We need to get shady money out of politics - badly. The economy is a mess, but politicians in Washington are listening to Wall Street more than they are to taxpayers.

• Health care costs are through the roof, but politicians are listening to HMOs.
• We need clean energy and green jobs, but politicians are listening to Big Oil.

Now, we the people have a chance to change that: This week, some of the most influential lawmakers in the country - Democrats and Republicans - proposed a major campaign finance reform. The Fair Elections Now Act would replace our system of special interests funding congressional elections. Instead, campaigns would be  paid for public funding and small-dollar donations from people like us.

The stakes are high for every issue we care about. Can you ask your representative in Congress, Rick Boucher, to co-sponsor the Fair Elections Now Act?

Representative Rick Boucher
Phone: 202-225-3861

If the Fair Elections Now Act passes, candidates for Congress could run for office using only small contributions and limited Fair Elections funding. A candidate would qualify for these public funds by raising a specific number of small contributions from their community and would agree not to raise any large contributions from wealthy interests. Once qualified, candidates would receive a 4-to-1 match on the small donations they raise up to a limit.

Chairman Jeff Frederick
Republican Party of Virginia
901 East Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Jeff:

As fellow conservative grassroots Republican leaders, we join the congressional delegation, our gubernatorial nominee, the General Assembly leadership, 3/4 of our elected state central representatives and our fellow Republican county chairs in urging you to resign as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

There is much to be done in the coming weeks and months, and we believe this is the right time for new leadership.

Sincerely,

Patricia Meyers
Chairman, Charles City County GOP
Chris Marston
Chairman, Alexandria City GOP
John Tucker
Chairman, Madison County GOP
Ben Slone
Chairman, Goochland County GOP
Kyle Adams
Chairman, Hampton City GOP
Doug Rogers
Chairman, Culpeper County GOP
Cortland Putbrese
Chairman, Richmond City GOP
Jane Ladd
Chairman, New Kent County GOP

Hopefully everyone is aware of the dinner for Democratic Candidate Brian Moran this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Scott County Technical Center.  Everyone is asked to bring a covered dish and $8.  It is also a wonderful opportunity to bring another donation of canned goods as well.  Perhaps Mr. Moran can spread the word to other Democratic County parties of how we haven taken President Obama’s call to public service to heart and put it into action.

Thanks for all that you contribute!

Sarah Mullins-Spears

MoveOn members made a big difference in Washingtonlast week—asking pointed questions of top bank CEOs and successfully pushing to limit executive pay.¹ But these Wall Street bankers fundamentally damaged our economy—and there’s a lot more work to do to clean up their mess.

The Obama administration has laid out a framework for fixing the banking system, but a lot of the important details remain unresolved. A number of prominent economists—including Paul Krugman², Joseph Stiglitz³, Nouriel Roubini⁴, Dean Baker⁵, and Jeffrey Sachs⁶—have proposed plans, and they all share a fundamental principle: Wall Street shouldn’t get any more giveaways at taxpayer expense.

With Congress home from Washington this week, we have a perfect opportunity to make this point clear. And the best way to do that is by flooding local papers with letters to the editor—which lawmakers monitor closely to understand what folks at home are thinking.

Can you write a letter demanding real accountability for the banks that wrecked our economy? It will only take a few minutes and our online tool makes it easy.

http://pol.moveon.org/lte/lte_t.html?lte_campaign_id=102&id=15606-6626552-O6aOhSx&t=3

It’s key that our elected representatives hear from us now, because Congress will weigh in with their ideas to fix Wall Street soon. And when they do, they have to insist that everyday Americans’ interests are put ahead of Wall Street’s. Bank shareholders and executives have to cover their own losses before any more taxpayer money is put on the line.

Here are some important points to help you with your letter:

• No more giveaways for Wall Street at taxpayers’ expense. Any future plan needs to be implemented fairly for taxpayers. If banks made bad investments, then their shareholders need to face the consequences before any taxpayer money is put on the line.
• Experts agree on the key principles. Prominent economists, including Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, Nouriel Roubini, Dean Baker, and Jeffrey Sachs, all agree that the government must get a fair bargain for any money it invests in the banks, even if that means temporarily taking over insolvent banks. Even conservative Republican Senator Lindsey Graham admitted this.⁷
• If taxpayers’ money is at risk, then taxpayers should get any potential profits. If taxpayers are going to risk their money to help, then we should get equity just like other stockholders.

We know all too well that Wall Street isn’t going to police itself. The people who got us into this mess are looking out for themselves, so our elected representatives need to be looking out for us. They need to hear from us that we’re counting on them and that we won’t stand for any more freebies for Wall Street.

Can you write a letter to the editor, using our easy online tool, to make sure they get the message loud and clear?

http://pol.moveon.org/lte/lte_t.html?lte_campaign_id=102&id=15606-6626552-O6aOhSx&t=4

–Daniel, Anna, Wes, Peter and the rest of the team

Today, I signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

This is a historic step — the first of many as we work together to climb out of this crisis — and I want to thank you for your resolve and your support.

You organized thousands of house meetings. You shared your ideas and personal stories. And you informed your friends and neighbors about the need for immediate action. You continue to be a powerful voice for change throughout the country.

The recovery plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, provide tax cuts for working and middle-class families, and invest in health care and clean energy.

It’s a bold plan to address a huge problem, and it will require my vigilance and yours to make sure it’s done right.

I’ve assigned a team of managers to oversee the implementation of the recovery act. We are committed to making sure no dollar is wasted. But accountability begins with you.

That’s why my administration has created Recovery.gov, a new website where citizens can track every dollar spent and every job created. We’ll invite you and your neighbors to weigh in with comments and questions.

Our progress will also be measured by the tens of thousands of personal stories submitted by people who are struggling to make ends meet. If you haven’t already, you can read stories from families all across the country:

http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Your stories are the heart of this recovery plan, and that’s what I’ll focus on every day as President.

With your continued support, we’ll emerge a stronger and more prosperous nation.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Governor Tim Kaine

Governor’s Office Launches Website For Stimulus Projects

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine has launched Stimulus.Virginia.Gov, a unique web portal to gather project ideas for potential funding from the federal stimulus package. Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will allow localities and citizens to contribute to the decision-making process for the distribution of any federal funds that Virginia receives.

“While we wait to learn what conditions will be placed on the federal stimulus monies received by the states, we want to start collecting ideas from all over the Commonwealth to ensure the money is spent in a timely and effective manner,” Governor Kaine said. “Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will give everyone in the Commonwealth a forum to submit and exchange project ideas. Every locality and citizen has a stake in our economic recovery and should have a voice in deciding how this money is spent.”

Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will be the central portal and repository for citizens, groups and localities to submit proposals. Citizens will be able to view proposals in a web table updated daily.

After the package becomes law, projects from Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will be identified that may qualify for funding. Projects will be evaluated and selected through a process similar to the way Virginia develops its biennial budget. In some cases, the information will be sent to localities and other appropriate governmental entities because they will be responsible for prioritizing projects.

The Commonwealth will be accepting proposals submitted through the web site beginning today with an end date to be determined and announced when conditions and stipulations of the final economic stimulus package are known.

Join the governor’s mailing list after the jump

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Join the Virginia Streams mailing list directly by sending a plain text email with no subject to: listserv@listserv.vt.edu including the following line in the body of your message:

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Crossover has come and gone, which means the House has acted on all of their bills and is now taking up legislation passed by the Senate. Obviously, much of the news from Richmond has been dominated by talks of budget shortfalls and the federal stimulus package, but House Democrats have successfully passed a number of promising measures.

With the economy in mind, the House passed Del. Mamye BaCote’s HB2442, which doubles grant amounts made by the Virginia Investment Performance Grant program, and Del. Joe Bouchard and Bobby Mathieson’s HB2415, which expands research programs eligible for the Commonwealth Technology Research Fund.

Del. Mark Sickles’ HB2444, which requires the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to promote biosciences research and industry, was also passed out of the House - despite attempts by House Republicans to restrict stem cell research projects.

Several Republicans also opposed Del. Kris Amundson’s HB2504, which will close a loophole used by large, big-box retailers to skirt state corporate income tax requirements.

House Democrats are committed to protecting homeowners during this uncertain time, and Del. Jennifer McClellan’s HB1776 will impose upon mortgage brokers the duty to make reasonable efforts to secure a loan that is in the best interest of borrowers. Del. Paul Nichols’ HB2129 will help protect renters when their landlords lose their property investments.

Del. Dan Bowling’s HB2279, which passed unanimously, will ensure that rural regions have regular access to state veteran service officers.

In the interest of expanding educational opportunities, Del. Rosalyn Dance’s HB1893 will allow scholarships awarded through the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program to cover the costs of required academic fees and graduate study at the masters and doctoral levels, while Del. Amundson’s HB2342 eases tuition assistance for National Guardsmen. Del. Lynwood Lewis’s HB1924 will provide tuition grants for commercial crab fishermen.

Finally, in order to continue meeting our environmental and energy challenges, Del. David Bulova successfully passed HB1994, which will establish a goal for investor-owned incumbent electric utilities to have 15 percent of their total electric energy sales be from renewable energy sources by 2025. Likewise, Del. Albert Pollard’s HB2506 will allow investor-owned electric utilities to recover the costs of designing and operating energy efficiency programs.

There’s still plenty of time left in the session, and House Democrats will keep working on behalf of Virginia families as we move forward on Senate legislation. Please forward this message to five of your friends and encourage them to sign up for more updates at www.vahousedems.com.

Best,

Delegate Ken Plum, Chair
House Democratic Caucus

The SWVA Young Democrats are inviting each of the 9th Congressional District Democratic Committees, as well as local Young Democrat chapters, to submit up to 5 potential questions to be asked at the debate.  The questions will be compiled during a SWVA YD meeting the end of February.

Scott County Democratic Committee chair Dennis Gillenwater says the debate is an important facet of the election in Southwest Virginia. “All the candidates ask for our support, want us to get out and work for them,” says Gillenwater. “We need to know, what are they going to put back into our region? How  are they going to work for us?”

People wanting to know more about the debate should contact their local Virginia Young Democrat chapter for more information. <www.vayd.org>

• Read Mrs. Boucher’s Obituary
• Post Condolences

The family of Dorothy Boucher requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory be made to one of the following:

• Second Harvest Food Bank, Abingdon Branch, P.O. Box 2579, Abingdon, VA 24212
• The Historical Society of Washington County, P.O. Box 484, Abingdon, VA 24212
• Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA 24327.

The meeting date has been rescheduled to January 27 due to the weather. Those wishing to do so may drop off canned food donations at Sherry Wilson’s law office.

Sarah Mullins-Spears of Gate City is conducting a canned food drive as part of “Renew America Together” and asks members to bring canned goods to the meeting. Visit our front page at www.scottdemocrats.org for a map link.