Friday, May 30, 2014

Dick Saslaw is in the "NO"!

The Pogge Post

96th District, Virginia House of Delegates      May 30, 2014
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District Office:

1201 Jamestown Road

Williamsburg, VA 23185

757-223-9690

DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov

 

During Session:

General Assembly Building

Room 403

Capitol Square

Richmond, VA 23219

804-698-1096

DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov  

 

Please send all mail to:

P.O. Box 196

Norge, VA 23127
 
Legislative Aide
Amanda Johnston
Amanda@brendapogge.com
The Budget Impasse Continues



With only one month remaining until the end of the fiscal year, the Senate Democrats and Governor McAuliffe continue refusing to pass a clean budget. Following is an excellent update from the Virginia House Republicans regarding the current status of the budget.

Day 83: Saslaw slams the door


On day 83 of Governor Terry McAuliffe's budget crisis, there was a small opening that could have kick-started discussions on the current budget crisis. Then Senator Dick Saslaw, Governor McAuliffe's top lieutenant in the Democrat-controlled Senate, emphatically slammed the door.   

From @PilotonPolitics
 

The door dividing the Virginia General Assembly in a budget stalemate was briefly ajar Thursday when a Republican state senator offered a compromise - before the Senate's ranking Democrat slammed it shut.

A proposal from Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, would have freed the two-year budget bill from a General Assembly procedural purgatory in exchange for policy concessions on a Medicaid expansion plan supported by 22 other senators, most Democrats in the House and Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

...

Leaders in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, where opposition to expansion runs high, welcomed the arrival of Hanger's proposal with about one month until the current budget expires June 30, raising fears of a possible state government shutdown.

"Senator Hanger has made a productive offer that leaves us encouraged about the prospects of reaching an agreement on the state budget," read a statement from House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford County, and his lieutenants.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw of Fairfax County rejected Hanger's pitch, though.

"That's a very bad idea," he told The Virginian-Pilot as he strode through downtown Richmond.

Saslaw said he hadn't been consulted by Hanger and wasn't aware of his colleagues being briefed on the plan before it was publicly released Thursday afternoon.

"I think the Tea Party finally got to him," Saslaw said of Hanger.

 

For weeks, Governor McAuliffe and Democrats have chided House Republicans for "just saying no" to Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, ignoring the fact that a solid majority of Virginians also oppose expansion and that House leaders have committed to a special session entirely devoted to considering, discussing and debating the issue after the budget is passed.

When the first real compromise proposal was offered Thursday, the only person actually saying no was Senator Saslaw.

Governor McAuliffe and Senator Saslaw created this crisis. For weeks, they have refused to consider any budget proposal that does not include Obamacare's Medicaid expansion. When the House passed a budget, the Senate went home and stayed there.  For over nine weeks, it's been all or nothing, their way or the highway.

They have taken the budget and the eight million Virginians who depend on it hostage, threatening a government shutdown and refusing to do their job unless they get their way on Obamacare

That didn't work in Washington last year, and it's not going to work in Virginia now.

Governor McAuliffe and Senator Saslaw should drop their demands for Obamacare and pass a budget that funds Virginia's schools, roads, first responders and local governments right away.

The clear path forward is to set Medicaid expansion aside, pass the budget and continue the debate on Medicaid expansion in a separate special session.

Over 100 local governments, school boards and elected leaders support this position, including the pro-expansion Mayor of Virginia Beach Will Sessoms. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce agrees that lawmakers should set aside any issue that creates an impasse. Democratic Senator Chuck Colgan said we should pass the budget first and debate Medicaid expansion later. Expansion proponent Senator Emmett Hanger is now offering to discuss decoupling. Democratic Delegate Daun Hester wants to sue the Senate in order to get them to act on the budget.

Unfortunately though, none of that matters because Senator Dick Saslaw says "no."   

# # #
 
 

Copyright © 2014 Virginia House Republican Campaign Committee, All rights reserved.


Sincerely,  
Signature
Brenda L. Pogge
Delegate, 96th District
Virginia House of Delegates   

Paid for and Authorized by Brenda Pogge for Delegate
This email was sent to alexanderofyork@gmail.com by brenda@brendapogge.com |  
Brenda Pogge for Delegate | P.O. Box 196, Norge, VA 23127 | 1201 Jamestown Road | Williamsburg | VA | 23185

Monday, May 19, 2014

Need help using Twitter?

The Pogge Post

96th District, Virginia House of Delegates      May 13, 2014
Stay Connected!
 
Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter View our videos on YouTube
  
Join Our Mailing List!
Contact Delegate Pogge

 

District Office:

1201 Jamestown Road

Williamsburg, VA 23185

757-223-9690

DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov

 

During Session:

General Assembly Building

Room 403

Capitol Square

Richmond, VA 23219

804-698-1096

DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov  

 

Please send all mail to:

P.O. Box 196

Norge, VA 23127
 
Legislative Aide
Amanda Johnston
Amanda@brendapogge.com
Curious about Twitter?

Have you been wondering what all the buzz is about Twitter but didn't know who to ask?  Are you already on Twitter but would like to improve your skills?  My friends at American Majority and The Family Foundation are co-sponsoring a Twitter Activism Webinar tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m.

 

Registration is normally $10.00 but they have allowed me to offer my supporters a FREE seat on the Webinar!

 

Twitter is a great way to communicate your conservative values on the web.  You can send messages from your computer, iPad, smart phone or other hand-held, mobile device. This is also a way to stay in touch with your elected officials and hold us accountable.

 

Be sure to use the discount code Twitter20 when you register here to take advantage of this free offer.

 

Sign up now so you don't forget!

 

If you plan to attend the Twitter Activism Webinar, please feel free to email specific questions to American Majority at aubrey@americanmajority.org. In an attempt to best serve your specific needs, American Majority will take the second half of the webinar to address any questions submitted ahead of time.

 

Have a question about registration? Please contact Teresa Broaddus at Teresa@AmericanMajority.org, or call 540-338-1251.

Sincerely,  
Signature
Brenda L. Pogge
Delegate, 96th District
Virginia House of Delegates   

Paid for and Authorized by Brenda Pogge for Delegate
This email was sent to alexanderofyork@gmail.com by brenda@brendapogge.com |  
Brenda Pogge for Delegate | P.O. Box 196, Norge, VA 23127 | 1201 Jamestown Road | Williamsburg | VA | 23185

Monday, May 12, 2014

Fw: May 15th Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council Meeting

Fellow VPCCC Delegates: Reminder FYI – Please see the attached roster regarding your dues status.
  Hope to see you all there/then.
Thanks Hal!!
Larry
 
 
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 6:09 AM
Subject: May 15th Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council Meeting
 

Reminder …

 

 

Our thanks to those that paid their dues and re-joined or joined us … However, grace time is over and those that haven't paid their dues will be dropped now. 

 

 

May 15th will be our next meeting for  2014.

 

PLEASE remember to bring (or send) your dues in for 2014.  The sooner the better!!!

 

Community Meeting Notice

The Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council was established to support the Automotive Clubs and Auto Enthusiasts in the Va. Peninsula Region and surrounding areas. VPCCC is a not-for-profit group (www.vpccc.org)

 

The VPCCC meets on the third Thursday of the month (Except Dec.) at 7:00 pm

We meet at Wynne Ford 1020 West Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23666 (757) 838-3673

 

We will have as our guest speaker Mr. Doug Sample of the Mustang Club of Tidewater and Owner of JRN Racing.

 

Plus we'll touch on many hobbyist related subjects. Please consider coming as our guest. Call or email Hal Hartel for more information.

 

FYI-We have clubs, individuals and businesses as members from Chesapeake, Charles City, Chester, Denbigh, Gloucester - Middle Peninsula, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk, Va. Beach, Yorktown, York County, Williamsburg of Virginia and Elizabeth City & Outer Banks of N.C.

 

Thanks,  Hal
Co-founder of the Va Fall Classic
President of Va Peninsula Car Club Council

 "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit!" Harry S. Truman

"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give"-Winston Churchill

 

Harold D. Hartel
100 Kayla Court
Yorktown, Va. 23693
757/867-6336
halhartel@gmail.com

www.VaFallClassic.org
www.VPCCC.org

 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Are you available next Tuesday?

subject


Robert --

Next Tuesday, May 13th, be sure to join us and some very special speakers as we Stand and Pray for Marriage at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in downtown Richmond.  We have buses coming from:

  • Winchester (with stops in Warrenton and Fredericksburg)
  • Harrisonburg (with stops in Staunton and Charlottesville)
  • Norfolk (with a stop in Newport News/York)

Click here for more details and to register for a bus ride to Richmond.

There are also vans leaving from several churches around Virginia, see below for a partial list.

-- There is a van leaving from Bethel Baptist Church in Yorktown at 1004 Yorktown Road and stopping at York River Baptist Church in James City County.  For more information about this, call Ann Robeson at 757-719-6787.

-- There is a van leaving from Lighthouse Free Will Baptist Church, 942 Burks Hill Road in Bedford, VA 24523.  Contact Pastor E. Larry Ross at 540-587-8962.

-- There is a van leaving from Brookhill Wesleyan Church in Goode.  Contact Janet Robey at 434-401-8852.  There is a $10 charge and that includes the van ride and breakfast.

We are excited to welcome a great lineup of speakers.

You don't want to miss this exciting day as we proclaim that marriage still matters and God's design of one man and one woman for life is the definition of marriage and cannot be changed.

Our speakers include:

Brian S. Brown, President - National Organization for Marriage
Dean Nelson, Chairman - Frederick Douglass Foundation
Eric Teetsel, Executive Director - The Manhattan Declaration
Josh Duggar, Executive Director - Family Research Council Action
Jeff Caruso, Executive Director - Virginia Catholic Conference
Victoria Cobb, President - The Family Foundation

The day starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals at 1100 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219.

Please mark your calendars and be sure to be with us in Richmond on May 13th!

For questions or more details, contact Jackee at jackee@familyfoundation.org.



Victoria Cobb
President











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919 E. Main St., Suite 1110
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Friday, May 2, 2014

Update from Mike Watson

 

 

Update

May 2, 2014

 

Dear Friends,

I hope you’re enjoying the warm spring weather…ok, the heat is coming, really.  Al Gore says so.

 

I’m writing to update you on a few issues affecting our state government as well as news on the Business Development Caucus and even some campaign fodder. 

 

Now that the regular General Assembly session, one very brief special session, and the veto session are behind us, we know what to expect regarding new laws that will take effect on July 1.  I’m pleased to report that some of the initiatives I presented this year, submitted by friends on my behalf, were successful.  Most were bills developed last summer and in many cases, a result of meeting with Virginia businesses during our 2013 Business Development Caucus town-hall events. 

 

In addition, one significant budget item that I had requested also appears on track to succeed – once we have a budget.  You may recall from my campaign mailers that I took a group to meet with the Governor last fall to discuss a new opportunity for thousands of construction jobs and 200 permanent high-paying career positions.  Governor McDonnell included this in his budget proposal and according to House and Senate budget conferees it’s likely to survive the process – again, once we have a budget.  We’ll cover that in a moment.

 

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I spent some time in the Capitol over the last few months.  In fact, I was in Richmond during session at least a day or two each week except for two; one of which I used to travel with my family to the Daytona 500. This was  a family tradition for a decade prior to my 2011 election and despite the threat of tornadoes I enjoyed seeing an Earnhardt take the checkered flag again. 

 

Otherwise, I was fairly active testifying before committees and supporting my BDC colleagues whenever I could.  I will admit to enjoying my nights at home however, while accomplishing, with the help of friends, successes equal to or exceeding some who were in Richmond full time.   

 

In the last few weeks I’ve been invited to speak to several organizations and participate in a variety of Hampton Roads education and economic development events.  Two such events were held in Newport News this week and are tied to issues I have and will continue to promote; workforce development and economic growth. 

 

There is much work to be done to expand opportunities for the citizens of our region and state.  To the extent that I can help, I’ll continue to do so.

 

Respectfully yours,

Mike

 

To keep up with our activities "Like" our Facebook page by clicking here.

 

or visit www.DelegateWatson.com

 

 

Do you tweet? Follow me.

 

This Newsletter paid for by

Friends of Mike Watson

The Budget

 

Bills, resolutions, and program expansions should have been secondary to the main purpose of the 2014 session, passing the state’s biennial budget; but it would not be.  That’s not to say it wasn’t tried.  In fact, the House and Senate conferees were within a fraction of a percentage from agreement lest the insistence by some that Medicaid be expanded ‘pursuant to the Affordable Care Act’. 

 

I punctuated the last sentence to emphasize the real cause of the impasse.  It is not that Republicans fail to recognize the need for expanded access to affordable care or are unwilling to work towards that goal.  Rather, the governor and most democrats in the legislature demand an all-or-nothing solution, unwilling to settle for anything less than full expansion without consideration of practicable alternatives.  They would have you believe the so-called “private option” or “pilot program” offer compromise, but neither does.  The private option poses identical risk to Virginia taxpayers as the public option and the pilot program is nothing less than full implementation with an unrealistic clause allowing legislators to vote 400,000 new participants out of the program once they’ve had coverage for two years.           

 

I recognize the need to resolve the issue of unaffordable care, it is real.  As an employer, I’ve dealt with double-digit premium increases for 25 years.  Had states acted earlier to implement reform, we might have avoided Obamacare altogether; perhaps we can revisit that after 2016.  In the meantime, Speaker Howell has proposed a special session to consider options for extending care to those who can least afford it.  To date the Governor appears obstinate, refusing to act on the budget without full-blown Medicaid expansion first.  We have 8 weeks before our current budget expires.  Interesting times are ahead.

 

On April 9th, the Virginia Gazette published some of my thoughts on the subject, you can find it here:  Op-Ed - A Compromise to Consider

 

 

Business Development Caucus – 2014

 

Last month, the Business Development Caucus (“BDC”) held its annual founders conference.  Meeting in the General Assembly office building, we reviewed the status of bills from its 2014 Legislative Agenda, confirming those that had passed and evaluating the future of those that did not.  We also set our summer town hall schedule which includes a stop in York County on August 28th.  The Daily Press covered a few agenda items here:  Daily Press Coverage of BDC

You can find the entire press release here:  BDC Press Release

 

 

Medicaid Expansion Concerns

 

There are numerous concerns with the unfettered expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, but at the top of the list is doubt that the federal government “can” or “will” fulfill its obligation to cover 90% of the costs in perpetuity.  Most of us understand the “can” aspect as the U.S. already borrows 40 cents of every dollar it spends, but what about the “will”?  Some of the lawmakers pushing for expansion say that they trust the government to always pay its full share but recent testimony by the former HHS Secretary suggests otherwise.  Take a look at her testimony.  Click on the link below and fast forward to 2:22:50:

From the April 10, 2014 U.S. Senate Finance Committee meeting:

 

She says, "We are actually kind of ramping up the pressure on states and will look at potentially some administrative reductions in payment if people don't pick up this pace because having a backlog that is not being processed in a timely fashion is just keeping way too many people from the healthcare that they are entitled to."   They wouldn’t actually cut Medicaid funding to states as punishment…would they?

 

Last minute newsflash:  As I wrap up the final touches of this update, I'm reading a Washington Post article that just hit the wires, "McAuliffe weighs Medicaid expansion without legislature."  Friends, there's no congenial way to put this.  In four short months, Terry McAuliffe and Mark Herring are managing to dishonor the high esteem of our state government by disregarding the rule of law.  This letter is read by citizens of all political leanings and I do not desire to offend, but if you are one that believes the 'end justifies the means', I urge you to consider this.  This action, if taken, will set a precedent for future governors and will change the tone in Richmond for years to come.  Virginia is better than this; we all deserve better. 

   

 

Friends of Mike Watson - Contributions

 

Effective today, the Friends of Mike Watson campaign committee has re-opened its on-line contribution portal, accepting PayPal and all major credit cards. Contributions will support mailed correspondence, web & social media, office expenses, and future staffing at our Jamestown Rd. office as we work to address state issues and expand opportunity for its citizens. If you would like to make a contribution, go on-line to: DelegateWatson.com/contribute/  or by mail to:

 

Friends of Mike Watson

PO Box 6628

Williamsburg, VA 23188

______________________

 

Help take back the VA Senate

Please join me on May 15th as we help Senator Norment

take back control of the VA Senate at

The Twenty-Second Annual Norment Invitational & Clambake

Fords Colony, Williamsburg.

 

I’m looking for three golfers to help field a team. 

If interested, email me at:  Mike@DelegateWatson.com

Phone: (757) 645-5298                                

Email: Info@DelegateWatson.com                                     PLEASE EMAIL THIS TO A FRIEND, ask them to    

Mail: PO Box 6628 Williamsburg, VA 23188            Sign up in the top right corner of DelegateWatson.com



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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Fw: May 15th Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council Meeting

Fellow VPCCC Delegates: Forwarded FYI – Please see Hal's note regarding dues and review the pd. column of the attached roster for accuracy –  If not accurate please let me know.
Thanks!!
Larry
 
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2014 5:30 AM
Subject: May 15th Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council Meeting
 

Our thanks to those that paid their dues and re-joined or joined us … However, grace time is over and those that haven't paid their dues will be dropped now. 

 

 

May 15th will be our next meeting for  2014.

 

PLEASE remember to bring (or send) your dues in for 2014.  The sooner the better!!!

 

Community Meeting Notice

The Virginia Peninsula Car Club Council was established to support the Automotive Clubs and Auto Enthusiasts in the Va. Peninsula Region and surrounding areas. VPCCC is a not-for-profit group (www.vpccc.org)

 

The VPCCC meets on the third Thursday of the month (Except Dec.) at 7:00 pm

We meet at Wynne Ford 1020 West Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23666 (757) 838-3673

 

We will have as our guest speaker Mr. Doug Sample of the Mustang Club of Tidewater and Owner of JRN Racing.

 

Plus we'll touch on many hobbyist related subjects. Please consider coming as our guest. Call or email Hal Hartel for more information.

 

FYI-We have clubs, individuals and businesses as members from Chesapeake, Charles City, Chester, Denbigh, Gloucester - Middle Peninsula, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk, Va. Beach, Yorktown, York County, Williamsburg of Virginia and Elizabeth City & Outer Banks of N.C.

 

Thanks,  Hal
Co-founder of the Va Fall Classic
President of Va Peninsula Car Club Council

 "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit!" Harry S. Truman

"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give"-Winston Churchill

 

Harold D. Hartel
100 Kayla Court
Yorktown, Va. 23693
757/867-6336
halhartel@gmail.com

www.VaFallClassic.org
www.VPCCC.org