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Human Rights Everywhere Every Day
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Last Sunday was Human Rights Day and the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights advancing the promise to all of freedom, equality and justice.
Much Remains To Be Done
The good old days were never as good as we sometimes make them out to have been.
Footprints on the Sands of Time
Maybe it’s the contemplations of my impending retirement or maybe it is because of the richness of the life I have been privileged to live that I have become more aware of and more impressed by the women and men I meet in my community and in the political arena.
Happy Thanksgiving 2023
There are so many complexities and challenges in the world in which we live that it is important to take some time to reflect on the good things that are going on in our families, communities and the world for which we need to be thankful.
Speaker of the House
Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States provides that the House of Representatives is to choose a presiding officer to be known as the Speaker of the House. Such a position became necessary as the Founding Fathers looked for a way to have checks and balances among the branches of government since they had rejected a parliamentary form of government that would have had a prime minister serving as leader in both the executive and legislative branches at the same time.
Virginia and Its Regions
As a native Virginian growing up in the Valley region, I can still remember learning about the other geographic regions of the Commonwealth. While much of the emphasis on the differences among the regions was geographic and natural, the differences I have come to know are much broader and deeper than grade school students could grasp.
Early Education Pays Off
Of the many educational programs that have been funded by all levels of government and the private sector, none have had as many positive, continuing impacts on participants as expenditures on early childhood education. There is a huge body of research proving the point.
No Gambling Casino for Reston
Some news that is now nearly a year old got renewed attention recently causing many people in our community to become very concerned.
A Place at the Table for Everyone Born
Some catchy phrases that led to success at the ballot box resulted in some terrible public policies.
Keeping a Republic
History records that at the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 Benjamin Franklin who was the senior member of the Convention was asked what kind of government the delegates who had sweltered through months of heat and compromises had produced. His oft-quoted response was “a republic if we can keep it.”
No Miracle in Virginia Student Test Scores
There was more than a week delay in announcing Virginia student test scores this year. Last week we learned why.
Budgets Set Policy Directions
“I predict [the conference committee compromise] will be accepted as the best compromise that can be reached at this time.”
The First To Blink
The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die back in June of this year when the work of the legislature was complete with one notable exception: a mid-point revision of the biennium budget on which the House, Senate, and Governor could not agree had gone to a conference committee that could not agree on its final form.
Reinventing American Democracy
The 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States is fast approaching. We can celebrate being the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. Our form of government, however, is under undue stresses that cause many to worry as to whether we can show the same resiliency of the past going forward in the next century.
Politicizing Education
As a former teacher/education program administrator for 30 years I am aware of the many wonderful, effective, and dedicated teachers there are, including two of my children and one of my grandchildren and his wife. The current effort to politicize education for personal gain saddens me.
Inalienable Rights
Virginian Thomas Jefferson was a young man when he penned the words expressed among political philosophers of the time that there were natural rights “endowed by their creator” that all persons possess. His phrase in the Declaration of Independence that preceded that assertion, “all men are created equal,” gained the most notice and debate even until today.
Retiring But Not Quitting
The most common question I get these days is “how does it feel to be retired?”
Obligation of Citizenship: To Be Informed
Commentary
Honest Funding of Our Schools
Commentary
Rights Bring Obligations
Virginia Code Section 22.1-201 states ”To increase knowledge of citizens' rights and responsibilities thereunder and to enhance the understanding of Virginia's unique role in the history of the United States, the Declaration of American Independence, the general principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the charters of the Virginia Company of April 10, 1606, May 23, 1609, and March 12, 1612, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights shall be thoroughly explained and taught by teachers to pupils in public elementary, middle, and high schools.”
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