FamilyFoundationBlog.com

Annotations & Elucidations

Back From Break

The four day Thanksgiving break is universally good for everyone. With so many events converging in November, it’s good to hit the breaks, take a rest, then gear up for the non-stop onslaught that is December (Christmas season and preparing for the General Assembly) and January and February (which is all General Assembly all the time).

One wouldn’t think there’d be much news over the break, but there is. The Richmond Times-Dispatch profiles Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli, who is ready and eager for his new job (to the horrors of liberals). Virginia’s financial woes continue to make news as the commonwealth borrows more to meet its unemployment insurance obligations, but it may just yet reap a windfall (see the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and Washington Post, respectively). Speaking of the GA, ethics reform will be big this year, per The Daily Press. Speaking of ethics, the State Board of Elections is demanding some answers this week from a group that wanted to mail you information about your neighbors voting habits. Only certain people can obtain Voter Vault lists, such as elected officials, so the supplier (or willing supplier) to the Know Campaign is a case for the curious. The Virginian-Pilot has the details. In some good news, because we believe the more people can understand that the Founding Fathers intended America as a land of limited government and religious liberty, it’s now easier than ever to read their words as they wrote them (see the T-D).

Nationally, more fallout from the leaked e-mails documenting the “global warming” hoax, the GOP looks for more orthodoxy, a boycott of Gap and Old Navy ends, a Hollywood superstar calls President Obama a “socialist,” while said POTUS leaves out God in his Thanksgiving proclamation. Finally, speaking of Hollywood, the latest “feel good movie of the year,” Blind Side, has some troubling aspects about public education and government influence on families that shouldn’t go unnoticed, as writes Star Parker. Whoa! Told you it’s full steam ahead. Hope the break got you ready for what’s coming at us.

News:

Cuccinelli digs in to set course for AG’s office (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

GOP to hold firehouse primaries for both open Senate seats (Washington Post Virginia Politics Blog)

Va. to borrow $1.26 billion for depleted unemployment funds (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

U.S. sitting on $17 billion in unclaimed war bonds (Washington Post)

Lawmakers expect focus on ethics reform in wake of Phil Hamilton (The Daily Press)

Officials tell nonprofit to reveal voter history data source (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Founding Fathers’ papers go online (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

National News:

Global-warming data sets ’simply made up’ (OneNewsNow.com)

Divided Senate opens health care debate (AP/OneNewsNow.com)

GOP purity test proposed (OneNewsNow.com)

AFA ends boycott of Gap, Old Navy: Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods make AFA’s “Naughty” list (American Family Association)

Commentary:

Obama Doesn’t Use ‘God’ in Thanksgiving Proclamation (Bryan Fischer/Focal Point Right, Rightly Concerned Blog) 

Angelina Jolie Thinks Obama Is A Socialist (Elijah Friedeman/The Millennial Perspective, Rightly Concerned Blog)

Obama invites a nightmare (Peter Heck/OneNewsNow.com)

‘The Blide Side’ should trouble as well as inspire (Star Parker/OneNewsNow.com)

So Much For Obama’s Pledge to Remove the Influence of Lobbyists (Bryan Fischer/Focal Point Right, Rightly Concerned Blog) 

We’re live from the GAB’s House Briefing Room where Delegate Bill Janis, The Family Foundation of Virginia, First Things of Greater Richmond and others are addressing the media and calling on Governor Kaine to add members to his poverty commission and look at different angles as to the cause of poverty, i.e., the governor thinks poverty is reduced by increased unemployment insurance.

Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb is addressing the news conference: Solutions include more choice in education to give individuals a better chance. But the major factor is marriage! U.Va. sociology professor Brad Wilcox sent statistics that show clearly the major reason for poverty is lack of intact families. Childhood poverty could drop as much as 20 percent if we increased the marriage rate in Virginia. Each Virginia tax payers are on the hook for millions of dollars because of the results of family fragmentation.

Increasing the number of marriages and strengthening existing marriages is essential to decreasing poverty. Governor Kaine did not mention these at all when creating his commission. The Family Foundation sent the governor a letter yesterday asking him to make marriage a priority of his commission in its efforts to reduce poverty in Virginia.

The great thing about marriage is that it works and costs tax payers nothing! But divorce and illegitimacy does in crime, poverty and lack of education.

Now, Delegate Bill Janis is on: He starts by quoting then-candidate Barack Obama about the importance of fathers in children’s lives. Hillary Clinton says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But it takes a dad!

The governor has set the table. We want a seat at the table and a responsible discussion. He now repeats stats from here. Two-thirds of poor children live in collapsed homes and results in higher proportions of poverty, teen pregnancy and crime. We spend a trillion dollars in means tested poverty programs every year. This doesn’t count K-12 education, either.

This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. Forget about the Swine Flu, broken families are the real epidemic.

What can be done? First thing the government should do is do no harm. In 1996, the last time this country had a serious discussion on poverty was 1996 when President Bill Clinton signed the welfare reform act. The bill’s language included as goals the stablization of families, promote marriage, encourage the maintenance of two-parent families and prevent and reduce out of wedlock families. We need to get back to addressing the goals.

We have $16 million in TANF funds in Virginia that was supposed to be earmarked for these goals, but are not being used for them. Why study the problem further when we know what the problem is? Even the Brookings Institute, a liberal think tank, says that a significant percentage of single moms and their families would be instantly lifted out of poverty if they were married to the fathers of their children.

We want to take this out of the realm of partisanship and politics. The governor has led. That’s good. But if he wants to try to score political points, that’s a shame. If not, we want to help him, those in this room. We started this in 1996, let’s finish it now. There are federal funds available now, let’s go get them.

Yesterday we were late, today we’re early. Here’s your News Stand, where we findthe Democrat candidates for governor tripping all over themselves trying to outbid each other on education spending. They all want to spend more. Of course. Teachers salaries, pre-K, it’s all there. Recession? What revenue shortfall?

Meanwhile, on the broader political front, the Dems and GOP continue to fight over the extra unemployment insurance doled out in the “stimulus” package. Dems say take it, GOP says it’s an unfunded mandate we’ll get stuck with after two years, killing job creation. 

Finally, please read Julia Duin’s column in the Washington Times about the medical professionals’ conscience protections, about to be stripped away by the Obama administration. 

News:

Va. jobless benefits deal unlikely, House Republicans say (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Va. Dems, GOP spar over stimulus for jobless benefits (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Gubernatorial hopefuls vow teacher pay hikes (Washington Times)

Candidates promise Va. teachers pay raises (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Dems debate in Hampton (The Daily Press)

In 2nd debate, candidates vow more education spending (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Candidates Agree on Preschool Spending (Washington Post)

National News:

Pro-life doctors face ‘consequences’ (Washington Times)

Welcome back to the work week. We hope everyone had a Blessed Easter and that the meaning of The Resurrection will not be a fleeting moment, but rather one that continues to resonate within our consciences throughout each and every day of our lives. For those travelling with their families, or for other reasons, we hope Easter week brings safe travels.

Now, back to work: The state’s unemployment insurance program is running low on funds, yet Governor Tim Kaine wants to expand it (and raise job-killing taxes to do it); there’s a push by medical professionals to maintain their conscience protection safeguards (see our statement), the culture war rages on, and the Tea Parties have begun!

News:

State’s jobless fund expected to run dry (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Kaine hopes to work with GOP on jobless benefits (Richmond Times-Dispatch) 

Some lawmakers vow to fight on for $125M in jobless aid (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Ralliers brave rain, cold to protest govt. spending (The Daily Press)

Lawmakers on the hunt for jobs, too (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

National News:

Medical Providers Urge Obama to Save ‘Conscience’ Rule (FoxNews.com)

Faith Groups Increasingly Lose Gay Rights Fights (Washington Post)

Analysis:

Taxes and Tea Parties: America Gets Ready to Rumble (The Loft/GOPUSA.com)