Search query: virginia

Credit: rawstory.com According to research done by StateIntegrity.org, states with unregulated campaign contributions have a higher risk of corruption in political financing. A state's overall risk is based on laws in place and the potential for corruption. Four states (Missouri, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia) do not have laws limiting campaign contributions, and consequently registered poor scores on the study's scale for potential corruption. Because actualized corruption is not possible to ac

In Minnesota, the recent decision which overturns the congressional affirmation of the provisions of the Voting Rights Act from the 1960s provoked an inappropriate tweet from a democrat in the state legislature, Rep. Ryan Winkler. I find myself torn between respect for the office of Justice of the Supreme Court, and what has appeared to me to be a long series of poor opinions, inaction, and extreme ideological decisions that are consistently harmful to the progress of legislation and efforts to

So California’s Proposition 8 is gone. A coalition of liberal and conservative justices decided today that they did not have to decide the question they had just decided because the party that they authorized to stand up for Proposition 8 lacked the standing to stand there. At the same time, a very different Supreme Court majority, split along traditional liberal-conservative-Kennedy lines, invalidated the Federal Defense of Marriage Act—not, as some people anticipated, on narrow procedural grou

credit: Votecitizens.org Gerrymandering has become a prevalent hurdle to meaningful political participation across the country (with few exceptions, including California*). The duopoly at their finest: if you can’t win by playing fair—CHEAT. The third most important electoral reform—thy name is gerrymandering. Attention Democrats and Republicans these are Independents exhibiting open derision to your sleazy ways. Before we go on let’s review the first two important electoral reforms. The first

Source: Industrial Hemp Tasmania / Facebook A bipartisan amendment to the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARM Bill) that would guarantee a state's right to make its own decision regarding the legalization of industrial hemp was approved by the House on Thursday. Introduced by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), the amendment passed with a narrow 225 to 200 vote. In states where industrial hemp is legal, lawmakers an

Credit: RichardPuntillo.com California's Fair Political Practices Commission led an investigation to uncover the true source of an $11 million 'mystery' donation from out-of-state 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Americans for Responsible Leadership last year.  Though the trail eventually led to another, Virgina-based nonprofit, Americans for Job Security, the names of those behind the money remains unknown. This prompted the FPPC and California lawmakers to push new regulations to preempt a repeat occurr

Friday, June 14th 2013 was flag day, a day which tends to go uncelebrated, and about which most people know very little. This post will be a brief detour from my continuing series on the different facets of the Kiera Wilmot Bottle Bomb story. It looks long, and it is, but most of it is pictures.  As you look through the various images included here, I hope you will contrast the actual origins of the U.S. flag, as it was originally adopted by the Founding Fathers, and contrast that with the nic

As part of our effort to report on social media trends, tools, and technology, we will be periodically recognizing politicians, candidates, and political organizations who are utilizing social media in effective and creative ways. Sen. Mark Warner Name: Senator Mark Warner Facebook: 21,182 Twitter: 40,023 Quote: “Unlike traditional town halls and telephone town halls, this online conversation will allow Virginians to submit their comments and questions over several days, and it will allow

Ken Cuccinelli at the Liberty Political Action Conference Virginia // Credit: Gage Skidmore The Virginia gubernatorial election between Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe poses an interesting question for libertarians/constitutionalists: At what point does a libertarian-leaning conservative candidate cross that threshold to become acceptable to the libertarian base as a whole? It is a question that has not yet been adequately answered, and therefore merits discussion. Obviously, libertarians a

John Miller has spent his life around firearms. "I grew up with firearms of all kinds, taught to respect and how to use and care for a gun as well as been shooting since I was very young," he said. Today, Miller passes that expertise along to others, working as a martial arts teacher in Roanoke and Vinton, Va. So, when he hears the way politicians, the media, and lobbyist groups talk about gun ownership, Miller says it's "fear-mongering" and "propaganda." "Organizations have a goal, and tend