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You are here: Home / Archives for Politics

Council Candidate Dannielle Romeo talks Cheriton

April 29, 2018 by Wayne Creed 9 Comments

To My Esteemed Fellow Residents of the Town Of Cheriton

As disappointed as I was seeing the intentionally misleading campaign signage distributed by four candidates acting as a group, I was simply appalled at the blatantly dishonest advertisement they chose to run in the Eastern Shore Post on April 27th, 2018. Doubling down on their fear-mongering, divisive tactic of “The taxes are coming! The taxes are coming!” to retain their positions on this representative body is distasteful at best and deceitful at worst.

What they aren’t telling you:

* Cheriton’s existing town ordinances allow for a personal property tax and real estate tax which have not to date been levied. No candidate for council has forwarded any plan that would result in the activation of that existing code. It is misleading to an offensive degree that these four candidates continue to campaign on the implication that their opposition intends to levy real estate and personal property taxes.

* The proposed budget for fiscal year 18-19 shows a profit, not a deficit, even with the loss of income AND expenses related to citation revenue from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department.

* The newly formed Cheriton Police Department and its related start-up expenses were approved unanimously by the seated council, in multiple sessions. A local police department of our own opens doors to our town in many ways, including the ability to expand our borders.

These types of political posturing tactics may be routine in places like Richmond, but they do not well reflect the values and ethics of our dear Cheriton.

It is impractical and unsustainable to place the burden for the majority of the town budget on the shoulders of a single employee. “Policing for Profit,” an avenue being directly ordered by several members of the current council including the candidates who ran the Post advertisement, is an ugly practice; it undermines public trust in law enforcement, it damages open communications between citizens and their police, it discourages tourism and removes necessary safety resources from the streets of our town in the name of convenience. The current council is either unwilling or unable to envision any different plans of action for revenue generation and are reluctant to go out and get personally involved in developing any. We must be honest with ourselves; if our town is not providing specific services and amenities, funded by multiple revenue streams, why are we a town separate from the county government at all? To that end, we must plan and budget accordingly. This means getting creative with solutions for a fast-changing world while keeping our small town charm intact. It CAN be done!

I and several of my fellow new candidates have some exciting ideas for revenue generation that we believe will work for everyone’s best interests. I’ll be happy to discuss them at length and listen to your concerns about the current issues and future direction of our town at the Meet The Candidates event ( Candidates Forum ) on Sunday, April 28th, 2018 at the American Legion Hall from noon to 3 pm.

Your council was never intended to be a group of persons working towards their own goals and purposes. Your council’s objective is to be a body of individuals, elected by YOU, who represent YOU! Somewhere along the line, I believe some members may have lost sight of this perspective. Your voice and your interests must come first, with an eye always towards the service of the greatest good and best benefits to all citizens.

I’ve traveled extensively and lived in many locations but never chose one to settle until purchasing our home in Cheriton. The diversity in our community, the sense of belonging, the friendly faces I see every day; this is where my family chose to put down roots and we’re in it for the long haul. I’m a wife, mother, and volunteer for several community organizations including our local fire department. Seeing the potential for a more vibrant commercial zone I relocated my small business here too. I’ve invested in Cheriton, heart, and soul. And seeing for myself how much of the town government was conducted behind closed doors in secret executive sessions and unannounced meetings without opportunity for public participation, I chose to become more involved.

I am confident that my experience with the Main Street program, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for revitalizing historic districts will be of great value during my service to you on the council. The principles of design, organization, promotions and economic development are custom tailored for towns just like ours. I look forward to using these skills successfully as I have in the past to make our Cheriton a safer, brighter and more beautiful place to live, work, visit, shop and enjoy.

Donnella (Dannielle) Romeo

Candidate, Town Council

Filed Under: Bottom, Politics

VA House Race Decided by Lottery

January 7, 2018 by Wayne Creed Leave a Comment

A Virginia elections official reached into a stoneware bowl, pulled out a name and declared Republican incumbent David Yancey the winner of a House of Delegates race that could determine which party controls the chamber. Virginia staged a rare election lottery, livestreamed across the country, to settle a tie between Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds. The loser of the drawing is entitled to request a second recount, likely leaving the race in limbo as the General Assembly reconvenes for this year’s session.

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Politics

Historical Notes: All Saints Day

November 5, 2017 by Wayne Creed 1 Comment

This happened on November 1st, All Saints Day.

1512: The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican opens for public visitation for the first time since completion of the great ceiling fresco by Michelangelo.

1520: Ferdinand Magellan enters the narrow strait that now bears his name. While not as navigationally straightforward as the route around Cape Horn, and it avoids the ferocious westerlies and high sea states of the Horn passage. However, the narrowness of the channel and the prevailing westerlies make the strait a particularly difficult passage in a sailing vessel, especially for a square-rigged design that does not go well to windward.

1790: British author and political philosopher Edmund Burke publishes his letter, Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he examines the French body politic and its leadership through the lens of the same Natural Law that guided the original revolution in the former British colonies. Burke argues that the abstract foundations of the French revolution could not account for the complexity of human nature, and the enterprise was doomed to lead to tyranny. Critical of the rule of intellectuals, and pointing out the dangers, “What is the use of discussing a man’s abstract right to food or to medicine? The question is upon the method of procuring and administering them. In this deliberation I shall always advise to call in the aid of the farmer and the physician, rather than the professor.”

The mushroom cloud created at Eniwetok Atol.

1952: The United States detonates its first hydrogen bomb, Operation IVY MIKE, at Eniwetok Atoll. The blast came in at 10 megatons.

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Politics

Plante: On the Fourth of July, Now Past and Gone!

July 9, 2017 by Wayne Creed 79 Comments

Ah, yes, the Fourth of July, and lucky us this year, ain’t it people?

Gas the cheapest its been in years, and the same with hamburgers!

Isn’t this a wonderful country we live in, then?

But if so, why aren’t we happy?

That’s right, people, according to a MARKETWATCH article by Quentin Fottrell published just before the Fourth of July on June 28, 2017, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which once used to be ours, at least pursuant to the Declaration of Independence, but who knows of that anymore, now seems more attainable overseas.

Think about that people, after fighting a War of Revolution in this country to gain the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness promised us in the Declaration of Independence on the very first Fourth of July in the country, we now need to go to some foreign country like Norway to get it today.

When it comes to happiness in the citizen body, the U.S. ranked No. 19 just behind the Czech Republic, Japan and France.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Opinion, Politics

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS REVISITED: On The Electoral College

December 11, 2016 by Wayne Creed 8 Comments

Special to the Cape Charles Mirror by Paul Plante

After reading the Washington Post article “Why efforts to persuade the electoral college to ditch Trump probably won’t work” by Sean Sullivan and Ed O’Keefe, December 6, 2016, and the Politico article “Rogue electors brief Clinton camp on anti-Trump plan – Kasich emerges as the group’s alternative Electoral College pick” By Kyle Cheney and Gabriel Debenedetti, 12/05/16, where we are informed about the existence of a group calling itself the “Hamilton Electors,” I thought it time, past time, perhaps, to revisit the subject of American presidents as was actually laid out by the founding fathers in the Federalist Papers, which have to be read as a body to properly understand them, and what they have bequeathed to us in our own times here in the USA.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Opinion, Politics

ACCOMACK COUNTY SCHOOLS REVIEWs THE BAN OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

December 4, 2016 by Wayne Creed 7 Comments

“Fear of serious injury alone cannot justify oppression of free speech and assembly. Men feared witches and burnt women. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears.” —U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941)

Nice thought, but even in 2016 Atticus Finch and Huck Finn have to deal with complaints. A formal complaint has been filed in the Accomack County Public School system against the use of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The appearance of a “racial slur” in both works is the basis for the complaint. Atticus and Huck will have to wait on the sidelines while a “committee” hashes this out.

huck_finnAs was reported by Hillary Chesson of the Eastern Shore News, “Marie Rothstein-Williams, a white parent of a biracial child who attends Nandua High School, spoke at a Nov. 15 Accomack County School Board meeting against the use of the books “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Accomack County classrooms and libraries.“I keep hearing ‘This is a classic, this is a classic.’ I understand this is a literature classic but at some point I feel the children will not or do not truly get the classic part, the literature part — which I’m not disputing this is great literature — but there is so much racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you can’t get past that.” Rothstein-Williams stated that the nation is divided as it is and she teaches her son that he is the “best of both worlds,” and doesn’t want him to feel otherwise. “There’s other literature they can use,” she said. “We’re validating that these words are acceptable and they’re not acceptable by no means.”

While Ms. Rothstein-Williams’ offers a somewhat fragile argument, it is a legitimate concern, and as such, the Accomack County Public School system must address it, putting them in a fine, if not original mess. While part of the argument focuses on “validating racism”, the core premise of those advocating for such a ban would be that children may be harmed if we don’t protect them from this inappropriate material.

Is this censorship, and are books and other curriculum protected by the U.S. Constitution?

The American Association of School Administrators and the American Library Association define censorship as: “[T]he removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials — of images, ideas, and information — on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor.” As the new GE commercial says, almost every idea, at one point, has proven to be objectionable to someone.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Opinion, Our Town, Politics

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR KATIE NUNEZ RESIGNS

August 23, 2016 by Wayne Creed 13 Comments

The Northampton County Board of Supervisors announced at Monday’s work session that there would be a shake up and restructuring of County Administration. This will take place in several phases over the next few weeks, however it was announced that the BoS had unanimously accepted the resignation of County Administrator Katie Nunez. According to Chairman Spencer Murray, Nunez’s decision to tender her resignation was mutual. The resignation is effective immediately.

County SealKatie Nunez has served as the County Administrator for 11 years.

The Board also announced that the position of Economic Development Director was being cut. According to Murray, current director Kris Tucker has been released from that position. Murray noted that economic development is truly the responsibility of the BoS–as such, Mr. Tucker is free to pursue other opportunities.

Finance Director John Andrzejewski will serve as interim Administrator.

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Politics

Another Tree taken down: No evidence a Permit was issued

August 14, 2016 by Wayne Creed Leave a Comment

Tree removed at 119 Pine Street (Mirror Photo)

Tree removed at 119 Pine Street (Mirror Photo)

The Cape Charles Mirror was notified this week of another tree being taken down, this time near the 100 block of Pine Street. The crew was just leaving when the Mirror arrived; while it was not a VDOT crew, the identity of the contractor (red trucks) could not be obtained before they drove off. The Cape Charles Mirror contacted Town staff to see if a permit had been issued for this tree removal. Staff told the Mirror that the Town had not issued a permit. Staff also told the Mirror if a VDOT crew is in Town, they will know about it (VDOT usually gives notice if a crew is scheduled). The Mirror was told that they would email Dale Pusey to find out whether VDOT had issued a permit for the removal of this tree.

The CC Mirror attempted to contact Town staff and the Mayor several more times to confirm whether a VDOT permit was pulled for that site, but as of this publishing, we have not received information one way or the other. While staff is generally very forthright with the local press, in this instance, they have not provided any information in regards to this tree.

This rogue behavior, citizens by-passing town code has the potential to adversely alter the Cape Charles Streetscape. With members of the Historic District Review Board and the Planning Commission setting a precedent by openly advocating and promoting the notion that citizens should ignore Town ordinances and then use subjective reasons to justify their actions could lead to more violations such as occurred at 510 Monroe. A walk around Cape Charles reveals many old trees that could be taken down using the flimsiest of arguments. It the Town won’t speak for and protect these trees, who will?

The silence coming out of Plum Street is deafening.

Filed Under: Bottom, Environment, Environmental Activism, News, Our Town, Politics

Northampton County Democrats support Shuck-N- Suck

July 24, 2016 by Wayne Creed Leave a Comment

Cape Charles – The Northampton County Democratic Committee will join the 12th annual Oyster Buy Boat Reunion and Shuck-N- Suck 2016, from August 5th through 7th, at the Oyster Farm Marina, in Cape Charles.

These mid-summer days will be sunny and hot, so the Committee invites you stop by its tent for free iced lemonade or water. While you quench your thirst, you are invited to:

 Win a four-night condominium vacation in Las Vegas, Atlantic City or Orlando

 Find a “Flea Market” bargain in an unimaginable collection of high quality goods

 Satisfy your sweet tooth with scrumptious “Bake Sale” treats

 Obtain voter registration and early / absentee voting information

The Northampton County Democratic Committee recognizes that while we may have differing interests, convictions and lifestyles, we must peacefully live together and agreeably express our
individual perspectives. We welcome all visitors to our tent – you will be greeted with a warm, American smile.

shuckNsuck2016

Filed Under: Bottom, News, Politics

Paul Plante: On Alleged Progressivism In America in 2016

July 24, 2016 by Wayne Creed 16 Comments

Special to the Cape Charles Mirror – Opinion by Paul Plante

As this presidential campaign season in America heats up, we hear the word “progressive” being bandied about quite a bit, especially today with Bernie Sanders endorsing Hillary Clinton, while touting the “most progressive platform” in history, with some people treating the label “progressive” as a pejorative, while others look at it in a more positive light.

Given the seeming confusion over what the word actually means, if such can ever be said with any degree of specificity with respect to political labels, which “progressive” is, I would like to take a moment to delve the subject.

burke1

Photo Steven Criste

First off, “progressivism” is a philosophy.

It is a philosophy based on the idea of progress, which asserts that advancement in science, technology, economic development, and social organization are vital to improve the human condition.

So, if you are for or against “progressivism,” either way, it is dependent on what the term “improve the human condition” actually means to you.

According to my research, and as is stated in WIKIPEDIA, in America, progressivism began as a social movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and grew into a political movement, in what was known as the Progressive Era.

So we are not talking about something new here, and in fact, we can see that as a political philosophy it is quite old, which gives some needed context to the statement of Bernie Sanders today that we are seeing the “most progressive platform” in history.

Of importance to this discussion, in our past political history, some American progressives rejected Social Darwinism, believing that the problems society faced (poverty, violence, greed, racism, class warfare) could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace.

As I see it, those are certainly not radical propositions, and in fact, they can be viewed as being quite rational.

Looked at another way, who in America today would advocate against providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace?

In our history, perhaps not surprisingly, progressives lived mainly in the cities, they were college educated, and they believed that government could be a tool for change, and American President Theodore Roosevelt of the US Progressive Party declared that he “always believed that wise progressivism and wise conservatism go hand in hand”.

On the other side of the political coin, American President Woodrow Wilson was a member of the American progressive movement within the Democratic Party.

So we see that the label “progressive” is not the exclusive property of either major political party in this country, nor could it be, since as said before, it is a philosophy, and philosophies are either accepted by an individual, or rejected, since philosophy is not something than can be imposed by a political party on free citizens in the United States of America.

Again, of importance to this discussion, progressive stances in America have evolved over time.

For example, just as it is again today, imperialism was a controversial issue within progressivism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where some progressives supported American imperialism, while others opposed it, which shows that “progressivism” is hardly monolithic.

In that regard, in response to World War I, progressive American President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points established the concept of national self-determination and criticized imperialist competition and colonial injustices; views which were supported by anti-imperialists in areas of the world that were resisting imperial rule, such as Viet Nam, where we became mired down in a quagmire in the 1960s by trying to impose our will on the people of Viet Nam at the point of a gun, after the French imperialists were defeated at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

Moving forward in time, and bringing this into the context of the presidential campaigns on-going today, according to David Sirota, a newspaper columnist, radio host (AM760), and bestselling author, there is a fundamental difference between liberals and progressives when it comes to core economic issues.

In his view, traditional “liberals” in our current parlance are those who focus on using taxpayer money to help better society, while a “progressive” would be those who focus on using government power to make large institutions play by a set of rules.

As he puts it in more concrete terms relevant to today, a liberal solution to some of our current problems with high energy costs would be to increase funding for programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), while a more “progressive” solution would be to increase LIHEAP but also crack down on price gouging and pass laws better-regulating the oil industry’s profiteering and market manipulation tactics.

Further, a liberal policy towards prescription drugs is one that would throw a lot of taxpayer cash at the pharmaceutical industry to get them to provide medicine to the poor while a progressive prescription drug policy would be one that centered around price regulations and bulk purchasing in order to force down the actual cost of medicine in America, much of which was originally developed with taxpayer R&D money.

So is proposing free college tuition really a “progressive” idea?

Think about that for a moment, if you will, but as I see it, the answer would be no, it is not progressive at all, since giving out free college tuition, as fine an idea as that might seem to some, does not comport with the idea of progress, which asserts that advancement in science, technology, economic development, and social organization are vital to improve the human condition.

To the contrary, since it is essentially just throwing more government money at something, without clearly defining what the throwing of government money will be “buying,” it is a liberal proposition, instead.

When we think of the magnitude of that liberal idea masquerading as a “progressive” idea, instead, we need to consider that at present, Americans owe nearly $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, which is spread out among about 43 million borrowers, and the average Class of 2016 graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt, up six percent from last year.

Cast that number against the Total Receipts expected by the U.S. federal government in 2016 of $2.99Trillion versus Total Outlays of $3.54Trillion, and we can see that “free” college tuition puts a large load on our federal budget, a load we American taxpayers will be forced to have to pay, since that cost will have to be borne by someone, and that someone is us.

So is this really, as Bernie Sanders said today, the “most progressive platform” in history, handing out free college tuition to anyone who wants it, even assuming that an American president had such power, which is not conceded, or is it just a liberal idea gone crazy that could well cripple our economy?

As always with all of these “good” ideas thrown at us on a daily basis as these politicians pander for our votes with all kinds of “pie-in-the-sky” promises such as a “chicken in every pot” and a “car in every garage” and “doubling exports,” no real details are given as to how it is to be done, just trust us, they say, we are the ones fighting for you, and we will make it happen.

But can they, really?

For the record, I am and have been since the 1980s a political independent, which means I am not for either major party in this contest.

What I am for is common sense, which in politics today is not very common at all, and rationality.

If someone says they are going to do something, like give out free college, I would like the details now, not next week, because in my experience, next week never comes, but the tax bill always does, and each year, our pile of debt grows deeper and deeper.

At the end of FY 2016 the gross US federal government debt is estimated to be $19.3 trillion.

This liberal idea of free college masquerading as a “progressive” idea will be adding a Trillion dollars a year to that figure.

Is that something you want to bequeath to your grandchildren?

In closing, please do “progressivism” a needed favor by not mistaking it for liberalism, instead.

The difference is important for our future as a nation, and that is something we should not forget, for if we do, it will be at our peril.

Filed Under: Activism, Bottom, News, Opinion, Politics

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