Sunday, August 30, 2009

Bob's for going "Back in Time"

To the time when women knew their place and lived to serve their man.
To the time when women were dependent, subservient, and obedient.
To the good old days when a woman had to ask her husband's permission for a divorce to escape abuse or infidelity.


At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master's thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he described working women and feminists as "detrimental" to the family.

He said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators." He described as "illogical" a 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples.

The 93-page document, which is publicly available at the Regent University library, culminates with a 15-point action plan that McDonnell said the Republican Party should follow to protect American families -- a vision that he started to put into action soon after he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.

During his 14 years in the General Assembly, McDonnell pursued at least 10 of the policy goals he laid out in that research paper, including abortion restrictions, covenant marriage, school vouchers and tax policies to favor his view of the traditional family. In 2001, he voted against a resolution in support of ending wage discrimination between men and women.

Read the story


Deeds for Governor, My Choice...

Thank you Ted Kennedy






My week has been so very full that I just now took the opportunity to sit down and mourn with a nation, yet also to celebrate the life and growth of the reluctant brother, the brother who dealt with life, the little brother who stood for so long in the ...shadow of legend, the man who emerged from self induced adversity to become the workhorse and the true leader of the United States Senate.

Thank you Ted Kennedy, for showing us all that oftentimes in life, the true hero is the individual who lives long enough to face himself in his own darkened soul, and then to truly begin the work of blessing the lives of others.

Rest in Peace,
You've done well.

The Brother Who Mattered Most

Friday, August 28, 2009

Dems Host Health Care Forum

Thanks to Washington and Lee University Law Professor Tim Jost, internationally recognized expert on health care systems, and health care law for his very informative presentation last night on health care policy and the reforms under discussion. 90 minutes of pure education and discussion. No yelling, no teabags, no stunts.

(Rockingham County Dems meet the 3rd Thursday of every month at the County Administration Center, Supervisor's Room).

Fired up! Ready to meet Bob on the 5th of September!

Meet Your Local Republicans


The Party of Ideas! They do a great job of defining themselves. The problem is - they seek to define your community. So before we return to driving change, bringing back hope, making health care affordable, and electing more Democrats...lets take a moment to see what the face of our opposition looks like. Know them by their deeds I say.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the inhabitants of Crazytown. Get to know your neighbors!

Mary Jo Kopechne, 1940-1969 Updated

The ending of an error….

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Afghan Tragedy---What Now?



Despite the heavy military presence of the United States and other Western powers, Afghanistan remains the world's largest illicit producer of opium, according to a new study released by experts who monitor the worldwide trade in narcotics on behalf of the United Nations.

"Afghanistan is the source of over 90 percent of the illicit opium in the world," Mylven Levitsky, a member of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), told a news conference after releasing the board's latest study on the global trade in illicit drugs.

Read more




As the Afghan government cracks down on the plant, many farmers find themselves spiraling toward poverty.
Whole Families Hooked on Opium

Some Background

UN Articles on Afghan Opium

2005 Study

Tackling the Problem

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Virginia Finishes in Top 10 - Cash for Clunkers

The CARS program came to a close Tuesday night with nearly 700,000 clunkers taken off the roads, replaced by far more fuel efficient vehicles. Rebate applications worth $2.877 billion were submitted by the 8 p.m. deadline, under the $3 billion provided by Congress to run the program.

Cars made in America topped the most-purchased list, from the Ford Focus to the Toyota Corolla to the Honda Civic.

"American consumers and workers were the clear winners thanks to the cash for clunkers program," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Manufacturing plants have added shifts and recalled workers. Moribund showrooms were brought back to life and consumers bought fuel efficient cars that will save them money and improve the environment."

"This is one of the best economic news stories we've seen and I'm proud we were able to give consumers a helping hand," Secretary LaHood said.



C.A.R.S. - STATE RANKING by BRD
(State, Total Rebates, % of Total)

CALIFORNIA $326,822,000 11.317%
TEXAS $183,776,500 6.364%
NEW YORK $156,292,000 5.412%
FLORIDA $146,565,000 5.075%
ILLINOIS $143,613,000 4.973%
PENNSYLVANIA $138,651,500 4.801%
OHIO $136,267,000 4.719%
MICHIGAN $132,407,500 4.585%
NEW JERSEY $103,375,500 3.580%
VIRGINIA $98,523,500 3.412%
NORTH CAROLINA $78,601,500 2.722%
MARYLAND $74,903,000 2.594%
MINNESOTA $73,160,500 2.533%
GEORGIA $70,496,000 2.441%
WISCONSIN $70,165,000 2.430%
INDIANA $65,797,000 2.278%
MASSACHUSETTS $64,855,000 2.246%
MISSOURI $61,271,500 2.122%
WASHINGTON $55,927,500 1.937%
TENNESSEE $50,949,000 1.764%
KENTUCKY $40,246,500 1.394%
CONNECTICUT $40,114,000 1.389%
ARIZONA $39,542,500 1.369%
IOWA $37,728,000 1.306%
COLORADO $37,676,500 1.305%
OREGON $37,531,500 1.300%
OKLAHOMA $37,422,000 1.296%
SOUTH CAROLINA $37,207,500 1.288%
LOUISIANA $33,376,500 1.156%
KANSAS $31,496,500 1.091%
ALABAMA $31,251,500 1.082%
UTAH $24,102,500 0.835%
ARKANSAS $23,402,500 0.810%
NEW HAMPSHIRE $23,045,500 0.798%
NEBRASKA $21,784,500 0.754%
MAINE $16,579,500 0.574%
NEVADA $14,582,000 0.505%
NEW MEXICO $13,941,500 0.483%
WEST VIRGINIA $13,477,000 0.467%
MISSISSIPPI $12,463,500 0.432%
IDAHO $11,655,000 0.404%
DELAWARE $11,235,000 0.389%
RHODE ISLAND $10,690,500 0.370%
SOUTH DAKOTA $10,367,500 0.359%
VERMONT $9,879,000 0.342%
NORTH DAKOTA $8,938,000 0.310%
HAWAII $7,333,500 0.254%
MONTANA $6,461,000 0.224%
ALASKA $4,868,500 0.169%
WYOMING $2,513,000 0.087%
PUERTO RICO $2,252,000 0.078%
VIRGIN ISLANDS $1,553,000 0.054%
GUAM $675,000 0.023%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA $67,500 0.002%

Dealer Transactions
Number Submitted: 690,114
Dollar Value: $2,877.9M

Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased

  1. Toyota Corolla
  2. Honda Civic
  3. Toyota Camry
  4. Ford Focus FWD
  5. Hyundai Elantra
  6. Nissan Versa
  7. Toyota Prius
  8. Honda Accord
  9. Honda Fit
  10. Ford Escape FWD

New Vehicles Manufacturers

Toyota - 19.4%
General Motors - 17.6%
Ford - 14.4%
Honda - 13.0%
Nissan - 8.7%
Hyundai - 7.2%
Chrysler - 6.6%
Kia - 4.3%
Subaru - 2.5%
Mazda - 2.4%
Volkswagen - 2.0%
Suzuki - 0.6%
Mitsubishi - 0.5%
MINI - 0.4%
Smart - 0.2%
Volvo - 0.1%
All Other - <0.1%>

Top 10 Trade-in Vehicles

  1. Ford Explorer 4WD
  2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
  3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
  4. Ford Explorer 2WD
  5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
  6. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
  7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
  8. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
  9. Ford F150 Pickup 4WD
  10. Ford Windstar FWD Van
C.A.R.S. Program Statistics
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Have Republicans Turned Into a Weird Religious Cult?


Something strange has happened in America in the nine months since Barack Obama was elected. It has best been summarized by the comedian Bill Maher: "The Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved to a mental hospital."

The election of Obama - a black man with an anti-conservative message - as a successor to George W. Bush has scrambled the core American right's view of their country. In their gut, they saw the US as a white-skinned, right-wing nation forever shaped like Sarah Palin.

When this image was repudiated by a majority of Americans in a massive landslide, it simply didn't compute. How could this have happened? How could the cry of "Drill, baby, drill" have been beaten by a supposedly big government black guy? So a streak that has always been there in the American right's world-view - to deny reality, and argue against a demonic phantasm of their own creation - has swollen. Now it is all they can see.

Since Obama's rise, the US right has been skipping frantically from one fantasy to another, like a person in the throes of a mental breakdown. It started when they claimed he was a secret Muslim, and - at the same time - that he was a member of a black nationalist church that hated white people. Then, once these arguments were rejected and Obama won, they began to argue that he was born in Kenya and secretly smuggled into the United States as a baby, and the Hawaiian authorities conspired to fake his US birth certificate. So he is ineligible to rule and the office of President should pass to... the Republican runner-up, John McCain.

Read the story

The Torch is Passed


For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

Edward M. Kennedy, 1932 - 2009

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

'People want you to fix health care'


In the blizzard of statistics presented by Frank Luntz, perhaps this was the scariest one for the 10 governors in the room: Asked whether they agreed with the statement "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," 72 percent of Americans polled said yes.

That sentiment is much more than a pithy line from the 1976 movie "Network," Luntz told the governors. It's a perfect summing-up of the American zeitgeist in 2009, one that politicians ignore at their peril.


Luntz, a pollster best known for his work on the power of language in politics, has worked mostly for Republicans.

But he spoke Sunday at the Southern Governors' Association's annual meeting at the invitation of a Democrat - Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the group's chairman - and his advice was bipartisan.


Read more

Monday, August 24, 2009

Deeds in the Queen City

Gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds will be in Staunton for two events this week:
  • Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 PM (not 5:00 PM as previously advertised) - rally in front of Mill Street Grill (in case of rain at Elder Antique Auto).
  • Friday, August 28 at 9:00 AM - media event at Black Dog Bikes on S. Lewis Street.
Please join Creigh at both events!!

McDonnell - Another Borrow and Spend Republican


So I was wondering how Bob McDonnell was planning to pay for Virginia's critical transportation needs. I went to his web site and found out. Bob plans to borrow the money from Wall Street by bonding Virginia taxpayers with debt. Another borrow-and-spend Republican in the spirit of George Bush! Some things never change.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dedicated to Virginia

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present to you an individual who has won my admiration and respect for the workings of his mind, and for his willingness both to work for and his absolute dedication to, the hard working people of the state we both love. I am honored to be able to call him my friend.
Senator Creigh Deeds, the Democratic Candidate who will be the next Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia...

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Time for Truth on Transportation

A Real Issue in Virginia,
that a Governor and Assembly can actually
Do Something About...


VIRGINIA HAS not raised statewide taxes for transportation since Ronald Reagan was president, leaving it with one of the nation's lowest gas taxes and a rapidly deteriorating road network. Twice in the past three years, Republicans in the General Assembly have balked at increasing rates for road and transit improvements. In keeping with that stance, Robert F. McDonnell, the Republican candidate in this year's gubernatorial campaign, has ruled out future tax increases for transportation.

So it was no great surprise last week when Virginia Republicans howled with delight after state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor, answered "yes" when asked whether he would sign a bill, if one were presented to him, that raised taxes to pay for new roads. Treating Mr. Deeds's statement as akin to a felony confession, officials for the party and for the McDonnell campaign trumpeted it in an instantly produced video.

Read the rest

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Forum on Health Care Reform

Democratic Forum on Health Care Reform

What's the real story? Come find out.

Nationally Recognized Authority on Heath Care Law and Policy
Timothy Jost will conduct our Forum


Congress is in the midst of perhaps its greatest undertaking of our generation, reforming our health care system. Our health care system as it currently exists is unsustainable—fifty million Americans are uninsured and tens of thousands more are losing their insurance every week. Health care expenditures, now at 17.6% of GDP, are expected to be over 20% in ten years. Ever more insured Americans are facing bankruptcy as out-of-pocket expenses continue to climb.

All three House committees with jurisdiction over health care have reported out reform legislation, as has one of the two Senate committees. The legislation they are considering would cover 97% of the U.S. population and could restrain the growth in health care costs. Congress is now in its August recess, and whether or not we will get health care reform depends on what our representatives hear from us during the next month.

Polls show that Americans are confused. They understand our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. Many Americans profess opposition to the solutions proposed by President Obama or Congress, but at the same time agree with those solutions when the proposals are described to them. Most Americans are also concerned that health care reform will help other people but that they themselves may be worse off under reform.

If you want to hear what Congress is up to in health care reform, if you have questions or comments about reform, if you would like straight answers to the complicated questions reform raises, and, most importantly, if you want to know what you can do to help reform efforts, come to the Rockingham County Democrat’s Health Care Forum, Thursday August 27, at 7:00pm, Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 20 East Gay St., Harrisonburg, VA.

The discussion will be led by Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, Washington and Lee University Professor, author of over one hundred books and articles on health law and policy, who has been closely following legislative developments throughout this legislative session.

Democratic Forum on Health Care Reform

What's the real story? Come find out.

Host:
Rockingham County Democratic Committee
Date:
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Time:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Rockingham Co Administration Building: Board of Supervisors Meeting Room
Street:
20 East Gay Street
City/Town:
Harrisonburg, VA

Phone:
5408202592
Email:

Democratic Forum on Health Care Reform Facebook Event

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

AARP Presents Myth vs Fact


Myths and Facts about Heathcare

The facts are clear: Healthcare in the U.S. costs too much, wastes too much, makes too many mistakes and returns too little value for our money. That’s why, on behalf of our 40 million members, AARP believes Washington needs to take action now, so all Americans can have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

There are many naysayers who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and will stop at nothing to derail healthcare reform. To save their profits, many will try to scare Americans with myths about legitimate proposals to lower healthcare costs.

Opponents of healthcare reform will use every tool at their disposal, including their ability to spend exorbitant amounts of money on television, newspaper and radio ads to spread their myths.

AARP is committed to exposing this misinformation campaign so that our nation can move toward the ultimate goal of quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. Below are a few of the most popular myths about healthcare reform, followed by the facts to refute them:

Click here to read more

Monday, August 17, 2009

A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words...


From a protest in New Hampshire. Hee Hee!

I spent some time in New Hampshire a few years ago, and found the New England fools every bit as ignorant as our home grown fools. Guess the lane was too long to make it to the school bus on time.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Be a Blessing-Find a way to Serve




Americorps website

2009 Labor Day Celebration


Democratic Labor Day Banquet and Celebration

Join Valley Democrats to honor American Workers and to kick off the Campaign Season!

Date:
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Time:
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:
James Madison University Festival Center
Street:
1301 Carrier Drive
City/Town:
Harrisonburg, VA

Phone:
5402710604
Email:

Description

Celebrating Community

THE ANNUAL
HARRISONBURG-ROCKINGHAM
DEMOCRATIC LABOR DAY
CELEBRATION
Sunday, September 6

JMU Grand Ballroom
5:30 PM Cash Bar, Silent Auction
6:15 PM Dinner and Program

Entertainment
GLICK AND PHILLIPS

Invited Speakers
SENATOR CREIGH DEEDS
DELEGATE STEVE SHANNON
FORMER SECRETARY JODY WAGNER

Cash bar available
Live Auction—Silent Auction

Directions:
From Interstate 81 take Route 33 East (exit 247-A)
Turn right at second stoplight onto University Boulevard
Continue through three lights then turn right onto Carrier Drive
Park in lots C11 and C12 (on the right)

Click Here to download an invitation

The program for the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Labor Day Banquet will reach up to 400 people just at the dinner. There are a variety of advertizing size options for your company, committee, service, or campaign. For more information, see the ad rates at:

Click Here to download advertising information

Friday, August 14, 2009

Breaking News from the White House

Yesterday, Damon Weaver from the KEC TV News Team out of Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary broke some big news about President Obama’s plan to address students across the country on September 8th.



Source

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Female Veteran Homeless Numbers on Rise



More female veterans are winding up homeless

WASHINGTON - The number of female service members who have become homeless after leaving the military has jumped dramatically in recent years, according to new government estimates, presenting the Veterans Administration with a challenge as it struggles to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more

Homelessness a problem for women veterans

WASHINGTON -- When Debra Filter enlisted in the Army in 1978 as a 22-year-old high school graduate, she saw it as a way to escape childhood abuse, get an education, and see the world.

She didn't get what she signed up for.

On the night of her graduation from basic training, Filter said several fellow soldiers raped her. The next day, her drill sergeant told her, in front of the rest of her platoon, that she ought to be ashamed of herself.

Read more

Aid Sought for Homeless Female Vets

Caroline Contreras says a rape at Fort Dix, N.J., 20 years ago derailed her military career and sent her on an inexorable path of addiction and homelessness.

But what the 48-year-old veteran says she remembers most painfully is how her government let her down when she finally sought help.

Last year, Contreras showed up at the U.S. Veterans Administration facility in West Haven homeless and ready to sober up and deal with the trauma of the sexual assault by fellow servicemen.

She completed the VA's substance abuse treatment program, restored her self-worth after working with a therapist and shed her destructive coping skills. When she was ready to leave the program to rebuild her life, the VA had no place to send her.

Women-only shelter beds in the state were full. Transitional housing wasn't available. The best the VA could offer her was a bus ticket to a shelter in Massachusetts.

"It brought me back to the way I felt when I was raped," Contreras said. "I was insignificant. I wasn't worthy. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the respect of a male veteran."

Read more

Findings from Yale School of Medicine:

About a quarter of homeless female veterans have young children in their care. PTSD in these mothers is associated with poorer mental health and lower school attendance for their young children both at baseline and over a one-year period.

Read more

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Eloquent and Rich in History? You Decide

Veterans Deserve Much Better

How the justice system has been manipulated to put astonishing numbers of vets with PTSD and other psychiatric injuries behind bars.

The Tragedy of Our 'Disappeared' Veterans

By Penny Coleman, AlterNet. Posted August 12, 2009.

Wayne McMahon was busted on gun charges six months after he got out of the Marines.

He was jumped by a gang of kids in his hometown of Albany, N.Y. , and he went for the assault rifle he kept in the back of his SUV.

He's serving "three flat, with two years of post-release" at Groveland Prison in upstate New York.

Maybe it's tempting to write McMahon off as just a screwed-up person who made the kinds of mistakes that should have landed him in jail, but maybe that's because his injuries don't show on the outside.

Unlike physical injuries, psychiatric injuries are invisible; the burden of proof lands on the soldier (or sailor or Marine), and such injuries are easy for the public to deny.

The diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder include a preoccupation with danger.

According to Jonathan Shay, a Veterans Administration psychiatrist and author of Achilles in Vietnam, hypervigilance in soldiers and veterans is expressed as the persistent mobilization of both body and mind to protect against lethal danger -- they act as though they were still in combat, even when the danger is no longer present.

Read more

This is Getting Uglier by the Day

A vandalized sign outside the office of Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., is shown Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009 in Smyrna, Ga. Scott had a contentious community meeting on health care last week. Scott, who is black, said the swastika is the latest example of what he believes is an increasingly hateful and racist debate over reforming health care. The Atlanta lawmaker said he also has received mail in recent days that used N-word references to him, and that characterized President Barack Obama as a Marxist. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Swastika painted at Georgia congressman's office

A swastika was found Tuesday painted on a sign outside Rep. David Scott's district office, an act the Georgia Democrat said reflects an increasingly hateful and racist debate over health care and should serve as a reminder for people to tone down their rhetoric.


Read the story

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Health Insurance Reform - Reality Check


Interested in a second opinion to what you are hearing on Fox News? Not really interested in reading the legislation? Thinking about mindlessly heckling your legislator about "Socialized Health Care". Check out the Health Insurance Reality Check. You might save yourself from sounding like a fool.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Del. Todd Gilbert Brings Back Abusive Driver Fees


Todd Gilbert has petitioned VDOT for designation of the Shenandoah County portion of I-81 as a "Highway Safety Corridor". If approved, look for heavy police speed enforcement and special $500 speeding tickets on his 30 mile section of 81. In Todd Gilbert's world, every problem requires more police enforcement.

I like John Lesinski's idea better...

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Democratic Candidates’ Education Forum


Why Education Matters in Our Area with Guest Speaker Gene Provenzo
Event Courtesy of the Erik Curren for Delegate Campaign

Universal public education has long been the norm in American society, promising every child the opportunity for education and advancement through equal access. Is it time to ditch this system? Is it time for tax payers to “opt out,” for their kids, or when they have no kids in the system? Or is it time to re-double efforts to ensure that Americans will
always have an equal opportunity to become better educated?

And what should education offer? Trades? Arts? Scholarly pursuits? All this and more...or other things? How much should teachers earn? Is merit pay valid or not? And what about SOL’s, No Child Left Behind and School Choice?

National education policy expert Gene Provenzo, author of over 60 books on education, will frame the issues before moderating a discussion with three Democratic Valley candidates. After Provenzo's discussion, voters can ask the candidates questions on education.

Erik Curren, 20th District
Gene Hart, 26th District
Greg Marrow, 25th District

Candidates' presentations followed by a
Q & A session with voters
Free and open to the Public



Date:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Time:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Bridgewater, Va. Town Hall
Street:
201 Green Street
City/Town:
Bridgewater, VA

Phone:
5408499061
Email:

Friday, August 7, 2009

Tyco Plant Closes- Marrow Responds


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 7, 2009
CONTACT:
540.560.8850

Greg Marrow Response to Tyco Plant Closing

Sadly, more of our friends and neighbors will be laid off from work with the closing of the Tyco
plant in Mt. Sydney. Our communities have seen far too many of our manufacturing jobs lost,
and employers moving or closing their doors.

Unfortunately, far too little has been done at the General Assembly level to alleviate the economic burden placed on employees and their families, or to promote new business growth and job creation.

In fact, quite to the contrary of growing the local economy, our current delegate, Steve Landes, would not support the building of a Toyota plant in the district a few years ago, nor did he support a bill that was introduced in the last session that could have potentially brought hundreds of high paying, green collar jobs to the area.

I have long been a strong proponent of the growing multi-billion dollar, green collar industry that
is sweeping across the rest of the country, and I have been campaigning strongly on bringing
these jobs to our communities.

If I am elected as your representative to the 25th, I will not stand
idly by when there are opportunities for economic prosperity and new jobs. Nor will I abandon
our friends and neighbors in their time of need.

As a forward thinker, and in anticipation of closures like the Tyco plant, I would have supported the $125 million of free unemployment benefits that the “Recovery Act” wanted to give the State of Virginia. Sadly, Del. Steve Landes voted against this assistance as well. Personally I believe that Virginians deserve better.

My thoughts and prayers are with the employees and families of Tyco as they struggle through these trying times.

Greg Marrow
Democratic Candidate
House of Delegates, 25th district
McGaheysville, VA

Dr. Greg Marrow's website

Deeds Remarks at Rally with President Obama


Thank you, Governor Kaine. I appreciate your friendship and your support. All of us here respect your responsible leadership of our Commonwealth, and we thank you for your service to the Party.

Friends, I appreciate you joining with us here tonight as we continue the hard work of moving Virginia forward, standing on the shoulders of remarkable leaders such as Tim Kaine, Jim Webb and Mark Warner. This effort, this campaign, will require each and every one of you, working together, to help us bring opportunity and hope and prosperity to every corner of Virginia.

By your presence here tonight, you recognize that Virginians deserve a Governor who will wake up every day with a clear understanding of the challenges we face, and a Governor who has a proven record of working to bring Virginians together to produce real results for people.

Virginians also deserve a Governor who has a detailed vision for maintaining our great public schools and our world-class colleges so we can better prepare our children for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

We need to build on what Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have already started here in Virginia – and what President Obama has the vision to advocate across the nation -- by investing in quality pre-K education for every child.

There’s still a lot of room for reform. I strongly support the President’s initiatives to expand charter schools. There’s no reason Virginia should lag behind on this. We should make changes that bring innovation and greater accountability to our schools. Changes that ensure our education dollars are being spent wisely and where most needed: in the classroom.

We have a lot of work to do, but we can make sure every child in Virginia gets the strong public education they’re entitled to.

We also need to increase teacher pay to at least the national average. We can’t expect excellence if we aren’t even willing to pay for average. And we can't expect to solve the challenges of tomorrow, in energy and technology, if we continue to fall behind the rest of the world in math and science.

We need a Governor who will encourage our teachers to go into math and science education. And who will pass a plan to forgive their student loans when those teachers agree to serve in the toughest schools in our most challenging school districts.

You know, my grandmother – my mother’s mom – proudly served more than 40 years as a Virginia public school teacher. She started her service way back in 1924, in rural Virginia. Like most women of that generation, she did not have the opportunity or the resources to earn a college degree, but she learned by reading and by doing. She proudly taught generations of young people before retiring in 1964.

And I still vividly recall the day my own mother packed me off to college, folding together four 20-dollar bills, which I slipped into my pocket.

You see, I know something about the power -- and the potential -- that can be unleashed when a child has access to a quality public education.

That is what has motivated my own public service for the past 18 years. That is why I stood with education leaders from across the Commonwealth earlier this year and demanded no permanent cuts to public schools. That is why I stood with Mark Warner during the historic 2004 budget reform battle – when we made the largest increase in education in Virginia history.

Before Mark Warner took office, our nation was facing record prosperity. But here in Virginia, we faced a record budget shortfall. Our state government was crippled by ideological leadership that refused to work across party lines. Our triple-A bond rating, plenty of jobs, and the future of our state were at stake.

Over the last seven years we found a different way of doing things. And that resulted in Virginia being repeatedly named the most business-friendly state over and over—seven times since Tim Kaine took office. The best state to move your business to. And the best state in which to raise a child.

And one thing I know as I travel around the Commonwealth is this: Virginians don’t want to go back. Virginia can’t afford to go back. Virginians want and deserve to move our Commonwealth forward.

That is why I stand here tonight and ask for your continued support to build on that success as we prepare to sprint into the fall campaign. Because we have come too far, we have accomplished too much together, to turn backwards to the failed vision and the misplaced priorities of the past.

I believe my opponent is a decent man, and I respect his career in public service. But I also must tell you that at every significant moment, when there was a serious choice to be made, when there was an opportunity for him to be about moving Virginia forward -- my opponent chose the ideological approach instead of working together.

At every key moment, when events or issues called for bipartisan agreement and consensus, for putting Virginia’s interests and Virginia’s future above mere partisan advantage – my opponent made the wrong choice.

On the issue we’re talking about today – education – my opponent talks about his support for schools, but he has a long record of opposing funding for public education, school construction and pre-K. Just a few weeks ago, my opponent put forward a transportation plan funded by taking at least $5.4 billion dollars away from public education over the next ten years, by his own estimates.

We can’t afford that. We can’t afford to take Virginia back.

In a Deeds Administration short-changing education is not an option. I will oppose any effort to cut education and will support innovative and creative improvements to our schools.

I’ve probably taken too much of your time already, and I certainly do appreciate your presence and your attention here tonight. I again ask for your continued support and your energy and your enthusiasm as we head into the fall.

But I’m smart enough to recognize that you are also here tonight to show some love and demonstrate your strong support for our guest of honor:

You know, if someone had said to you last January – or in March – or heck, last month, or even last week– that within six months of taking office, we would see the stock market regain a quarter of its lost value, or banks line-up to repay their TARP bailout funds, or that the housing market, and other leading economic indicators, would show signs that our economy was starting to recover.

The smart people would have said that you were naïve – that there was no way a new President could navigate our rocky economic shoals quickly or successfully. And while our nation’s economic challenges remain serious, and we’re not completely on the road to full economic recovery for every family, we have come some distance to restore confidence and pride in America. And we’re not done yet.

So now I encourage you to give a warm Northern Virginia welcome to our guest of honor—to a leader that Virginia, after 44 years in the political wilderness, firmly pushed into the winner’s column last fall…

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Virginians, with pride and honor, I present to you The President of the United States.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Teabaggers Gone Wild!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Bubby is a Kenyan


And I have the proof. I'm not particularly proud of my roots. As you can see, I was born to Republicans. Family gatherings are a little tense.

Birther Think Tank

Make up your own caption!
Be creative!

Astroturf Right Wing Mobsters - Bought & Paid For

Monday, August 3, 2009

Valley Voters, Are You a Birther?

Public Policy Polling will have a poll out tomorrow and it is expected to uncover the shocking ignorance of Virginia Voters. Pollster Tom Jensen says that they found:

...the first round of calls for our Virginia poll this afternoon founds voters in the state almost evenly split on whether they thought the President was born in the US.

This follows last week's Research 2000 poll that found:

While around 90 percent of people in the Northeast, Midwest and West know that Obama was born in in United States, only 47 percent of people in the South believe this. Twenty-three percent think he was born somewhere else; 30 percent don’t know.
Is this ignorance, or delusional hatefulness? Either way, it is a sad commentary on our state and the South in general.

Here is your proof.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Greg Marrow - Voice for the Valley, not Special Interests

Click on the sticker to visit Greg's website



Friends,

My campaign is not about democrat issues or republican issues, but about community issues. Issues and concerns that affect us all, regardless of party affiliation. Your delegate should work for YOU and never put the priorities of their party above those of the people who elected them. We live in this community together and our voices and needs have been ignored in Richmond for far too long.

Together we can create well paying jobs in our area, we can properly take care of our returning service men and women, and we can make sure that our children have access to adequate health care and quality education.

I look forward to serving you in Richmond.

Your neighbor,

Greg Marrow

County Fair - Let's Turn it Blue!

It's that time of year again when the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Democratic Committees are gearing up to help support our local and state nominees.

The Rockingham County Fair is from August 17th through August 22nd and we are looking for volunteers who may be willing to help staff our booths inside the convention center again this year.

We had a blast last year, and the volunteers were phenomenal. If you are interested in helping out this year, please let us know.

Times of need will be noon to 11:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 10:00am to 11:00pm on Thursday and Saturday in gate 6. We have two booths side by side this year.

We look forward to another successful fair experience!

Tara Seay
RCDC Treasurer

Host:
Rockingham County and Harrisonburg City Democrats




Start Time:
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 12:00pm
End Time:
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 11:00pm
Location:
Rockingham County Fairgrounds
Street:
4808 S Valley Pike
City/Town:
Harrisonburg, VA

Phone:
5402710604
Email:

Family Docs say Reform Healthcare Now!

"I spend 40 percent of my time away from my patients doing paperwork and getting prior authorizations," said Jim King, MD, a family physician in Selmer, Tenn. "We need to start taking the barriers that are between me and my patients away."

The U.S. has a catastrophically fragmented system that provides incentives for sick care instead of prevention. The system is in dire need of reform - reform to save lives, to save families and to save money for both patients and the American health care system.

It's time to put our health back where it belongs, out of greedy insurance companies' grasp and back into your and your doctor's hands. It's time to stand with more than 450,000 doctors who support health care reform.


The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and Herndon Alliance (a nonpartisan coalition of more than 200 health-care provider organizations including the AARP, Mayo Clinic and Families USA) have produced this video featuring the doctors your family relies on for care. They are urging Americans to 'Heal Health Care Now'.



Now, it's your time to stand with more than 450,000 doctors who support health care reform. Make your voice heard and call Congress to reform health care: (202) 224-3121.