grylnsmn
Regular Member
My State Senator is Dick Saslaw. A few minutes ago, I recevied the following email from him (paid for by Saslaw for Senate). It is entitled Deja Vu. Firearm related parts are my bold.
Dear (my name removed),
This session feels like déjà vu because once again, Virginia is being deliberately dragged to the politically extreme. We have become fodder for late-night comedians and a perennial national laughing stock. From the New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle and back to Comedy Central, the Commonwealth is in the national spotlight.
So far this legislative session has been marked by continued Republican overreach and a return to the same controversial topics that we’ve dealt with in the past. Despite the evenly split Senate— 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans— the Lt. Governor (a Republican) breaks the tie votes and with Republican stacked committees important pieces of legislation are prevented from coming to the floor while they force their Tea Party-inspired legislation through the General Assembly.
In the aftermath of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting, the public has been calling for tighter gun control measures. Republicans (closely linked to Wayne LePierre, the CEO of the NRA) in the General Assembly are trying to weaken Virginia’s already lax gun laws. At 7 am on a Friday morning, all 14 gun control related bills introduced by members of the Democratic Caucus were summarily defeated in a special meeting of Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Yet in the House of Delegates, a bill to prevent enforcement of federal law in the light of any new gun regulations, is under serious consideration in committee.
It took several hours for thousands of Virginians to cast a vote in the Presidential election last November. In the heavily populated regions of the Commonwealth, elected officials and voters are asking to make the process more convenient, but instead Republicans want to create more barriers to the ballot box. It’s easy to conclude that one too many people exercised their right to vote in the eyes of Republicans. Because they have been unable to win at the ballot box, Republicans have made voter suppression, the gerrymandering of the state senate districts, and reapportioning Virginia’s electoral votes high priorities.
Ignoring the infamous backlash over last year’s controversial ultrasound legislation, Republicans voted along party lines to block bills that would repeal it or weaken it. We are fortunate to have one practicing doctor in the Senate, Dr. Ralph Northam. With great patience he often provides guidance on health care issues. Oddly enough his expertise is often disregarded by those without any related education that think they are more qualified to dictate medical protocols. What is lost is access to health care for women. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
Funding for transportation is long overdue and remains a priority. Gridlock is choking our economy and impairing our quality of life. Eliminating the gas tax is a ploy that won’t help consumers, but will only pad the profits of oil companies. Raiding the General Fund (the sole source of funding for public education, public safety and health and human services) to pay for transportation is a non-starter for Senate Democrats and me. Currently the Governor is proposing both of these measures. Why we want to eliminate the gas tax from road users to increase the sales tax is a tough question to answer. It is that same gas tax that helps VA get federal highway funds and covers our contribution to the Metro.
Virginians deserve better and it is time that we focus on the issues that really matter. I will be holding a joint town hall meeting on February 9th at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in Falls Church to discuss where we are in the session and answer any questions you may have. Stay tuned for details.
Sincerely,
Senator Dick Saslaw
35th District
Senate Democratic Leader
I find it especially rich that he complains about gun control bills being killed in the "special meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee" after he violated Senate rules to kill gun bills in the infamous "death star" committee.
I don't know if I can make it for the community meeting he's holding on Feb 9, and if I do I won't be able to carry (as it's a school), but if anyone else is in the area I hope you can make it. He doesn't mention a time, but it will probably be late morning or early afternoon.
Dear (my name removed),
This session feels like déjà vu because once again, Virginia is being deliberately dragged to the politically extreme. We have become fodder for late-night comedians and a perennial national laughing stock. From the New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle and back to Comedy Central, the Commonwealth is in the national spotlight.
So far this legislative session has been marked by continued Republican overreach and a return to the same controversial topics that we’ve dealt with in the past. Despite the evenly split Senate— 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans— the Lt. Governor (a Republican) breaks the tie votes and with Republican stacked committees important pieces of legislation are prevented from coming to the floor while they force their Tea Party-inspired legislation through the General Assembly.
In the aftermath of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting, the public has been calling for tighter gun control measures. Republicans (closely linked to Wayne LePierre, the CEO of the NRA) in the General Assembly are trying to weaken Virginia’s already lax gun laws. At 7 am on a Friday morning, all 14 gun control related bills introduced by members of the Democratic Caucus were summarily defeated in a special meeting of Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Yet in the House of Delegates, a bill to prevent enforcement of federal law in the light of any new gun regulations, is under serious consideration in committee.
It took several hours for thousands of Virginians to cast a vote in the Presidential election last November. In the heavily populated regions of the Commonwealth, elected officials and voters are asking to make the process more convenient, but instead Republicans want to create more barriers to the ballot box. It’s easy to conclude that one too many people exercised their right to vote in the eyes of Republicans. Because they have been unable to win at the ballot box, Republicans have made voter suppression, the gerrymandering of the state senate districts, and reapportioning Virginia’s electoral votes high priorities.
Ignoring the infamous backlash over last year’s controversial ultrasound legislation, Republicans voted along party lines to block bills that would repeal it or weaken it. We are fortunate to have one practicing doctor in the Senate, Dr. Ralph Northam. With great patience he often provides guidance on health care issues. Oddly enough his expertise is often disregarded by those without any related education that think they are more qualified to dictate medical protocols. What is lost is access to health care for women. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
Funding for transportation is long overdue and remains a priority. Gridlock is choking our economy and impairing our quality of life. Eliminating the gas tax is a ploy that won’t help consumers, but will only pad the profits of oil companies. Raiding the General Fund (the sole source of funding for public education, public safety and health and human services) to pay for transportation is a non-starter for Senate Democrats and me. Currently the Governor is proposing both of these measures. Why we want to eliminate the gas tax from road users to increase the sales tax is a tough question to answer. It is that same gas tax that helps VA get federal highway funds and covers our contribution to the Metro.
Virginians deserve better and it is time that we focus on the issues that really matter. I will be holding a joint town hall meeting on February 9th at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in Falls Church to discuss where we are in the session and answer any questions you may have. Stay tuned for details.
Sincerely,
Senator Dick Saslaw
35th District
Senate Democratic Leader
I find it especially rich that he complains about gun control bills being killed in the "special meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee" after he violated Senate rules to kill gun bills in the infamous "death star" committee.
I don't know if I can make it for the community meeting he's holding on Feb 9, and if I do I won't be able to carry (as it's a school), but if anyone else is in the area I hope you can make it. He doesn't mention a time, but it will probably be late morning or early afternoon.