The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
Outnumbered but unbowed, the General Assembly's Progressive Caucus on Thursday pledged to fight what it considers an overly tight-fisted state budget and a bevy of socially conservative legislative initiatives.
"There is nothing heroic or courageous about balancing our budget on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens," Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington County, co-chairman of the caucus, said in a news conference.
The 22 lawmakers, all Democrats, face an uphill slog against a Republican-dominated legislature and Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell.
They promised to oppose McDonnell's proposals to shift money from education to road-building and cut funding from Medicaid, free clinics, community health centers, child abuse prevention and pre-kindergarten programs.
They also pledged to fight legislative measures aimed at weakening women's access to abortions, tightening voting procedures and cracking down on illegal immigrants.
On almost every issue, the caucus staked out a position diametrically opposed to the Assembly's conservative majority. There might be one area where the two sides can find common ground, said Del. David Englin, D-Alexandria: an effort to bring more transparency and accountability to the state tax code.
Englin said the state forgoes billions of dollars in potential revenue every year thanks to a decades-long assortment of tax preferences. He said his caucus and the Conservative Caucus agree that those tax breaks should be scrutinized to determine if they are accomplishing their stated objectives.
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Politics
These CRY BABIES as well as the rest of the CROOKS in the Virginia General Assembly probably should be doing time in a State Prison.
The unseen
If I were going to characterize liberals by their one common trait, it would the that they are so impressed by their own good intentions that they are blind to the unintended adverse consequences of their attempts to accomplish their goals.
The immediate good to the object of their largesse is easily seen, but they stop looking and miss the unseen harm done to others, and occasionally their intended beneficiaries.
They find redistribution of wealth to the poor by programs like Aid to Families with Dependent Children satisfying, but are blissfully unaware of the breakdown of families, generations of dependency, and moral decay(in the economic sense) that follows. Not seeing the harm, they fail to look for better ways to help them.
of course
There was no poverty until it was created by government anti-poverty programs.
Funny
Didn't someone just say in the last few years "elections have consequences"? Just wait until November, 2013 is going to be a shock to many Progressives.
These are some very ugly
These are some very ugly comments from the right. It is a shame that there are so many hardened hearts in our community. Compassion is never something we lose.
What's really a shame
What's really a shame is there's people out there gullible enough to believe half of the sob stories out there. If you take away all the handouts, I'll bet you find a good majority of people receiving them will do just fine on their own. But you'd rather keep them down in the name of compassion. How compassionate...
Virginia liberals pledge to fight conservative agenda
So what else is new?
Noah
needs to be reincarnated to build not only a huge crib for the liberal whiners but a new ark to float in all of the tears. Boooo hoooo hoooo...but "it's for the children".....give me a break.
Shame on you!!
You are entitled to your opinion, but please leave out biblical heroes from your political satire. Is your soul worth making your disregard for children, the elderly, and the disabled known to the public? What would Jesus think of the idea that roads and business are more important than the needy? Too many so-called Christians have forgotten "the humbled shall be exalted and the exalted shall be humbled." I am neither liberal nor conservative; I am a Christian, a Virginian, and an American, in that order!
religion is for fools, and
religion is for fools, and your jesus would probably be appalled at the state of the poor. Unwilling to help themselves, well versed in the easiest and most fruitful ways to get more money from the government and other charities.
The humbled shall be exalted indeed. There's a difference between humble and lazy.