We’ve got grotesque gnats of the alt-right persuasion poking their faces into the fray. We’ve got one hell of a nasty rumorville littering social media and causing otherwise intelligent people to resort to the most ridiculous statements one could ever hope to hear. We’ve got politico puppeteers pulling the strings of their useful idiots as the rest of us watch them bouncing around the digital universe desperate to cause trouble, divide alliances, and reduce our political polemic to its lowest common denominator – I swear, if the lowest common denominator was an atom, they would have been the first to figure out how to split it.
The one great revelation I’ve had, that has eased the nausea, is the fact that by June, less than a handful of the Republicans voting at my precinct will have the slightest idea that any of this nonsense ever was, or is, taking place. The average Republican voter is too busy raising families, working jobs, watching NASCAR, March Madness, or is almost entirely focused on national issues to spend any time on social media hashing out these childish squabbles.
In fact, just because we (those in the digital political universe and blogosphere) are especially interested in statewide and local politics, doesn’t mean that we should have to stomach the levels of stupidity we’re so often subjected to by our Facebook friends and Twitter pals. Drama is addictive, so I completely understand how they suck us in to their warped, paranoid, conspiratorial, housewives-style reality TV seizures. Let us step back, however, and ask ourselves whether or not we even want to give the fanatics and drama queens the time of day?
Mathew 7:6 records Jesus as saying,
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Is it just me, or isn’t this what happens to rational, intelligent people on social media every minute of every day? Yet, we put up with it; I suppose out of addiction to drama. Watching the loudest and most vicious voices in Virginia stir the pot is like the digital equivalent of rubbernecking. Sure, it’s icky and degrading, but we just can’t turn away.
This isn’t preaching. I’m probably the worst of the worst when it comes to an inability to control oneself from responding to the political drama and insanity online. If anyone should be reading this, it’s me. So, read this as if listening to someone thinking out loud. So yes, I protest against myself. There is no Wyrd which determines our interest, only our lack of self-control.
All I know is that this new year is shaping up to being nothing more than a repetition of the old year…and I fear we will all be worse off come November.
22 comments
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I believe the problem with the elected Republican in Virginia is he still believes he is working for the Virginia Company not an elected official for the people.
A Virginian who knows Virginia history will understand what I am is speaking of by the Virginia Company.
Any Statesman out there?
Great point. And who writes the legislation? Is it not special interests with the best Lawyers who are able to get thier bills sponsored and out of committee?
Tuck,
Sometimes I wonder who is writing legislation and their knowledge in the issue.
Example HB 253
You can’t receive or renew your contractors license without Workers Compensation Insurance .
How about not being able to purchase Workers Comp. Insurance without a contractor’s license.
I honestly question Republicans motives in dealing with unlicensed Contracting / illegal employment.
My apology for being so late to respond we have been pushed through the nasty weather to get a couple foundations in.
In Richmond and DC legislation is often written by expensive lawyers working for powerful corporations and special interests. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to score legislation based on who actually authored it, but that’s hard to know all the time.
Would you care to hazard a guess as to what entity will write TrumpCare? That is assuming that the Republicans ever write anything?
I know that 3 leaders of 3 committees have been working on this for years. I’ll try to find thier names, i posted a video of them a while back. I’d imagine looking at their donars as well as the donars of other powerful members of these 3 house committees would shed some light on the issue.
Yes I can imagine it would be very tough.Through construction though I believe home builders associations are the driving force in guest-worker programs , removing underclass licensing , and even making it so the Homesteader cannot obtain his own permit but has to be a licensed contractor his self or use one.
These associations who is the government from one end to the other when we have growth in Section 8 housing but the moment you try to clamp down on labor they rear their ugly heads.
All I know is Republicans would be up in their arms crying a foul if you and I had discovered a labor union employing illegal aliens as unlicensed contractors.
I have been forced with many regulations that have been imposed upon us through Natural Resources , Department of Environmental Quality things like that I refuse to speak out against for they are not the expense that threatens my business it’s the lack of enforcement of labor law that threatens it.
I can install erosion fences build water Retention Ponds on each side Kaiser minimal cost to me as long as I am working to pay a capital gains tax yes they’re burdensome but if you don’t have the work you don’t have the tax to pay.
Honestly for the life of me I don’t understand why our legislators hold credibility within these associations they have no code of ethics that remove its members when they violate contractor and employment law to gain an unfair edge in Commerce.
The laws are written by lawyers who are employed by the highest bidders. This is why Constitutional protections are so important.
Part of the problem may be that you are allowing these Representatives a scapegoat all men shall be accountable for their actions.
Example ; Republican , Lawyer , Prosecutor
Delegate Manoli Loupassi
in 2014 authored HB297
Mechanics lien.
Yes , this lawyer expensed taxpayers to bring a bill forth before the oldest legislative body in America to allow illegal businesses to place a lien on law abiding home owners.
Just who are they representing and where the hell do they get thier law degrees?
I believe individual integrity
has a value these days that cannot be displayed by a political party or an Association membership.
To be a true conservative you must remain independent because the elected Republican has been bought $$$$$$$$$$
Part of the problem is privately owned lumber distribution companies.
The evolution of home builder associations are no longer trade driven they are corporate entities whose members are contractors , Realtors, insurance companies and such all of these things combined with the fact that the majority of today’s Builders are white collar with no employees they look to their salesman from The LumberYard to line them up with labor they may have come across on other jobs.
this has driven these publicly owned lumber companies to supply labor with their materials this is what we call install services some call turnkey or the whip is used locally.
I try to estimate a Number on the amount of Labor in Virginia through these services I think it could be as much as 500 million annually.
It’s interesting to know that some of these Lumber Retailers sell workers comp Insurance to their unlicensed contractors , the Virginia Employment Commission audits these Lumber retailers just as they would I now when they find these guys on the books without a contractor’s license they’re still classified as a independent contractor
( by the Commonwealth) because they have a Certificate of Insurance to show that the unlicensed contractor has insurance , he is acting as a subcontractor on the surface.
A Certificate of Insurance does not validate you as a contractor your license does we are unique to many other states.
Tuck, ask yourself what is Governor McAuliffe Miss classification task force doing with these cases it finds within the VEC? is the VEC detecting these unlicensed subcontractors in the audits of the licensed contractor particular the ones that are issued a OSHA violation.
Just what is Governor McAuliffe hiding and holding and why won’t the Republicans call him out ?
Surely this legislative task force has updates to our general assembly.
ALEC is probably a good place to start
Virginia Republicans take the lead in official corruption.
If you were holding out some hope that congressional Republicans would put some kind of limits on how corrupt Donald Trump will be, check out how they’re gutting their own ethical oversight:
Despite a warning from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Republicans on Monday adopted a proposal by Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) to put the Office of Congressional Ethics under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee.
The office currently has free rein, enabling investigators to pursue allegations and then recommend further action to the House Ethics Committee as they see fit.
Now, the office would be under the thumb of lawmakers themselves. The proposal also appears to limit the scope of the office’s work by barring them from considering anonymous tips against lawmakers. And it would stop the office from disclosing the findings of some of their investigations, as they currently do after the recommendations go to House Ethics.
Republicans voted the proposal through 119 to 74; it will be part of a bigger package of House rules to be voted on Tuesday afternoon.
You know if Goodlatte has anything to do with it, it’s evil.
I will take a poke at The Honorable Congressman Bob Goodlattes ribs in jest.
The Honorable Republican called on President Obama to allow the pursuit of illegal aliens into restricted Wetlands at the border.
Now the same Honorable Republican failed to call out the pursuit of illegal aliens by the Republican dominant Va. General Assembly for the violation of Virginia law in Virginia.
What is the standard of ethics for cleaning up VA from illegal employment and payroll fraud which fosters illegal immigration your own community.
You’re right I said it Virginia Republicans are the foster parent of the illegal immigration in Virginia.
I did not break the 11th commandment , the 11th commandment was broken by Republicans claiming Americans don’t want to work.
Now we see who exactly runs from work.
Too bad The Honorable Congressman could not author a bill withholding states unemployment funding from the federal government (pursue the illegal employer or are you creating a protected wetland in Va. ) until the end bull crap like this national security and public safety risk.
http://watchdog.org/202012/subcontractors-shadow-economy
Not a sermon, just a thought.
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A REAL American would know that Nascar season is over and March Madness is 3 months away.
Shit – is that what I get for anticipating things?
Well, after the way you slandered Cricket and given your support of the Ravens I feel the need to fact check your sports references.
Hey , basketball parallel for Virginia Republicans is you have to have fundamental mechanics in shooting to make the shot.
NASCAR ;
A time back in Speedweeks at Daytona Dale Earnhardt 7 Time Winston Cup Champion was sitting in his car waiting to go out holding a baseball bat the reporter said; Dale NASCAR just announced that Toyota will be in the Craftsman Truck Series next year pretty soon they’ll be in Winston Cup what do you think about that?
Earnhardt stated; ” the more you meet the more you beat”.
In NASCAR you could count on them to make sure that the playing field is level for the new foreign competitor not giving anyone a distinct advantage holding all accountable to the rules.
In November 2016 everyone was giddy on how the Republicans won the General Assembly and Zach Werrell reminded us of the Houston Oilers blowing a 24 to 3 lead at halftime against the Buffalo Bills.
A very good analogy also look into the history of the Houston Oilers there with Warren Moon they were referred to as the “chuck and duck offense”.
The saying goes; you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink
Right you are. I’m not planning on backing any particular candidates before the June primary, so all the angst currently floating around is so much white noise. Meh.
Yet, it’ll go on through June.