According to today's Washington Post, Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart wants to be known for more than illegal immigrant bashing).
"I don't want to be known for only one thing," Stewart said after the election. "I still don't understand why [immigration] became such a huge issue. I'd like to figure that out, so I can replicate it."Before immigration emerged as a major issue in Northern Virginia, the populist Stewart had developed a niche as a Republican in favor of containing suburban sprawl. Now, he has some political capital after the GOP's lackluster statewide showing in the fall elections. He wants to use it to help shift his party's priorities.
"The state party is sclerotic, and atrophy has set in," Stewart said. Rather than focusing on faith, family and freedom, he said, the GOP should address quality-of-life issues such as protecting the environment, easing traffic and preserving green space.
Hey, no disagreements here! In fact, I'd love to make a deal with Corey Stewart right here: you shift your focus away from that "one issue" of illegal immigration towards protecting our environment, and we'll be "best friends forever." How about starting by making Prince William a "cool county" like Fairfax? How about doing what it says you want to do in the Post article, seriously working to "slow residential development and make developers pay more for roads, schools and parks?" How about using your consider political talent for a good cause, "creation care" as you might call it, rather than a bad one? Just a thought.
Nice attempt to rebrand, but sorry, you cannot run with the white robe during an election only to put on the green t-shirt after you won. Many elected Republicans seem to believe that this is all what it takes for them to fix their political errors is to pretend that their past don't exist.
Corey Stewart could have run as environmentalist, proving in an election to Republicans that they could actually address problems that regular people have and win. What a great example that would have been to a Party that has used hate as their main political strategy since the late 1960s?
Not no. Corey Stewart didn't trust the electorate on this one. He rather ran on what he knows works: hatred.
Is Corey Stewart himself a racist? I ignore that. In a way I wish he were. Better that he actually hates immigrants than to think that Stewart pandered to xenophobes just to get elected. Pandering and encouraging hatred toward innocent people so that you can get your way is a lot more repulsive, in my view, than actually hating yourself. At least if you hate you may not know that it is wrong; if you pander, you know that it is wrong, and you don't care.
Of course, if Stewart wants to redeem himself he can undo the harm that he unleashed in his county. Maybe God will give him the courage to do so.
You claim the actions of "illegals" benefits the country. Maybe in cultural enrichment I agree, but in every other regard it is a drain. You wish to fight the good fight and make things better? Return to Mexico with the large group of illegals and fight for economic and political reform in a country that has so many resources there should not exist the disparity that exists today.
The claims from Mexicans about the corruption and single party rule that keeps Mexican families down only exists through the allowance of the population at large. This is how this country was founded and born, through rejection of those things. Instead you claim to bring value and positives to this country when the illegal enterance by so many is bringing the same disregard for law and equality that so many claim is what they are running from, henceforthy the corruption of a system.
I invite you to become an American, but do so like so many others have including my wife now a citizen. Wait your turn in the long line before the embassies in your respective countries like so many others, and don't disrespect and cast disparagies on your bretheran that came here the legal way.
With all due respect, you are showing the kind of xenophobic or anti-Hispanic feelings that Stewart was tapping into, and I ask you to examine this and reconsider your position. Re-examine it especially since you claim that your wife is a foreigner herself.
I was born in this country. Therefore I am an American citizen.
Your xenophobic or anti-Hispanic sentiments made you assume that I wasn't from here.
Even better, because my Spanish last name, you assume that I must have been here illegally. Watch out with that thinking :)
It saddens me to see, idealthoughts, that your post proves my point on xenophobia. And I am welcoming you to reconsider your position :)
First, the post that I made was specific on how Stewart ran on the xenophobic ticket and whether he was a racist himself or pandered to racists. I also mentioned that this was a long-term strategic mistake for the GOP.
I didn't claim anything on this post on illegal immigration. Read my post again. :)
I am hopeful that you will reconsider. I will be praying for your change of heart. I know that you can, and I hope that you will.
Almost all Hispanic adults born in the United States to immigrant parents speak fluent English, even though most of their parents do not, according to a report released yesterday.The study by the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center is among the broadest national analyses to date of Hispanic immigrants' language skills and comes amid widespread concern that the recent, massive influx of mostly Latin American immigrants is not assimilating fast enough.
As it turns out, Hispanics are "assimilating" as fast as any other immigrant group ("The study's findings are in keeping with trends followed by the last great wave of immigrants around the turn of the last century, co-author D'Vera Cohn said.").
About 4 months later, Gov. Kaine passed an executive order requiring the same on all state owned facilities. Stewart even met with Connolly to promote the same for Fairfax Co. Conolly was on board but I think he ran out of time and to my knowledge, energy efficiency & conservation measures have not been passed on Fairfax County owned facilities. Don't believe Arlington or the city of Alexandria has passed a simlar law either. I believe D.C. has just recently introduced a similar law to the council.
Stewart then promoted the same in other Va Counties, I believe thru the VACO organization, then Stafford, Fauquier and a few other counties have since introduced and/or pass similar county legislation for county owned facilities.
Energy efficiency and conservation is the single largest "source" of new power in our nation. It is also the quickest "source" to implement. Furthermore, EEC is cheaper than other sources, fossil-fuel and alternative, and it is the by far the cleanest.
Take for example the state of California's lead towards sound energy policy - they were the first and only state to make EEC the top "source" of new power in its order rank. In California when state utilities present the need for a new power plant of any kind or propose the need for a new transmission line, they must first satisfy the need with EEC (demand management), and present the findings to the state utility board. This law was passed in June 2006. The state of CT was the 1st state to intro EEC into their RPS because most alternative energy sources are not possible to generate w/i that state. That brings up another point, EEC is available nationwide and is not limited to any particular region based on geography and exposure to the elements.
Want to stop global warming? Want to reduce our nation's dependancy on foreign fuel? Want to reduce pollution? Do you favor the "proper" expansion of our nation's electric infracture?
Of course you do, we all do, liberals and conservatives equally want this.
Learn more here...
http://www.ferc.gov/industries...
http://www.demandresponsecommi...
...then ask your local official to introduce and pass county legislation involving EEC on county and city facilities. Then write your U.S. Rep and Senator and ask him to be sure to include Demand Response within the pending climate and energy bill.
It's a smart and costs taxpayers and government ZERO dollars. Since all of us are already paying for the wasted electricity before electrons even enter our house, wide implementation will in theory lower the cost of every kilowatt to consumers. Some EEC projects are so successful it even provide cash-back to the users after profit payouts to the both hire provider.
Thanks and sorry I just had to do it.