17 Year Old Delegate Will Be Youngest in Tampa

Evan Draim is no regular high schooler from Mount Vernon. He has earned his way into the Republican National Convention next week as the youngest delegate out of more than 2,000. Draim will be heading to Tampa as a delegate for Virginia's 8th Congressional District. He campaigned day and night, and even edged out the Arlington County Republican Committee Chairman for the spot.

Evan is a new, young face at the convention, but is no stranger to politics. 3 years ago, he convinced his father to take him to the Virginia GOP convention; in which our own governor Bob McDonnell was nominated.

Draim represents an entirely new generation of Republicans, a fresh mind full of ideas, and the yet-young future of the party. We wish him a happy and productive convention and a good time in Tampa. Congratulations, Evan.

For a further look at Evan's selection as a delegate, read the full Washington Post article HERE

Spec Ops Takes Aim at Obama...Metaphorically that is

The Special Forces group Special Operations OpSec Education Fund is voicing its opinions about how President Obama has handled the American military in his time in office. The verdict?

Badly. 

The stated purpose of this organization is to protect the safety and operational security (OpSec) of America's men in uniform; and to combat the use of leaks and sensitive information for political gain. 

As Virginia is home to not one but four of the Nation's largest and most important military sites (The Pentagon, Langley, Oceana Naval Base, and Quantico), these issues are very close to home for us in the Commonwealth.

The group has come out with their own 22-minute video about the mishandling of military leaks, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, as well as other incidents. They also plan to air advertisements exposing the Obama Administration's bungling of these leaks over his term.

The former soldiers and intelligence specialists at the organization have criticized the Administration for using leaks to promote himself and his policies, for badly handling the Bin Laden apprehension to make himself look better, and even for disclosing sensitive details of the Bin Laden raid to Hollywood filmmakers. This isn't the kind of self-serving, careless attitude toward national security needed in a Commander-in-Chief.

To read the full article from WTAX click here

Carryover Scandal in Prince William: Shows Government Putting the Horse Before the Cart

Recently in Northern Virginia's Prince William County (the second biggest in Virginia by the way) a lot of fuss is being made over the allocation of "carry-over funds" into pet projects county wide.

Damn. Straight. They're Mad.

These funds are basically the government's leftovers at the end of a well managed fiscal year. Leftover budget money, and over-raised taxes are all piled up and doled out to whatever projects the Board of Supervisors really feels like putting them into.

So What's Wrong With That?

The fact is, the extra money that we have paid into our government should come back from our government if they aren't using it. Don't get me wrong, coming in under budget really revs my engine, Prince William. That's great, but the money you aren't using should not go to pet projects.

Pet Projects? That's Wrong.

In light of certain conflict of interest situations that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors has found itself in the past few years, there's a very expectable amount of skepticism that those dollars will go to the causes they should. For example, earlier this year, one PWC Councilman tried to slide by 100,000 dollars of funding for his WIFE'S riding center.

Bottom Line

Prince William, your extra money may be going to dubious causes, when it should be either going right back to the taxpayer, or should be dealt with transparently. Tell youer rather than behind the scenes in the Board chambers. 

How Many More Months of >8% Unemployment Before America has had Enough Change?

The government recently released the monthly employment statistics.

"What a surprise!", cried no one ever. The figures indicate that unemployment has risen again, this time to 8.3%. This comes as we also realize that nearly 350,000 people on unemployment have simply stopped looking and therefore drop off of the record as unemployed Americans. 

That news comes as Obama touts an increase in jobs created in July by about 20,000. Looks suspiciously like a drop in the bucket, Mr. President. 

How many more signs does America need that this Administration's failed policies regarding economics and job creation are failing? It's time to put some common sense back into America's job creating policies. 

To read further, an article is available HERE

Sen. Harry Reid, Either Put Up or Shut Up

Claiming that Mitt Romney's tax returns are not transparent enough, while citing an unnamed source is an unorthodox way to make that statement. If you have it from such a "reliable" source, Mr. Reid, then why can this source not come to the light of day and explain?

 You claim that Mitt hasn't paid taxes in 10 years. That's a bold ass statement to make. Why not bring your source up to the Hill to say something? You could wrap this election up for President Obama with this move, why not make it?

Now I am not Mitt Romney's biggest campaign contributor, nor his biggest fan. But even if he's not the most popular kid on the playground, I'm not gonna just sit and let someone who won't even give their name affect this election. Dems, if you want to harp on transparency...have transparency.

ALSO, If anyone knows the whereabouts of Cal Ripken's mom...come on...give her back. She's an old lady who never did nothin' to no one.

Don't Put Your Bullets in Backwards

The recent atrocity that happened in Aurora has shocked the nation, and has appalled everyone. The heart of this blogger is with the victims and their families, and I say to the shooter "You're lucky that I don't get to pick your punishment; I would tie you to the back of a truck by your scrotum and drag you over nail strips until you were nothing more than a big red crayon streak visible in my rearview mirror"

That being said, however, this has raised a whole new debate on gun rights across the nation. Some things really need to be said about this tragedy and the discussion that it has sparked about gun rights in general. He acquired his guns legally, which means that he DID NOT have an assault rifle. Those two phrases, "legally" and "assault rifle" are mutually exclusive. IF anyone wants to discuss the difference between a tactical rifle and an assault rifle, please comment. I could spend hours talking about that. America is also responsible for more gun sales and manufacture than nearly any country worldwide. Guns provide jobs, provide money, and provide protection.

To hold up victims of a shooting as martyrs for your idiotic idea that criminals can't get guns illegally is shameful. The fact is, much like the war on drugs, the prohibition of guns, or even the unnecessary regulation of them, only drives a huge market underground and puts money into the hands of the criminals that are willing to take the chance. So instead of keeping guns out of the hands of gunmen, the real idea is to keep guns out of the hands of victims? Tools that people could use to save their own and others' lives with?

No? Well then I am confused. If you're against legal gun ownership, and you agree that criminals can get their hands on guns should they want to badly enough, then what about bolstering regulations or banning sales makes people safer?

Indeed there are no right answers to what could have been done in Colorado last week. This man was well armed, well motivated, and well instructed. To the three heroic men who saved their girlfriends that night, I will always raise a glass. For the victims of the shooting and their families, I will always bow my head. But I cannot stand by while people are leveraging their political agendas against a horrible event.

Giuliani Warns Virginia Jobs are in Defense Cut Crosshairs

Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani made a stop in Virginia Beach recently to warn veterans, citizens, and workers alike that the looming Obama Defense cuts are threatening to hit the Commonwealth the hardest. The article details Giuliani's warning that Virginia's job climate could be in for some difficult times ahead if nothing is done about these cuts.

We are home to the Pentagon, Quantico, Oceana Naval Station, and Langley Air Force Base; some of the most important and famous military installations in the world. This is not some far-off problem. Thousands of Virginian livelihoods are hovering in the crosshairs of these proposed cuts.

President Obama wants to cut the military, and that means Virginia jobs and Virginia families. Several Virginia Republicans have come out against Obama's proposed cuts, including Gov. McDonnell. Its time to let the White House know that cuts to our military don't only hurt our security abroad, but are dangerous to the welfare of Virginians at home.

See what elected leaders like Governor McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bolling, and Attorney General Cuccinelli have to say about Obama's Defense cuts here