Virginia Libertarian

Students push for guns on campus - The Washington Times, America’s Newspaper

College students are pushing for their schools to allow them to carry guns on campus, saying they should have the right to protect themselves in a situation like the one in which 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty were fatally shot.

Andrew Dysart, a George Mason University senior, organized a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which hopes to persuade legislators to overturn a Virginia law that allows universities to prohibit students, faculty and staff members with gun permits from carrying their weapons onto campus.

“In a sense, [students] don’t have the same rights to self-defense on campus as the general public,” said Mr. Dysart, who said his four years as a Marine shaped his ideas about self-defense. “It’s really lopsided the way it works.”

Nationwide, 38 states ban weapons at schools, and 16 of those specifically ban guns on college campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other states allow schools to adopt their own gun policies.

Utah is the only state that specifically allows people to carry concealed weapons at public colleges. Legislation passed in 2004 allows concealed weapons on all state property, including colleges and universities. The University of Utah, which had banned concealed weapons for decades, challenged the law, but the state Supreme Court upheld it last year.

What people don’t seem to understand is that by creating these so-called “safe” zones, what they are really creating are victim or defenseless zones.  Do they honestly think that someone bent on committing a crime is really going to say “whoa, hey, that is a safe zone, I can’t carry a gun in there!”?  No, what they are going to say is “Hey, I don’t want anyone shooting back at me when I go to rob/murder/rape whoever, so let me go to one of these ’safe’ zones where people aren’t allowed to carry weapons.”

Many colleges generally oppose, for safety reasons, allowing concealed-carry permit holders to bring guns onto campus and resist efforts to change the law.

What are the valid safety reasons for not allowing someone who is already able to carry a weapon legally elsewhere in the state not to carry a weapon on campus?  Just because there are students on camps?  Come on, these people are adults, not little kids.

“Obviously, the current policy is ineffective,” he said. “It certainly didn’t protect anyone at Virginia Tech.”

No Belt-Tightening Here: House Members’ Office Spending Breaks Half Billion-Dollar Mark; 20% Jump in 4 Years

The top-ranked office spender, Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT), used all but $375 of his $1.3 million allowance. The lowest-ranked spender, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), did without $518,036 of his MRA (which came to $1.2 million). Had every Congressman been as frugal as Goode, House office spending would have fallen by $205.4 million that year. (emphasis mine)

We need to complement Rep. Goode on a job well done.  This is the kind of action we need to see in our Congressmen, not what Mr. Matheson was doing.  Now, Mr. Goode has done some other things we should not be quite so proud of, but we need to give positive reinforcement when it is due, as well as negative when that is appropriate, so thanks to Mr. Goode on his spending restraint in the office.

Townhall.com::Nonsense Ideas::By Walter E. Williams

How many times have we heard: If it will save just one life, it’s worth it? The “it” could be bike helmet laws, childproof medicine bottles, or formaldehyde and asbestos safety regulations. A good economist cringes hearing such statements because they only consider the benefits of an action while ignoring the cost. Looking at benefits only, just about anything is worth doing because there’s usually a benefit. Let’s look at it.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some 43,443 people were killed on the nation’s highways in 2005. If Congress were to enact a 10 miles per hour national speed limit, we’d save thousands of lives each year. You say, “Williams, that would be stupid and impractical!” My response to you is: But look at all the lives that would be saved. What you really mean by stupid and impractical is that preventing thousands of highway fatalities is not worth the cost and inconvenience that would result from having to poke along at 10 miles per hour. Of course, calling a 10 miles per hour law stupid and impractical is a more socially acceptable way of saying those saved lives aren’t worth it.

We have to become educated on the costs of the plans and regulations that our legislators are pushing at us, and not just be aware of the benefits that the are “giving” us.  Any plan of action has an associated cost, and if you are unaware of that cost, then you are ripe pickings for vote-buying schemes.

VOTORS - Virginians Over-Taxed On Residences

Urgent Action Needed

Dear VOTORS:The 2007 session of the Virginia General Assembly has begun. Our real estate property tax issue is represented by bill number H.J.R. 559, patroned by Del. Jeff Frederick (District 52), that will reform Virginia’s property tax system to one based on acquisition value and limit annual increases in assessments and tax rates.

H.J.R. 559 will be debated in the Privileges and Elections Committee beginning Wednesday, January 17, 2007, in Sub-committee #1 chaired by Del. Bob Marshall. The Delegates on that sub-committee need to hear from you before they debate our bill. Please send an email to each of the Delegates in the list below. For your convenience, I have provided three things: a brief email text for your use, a list of the sub-committee Delegates with their respective email addresses and a copy of the sub-committee agenda containing information about H.J.R. 559. Del. Johnny Joannou does not have a listed email address, so I have provided his capitol office phone number instead.

Email text:

Dear Delegate ________________________:

Please support and vote for H.J.R. 559 when you begin debate on the issue of real estate property tax reform in Virginia.

We have been suffering for years from a capricious and arbitrary property tax system with annual property tax increases that rise without limit due to market forces beyond our control. Families have had to drastically reduce spending and savings levels in order to cope with tax increases. It is not uncommon for families to be forced from their homes in search of more affordable property taxes.

Please help us by supporting H.J.R.559.

Sincerely,

List of Delegate email addresses (Frederick not listed because he is the patron):

Marshall, R.G. (Chairman) DelBMarshall@house.state.va.us
Del. Ingram DelRIngram@house.state.va.us
Del. Cole DelMCole@house.state.va.us
Del. Hugo DelTHugo@house.state.va.us
Del. Fralin DelWFralin@house.state.va.us
Del. O’Bannon DelJOBannon@house.state.va.us
Del. Phillips DelBPhillips@house.state.va.us
Del. Alexander DelKAlexander@house.state.va.us
Del. Joannou (804) 698-1079
Del. Sickles DelMSickles@house.state.va.us

Agenda:

House Committee on Privileges and Elections
Subcommittee #1 (Marshall, R.G.)

Marshall, R.G. (Chairman), Ingram, Cole, Hugo, Frederick, Fralin, O’Bannon, Phillips, Alexander, Joannou, Sickles

Date of Meeting: January 17, 2007
Time and Place: 5:00 p.m. — 4th Floor West

H.J.R. 559
Patron: Frederick
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); real property assessments and tax rates. Provides that assessments of real property shall not increase annually by more than one percent plus the percentage increase, if any, in the rate of inflation. Increases in the rate of taxation on real property are limited to one percent per year.

Thanks to all of you VOTORS for your commitment to Virginia’s real estate property tax reform. The Delegates will give us the property tax reform we seek, but only if they are convinced how important it is to us.

Al Aitken
Chairman
VOTORS
chairman@votors.org
www.votors.org
540.825.1057
540.729.0536

Yes, I know it’s a little late, but it still wouldn’t hurt to send correspondence to either these or your own representatives.  I doubt that they have completed debating the issue yet.

NBC 12 - Virginia News - Black Virginia lawmakers call for apology for slavery

A group of black Virginia lawmakers announced legislation today calling for a state apology for slavery. The joint resolution urges that the General Assembly “hereby atones for the involuntary servitude of Africans” and commits to reconciliation. The group said today it will formally introduce the resolution on the first day of the session, January tenth.Richmond Senator Henry Marsh is a sponsor of the resolution. He says with the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown this year, it’s the right time to set an example for the nation.

Historians say Virginia has a rich slavery history, with Richmond being a central point for the purchase of Africans.

Marsh says it’s time “for Virginia to take a step toward reconciliation.”

The lawmakers say a resolution calling for a similar apology to American Indians is in the works.

Give me a fucking break.  How many people now alive in the U.S. own or have owned slaves.  None.  That’s right, Zero.  Why do we have to put up with these stupid shenanigans that race-baiters pull in order to get attention for themselves?  This guy needs to be kicked out of office.