Pay Attention Dick Saslaw

This kind of proposal in Virginia might help save the State Senate in 2011.

Comments

[Let's Be Free]

A prison populaton doesn't carry any endorsement influence or promise big dollar political contributions, he writes? Doesn't appear that this reporter has experience in Illinois.

[The Donkey]

What is the status quo? Are these inmates now actually "counted" as being housed where they are held?

Makes more sense to use last known addresses. . . .

[Not Larry Sabato]

Donkey- yes, they are counted where they are held. Which lets small counties with big prisons downstate gain extra representation.

This doesn't just apply to prisons- it also applies to jails. When the census hits Fairfax County "Precinct A" is the jail which is technically on county property inside Fairfax City.

[Let's Be Free]

So lo, all those many decades that Lorton Reformatory was open, Gerry Connolly's district got "extra" population.

I wonder how many other people are in Northern Virginia involuntarily still, forced by the Federal Government to re-locate, for example?

If standards are changed I can only imagine how many jobs will be "created" to track the residency of the notoriously nomadic criminal population and the other peripatetic elements of society. Big thinking and big government have a way of going together.

[Not A Virginia State Senator]

I think this might be a double edged sword. Rosalyn Tyler has a large prisoner population. I wonder what would happen to her district if a proposal like this were adopted?

[Let's Be Free]

Going down this road involves adopting a permanent resident standard, which ought to take at least one state senator out of Arlington/Alexandria. Illegal immigrants would be linked back to El Savador, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ireland, Russia, Mexico or wherever the path leads. It would be a fascinating journey indeed.

[notbobmcdonnell]

BREAKING......BEN HOW ABOUT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THIS:

Republican State Senator Steve Martin, who lectured former Gov. Kaine on the budget by letter in December 2009, is now being sued by a Credit Card Company for not paying his bill:

Here is the link to the story on the law suit....story ran in the 1/29/10 edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/MART29_20100128-223009/320912/

Below is the letter from Republican Senator Steve Martin to former Governor Tim Kaine. This letter lectures former Gov. Kaine on fiscal responsibility:
*************************

The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine
Patrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Governor Kaine:

It is clear that we face many difficult decisions in balancing the Commonwealth’s 2010-2012 budget, in this upcoming session. Making the tough choices about how to get our spending in line with our revenue is not easy. However, as we all must do in our own particular circumstances, we have to operate within the limits of the revenue available to us.

Recent published reports indicate the strong possibility that you will propose a tax increase as part of your budgetary package. That would be a mistake and I would strongly urge you to avoid such a move, rather presenting a budget that is balanced without a tax increase. Any additional tax burden imposed on our citizens would make the economic recovery we seek more challenging. Virginia families, taxpayers and businesses are already being squeezed from every side.

Many Virginians are having a hard enough time even finding income to meet their basic needs. Most have already reduced their non-discretionary spending and those who do have jobs, with adequate income, are uncertain about their employment status and personal finances. It would be wrong to try to collect additional tax revenue, of any amount, from any source. Any business tax or fee you seek to apply would make the cost of products and services that much more expensive for Virginians, and their jobs that much less secure. I believe it would actually result in a net reduction in tax revenue collected by the state throwing our budget that much more out of balance.

I would strongly urge you to propose a budget that reflects this understanding of the reality we face. As you complete your final weeks in office I urge you to act accordingly to assure a legacy of fiscal prudence for The Commonwealth and the economic strength of its citizens.

Sincerely,

Steve Martin

[Let's Be Free]

Yep, Mr. Martin is going through the process of owning up to debts incurred by his adult son.

What a great post about stepping up and accepting responsibility for one's family instead of making it the government's problem.

Go ahead, make hay with this one. Smear away.

[Not A Virginia State Senator]

notbobmcdonnell

I am a Democrat. I gotta tell you attacking martin on this is wrong. Its his personal issue and we should leave it alone

[kelley in virginia]

back to the prisoners issue: think about where most crime is committed--inner cities (this is a general rule only). so if we count the prisoners from where they resided before they went to jail, then the cities would get more population for redistricting purposes.

i'm from Lunenburg. we've got a prison. so naturally, i am not in favor of changing the rule.

[Ghost of Henry Howell]

The largest prison in VA is Sussex. That's in the Senate district of Louise Lucas and House seat of Roz Tyler, both Dems.

[GOPHokie]

So basically this would (theoretically) increase the size of districts that have prisons and shrink others where criminals used to live?
I don't know how large are jails/prisons are so I don't know how much impact this has.

[Phil Chroniger]

So that means that every city that has a large prison/jail population (lets face it, higher prison population in cities due to higher population concentrations) would lose representation as well...?

That wouldn't bode well for the Dems, now would it?

Actually, come to think of it, that pretty much evens it out.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

So...the Senate Democrats should rely on the convicted felon vote to save their majority?

Okay.

[Not A Virginia State Senator]

The Majority is not at risk. We will draw our lines expand our majority by 2 or 3 seats

[I.Publius]

So why stop at prisons? If you're going to change that residency rule, you'd better change it for universities and any other transient group.

What's that going to do to Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Richmond, Williamsburg and Norfolk? I think all those cities are Democrat-controlled, and benefit mightily from student populations.

[Not Larry Sabato]

I Publius- Not all college students claim their college campus as their main address for census purposes- but I agree with your premise that college students shouldn't be counted in the college towns at all.

[GOPHokie]

Agreed on college student residencies, but I am not sure how the Census Bureau can do much about that. They hang the survey on the door and you fill it out or not. It would be impossible to determine if you are a student or not other than dorms (which I assume they don't do now).
I assume they don't put survey's cell doors in the jails.

[Curious]

I just wish my friends on both ends of the political spectrum spent much less time on these games and much more understanding what people really want. And that goes for my President and Governor as well as the Dem and GOP leadership in Congress and the legislature. There was a time when folks "got it."

Until they get "it" again, I am afraid you all will spend your time on these parlor games.

Seriously, the party that gets back to listening to the people (and this is a center-left/right exercise, not a Tea Party or OfA thing) will be the one who wins sustainably.

[cheap computers canada]

So why stop at prisons? If you're going to change that residency rule, you'd better change it for universities and any other transient group.