It doesn't matter why...

I've discussed the Albemarle/Charlottesville Revenue-Sharing agreement several times in this space and far more frequently on my morning radio show. Now I have a new, albeit surprising, ally in my campaign to bring the two municipalities back to the table. In recent weeks, I've had Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris say that my concept of merging the school districts as an offer to bring them to the table (it has grown so one-sided that there really is no reason for Charlottesville to EVER want to negotiate any new agreement) and then had representatives of the Albemarle School Board (Chairman Ron Price and Vice Chair Eric Strucko) who also seemed interested in the idea. Now, Virginia Delegate David Toscano (D-57th) has launched a website/blog designed to move that conversation along. He will join me on my show on Wednesday morning (3/03/10) at 8:05 to talk with us about this in greater detail. I applaud this because this cannot only be the call from some conservative talk-show host if it's ever going to happen (Which I really want, more than the attention for the radio show. I'm number one, anyway.) so, especially given Delegate Toscano's position amongst the local Democrat party this makes the movement very powerful. Sure, after redistricting next year, his district will more than likely cover more Albemarle County voters than City of Charlottesville residents, but I'd rather not quibble about why he wants to help and just get to work on making this right and just. Anyway, I've had lots of listeners in both jurisdictions for years, so I can wholly understand his feelings. Maybe I can give David some pointers...

How we got here.

Joe channels the history of the nanny-state and the Federal 'protection racket.'

President McCheese's "Lesson Plan"

Like the McDonald's marketing model ("Get the kids and they'll bring the adults.") the President of the United States will be bring his message of socialized medicine (and unicorns?) to the school children of the United States on Tuesday, September 8th, at noon. We've found the list of some extremely frightening lesson planning suggestions (e.g; Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials?) and go throught it 'step-by-goose-step.'






Go here to view the actual list of 'suggested lessons' and find links to Central Virginia School districts.

Lazy governance; 'Where's Tom?; Martyrdom and Phil Hamilton

Or; Master planning run amok; Congressman Perriello's 'Travelling Medicine Show'; The exploitation of Ted Kennedy (with a brilliant Charlottesville metaphor); and a Republican Delegate to the Virginia General Assembly 'lives down' to stereotype (pluswhy a truly Constitutionally conservative government wouldn't have allowed for this aberrant behavior).

Joe holds his own "Town Hall" meeting

The first in a series of "On-Air Town Hall Meetings." This time it's health care reform on the agenda with Dr. Gary Helmbrecht and Cordel Faulk from UVA's Center for Politics.
Part one





Part two





Part three

"It's a bit nutty." - A. Powers

Once finished getting a legal education at U.Va thanks to the G.I. Bill, Mike Stark has moved on to No-Va to continue promoting his socialist agenda and stopped calling my show to rant. He was back in his collegiate stomping grounds at Congressman Tom Perriello's town hall meeting in Charlotttesville (Which he misidentifies in his blog entry as a "tea party." Wouldn't Tom have been surprised!) and tried to turn the table on me. He wanted to corner me into tripping over my ideology and my healthcare reform plan (The one Eric Cantor, Diana Furghcott-Roth and Grace-Marie Turner said was so brilliant but Tom misunderstood.) but was unsuccessful so therefore claims to have "taken it easy" on me. Before you go read this or watch me brilliantly spar with him on video, I should warn you that several things that his readers said about me are not suitable for younger readers.

"A bag of tea with Joe Thomas"

C'ville Schools' failing grades and who's job learning is.

VA's school district grades (AYP's) are in and C'ville failed; The difference between opportunity and acheivement; Whose responsiblity education REALLY is; Cynthia Neff misses it, again and as a bonus; Harry Reid calls Conservatives "evil-mongers."

Is the tail trying to get the dog elected?

I've heard this too much, lately; "What's wrong with the Republican Party?" Nothing is wrong with the party nor the ideology of Edmund Burke/Russell Kirk/William F. Buckley. From where I sit, the problem is the same one that corrupts all who seek elected office; a power trip.

This country was not founded on the concept of an elite group of 'leaders.' Though early on, Jefferson saw what possible usurpation could take place and was driven to run for an office he did not want at a time that all he wanted was to go home. He became the first President to cut taxes to reduce the Federal deficit and estranged himself from the man with whom he co-authored the Declaration of Independence. This country was founded on the concepts that still command Virginia's General Assembly; Convene for a limited period of time, speak your piece on behalf of your constituents and then go back to your 'real' job. Now we have "career politicians" who are more concerned with, to paraphrase Mel Brooks, protecting their phony-baloney jobs than they are about representing their communities. Keep in mind, this afflicts both sides but since Conservatism is based on personal freedoms and therefore responsibility, it's a harder sell than the pandering that a career populist tends to employ so this is where we lose it. Well-meaning Republicans listen to their consultants and slowly transorm into pandering populists, therefore crippling their ability to actually defend the Constitution from the true "Populist-Socialists" who view it, at best, as a 'fluid and conceptual document' rather that a concrete set of laws that restrict governmental usurpation of a citizens' God-given rights.

Now, we have rooms full of well-meaning Conservatives arguing over what went wrong and how it can be put to right. Pardon me, but this leaves me with the same feeling as being in a room full of Washington Nationals' ticket agents arguing about how to get the team out of last place. They're not wrong but, at the end of the day, it's the players that are the only ones who can effect the change. We need candidate's who grasp the true meaning of pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to something. We need candidates that understand that, in this commentators view, the key difference between us and them is while Liberals/Socialists say; "Yes WE can," Conservatives/Constitutionalists say "yes YOU can." And can explain the difference.

We are the proverbial cart that is here waiting for a horse. Where are Conservatives to run for Charlottesville's City Council along side Andrew Williams? Are there any others that will join Rodney Thomas in his run for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors? What about the two school boards? Anyone want to run on the promise to bring the two efficiency reports into effect? How about the General Assembly seats? Could there be a conservative challenger for the 57th district in the House or the 25th Senate district to challenge the status quo on the Commonwealth's education, transportation and energy policies? Let's not even get into the 2010 Congressional election! You see, we can argue over breakfast until the cows come home, but with Eric Cantor playing the role of this generation's Gerald Ford, we need to go and find and encourage the next Reagan's, not waste our time beating the "Bush's."

We're all in this... individually

In radio, there is a tradition of posting the following subtle reminder to hosts; "No matter how many listeners you have, they only listen one-at-a-time." What that means is that radio, like voting, is an individual and personal experience. It's with that in mind I paraphrase to remind all of us that will be under the Charlottesville Pavilion on April 15th (3-6p) that; "No matter how many fellow conservatives there are, we are all voting one-at-a-time."

In the name of full disclosure, I am on the committee that is planning the April 15th T.E.A. Party (Taxed-Enough-Already) here in Charlottesville. (Visit the site here) I am hosting it and will be costumed as Thomas Paine (an honor for someone in my business). However, I am concerned, (much in the way a major league manager gets about a rookie pitcher) that we 'use up our best stuff' in these early innings. I was listening to Mark Lorenzoni from the Ragged Mountain Running Shop coach his runners to run at a pace so that mile one takes just as long to complete as mike 10. I think that's sage advice for everyone who is up in arms about the out-of-control socialist course the President and Congress have us on. Remember, as of this writing, the polls open in 220 days and 20 hours or 210 days after the T.E.A. parties are passing to memory. We need to manage our passion so that the same enthusiasm that has driven the 9,000 MORE delegates to represent their communities at the Republican Party of Virginia Convention (4 times as many as last years delegation) is there on November 3rd at the polls. Because as communal as this all is, and as comforting it feels to know that you are not alone in your belief in the Constitution, individual rights and responsibilities, lower taxes and smaller government. When we arrive at the voting booth, you will be standing there alone. One citizen, one vote. "No matter how many conservatives there are, we are all voting one-at-a-time."

We already see the warning signs that the usurpers are creating an image of faux-conservatism. Just yeaterday (4/2) Congressman Tom Perriello (...by the way, I think the whole saying-his-name-wrong thing is getting old...) voted against the Presidents' "$1 trillion-deficit-a-year" budget. Be assured that your passion has sent a signal up the flag pole warning him that he had better look as 'conservative' as possible before he stands before us for re-election (585 days from now, but who's counting) and since they didn't need his vote, it was OK to give the appearance that he wasn't just going along on Nancy and Harry's wild ride. Forget not that he voted for the recovery and reinvestment act (and it's billions of dollars of spending) without ever reading it. These things are going to start happening more and more frequently as this years' election draw near and even more so next year. The goal; make enough of us give up the fight because 'they've heard us and are changing their ways.' Populist/Socialists (formerly the Democrats) don't know how to do that, they are just willing to wait to enact their elitist agenda. Remember, they are cock-sure that they are superior to you and beholden to care for you as Jefferson did for his slaves on Monticello. You'll live OK, but you have no freedom.

Take heart and let's pace ourselves so that, even though we are only casting one vote at a time it is to make sure we can keep it that way.

Homeward 'bound'

As a member of the media in the United States, I consider it a great honor to take part in Charlottesville's T.E.A. Party on April 15th as Thomas Paine. (learn more by following this link) My fear is that these events, along with the work of the National Center for Constitutional Studies on teaching the principles the founding fathers' used to build our country, (click here to learn about Charlottesville events) could go for naught if we don't encourage those amongst us who believe that "We The People" is still a viable governing philosophy to represent us in our decision-making bodies. If we keep sending people to represent us that cast vote after vote to reduce our freedom and bolster their own authority and influence, no matter the party affiliation they espouse, our efforts will be just more 'sound and fury signifying nothing.' We need to realize that of the seven deadly sins, sloth may be the deadliest one when it comes to freedom. I don't think the average American realizes how little time it really takes to be involved in their local government. A couple of hours here or there to attend a meeting or work session is what it takes. You might hear some amazing things at first, especially if you drop by places like planning commission meetings or other such gatherings of appointees rather that the 'elect-eds.' That will slowly change the more these appointees realize that the citizens are watching their deliberations and, most importantly, sharing what they see in the form of letters to their elected appointors, letters to the newspaper, calling talk radio shows (a personal favorite) and BLOGGING. Once the ones who covet position for authority realize that we won't trade freedom for a peaceful evening of "American Idol," we will need representatives that, quite honestly, don't NEED the job. James Madison wanted 'citizen legislators' who would serve their community in Congress for a while and then go back to their life once their neighbors decide that someone else would represent them better. Last weekend my family and I were celebrating the bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson's return to Charlottesville at the end of his Presidency, I pointed out to my kids that it's important to make note that Mr. Jefferson left that position conspicuously out of his epitaph. He ran for President because he felt that Adams was building too big of a central Federal Government that had allowed it's debt to grow to $80 million (compare that to ANY of the bailout bills!), not because he coveted the position. The American Revolution is unique in the pantheon of such political upheaval because it was lead by the people who HAD THE MOST TO LOSE. These people didn't NEED to do this, they had station and wealth. If anything, they were diminishing their position by creating this free society.

It seems ironic, but I believe that if we spend a little less time there, maybe we can find representatives that, like Jefferson, just want to do what's right and then go home.