Monthly Archives: March 2010

Obama Allows Offshore Drilling in Virginia

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President Obama cleared the way for offshore drilling off America’s coastlines today.  This will also allow for the sales two years from now.  According to The Washington Post, Obama said:

“Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth and produce jobs and keep our businesses competitive, we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy,” Obama said. “So today we’re announcing the expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration — but in ways that balance the need to harness domestic energy resources and the need to protect America’s natural resources.”

We can thank the hard work of Governor Bob McDonnell, both of Virginia’s U.S. Senators, and some members of Virginia’s Congressional Delegation for taking leadership on this issue.

McDonnell released the following statement upon learning of Obama’s decision.

“I thank the President and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for ensuring Virginia will be the first state on the East Coast to explore for and produce energy offshore. The President’s decision to allow energy exploration off Virginia’s coast will mean thousands of new jobs, hundreds of millions in new state revenue and tens of billions of dollars in economic impact for the Commonwealth. It will also help our nation take a further step towards energy independence. Environmentally-safe offshore energy exploration and production is good for Virginia workers, the Virginia economy and national security. Just this session the General Assembly passed, with bipartisan support, legislation I requested to authorize offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling and to allocate 80% of revenues to transportation and 20% to green energy research and development.

The effort to ensure that Virginia stayed on track to hold an offshore lease sale as expeditiously as possible has been a bipartisan one at the federal level as well. I want to specifically thank Senator Mark Warner, Senator Jim Webb and Congressman Eric Cantor for their leadership and advocacy on the issue. I also want to thank all the Republicans and Democrats in our Congressional delegation who have strongly advocated for offshore energy production.

With today’s announcement, oil and gas can be produced in an environmentally-safe manner 50 miles off Virginia’s coast. Virginians will benefit from the thousands of jobs that will be created and the economic activity and development that will accompany this vital industry’s arrival in the state. However, to fully participate in the positive impact of offshore energy development, the Commonwealth must be included in all royalty and revenue sharing arrangements, in a manner equivalent to what the Gulf Coast states currently receive. Congressman Bob Goodlatte has already introduced legislation, with bipartisan support, to ensure revenue sharing. I urge our federal representatives to immediately move forward in ensuring Virginia receives our fair share of the revenues derived from our natural resources. I am confident that the United States Congress will act appropriately and expeditiously to ensure this occurs.

Offshore energy production is one part of an “all of the above” approach to ensuring energy security. It is an important component of the comprehensive energy policy that we must enact to move towards greater domestic energy security. We will also do more in Virginia to promote and produce other sources of energy in our borders, including wind, solar, biomass, coal and nuclear. Today’s announcement means future new jobs for Virginians and much-needed revenue for our Commonwealth. Again, I applaud the President for his decision, and thank all the Virginia leaders from both parties who have worked together to make this announcement possible.”

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling also made a statement regarding the decision saying:

“Today’s decision is a significant next step in making Virginia the ‘Energy Capital of the East Coast’ and will help spur our economic recovery. It will also help Virginia address the need for improved transportation infrastructure, create thousands of new jobs and bring in hundreds of millions in desperately needed revenue for Virginia. I am confident that our offshore energy resources will become a critical economic development tool for Virginia as we move forward.

“I would like to thank President Barack Obama and Secretary Ken Salazar for allowing Virginia to move forward with the 2012 lease sale and become the first state on the East Coast to explore for and ultimately produce offshore oil and natural resources. This decision will help bring the nation closer to energy independence and provide a significant economic development and job creation boost to Virginia.

“I want to congratulate Governor McDonnell and our federal partners in the Senate and House of Representatives on their successful and tireless efforts to encourage the Obama Administration to allow the lease sale to move forward. While I am a long-time supporter of developing our offshore energy resources and active advocate to the Obama Administration to keep Virginia in the 2012 lease sale, Virginia was ultimately successful because of broad bi-partisan support from our elected officials, businesses and citizens.

“Lastly, I would like to thank Governor McDonnell, the General Assembly and other stakeholder groups for working to pass legislation in support of Virginia’s offshore energy exploration. The legislative authorizations passed this session set the stage for the development of these resources and will help Virginia address a number of critical challenges in the future.”

RPV Chairman Pat Mullins said:

“President Obama’s announcement on offshore drilling is a victory for the Commonwealth and the entire country,” Mullins said.

“For the first time in decades, we will be able to tap the massive reserves of energy just over the horizon, lessening our dependence of foreign oil,” he said. “Exploration will also bring new, high-paying jobs to our economy, and will eventually bolster our transportation system with royalties from drilling.”

“Today’s announcement wouldn’t have happened without the leadership of Governor Bob McDonnell and a bipartisan majority in the Virginia General Assembly. While past governors have opposed drilling, Governor McDonnell pushed forward, letting Washington, D.C., know in no uncertain terms that Virginia was ready to become the Energy Capital of the East Coast,” Mullins said.

“Earlier this year, while some opponents in the Virginia Senate said offshore drilling was a ‘fantasy’ and ‘a train going nowhere,’ Governor McDonnell and a bipartisan team of legislators pressed on, working with Democrats and Republicans in Washington to make this new opportunity a reality,” he said. “The Governor’s team fought hard for this, and now we will all reap the benefits.”

“I congratulate Governor McDonnell and the bipartisan group that made this day possible for their foresight and persistence. This is truly a momentous day for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said.

Offshore drilling will bring more employment opportunities to Virginia and help boost the economy with new incentives, etc.

The Employment Vanishing Act

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Yesterday, amidst a crowd of supporters at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus, President Barack Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act into law. Obama promised that this law will enable more students to achieve a college education and have more affordable loan payments upon graduation. The Washington Examiner reports:

“To make sure our students don’t go broke just because they chose to go to college, we’re making it easier for graduates to afford their student loan payments,” Obama said.
“The average student ends up with more than $23,000 in debt. So when this change takes effect in 2014, we’ll cap a graduate’s annual student loan repayments at 10 percent of his or her income.”

Under the measure, private banks would no longer get fees for acting as middlemen in federal student loans. The government would use the savings to boost Pell Grants and make it easier for some workers to repay their student loans. In addition, some borrowers could see lower interest rates and higher approval rates on student loans. Savings are also meant to go toward reducing the deficit and helping to pay for expanded health care.

While this may seem like a noble idea, it does not come cheap for the taxpayers or for the student loan lenders. The Wall Street Journal mentioned in a recent op-ed that the subsidies included in this act will eventually drive up the costs of a college education and the taxpayers would eventually be stuck footing the bill.

If you think the taxpayers are going to be feeling the pinch, there will be many more joining the ranks of the unemployed, as it will cost the student loan industry to reduce their workforce significantly. Sallie Mae will be slashing 2,500 jobs due to the recent passage of this bill. This should have been aptly renamed to The Employment Vanishing Act. With unemployment numbers at an all-time high, 9.7%, this will only cause more turmoil for American families over time and continue to add to our economic woes.

So, will President Obama’s decision to help make higher education more affordable? The costs will likely appear to point to higher taxes, increased government control, and more people joining the unemployment lines.

The Wrong Prescription for America

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Guest Post by Congressman Bob Goodlatte

Just days ago President Obama signed into law sweeping health care reform legislation pushed by Congressional Democrats that will dramatically impact every family, taxpayer and small business in America.  As I have said time and time again, this monstrosity, which I voted against, amounts to a big government takeover of our health care system – one that will lead to fewer choices, higher prices and rationed care.  Furthermore, the bill creates more than 159 new government agencies and programs at a cost of well over $2.5 trillion.

Almost immediately after the misguided legislation was passed by the Congress, states Attorneys General began filing lawsuits against the federal government. The health care reform law includes $17 billion in new taxes on Americans who do not purchase health insurance.  So far over a dozen states, including Virginia, have filed suit claiming that this individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional.  Never before in the history of our country has a tax been levied on individual Americans by their government with the purpose of forcing them to do something the government wants them to do.  I applaud these states for taking action and I have cosponsored legislation which would prohibit funding for the implementation or enforcement of the individual health insurance mandate.  All Americans should be worried anytime the federal government tries to trample on or ignore our Constitution and in fact a recent CBS news poll shows that 62 percent of Americans believe that lawmakers should continue to challenge the government takeover of health care.

In addition to mandating that folks have health insurance, the government-run plan included in the law, will force millions out of the coverage they currently have.  In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 8-9 million people will be dumped from their employer sponsored coverage.  In addition, the legislation imposes new taxes on medical devices, such as wheelchairs, and on health insurance plans, which will be passed directly on to patients in the form of higher health care costs.

To pay for this massive new government expansion, the legislation contains a total of $569 billion in devastating new tax increases imposed on individuals and small businesses.  This will result in millions of lost jobs as small businesses are forced to take money from salaries to pay new taxes.  In addition, the legislation would cut Medicare for our nation’s seniors by over $500 billion.

These are some of the most troubling provisions of the new health care reform law and that is why I have cosponsored several bills that would repeal this new law in its entirety.  Rather than dictating medical decisions from Washington, we should be concentrating our efforts on making premiums more affordable for all Americans and giving them the freedom to choose the plan that best fits their needs.  While we can all agree that our current health care system needs to be reformed, the new health care law was not the right way to do it which is why we must repeal it and replace it with commonsense measures that expands access and choices while lowering costs.

To contact me about this or any other matter, please visit my website at www.goodlatte.house.gov.

Humor: The Best Medicine to Survive ObamaCare

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Since the recent passage of President Obama’s health care legislation, one can only imagine the great upheaval surrounding its passage and signing into law. Things have only begun to get serious with various threats to our elected officials, which are unnecessary, unacceptable and should be condemned.

Despite all of this, can we at least find our sense of humor with the President and Congress’s health care plan? After all, the late night comedians are having a field day with Obama and Congress for passing this monstrosity. Now, here for your laugh of the day. MAD Magazine has two front covers for laugh value. One cover shows how most Obama supporters are feeling.

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The other cover allows for another laugh…how Obama has been coping in the Oval Office.

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H/T The Politico

I don’t know about you, but can we at least laugh while we can…you never know when there will be a ban against our right to laugh.

Governor McDonnell Signs Virginia Health Care Freedom Act Legislation

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Governor Bob McDonnell signed Virginia’s health care freedom act today, joined by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and members of the General Assembly. This legislation will allow Virginians to choose whether or not to have health care coverage and will challenge President Obama’s health care laws. Below are McDonnell’s statements about the legislation:

Speaking about the Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act, Governor McDonnell noted, “We all agree that we must expand access to quality health care and reduce costs for all Virginians. However, that should not be accomplished through an unprecedented federal mandate on individuals that we believe violates the U.S. Constitution. The Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act sets as the policy of the Commonwealth that no individual, with several specific exceptions, can be required to purchase health insurance coverage. The Act was passed with bipartisan support, in sharp contrast to the narrow straight line partisan vote that enacted the federal health care bill on Sunday night. Virginia’s Healthcare Freedom Act received the votes of leading Democratic Senators, as well as the Democratic House Minority Leader. It was an important step to sign this bipartisan legislation today.”

The Governor continued, “The states have long been leaders in identifying and implementing innovative policies to expand access to, and improve the affordability of, healthcare coverage. Virginia will continue to play that important role. We will do this through promoting incentives for the purchase of long term care and individual medical savings accounts, focusing on preventative health and combating obesity, studying our medical delivery systems with the objective of reforming them to work better for our citizens, expanding free clinics and aggressively finding new ways to reduce the cost of our Medicaid system, which has already grown 1600% in the past 25 years. There are fiscally responsible ways by which we can reform healthcare and expand quality coverage that do not involve the forcing of unfunded and unprecedented mandates onto individuals and states, and the unsustainable growing of our national debt.”

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who was present at the event said:

“Virginians spoke loudly and clearly in rallies, in town halls, and at the ballot box about their opposition to the new federal health care law. The governor and both Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly heard them, and as a result, the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act is being signed today.”

The Attorney General added, “The traditional role of the attorney general is to defend Virginia’s laws. It is now my job to vigorously defend this law from the federal government’s overreach of the Constitution and its attempted encroachment on the rights of Virginians. That is my mandate, and that is my promise to our citizens.”

McDonnell signed four health care freedom bills into law: HB 10, SB 417, SB 283, and SB 311.

Stop the Mandate, Support Liberty Now

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Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has a petition online in the fight to stop the mandate. You can add your name here. On a good note, Cuccinelli filed a lawsuit today challenging the new health care law. It’s unconstitutional and Cuccinelli’s lawsuit might be able to stop ObamaCare in its tracks.

Aside from this, The Write Side of My Brain has a great video up on the new health care reform law. It’s time to fire Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress. In fact, nothing would give me more joy than to see Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) be forced into retirement.

New Face of Business Leadership

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Now do not allow terms like “military-industrial complex” to enter your mind.

The March 22, 2010 edition Fortune magazine spotlights a group of business professionals whose elite military background makes them ideal business leaders.  Bill George sings their praises:

When you talk to them outside the classroom, as I do frequently, the answer becomes apparent. Typically, from age 22-26 they are leading 100-150 people through the most severe crises one can imagine in Iraq and Afghanistan where your life and the lives of your people is on the line every day. Meanwhile, most pre-MBA students qualify for business school admission by working in staff roles in financial services or consulting rather than plunging into line management.

The conclusion I reach from working directly with hundreds of MBAs, includes dozens of former military officers is that actual leadership experience, especially in crisis situations, is better preparation for business than business experience in staff, consultative, or analytical roles.

With a self-serving bypass of the obvious question of, “why are we wasting billions of dollars purportedly educating young people in business management,” George concludes:

Corporations could put [high potential young people] in line roles in manufacturing, retail store management, sales, or logistics, all of which would provide the experience of managing significant numbers of people with clear measurements. In my judgment, this would be far preferable to the growing tradition of putting high potential young people through training programs or analytical roles where power point charts rather than business results become their outputs.

Bottom line: business has a lot it can learn from the military’s approach to developing leaders.

Bottom line: those who become hopelessly indebted by the pursuit of an MBA would learn just as much by watching The Apprentice.

Oh, and do not think of a police state when politicians say they’re tight with the business community.