Santa Suffers Through a Jack Bauer Interrogation

note: Time for a little video humor to lighten the mood …. as I continue to read reports of the over fifteen million Americans who, like me, will be unemployed this Christmas … the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced November’s national unemployment rate was 10.0% up dramatically from the 6.8% it reported in 2008

Blizzard of ’09 Dumps 18 – 25 Inches On Virginia Now VDOT Ties To Catch Up

According to a Virginia Department of Transportation release priority for their crews is … clearing interstates, then the primary roads and routes that connect localities, fire stations, employment hubs, military posts, schools, hospitals and other important public facilities … during the brunt of the stom VDOT even had to closed I-95 and I-66 … here are some photos of an area VDOT won’t get to for awhile …

14 Inches And Rising – Major Snowstorm Hits Virginia

National Weather Service Totals for Virginia

...ALBEMARLE COUNTY...
   CROZET                21.5  1250 PM 12/19
   SHADWELL 1 SSW        20.0  1254 PM 12/19

...ARLINGTON COUNTY...
   REAGAN NATIONAL AIRP  12.3   112 PM 12/19
   BAILEYS CROSSROADS 1  12.3  1200 PM 12/19
   FALLS CHURCH 1 ENE    12.0   105 PM 12/19

...AUGUSTA COUNTY...
   FISHERSVILLE 1 NNE    24.5  1133 AM 12/19
   FISHERSVILLE          23.0   116 PM 12/19
   STAUNTON 2 N          22.0  1253 PM 12/19

...CITY OF ALEXANDRIA...
   ALEXANDRIA 1 S        11.8   113 PM 12/19
   ALEXANDRIA 1 SE        9.0  1241 PM 12/19

...CITY OF MANASSAS...
   MANASSAS              12.0  1120 AM 12/19

...CITY OF WINCHESTER...
   WINCHESTER            14.5  1238 PM 12/19

...CLARKE COUNTY...
   BERRYVILLE 1 NW       15.5  1256 PM 12/19
   STRINGTOWN 3 W        13.5  1206 PM 12/19

...CULPEPER COUNTY...
   CATALPA 1 NNE         17.0  1248 PM 12/19

...FAIRFAX COUNTY...
   DULLES INTERNATIONAL  16.0  1259 PM 12/19
   CENTREVILLE 1 SE      16.0   118 PM 12/19
   HERNDON               16.0  1249 PM 12/19
   LORTON                15.0  1226 PM 12/19
   ALEXANDRIA 2 S        14.5   115 PM 12/19
   BURKE                 14.0  1200 PM 12/19
   VIENNA                14.0   106 PM 12/19
   GREAT FALLS           13.5   108 PM 12/19
   RESTON                13.3   115 PM 12/19
   FAIRFAX 3 W           13.0  1145 AM 12/19
   NORTH SPRINGFIELD     13.0  1238 PM 12/19
   OAKTON                13.0  1135 AM 12/19
   ALEXANDRIA 3 SW       11.0  1256 PM 12/19

...FAUQUIER COUNTY...
   WARRENTON 4 SE        15.5  1252 PM 12/19
   MARSHALL              14.5  1224 PM 12/19
   WARRENTON             13.0  1154 AM 12/19

...FREDERICK COUNTY...
   WHITACRE 1 ESE        14.0  1121 AM 12/19
   STEPHENS CITY 2 E     14.0   107 PM 12/19
   WINCHESTER 2 E        12.0  1234 PM 12/19

...GREENE COUNTY...
   LYDIA 2 SE            18.0   102 PM 12/19

...LOUDOUN COUNTY...
   LEESBURG 1 SW         15.0   117 PM 12/19
   LEESBURG              14.5   100 PM 12/19
   LEESBURG 1 N          14.0  1239 PM 12/19
   BLUEMONT              13.0  1200 PM 12/19
   PURCELLVILLE 2 WNW    13.0  1216 PM 12/19
   DULLES INTERNATIONAL  12.4  1131 AM 12/19
   ASHBURN               12.0  1132 AM 12/19
   ASHBURN 1 NE          11.2  1211 PM 12/19
   LEESBURG 2 N          10.5  1130 AM 12/19

...ORANGE COUNTY...
   ORANGE 1 SSW          16.0  1130 AM 12/19
   THORNHILL 1 N         16.0  1249 PM 12/19

...PAGE COUNTY...
   LURAY                 21.0   108 PM 12/19
   STANLEY               16.0   110 PM 12/19
   LURAY 1 SW            16.0   111 PM 12/19
   FAIRVIEW              12.0  1228 PM 12/19

...PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY...
   MANASSAS 3 ESE        15.0  1242 PM 12/19
   TRIANGLE              14.0  1140 AM 12/19
   MANASSAS 2 S          13.0   113 PM 12/19
   MANASSAS 1 ESE        12.0  1229 PM 12/19

...ROCKINGHAM COUNTY...
   ROCKY BAR 3 ENE       21.0  1245 PM 12/19
   SINGERS GLEN 1 SSE    20.5  1256 PM 12/19

...SHENANDOAH COUNTY...
   TOMS BROOK 3 SSE      12.0  1153 AM 12/19

...STAFFORD COUNTY...
   ROSEVILLE 2 E         15.8  1239 PM 12/19
   FREDERICKSBURG 3 NE   12.3  1135 AM 12/19

In “Extraordinary Times” Kaine Proposes 2010-2012 Budget

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor

Timothy M. Kaine                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Governor                                                 December 18, 2009

GOVERNOR KAINE UNVEILS PROPOSED BIENNIAL BUDGET FOR 2010-2012

~ Balanced budget preserves safety net programs, maintains Triple A bond rating, maintains position as national leader through combination of cuts and revenue ~

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today unveiled the 2010 caboose budget and 2010-2012 biennial budget that he will submit for consideration by the 2010 General Assembly during a speech to the Joint Money Committees. The prepared text of his remarks follows:

“Chairman Putney, Chairman Colgan, Chairman Purkey, and Members of the General Assembly: Good Morning.

Today marks the last time I will address the members of the Joint Money Committees as Governor. On behalf of seven and a half million Virginians, I thank and commend you for your service.

When I began my service as Governor nearly four years ago, I chose a motto for my Administration: ‘Virginia Leading the Way.’ It has inspired everything we do. Just as Virginia was the nation’s leading state in the first 50 years of our country’s life, we should be the leading state in America today.

When I chose that motto, I had no idea that we would be living through the toughest national economic conditions since the 1930’s. When we saw the economy start to soften in March of 2007, few believed that the depths of the recession would be so profound. And yet our goal did not change.

Senator Webb Writes on Health Care Reform

Note: The following column by Virginia’s Senior Senator, Jim Webb was published in the Winchester Star at

http://www.winchesterstar.com/pages/view/still.html

Webb cites concerns, amendments, votes on health care
Senator Jim Webb

Like all of my colleagues in the Democratic Party, I voted in favor of proceeding to debate the proposed health-care reform legislation. I have yet to decide whether I will support final passage of the bill.

I have stated on several occasions my concerns that the Obama administration should have begun the health-care process with a clear, detailed proposal, from which legislation could then be put into place. Instead, the legislation now before the Congress is the product of five separate congressional committees, three in the House and two in the Senate. I and my staff have carefully worked through thousands of pages of sometimes contradictory information, and have done our best to bring focus to the debate and clarity to any final product.

Our country needs health-care reform. While a strong percentage of Americans are satisfied with their health care, the system is not working for millions of others. Spiraling costs for health care also have placed our biggest industries at a severe competitive disadvantage worldwide, and have become unsustainable for many small businesses.

But true reform must be done in an effective and responsible fashion, without creating a cumbersome, overly bureaucratic system. The bottom line should be to achieve a more cost-effective health-care system that increases accessibility, affordability, and quality of care, and which does not burden our economy along the way.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

US. Navy photo of U.S.S. Arizona burning
December 7, 1941 “A Date Which Will Live In Infamy”

Op-Ed “Democrats See Opportunity in Obstacles” by Gov. Jack Markell

Democrats See Opportunity in Obstacles

By Governor Jack Markell

While most called with congratulations, more than a few people offered their condolences last November when I was elected Governor of Delaware.

With the nation in the middle of its largest and longest recession in decades, unemployment steadily climbing and state budget shortfalls surging, this was going to be, they said, a terrible time to be a Governor.

Many of those pessimists thought they had been proven right during this last year, when the consequences of that national recession and the effects of the housing bubble’s burst were felt in state capitals around the country.

They watched as Governors made difficult choices about painful cuts to balance their state budgets.

But they were wrong to suggest this is a bad time to be Governor. At no point in my lifetime have the decisions made by the people in public office seemed more critical. Only a few times in our nation’s history have we had the opportunity to make a more lasting difference. The need for new ideas to help deliver real change has rarely been greater. If you want your work to matter, this is a great time to be a Governor.

That is why I am so excited to lead the Democratic Governor’s Association this year. We have Governors and candidates across the country that are seizing the opportunity to get our fiscal houses in order, to rebuild our nation’s economy, to stand and fight for hardworking taxpayers, to strengthen our nation’s schools and give our children every opportunity to reach their potential.

Admittedly, history’s headwind is working against us. Since 1978, the President’s party has traditionally lost an average of five Governor’s offices during the first mid-term election. And though Republicans may outspend us, the DGA is better prepared than at any point in our history to help our candidates. We helped recruit strong candidates around the country and are making early investments in key states.

In fact, we are starting some of those investments today, with a new effort to put our opponents on notice. The DGA will hold them accountable for any attempt they make to block our nation’s return to greater prosperity. This new initiative, The GOP Accountability Project, will remind people in critical states that the same Republicans who are pledging progress now helped create the national recession which we have had to work so hard to reverse.

Efforts like this to help educate voters need to start now because the stakes have never been higher. In the 2010 election cycle, four out of five Americans will see an election for Governor in their state. In the next two years, 42 out of 50 governors will play a major role in deciding what their state’s political lines will look like for the next decade.

Our country is at an inflection point that could shape our economy and political landscape for a generation to come. There could not be a clearer contrast between our party and the other side. While so many Republicans happily attack, deride and derail some of the progress we are making, our candidates and our Governors know that we are stronger when we pull together and work together.

The members of the DGA understand that helping working families recover from the national recession requires a shared commitment.

Ensuring our children can compete and win against any students anywhere in the world demands people come together with new ideas to strengthen our public schools.

To better protect our senior citizens or help those who worked hard and played by the rules but still lost their jobs in this recession, we need to work together to make government more efficient, effective, responsive and responsible.

By putting ourselves in the shoes of those who create the jobs and prosperity in the first place, we will improve the economic climate in each of our states.

We cannot afford to say that anything government does must be wrong simply because it is the government doing it.

Most importantly, the members and candidates who will gather at the DGA conference today share an abiding optimism about the challenges we face. The chance we have been given to serve is a blessing in these defining times.

Jack Markell is the Governor of Delaware.

“A Plan In Need Of Clarity” Deserves Answers

Note:  The following is an op-ed penned by Virginia’s Senior Senator, Jim Webb … since his election in 2006 he has provided an important voice on the proper use of our military … and was the legislator most responsible for getting our men and women in uniform a 21st Century GI Bill … it’s good to see him asking Afghanistan strategy questions and the American people deserve answers and clarifications prior to any toop deployments …be sure to check out the section devoted to making our military into highly maneuverable forces to combat terrorist activities anywhere in the world … the op-ed appeared in the Washington Post …

A plan in need of clarity   By Senator Jim Webb December 4, 2009

I have great regard for the careful process the Obama administration employed in its efforts to define a new approach for the long-standing military commitment in Afghanistan and to put an operational framework in place for our responsible withdrawal. I intend, nevertheless, to continue to call on the administration to clarify to the American public and Congress how it defines success and how we reach an end point.

Since early 2009, I have said repeatedly that the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan must proceed based on four considerations: (1) the fragility of the Afghan government; (2) whether building a national army of considerable scale is achievable; (3) whether an increased U.S. military presence will ultimately have a positive effect in the country, or whether we will be seen as an occupying force; and (4) the linkage of events in Afghanistan and Pakistan . In the coming weeks I intend to examine the administration’s plan to see how it addresses these criteria and how it will affect our troops.

Since the president’s address Tuesday, there has been much discussion of the date that the United States will begin to draw down military forces and transfer security responsibility. Just as important is a focus on creating the conditions to enable this transfer of responsibility. The administration has not defined them with sufficient clarity. Our strategy is sound only if framed with clearly defined and attainable goals, an understandable end point and a regional perspective. We must also avoid the inherent risks of allowing our success in Afghanistan to be defined by events that are largely beyond our control.

When U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in 2001, no true central government had existed in that country since 1979. The agreements reached in Bonn , Germany , in December 2001 led to a new constitution, an interim government and the national election of 2004. The agreements also gave considerable power to a central government in a country that is very disparate and historically far removed from the concept of central governance. The result today is a weak, fragile government in Kabul whose power on paper is far greater than in reality. It is plagued by a lack of capacity and rampant corruption. Many observers say that power needs to be devolved to a more decentralized form of governance consistent with tribal realities to achieve the Afghan government’s long-term viability.

We are ramping up deployment to about 100,000 troops, along with tens of thousands of American contractors and civilians, to implement a counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan . This greatly enlarged presence runs the risk, well rooted in Afghanistan ‘s history of resisting foreign influence, that the United States will be perceived as an occupying force instead of a presence seeking to assist Afghans in improving their stability and development.

Another key question that remains to be answered is: How do we define our enemy in Afghanistan ? When we talk about the Taliban, we interchange terms that aren’t particularly interchangeable. Three different types of actors are associated with the Taliban. First came those in a vicious government that the United States assisted in removing. Second, there is an ideologically charged group that operates principally in Pakistan , associated with the forces of international terrorism. Third, we have a separate group, presumably growing with the greatest speed, that is viewed by many Afghans as something of a regional militia defending local interests and that doesn’t particularly want to threaten U.S. interests outside Afghanistan .

I have said consistently that countering international terrorism requires highly maneuverable forces able to strike an intrinsically mobile enemy. The departure of al-Qaeda from Iraq and, in large measure, from Afghanistan demonstrates why more maneuverable U.S. forces are to be favored against mobile international terrorist movements. In each instance, al-Qaeda relocated to other areas, including Pakistan and the Horn of Africa. Our military must retain the same maneuverability.

On the personnel front, our active-duty military has been deployed repeatedly for combat operations since 2001. Guard and reserve components also have deployed at levels not envisioned when the all-volunteer force was introduced. We are in uncharted territory in terms of the long-term effects these deployments are having on the well-being of our men and women in uniform, especially the Army and Marine Corps. I introduced dwell-time legislation nearly three years ago to ensure that we achieved a better balance in deployment cycles with a minimum interval before follow-on deployments. The new commitment of some 30,000 U.S. troops will put additional strains on our forces and their families. I plan to press the administration on this point to ensure that we are more vigilant in safeguarding the welfare of our men and women in uniform.

The writer, a Democrat from Virginia who was secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he is chairman of the subcommittee on personnel.

When Will Virginia’s Closed Rest Areas Reopen?

When Virginia closed 19 of its 42 rest areas … including the one pictured above … the GOP candidate for Governor … who is now the Gov.-elect … pledged to reopen the rest stops within 90 days of taking office … just a friendly reminder

Flu.gov Offers Up To Date Information

Note: The Flu.gov website contains a tremendous amount of information brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services … it even takes on “Myths vs. Facts” and has an “Ask the Flu Experts” section … check it out