Virginia Budget

As the deadline of March 11 comes upon the General Assembly, legislators are hard at work crafting amendments to the state budget.

 

Delegate Bud Phillips is working to introduce an amendment that will add $100,000 to the budget for the Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, VA.  Also proposed by both him and Terry Kilgore is an amendment that will ask for $1 million over a period of 2 years for developing a software engineering program at the University of Virginia @ Wise.

 

I personally hope that both of the these amendments pass through the General Assembly.  Ralph Stanley has been for many years an influence on the soul of country music.

 

As for the software engineering program at UVA @ Wise, I think it is a very good investment.  I am very computer-savvy, and I believe Southwest Virginia would be better suited for larger investments such as computer and programming initiatives.

--
jf

Smoking? Not here you're not!

As the Virginia Senate voted today 20-18 passing the ban on indoor smoking, I can't help but praise the senators that did support this ban. Even though that may sound a little conservative, I do not think that so many psople should have the extreme right of smoking where some are allergic or asthmatic to the fact. I myself am allergic to cigarette smoke, that is why I praise this bill. Like Matt Smyth over at Not Larry Sabato mentions here, there are 3 senators that changed their minds.

Awesome!

James Webb for Senate

Wow, once again, it's been quite a while since I last wrote. I was quite sick last week with a fever of 103, a bad case of pharyngitis, and a bad case of bronchitis. But I am well over that now as I am back at school, and going to write once more.

Unfortunately, I was not able to write when James Webb announced that he was running for the Senate seat against incumbent George Allen. But taking into effect the stances that he wants to take, so far I believe he is a very good candidate for the postition. Here are a few stances listed on his website James Webb for Senate.

• Refocusing America's foreign and defense policies in a way that truly protects our national interests and seeks harmony where they are not threatened.
• Repairing the country's basic infrastructure, which has eroded badly over the past decade, and developing more creative ways to assist disaster-stricken areas such as those in New Orleans and along the Gulf coast.
• Reinstituting notions of true fairness in American society, including issues of race, class, and economic advantage; and
• Restoring the Constitutional role of the Congress as an equal partner, reining in the unbridled power of the Presidency.

Blogger Problems

I am having problems updating my blog through email. If anyone else is having this problem, please let Blogger web support know about it.

This has been probably one of the main reasons why you readers haven't seen a new post in a while.

jf