examiner you will be allowed to do so during your testimony. If you are a respondent you cannot testify at these public hearings.
If you are not an official respondent in the PATH case, these hearings are your chance to testify to the impact of AEP and Allegheny's project.
The most damning introduction is going to be the actions of adjacent States (not favorable), the looming Dominion Project that costs so much less, and the largest single reason....Allegheny/PATH's predictions about power use. The usage is going down severely, due in large part to faulty predictions on PATH's part, as well as alternative power sources taking many homes off of the grid, and in many cases, feeding back into the grid.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Made up media stuff that gets repeated ad nauseum
Look at the graph. This is from the Office of Budget Management.....not some right wing blogger. (although I did have to borrow it from one.)
See the penciled information? That was Donnie Ferguson's notes. They are accurate, however, so disprove THAT, but don't flail at Mr. Ferguson for pointing out the obvious.
The first thing you notice is Clinton's term being in the "black". Good for him! I'll never complain about the work that he did to get it there. Or the Congress that made it happen.
The most important thing you need to notice is that starting in 2002, the amount started back into the "red". Hey! Isn't that immediately after the year that America was attacked and ramped up to bring those responsible to justice. Damned skippy it was.
Now, here's the tricky part. Look at the graph in 2002 and look directly over to 2007-8 and see that our deficit spending for the period from 2002 until early 2008 was eliminated.
Sure, it went up in the years between --- but it is exactly back to where it was in 2002 (after those attacks). So we exited 2007 with the deficit where it was in 2002.
Everyone would like it to be less, but what were we supposed to do after 9/11? Suck it up and lob a missile or two and call it good?? Sorry- but THAT can got kicked down the road, and we played the "paper tiger" for FAR too long, and I'd argue that it's realistically the reason for the attacks in the first place.
And then the real ugly truth begins in 2008, with the election of Democrats to the Senate and House majorities in 2008. Pay particular attention to 2008, because the democrat majority in Congress TRIPLED that 2007 figure in one year!
And the last point you notice is the HUGE multiplication of their own excess in 2009.
The dems TRIPLED their TRIPLE.
Now, who likes to bitch about Bush blowing the deficit out ??? Maybe they should abolish all access to the DOCUMENTED truth, so they can continue to feed us bullshit and keep us in the dark.
See the penciled information? That was Donnie Ferguson's notes. They are accurate, however, so disprove THAT, but don't flail at Mr. Ferguson for pointing out the obvious.
The first thing you notice is Clinton's term being in the "black". Good for him! I'll never complain about the work that he did to get it there. Or the Congress that made it happen.
The most important thing you need to notice is that starting in 2002, the amount started back into the "red". Hey! Isn't that immediately after the year that America was attacked and ramped up to bring those responsible to justice. Damned skippy it was.
Now, here's the tricky part. Look at the graph in 2002 and look directly over to 2007-8 and see that our deficit spending for the period from 2002 until early 2008 was eliminated.
Sure, it went up in the years between --- but it is exactly back to where it was in 2002 (after those attacks). So we exited 2007 with the deficit where it was in 2002.
Everyone would like it to be less, but what were we supposed to do after 9/11? Suck it up and lob a missile or two and call it good?? Sorry- but THAT can got kicked down the road, and we played the "paper tiger" for FAR too long, and I'd argue that it's realistically the reason for the attacks in the first place.
And then the real ugly truth begins in 2008, with the election of Democrats to the Senate and House majorities in 2008. Pay particular attention to 2008, because the democrat majority in Congress TRIPLED that 2007 figure in one year!
And the last point you notice is the HUGE multiplication of their own excess in 2009.
The dems TRIPLED their TRIPLE.
Now, who likes to bitch about Bush blowing the deficit out ??? Maybe they should abolish all access to the DOCUMENTED truth, so they can continue to feed us bullshit and keep us in the dark.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Joe May keeps the pressure on
Joe May is nipping at Dominion and PATH's heels again. And it's not a rat dog, either. I'd say, probably more akin to a german shepherd.
HB 2024
Electrical transmission lines; impact minimizations plans. Requires that applications to the State Corporation Commission for approval of an electrical transmission line of 138 kilovolts or more include an impact minimization plan. Such a plan provides for the minimization of the visual, environmental, and economic impacts of the transmission line on real property within or adjacent to the area within which the applicant proposes to locate the line. The plan is required to be consistent with standards established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
This Bill will acomodate Dominion's planned upgrade out here (the plan that is stopping PATH right now) ...but would apply to Path, since their requested voltage is in excess of the 138 kilovolts particularly mentioned in the bill.
There's an upcoming public meeting in Lovettsville on the PATH application, so there'll be a post immediately prior to that meeting to finesse the better reasons that they need to be rejected.
On a similar segway, the following bills will work their way thru the General Assembly.
HJ542 / SJ 280 - Constitutional Amendment - Providing for the repeal of certain laws passed by the US Congress (LeMunyon/McDougle)
- Makes application to the United States Congress to call a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment that permits the repeal of any federal law or regulation by the vote of two-thirds of the state legislatures.
HB 2052 / SB 1125 - Right To Vote By Secret Ballot In Union Elections (Hugo/Stosch) - Declares that in any election providing for the establishment of a labor organization to represent employees, the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed.
HJ 500 / SJ 280- Constitutional Amendment - Right to Work (Bell, Richard P./McDougle) - Provides that any agreement between an employer and a labor union that denies persons not members of such union or organization the right to work is against public policy and illegal.
HB1566 - Legislators Recorded Votes Online (LeMunyon) - Provides that all votes cast by members of the General Assembly shall be recorded on electronic information system (LIS) that is readily available to the public.
I urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to support these common sense proposals that will get government working better for you.
HB 2024
Electrical transmission lines; impact minimizations plans. Requires that applications to the State Corporation Commission for approval of an electrical transmission line of 138 kilovolts or more include an impact minimization plan. Such a plan provides for the minimization of the visual, environmental, and economic impacts of the transmission line on real property within or adjacent to the area within which the applicant proposes to locate the line. The plan is required to be consistent with standards established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
This Bill will acomodate Dominion's planned upgrade out here (the plan that is stopping PATH right now) ...but would apply to Path, since their requested voltage is in excess of the 138 kilovolts particularly mentioned in the bill.
There's an upcoming public meeting in Lovettsville on the PATH application, so there'll be a post immediately prior to that meeting to finesse the better reasons that they need to be rejected.
On a similar segway, the following bills will work their way thru the General Assembly.
HJ542 / SJ 280 - Constitutional Amendment - Providing for the repeal of certain laws passed by the US Congress (LeMunyon/McDougle)
- Makes application to the United States Congress to call a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment that permits the repeal of any federal law or regulation by the vote of two-thirds of the state legislatures.
HB 2052 / SB 1125 - Right To Vote By Secret Ballot In Union Elections (Hugo/Stosch) - Declares that in any election providing for the establishment of a labor organization to represent employees, the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed.
HJ 500 / SJ 280- Constitutional Amendment - Right to Work (Bell, Richard P./McDougle) - Provides that any agreement between an employer and a labor union that denies persons not members of such union or organization the right to work is against public policy and illegal.
HB1566 - Legislators Recorded Votes Online (LeMunyon) - Provides that all votes cast by members of the General Assembly shall be recorded on electronic information system (LIS) that is readily available to the public.
I urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to support these common sense proposals that will get government working better for you.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
More Democrat Misconduct??
I'm SHOCKED, I tell ya!!
Being a State Senator means casting difficult votes, and then explaining those votes to your constituents. There should always be healthy debate on the issues of the day and Senators can take a stand...and defend it... one way or the other.
Recently a Democrat member of the Senate's Privileges and Elections Committee squashed that responsibility.
On Tuesday, Democrat Chairman Janet Howell told the committee that she intended to violate the rules and let a sub-committee kill some vital legislation — the Repeal Amendment, which would let 2/3 of states overturn bad laws like ObamaCare and Cap and Trade. Going further , she also intended to kill a measure that would protect our Right to Work laws by including them in the Virginia Constitution.
Her actions are against the Senate rules. When Republicans, lead by Senators Mark Obenshain and Steve Martin, objected to the Democrats breaking of the rules... Democrats did it again and shut down an effort to be sure that the bills got a fair hearing, as you can see in a video that Virginia Virtucon has provided in a thread here.
The Democrats don't really seem to mind that the whole thing is on Youtube, because they've been enboldened by their counterparts in the US Senate and the US House last year...who did essentially the same thing.
Are Virginia Democrats so cavalier as to purposely thwart the will of Virginia voters, and to pander openly to the SEIU and the Obama HealthCare fiasco right in front of an open camera??
Certainly looks like it. Election days have consequences...and it looks like Howell and company need a lesson in humility.
Update: Bloggers across Virginia react. Some Senators reply.
More blogger's opinions here, here and here.
As my good friend BVBL said of Chairman Howell: "Rules? We don't need no steenkin' rules"
Update II:The blogosphere has begun a call for her Chairmanship job.
Being a State Senator means casting difficult votes, and then explaining those votes to your constituents. There should always be healthy debate on the issues of the day and Senators can take a stand...and defend it... one way or the other.
Recently a Democrat member of the Senate's Privileges and Elections Committee squashed that responsibility.
On Tuesday, Democrat Chairman Janet Howell told the committee that she intended to violate the rules and let a sub-committee kill some vital legislation — the Repeal Amendment, which would let 2/3 of states overturn bad laws like ObamaCare and Cap and Trade. Going further , she also intended to kill a measure that would protect our Right to Work laws by including them in the Virginia Constitution.
Her actions are against the Senate rules. When Republicans, lead by Senators Mark Obenshain and Steve Martin, objected to the Democrats breaking of the rules... Democrats did it again and shut down an effort to be sure that the bills got a fair hearing, as you can see in a video that Virginia Virtucon has provided in a thread here.
The Democrats don't really seem to mind that the whole thing is on Youtube, because they've been enboldened by their counterparts in the US Senate and the US House last year...who did essentially the same thing.
Are Virginia Democrats so cavalier as to purposely thwart the will of Virginia voters, and to pander openly to the SEIU and the Obama HealthCare fiasco right in front of an open camera??
Certainly looks like it. Election days have consequences...and it looks like Howell and company need a lesson in humility.
Update: Bloggers across Virginia react. Some Senators reply.
More blogger's opinions here, here and here.
As my good friend BVBL said of Chairman Howell: "Rules? We don't need no steenkin' rules"
Update II:The blogosphere has begun a call for her Chairmanship job.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Yet another amatuerish mistake...
I suppose everyone remembers the Fimian (scorched earth)Campaign... This bunch of paid bloggers, mean-spirited jackasses, and roll-over and obliterate-it-at-any-expense thugs.....single-handedly insured that a large majority of Herrity's people wouldn't lift a finger to help Fimian after he plowed on through. Fimian lost painfully to one of the most liberal Pelosi lapdogs, Gerry Connolly, in the 11th Congressional District. Given the climate that year, perhaps it should have been a cakewalk.
Fast forward to George Allen's announcement this week. Already, the blogs and facebook are awash with more rank amatuers doing the bidding of Marshall and Stewart.
Stewart actually steps it up and is quoted as saying "George Allen would be a terrible candidate"
Look, I like Stewart, but that's a wee bit over-the-top for a County Supervisor who's claim-to-flame is illegal immigration. And don't get me wrong, I support Corey on that important issue. But it's a one-trick pony, in comparison to some of the more solid work by Bob Marshall. More on him later.
Corey has some more deep-seated problems closer to home. His vote for a developer, in direct opposition to his promises beforehand, set off a major backlash inside Prince William County, and it even had repercussions out here in Loudoun (seeing as we had just seen this movie in 2003 - 2007.) And Corey wants to represent Loudoun, too??
Now, back to Bob Marshall. Bob is a Gentleman, there is no doubt. But some of his more ...er...enthusiastic followers are, to say the least, not as gentle as Bob.
Bob has championed a number of great causes. He led the revolt against the over-reaching travesty HB3202. He has championed pro- 2nd Amendment bills and defenses.
And so much more.
But , on the downside-- he's also advocated to differ from the USDOD on standards for "Don't ask, don't tell" (in spite of the fact that Virginia's National Guardsmen recieve 80% of their support from DOD, as well as some 90% of other funding....)
He couldn't get thru his first year in the State House without typing the word "abortion" on every bill put before him, and recently, he has advocated for a state currency, something that I always personally thought was a stiff brush against the Constitution that he so ridgidly upholds (his words, not mine).
So, generally, if it's to be anyone based on experience, it's George, or it's Bob.
If we review Bob's (sometimes) whacky productions, I'd prefer that he has the balance of the Republican contingent to counterweight him. Leaving George Allen as the logical and popular candidate to go forth on this quest to unseat Webb.
And as a friend points out...that may not even be necessary. We'll need to see whether this pans out, or not.
An interim appointment by McDonnell would give Allen the seat until he could campaign for it in the next election. And that,folks, is the making of a slam-dunk.
Fast forward to George Allen's announcement this week. Already, the blogs and facebook are awash with more rank amatuers doing the bidding of Marshall and Stewart.
Stewart actually steps it up and is quoted as saying "George Allen would be a terrible candidate"
Look, I like Stewart, but that's a wee bit over-the-top for a County Supervisor who's claim-to-flame is illegal immigration. And don't get me wrong, I support Corey on that important issue. But it's a one-trick pony, in comparison to some of the more solid work by Bob Marshall. More on him later.
Corey has some more deep-seated problems closer to home. His vote for a developer, in direct opposition to his promises beforehand, set off a major backlash inside Prince William County, and it even had repercussions out here in Loudoun (seeing as we had just seen this movie in 2003 - 2007.) And Corey wants to represent Loudoun, too??
Now, back to Bob Marshall. Bob is a Gentleman, there is no doubt. But some of his more ...er...enthusiastic followers are, to say the least, not as gentle as Bob.
Bob has championed a number of great causes. He led the revolt against the over-reaching travesty HB3202. He has championed pro- 2nd Amendment bills and defenses.
And so much more.
But , on the downside-- he's also advocated to differ from the USDOD on standards for "Don't ask, don't tell" (in spite of the fact that Virginia's National Guardsmen recieve 80% of their support from DOD, as well as some 90% of other funding....)
He couldn't get thru his first year in the State House without typing the word "abortion" on every bill put before him, and recently, he has advocated for a state currency, something that I always personally thought was a stiff brush against the Constitution that he so ridgidly upholds (his words, not mine).
So, generally, if it's to be anyone based on experience, it's George, or it's Bob.
If we review Bob's (sometimes) whacky productions, I'd prefer that he has the balance of the Republican contingent to counterweight him. Leaving George Allen as the logical and popular candidate to go forth on this quest to unseat Webb.
And as a friend points out...that may not even be necessary. We'll need to see whether this pans out, or not.
An interim appointment by McDonnell would give Allen the seat until he could campaign for it in the next election. And that,folks, is the making of a slam-dunk.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Long time coming....
We've reached a point where a couple of flies in the ointment have circled their wagons and reached a hypocritical mass. They're completely free to "imagine" what members of the LCRC must be thinking and conspiring....but when the same tactic is used against them, they don't like it much...and in the final straw that broke this camel's back to anything of redeeming quality on that blog -- Lloyd, usually a good guy with a really good objective on politics -- sided with his blog mates and thus signaled the end of any meaningful content coming from the bash-fest that Too Conservative has become.
This started the downward spiral back in the primary race for the 11th District, where Vince Harris used the full power and weight of his blog to badmouth a candidate who very well could have beat Gerry Connelly. It became Fimian Central...and alienated many of the worthwhile posters.
He was the launching point for one of my favorite bloggers today. Brian Schoeneman, who went on to form NOVACommonSense.com , an outright hit that has formed a group of the most pressing and substanative writers ever to be assembled on the Virginia net. I predict that that star is rising, even as TooConservative falls.
Novatownhall, which in the past has been a little rough on local folks who opposed the old guard at the LCRC, has even become a focused laserbeam on Constitutional discussions, including 2nd Amendment, Healthcare and illegal immigration do's and don'ts.
The content at all of these "other" blogs is policy and actual discussion on the merits of exact legislation, or the discussion of Constitutional and legislative issues in general. They, for the most part, refuse to attack specific candidates(unless an absolute occasion where that candidate/officeholder SPECIFICALLY violated voter trust, or procedure.)
For my own part, defending the LCRC against the rabid fabrications of two democrat operatives on that blog, I've mulled it over with a few good folks, and their very solid recommendation was "don't prop up the idiot any more." And with that, I have withdrawn the URL out of my computer, and added a couple more solid Virginia blogs to the cache.
As to content here, I think it's best that I begin to re-evaluate my own content and step up to the level of Brian and others. After all, if you want to run with the big boys...you've got to keep up. I will be advocating for several candidates here, but I'd like the main content to go towards policy and those who embrace those policy issues in their campaigns.
This started the downward spiral back in the primary race for the 11th District, where Vince Harris used the full power and weight of his blog to badmouth a candidate who very well could have beat Gerry Connelly. It became Fimian Central...and alienated many of the worthwhile posters.
He was the launching point for one of my favorite bloggers today. Brian Schoeneman, who went on to form NOVACommonSense.com , an outright hit that has formed a group of the most pressing and substanative writers ever to be assembled on the Virginia net. I predict that that star is rising, even as TooConservative falls.
Novatownhall, which in the past has been a little rough on local folks who opposed the old guard at the LCRC, has even become a focused laserbeam on Constitutional discussions, including 2nd Amendment, Healthcare and illegal immigration do's and don'ts.
The content at all of these "other" blogs is policy and actual discussion on the merits of exact legislation, or the discussion of Constitutional and legislative issues in general. They, for the most part, refuse to attack specific candidates(unless an absolute occasion where that candidate/officeholder SPECIFICALLY violated voter trust, or procedure.)
For my own part, defending the LCRC against the rabid fabrications of two democrat operatives on that blog, I've mulled it over with a few good folks, and their very solid recommendation was "don't prop up the idiot any more." And with that, I have withdrawn the URL out of my computer, and added a couple more solid Virginia blogs to the cache.
As to content here, I think it's best that I begin to re-evaluate my own content and step up to the level of Brian and others. After all, if you want to run with the big boys...you've got to keep up. I will be advocating for several candidates here, but I'd like the main content to go towards policy and those who embrace those policy issues in their campaigns.
Friday, January 21, 2011
PATH circles the drain.....
It's more bad news for PATH.
In late December, PJM (the grid manager) released their demand forecast for 2011 through 2026. The forecast showed that efforts to cut back on electricity have been working. PJM now anticipates that the peak demand for this summer will be down by over three thousand megawatts from what it was projecting just last year at this time (for context, one megawatt can power approximately 1,000 homes).
Going out further, PJM projects that the load in the summer of 2014 will be over four thousand megawatts below what it had been projecting. In light of these changes PATH asked all three states to delay the hearings for six months. West Virginia reluctantly said yes, Maryland has not acted yet, but Virginia said "Not so fast."
In early January, the Virginia SCC refused to adopt the delay that PATH requested, and instead ordered PATH to run some new studies (incorporating the lower demand numbers) and pushed back the evidentiary hearing by less than a month.
The Hearing Examiner has also ordered that PJM show him and the Respondents whether less expensive projects, such as the rebuild of the Mt. Storm to Doubs line, or a series of fixes proposed by Dominion last spring, would solve the reliability problem cheaper than PATH's $2.1 billion dollar remedy.
So there's now a new schedule: The public hearings will still take place as planned on February 2nd and 3rd in Winchester and Lovettsville. The new PJM load flow studies must be filed by March 15, 2011. Respondents and SCC staff will file their testimony on April 18, 2011. On April 25, 2011, an additional public hearing will be held at the SCC in Richmond. PATH files its Rebuttal testimony on May 2, 2011. The evidentiary hearing for expert and respondent testimony will begin on May 16, 2011 at 9AM.
Hey Rocky, wanna see me pull a rabbit outta my nether region????
In late December, PJM (the grid manager) released their demand forecast for 2011 through 2026. The forecast showed that efforts to cut back on electricity have been working. PJM now anticipates that the peak demand for this summer will be down by over three thousand megawatts from what it was projecting just last year at this time (for context, one megawatt can power approximately 1,000 homes).
Going out further, PJM projects that the load in the summer of 2014 will be over four thousand megawatts below what it had been projecting. In light of these changes PATH asked all three states to delay the hearings for six months. West Virginia reluctantly said yes, Maryland has not acted yet, but Virginia said "Not so fast."
In early January, the Virginia SCC refused to adopt the delay that PATH requested, and instead ordered PATH to run some new studies (incorporating the lower demand numbers) and pushed back the evidentiary hearing by less than a month.
The Hearing Examiner has also ordered that PJM show him and the Respondents whether less expensive projects, such as the rebuild of the Mt. Storm to Doubs line, or a series of fixes proposed by Dominion last spring, would solve the reliability problem cheaper than PATH's $2.1 billion dollar remedy.
So there's now a new schedule: The public hearings will still take place as planned on February 2nd and 3rd in Winchester and Lovettsville. The new PJM load flow studies must be filed by March 15, 2011. Respondents and SCC staff will file their testimony on April 18, 2011. On April 25, 2011, an additional public hearing will be held at the SCC in Richmond. PATH files its Rebuttal testimony on May 2, 2011. The evidentiary hearing for expert and respondent testimony will begin on May 16, 2011 at 9AM.
Hey Rocky, wanna see me pull a rabbit outta my nether region????
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lovettsville has a Food Co-op!!
Press Release, January 18, 2011
The Lovettsville Cooperative Market organization passed an important milestone this week when it elected its founding Board of Directors, whose members then voted for officers and signed Articles of Incorporation that are being filed this week with the State Corporation Commission. This makes the co-op a legally established cooperative business under Virginia’s Law on Corporations.
Board members and their positions include Pamela Baldwin (Chair), Warren Howell (Vice Chair), Tiffaney Carder (Secretary), Michelle McIntyre (Treasurer) and Katrina Clayton (Membership Campaign Chair). All except Howell are Lovettsville residents; Howell is from Purcellville.
Following completion of its governance structure, the Board held its first formal meeting -- open to all Co-op members, as will be its practice -- and considered whether or not to take possession of either of two currently-available locations in Lovettsville in an effort move forward quickly toward opening its grocery store. Benefitting from the advice of two visiting experts on start-up of grocery cooperatives last week, the Board ultimately decided to focus first on building a strong capital and membership base while awaiting the expected development of Lovettsville’s Town Square commercial center. Stalled by the economic downturn, that center’s developer is now in discussion with a few potentially key tenants, according to NVRetail, Town Square’s leasing agent.
Last week, the Co-op’s predecessor group of “pre-members” received visitors associated with the Food Co-op Initiative, a Minnesota-based non-profit supported by the Blooming Prairie Foundation, which offers technical advice and counsel to co-op start-ups like the Lovettsville group. NCI director Stuart Reid told the co-op pre-members after visiting Lovettsville and meeting with community leaders (including Mayor Elaine Walker) that the community has the most important attributes needed for successful operation of a cooperatively-owned grocery store -- favorable demographics and economics, a vibrant farming base in the surrounding area, evident community interest in healthy food, and an obviously enthusiastic and engaged founding organization. He cautioned, however, against rushing too quickly into opening a store, advising the fledgling co-op to take the time needed for building membership and capital and making business decisions carefully. “Many groups take as long as three to five years to get up and running,” Reid said.
That has been the experience of the Friendly City Food Co-op in Harrisonburg, VA, whose Board chairman, Ben Sandel, joined Reid in the Lovettsville meeting. From a small group of enthusiasts who first came together in 2006 to form a co-op, Friendly City has grown to over 1,100 owner-members and is preparing for the grand opening of a 4,000-square-foot store this spring. How did they do it? According to Sandel, “we got our foundational references [from expert advice], which built confidence and credibility; we got lots of people involved to spread the work, reduce burnout and just make it more fun; [we held] lots of community events to spread the word and get feedback and validation; and we plugged into the [nation-wide] co-op community.”
“These are lessons from which our group can benefit greatly,” Baldwin said. “We will take our time and build a strong foundation before we leap into an active retail operation. We want to get this right, so it can really benefit our community and gain from the participation of as many people as possible.” The Lovettsville Co-op’s immediate priority will be continuing outreach to the community, in order to establish a broad membership and capital base, strong links to local food producers and ongoing efforts to identify the right location for the market. For further information, please go to www.lovettsville-grocery.com
My personal take on this development:
I wish this effort all the success that the hard work that's been invested should bring it. My only caution is concerning overhead. The Lovettsville Square property was going for a demented $36 dollars per sq. ft. back in 2008. I truly hope the owners have realized the inappropriateness of this costly entrance, and scaled back to fit the economy of today.
Otherwise, this is a welcomed addition to the Lovettsville history of doing and building things within the Community. Congratulations to the Co-op!!
The Lovettsville Cooperative Market organization passed an important milestone this week when it elected its founding Board of Directors, whose members then voted for officers and signed Articles of Incorporation that are being filed this week with the State Corporation Commission. This makes the co-op a legally established cooperative business under Virginia’s Law on Corporations.
Board members and their positions include Pamela Baldwin (Chair), Warren Howell (Vice Chair), Tiffaney Carder (Secretary), Michelle McIntyre (Treasurer) and Katrina Clayton (Membership Campaign Chair). All except Howell are Lovettsville residents; Howell is from Purcellville.
Following completion of its governance structure, the Board held its first formal meeting -- open to all Co-op members, as will be its practice -- and considered whether or not to take possession of either of two currently-available locations in Lovettsville in an effort move forward quickly toward opening its grocery store. Benefitting from the advice of two visiting experts on start-up of grocery cooperatives last week, the Board ultimately decided to focus first on building a strong capital and membership base while awaiting the expected development of Lovettsville’s Town Square commercial center. Stalled by the economic downturn, that center’s developer is now in discussion with a few potentially key tenants, according to NVRetail, Town Square’s leasing agent.
Last week, the Co-op’s predecessor group of “pre-members” received visitors associated with the Food Co-op Initiative, a Minnesota-based non-profit supported by the Blooming Prairie Foundation, which offers technical advice and counsel to co-op start-ups like the Lovettsville group. NCI director Stuart Reid told the co-op pre-members after visiting Lovettsville and meeting with community leaders (including Mayor Elaine Walker) that the community has the most important attributes needed for successful operation of a cooperatively-owned grocery store -- favorable demographics and economics, a vibrant farming base in the surrounding area, evident community interest in healthy food, and an obviously enthusiastic and engaged founding organization. He cautioned, however, against rushing too quickly into opening a store, advising the fledgling co-op to take the time needed for building membership and capital and making business decisions carefully. “Many groups take as long as three to five years to get up and running,” Reid said.
That has been the experience of the Friendly City Food Co-op in Harrisonburg, VA, whose Board chairman, Ben Sandel, joined Reid in the Lovettsville meeting. From a small group of enthusiasts who first came together in 2006 to form a co-op, Friendly City has grown to over 1,100 owner-members and is preparing for the grand opening of a 4,000-square-foot store this spring. How did they do it? According to Sandel, “we got our foundational references [from expert advice], which built confidence and credibility; we got lots of people involved to spread the work, reduce burnout and just make it more fun; [we held] lots of community events to spread the word and get feedback and validation; and we plugged into the [nation-wide] co-op community.”
“These are lessons from which our group can benefit greatly,” Baldwin said. “We will take our time and build a strong foundation before we leap into an active retail operation. We want to get this right, so it can really benefit our community and gain from the participation of as many people as possible.” The Lovettsville Co-op’s immediate priority will be continuing outreach to the community, in order to establish a broad membership and capital base, strong links to local food producers and ongoing efforts to identify the right location for the market. For further information, please go to www.lovettsville-grocery.com
My personal take on this development:
I wish this effort all the success that the hard work that's been invested should bring it. My only caution is concerning overhead. The Lovettsville Square property was going for a demented $36 dollars per sq. ft. back in 2008. I truly hope the owners have realized the inappropriateness of this costly entrance, and scaled back to fit the economy of today.
Otherwise, this is a welcomed addition to the Lovettsville history of doing and building things within the Community. Congratulations to the Co-op!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Ethnic empowerment is the name of the game
My friend over at CommonCents has an excellent post regarding changing the mindset of our friends who are African-Americans.
In this piece, he highlights a new book by Kevin Jackson , who has been called the black Glenn Beck.
Let's see how that plays out with liberals who will only prove that they would turn on black Americans in a second, if it wasn't for the substantial voting blocks that they represent. The same goes for all other ethnicities. If Asian-Americans or Latino-Americans started departing the democrats in droves, the liberals would immediately villify them in the next day.
I've taken on the responsibility of an all-out assault on democrats who exploit all of our American brothers and sisters who just happen to be born of the ethnicities that liberals take for granted. This is just one front of the heart-felt effort to reach out to ethnic voters of all races and creeds.
I have a vast array of friends and activists working with me on an all-out effort to show all ethnicities that they have a friend in the Republican Party...and that we are them. Let's work together for a better Party in the future. One that doesn't exploit your vote because of your color....but rather represents your conservative values without caring what your specific ethnic background is. You're all Americans, and you obviously love America. We embrace your contributions to America. We want you to be empowered. We do not want you to feel like a victim. Period.
I need assistance going forward in this endeavor. Do not hesitate to contact me and push this outreach forward to as many as will listen.
In this piece, he highlights a new book by Kevin Jackson , who has been called the black Glenn Beck.
Let's see how that plays out with liberals who will only prove that they would turn on black Americans in a second, if it wasn't for the substantial voting blocks that they represent. The same goes for all other ethnicities. If Asian-Americans or Latino-Americans started departing the democrats in droves, the liberals would immediately villify them in the next day.
I've taken on the responsibility of an all-out assault on democrats who exploit all of our American brothers and sisters who just happen to be born of the ethnicities that liberals take for granted. This is just one front of the heart-felt effort to reach out to ethnic voters of all races and creeds.
I have a vast array of friends and activists working with me on an all-out effort to show all ethnicities that they have a friend in the Republican Party...and that we are them. Let's work together for a better Party in the future. One that doesn't exploit your vote because of your color....but rather represents your conservative values without caring what your specific ethnic background is. You're all Americans, and you obviously love America. We embrace your contributions to America. We want you to be empowered. We do not want you to feel like a victim. Period.
I need assistance going forward in this endeavor. Do not hesitate to contact me and push this outreach forward to as many as will listen.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
If you still think that the Conservatives are the hateful ones....
If you can watch this and then still rationalize that the hate is all conservatives...
You're obviously giving a bit more to the belief that liberalism is a mental disorder.
Enjoy it while it last. The left is already scrubbing YouTube, in an effort to hide all evidence.
Enjoy a little more history. This is one of the most vivid moments in history where we saw a precursor to what occurred last nite.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/830clrob.asp
You're obviously giving a bit more to the belief that liberalism is a mental disorder.
Enjoy it while it last. The left is already scrubbing YouTube, in an effort to hide all evidence.
Enjoy a little more history. This is one of the most vivid moments in history where we saw a precursor to what occurred last nite.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/830clrob.asp
Monday, January 10, 2011
It has been said that Liberalism is a mental disease
Now, I don't usually ascribe to such all-out descriptors as this, but recent developments on another blog have me re-thinking the argument.
Hey, when the proof is plopped right in your lap by a willing individual, and you ignore the obvious...isn't that the same as burying your head in the proverbial sand?
A few of you have, perhaps, noticed the quotes in my bio section down there. I absolutely will not back away from those quotes. But I do think some very real context should be added, so that we all don't end up as mind-numbed as one particularly silly individual did, when he got wound around the axle over what he "thought" those quotes represented.
Let me be clear. I support the SOAP Box first and foremost. Ample participation in public input hearings, active use of petitioning the Government with personal feedback, and participation in PAC contributions as a cog in a larger wheel.
Secondly, the BALLOT BOX in this country should be the single largest steering device that we as Americans can employ to change the heading of the ship, should we deem that heading to be incorrect. It is thru my work as the 72 HR Chairman for two consecutive election years in Loudoun that I have been given the opportunity to get voters out who made course corrections, and the State as a whole benefited from those last election results. Governor McDonnell immediately unearthed $3Billion that was stuffed under the seat cushions in the couch that belonged to VDOT. It continues to get better, now that the economic hawks are in charge in the Mansion down in Richmond. Few are able to argue effectively that this isn't the case.
The third entry is the JURY BOX, and in the only tangible part of his rant at the other site....he actually got this part right. It is the right and RESPONSIBILITY of the PEOPLE to challenge the outcome of the Legislature, if they indeed feel that it does not serve THE PEOPLE. I must strongly word this in a way that emphasizes the utmost clarity. I support LEGAL challenges by THE PEOPLE , if and when they feel that the legislature has made a mistake and did so without considering the PEOPLE's desires for their own lives.
The last box is, evidently, the most controversial of the four. It deserves a special explanation, and deserves dire events that must occur previously to trigger it's use. The issue probably parallels with the "deadly force" issue used and acknowledged by every LEGAL owner with the RESPONSIBILTY of owning a firearm.
Let's say that Congress gets together and decides that the Electoral College has not served the election desires of a certain Party or movement, and they pass legislation to end the Electoral provisions of the Constitution. They want to install a popular vote....or a monarchial system....whatever. We begin the process with that Soap Box, but it falls on deaf ears. We use the the Ballot Box, which having been partially killed, is not helpful in the least...or worse yet....invalidated by the elected who wish to maintain their power. We graduate to the Judicial Box , and once again....these elite are able to fight off any LEGAL attempt to return the Government of the People to THE PEOPLE.
Or a President makes a decree that he is going to forego any election of THE PEOPLE, and just hold office as long as he sees fit...all the while, citing some mystic and gray reason for doing so... IF Congress does nothing, and if the Judicial remedy is not sought out...and THE PEOPLE are not being represented ...
NOW. Is it the duty of Americans everywhere to protect the Constitution of these United States and restore the Country's time-honored tenets --found in the United States Constitution? It's the VERY reason for the 2nd Amendment....if you follow our forefather's reasoning. They, in their time, had seen power grabs, and they understood man's less than perfect government structures from as far back as Rome and beyond. They gave us inaliable rights, and concluded that the Government should never take those rights from us, THE PEOPLE. And then they laid out a proposal that would prevent the event of Government taking that right from THE PEOPLE.
So, when someone tries to slight me with sophomoric taunts about "not liking the outcome of an election"...or "being upset over the legal outcome of a contest"...they're bordering legal insanity...or they're as sane as you and I, but really have no concern of the rights of THE PEOPLE, because in their world, they KNOW WHAT's BEST for us....and they don't give a damn what you think about that.
Use the four boxes....but in that order. And let's all hope that , like the
"deadly force" issue, we never, ever, ever...have to use the fourth box. It's the health of the current Constitution that automatically negates the need for it's use as the last option on the table.
Hey, when the proof is plopped right in your lap by a willing individual, and you ignore the obvious...isn't that the same as burying your head in the proverbial sand?
A few of you have, perhaps, noticed the quotes in my bio section down there. I absolutely will not back away from those quotes. But I do think some very real context should be added, so that we all don't end up as mind-numbed as one particularly silly individual did, when he got wound around the axle over what he "thought" those quotes represented.
Let me be clear. I support the SOAP Box first and foremost. Ample participation in public input hearings, active use of petitioning the Government with personal feedback, and participation in PAC contributions as a cog in a larger wheel.
Secondly, the BALLOT BOX in this country should be the single largest steering device that we as Americans can employ to change the heading of the ship, should we deem that heading to be incorrect. It is thru my work as the 72 HR Chairman for two consecutive election years in Loudoun that I have been given the opportunity to get voters out who made course corrections, and the State as a whole benefited from those last election results. Governor McDonnell immediately unearthed $3Billion that was stuffed under the seat cushions in the couch that belonged to VDOT. It continues to get better, now that the economic hawks are in charge in the Mansion down in Richmond. Few are able to argue effectively that this isn't the case.
The third entry is the JURY BOX, and in the only tangible part of his rant at the other site....he actually got this part right. It is the right and RESPONSIBILITY of the PEOPLE to challenge the outcome of the Legislature, if they indeed feel that it does not serve THE PEOPLE. I must strongly word this in a way that emphasizes the utmost clarity. I support LEGAL challenges by THE PEOPLE , if and when they feel that the legislature has made a mistake and did so without considering the PEOPLE's desires for their own lives.
The last box is, evidently, the most controversial of the four. It deserves a special explanation, and deserves dire events that must occur previously to trigger it's use. The issue probably parallels with the "deadly force" issue used and acknowledged by every LEGAL owner with the RESPONSIBILTY of owning a firearm.
Let's say that Congress gets together and decides that the Electoral College has not served the election desires of a certain Party or movement, and they pass legislation to end the Electoral provisions of the Constitution. They want to install a popular vote....or a monarchial system....whatever. We begin the process with that Soap Box, but it falls on deaf ears. We use the the Ballot Box, which having been partially killed, is not helpful in the least...or worse yet....invalidated by the elected who wish to maintain their power. We graduate to the Judicial Box , and once again....these elite are able to fight off any LEGAL attempt to return the Government of the People to THE PEOPLE.
Or a President makes a decree that he is going to forego any election of THE PEOPLE, and just hold office as long as he sees fit...all the while, citing some mystic and gray reason for doing so... IF Congress does nothing, and if the Judicial remedy is not sought out...and THE PEOPLE are not being represented ...
NOW. Is it the duty of Americans everywhere to protect the Constitution of these United States and restore the Country's time-honored tenets --found in the United States Constitution? It's the VERY reason for the 2nd Amendment....if you follow our forefather's reasoning. They, in their time, had seen power grabs, and they understood man's less than perfect government structures from as far back as Rome and beyond. They gave us inaliable rights, and concluded that the Government should never take those rights from us, THE PEOPLE. And then they laid out a proposal that would prevent the event of Government taking that right from THE PEOPLE.
So, when someone tries to slight me with sophomoric taunts about "not liking the outcome of an election"...or "being upset over the legal outcome of a contest"...they're bordering legal insanity...or they're as sane as you and I, but really have no concern of the rights of THE PEOPLE, because in their world, they KNOW WHAT's BEST for us....and they don't give a damn what you think about that.
Use the four boxes....but in that order. And let's all hope that , like the
"deadly force" issue, we never, ever, ever...have to use the fourth box. It's the health of the current Constitution that automatically negates the need for it's use as the last option on the table.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Maybe marijuana ain't all they smoke in Ca.
Cause this has to be some major CRACK COCAINE abuse....
At her final press conference as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, "Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us. It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go."
The numbers tell a different story.
When the Pelosi Democrats took control of Congress on January 4, 2007, the national debt stood at $8,670,596,242,973.04. The last day of the 111th Congress and Pelosi's Speakership on December 22, 2010 the national debt was $13,858,529,371,601.09 - a roughly $5.2 trillion increase in just four years. Furthermore, the year over year federal deficit has roughly quadrupled during Pelosi's four years as speaker, from $342 billion in fiscal year 2007 to an estimated $1.6 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2010.
Now, looking at the real clock ....that's $$ 13,945,365,600,435.52 at this typing.
Update: on a similar wavelength, Donny Ferguson has posted the graph of the damage here
On that graph, Donny has penciled in the exact point at which democrats took control of the House and Senate majorities....and the spending took off. What I found more interesting was immediately before that, there was a one-time spike under Bush on the deficit, followed by three years of a steady decline in the deficit....and it almost made it back to a nuetral point when the afore-mentioned democrat takeover occurred-- whereupon it spiked (2008)well past where the Republicans had put it in 2004...
At her final press conference as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, "Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us. It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go."
The numbers tell a different story.
When the Pelosi Democrats took control of Congress on January 4, 2007, the national debt stood at $8,670,596,242,973.04. The last day of the 111th Congress and Pelosi's Speakership on December 22, 2010 the national debt was $13,858,529,371,601.09 - a roughly $5.2 trillion increase in just four years. Furthermore, the year over year federal deficit has roughly quadrupled during Pelosi's four years as speaker, from $342 billion in fiscal year 2007 to an estimated $1.6 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2010.
Now, looking at the real clock ....that's $$ 13,945,365,600,435.52 at this typing.
Update: on a similar wavelength, Donny Ferguson has posted the graph of the damage here
On that graph, Donny has penciled in the exact point at which democrats took control of the House and Senate majorities....and the spending took off. What I found more interesting was immediately before that, there was a one-time spike under Bush on the deficit, followed by three years of a steady decline in the deficit....and it almost made it back to a nuetral point when the afore-mentioned democrat takeover occurred-- whereupon it spiked (2008)well past where the Republicans had put it in 2004...
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