Speaking from the steps of the Old Court House Civil War Museum, where George Washington began his successful campaign for the House of Burgesses in 1758, McDonnell said the experience gave him chills.

Until there are bloggers who are actually interested in prose, the print media will always have a place in my heart. But Houff also covered issues of greater importance:

“I also think this ought to be the best state for tourism and film production,” McDonnell said. “We’ve got natural beauty — we’ve got mountains, oceans, lakes and rivers, history, and rural vistas. And we ought to be able to bring all of that out-of-state money here to be able to create those kinds of jobs in Virginia. We can do a lot more to promote tourism.

“I also think it is important we make government work better,” he said. “We need a government that is more transparent, that’s more efficient, that’s more efficacious, that’s more frugal, and that’s more open to you.”

McDonnell said Virginia’s state government and its budget have each doubled in the past 10 years.

“We spend [nearly] $8 billion … of your tax money every two years in the budget, and the more you know about where it is going, the more you will be able to hold all of us accountable on how it is spent,” he said.

Also present: the more no-nonsense but always knowledgeable Garren Shipley of the Northern Virginia Daily:

Bob McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign launch came to the Northern Shenandoah Valley on Wednesday, and the theme was hard to miss.

Jobs, jobs, jobs.

The former state attorney general spoke to Winchester-area Republicans early Wednesday, promising at the northernmost stop in his rollout tour to make economic issues his top priority.

Bringing more jobs to the state and reviving the economy “will have the top claim on my time during my term as governor,” McDonnell said. Economic success begins with keeping the commonwealth’s business-friendly tax and environmental regulations intact, he said.

One core area for growth: the energy industry. 

Jobs from off-shore oil and natural gas production are also in 
McDonnell’s vision of Virginia’s future.

“This ought to be the state of choice for the energy industry,” he said. Coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power all stand to create jobs in the Old Dominion.

That’s one reason the state should cut “down on bureaucracy and the time it takes for permitting a clean coal-fired plant and new nuclear power plants.”

The November elections were widely seen as a rebuke to Republicans, and Mr. Obama has claimed the economic crisis as a mandate for action, leaving Messrs. Boehner and McConnell groping for the right blend of cooperation and defiance.

Republicans can’t simply be “the party of ‘no,’ ” Mr. Boehner, of Ohio, said in an interview this month, but must offer solutions to voters’ problems. “We have to give the American people reasons to take a look at us,” he said. Tuesday, Mr. Boehner issued a statement congratulating Mr. Obama on his inauguration, vowing to find “common ground with the President on solutions to rebuild our economy, strengthen American families, and keep our country safe.”

Similarly positioned opposition parties have taken various paths. In 1993, Republicans fought Bill Clinton on almost everything. Eight years later, many Democrats cooperated with George W. Bush on certain items, such as tax cuts and education overhaul.

With likely minorities of 41-59 in the Senate and 178-257 in the House, Republicans — who just four years ago seemed on the cusp of long-term dominance — have less leverage than any minority in recent memory.

“I think it’s important not to be in a hurry,” Mr. McConnell, of Kentucky, said in an interview in his office in the U.S. Capitol last week. “The new president has high approval ratings. Polls indicate that both Republicans and Democrats want him to be successful. We want to be a respectful, loyal opposition.”

The opening of the article best summed up the dueling faces of the party as it stands:

House Minority Leader John Boehner recently attacked the potential “wasteful spending” and “mountains of debt” in President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. A few days later, he warmly invited Mr. Obama to address House Republicans, saying, “We do not want partisan differences to stall achievement.”

Yesterday the party won a major victory (at least internally) by unanimously opposing the House Stimulus package. They also managed to offer an alternative proposal which, while imperfect and somewhat slapped together, was still an alternative. Can they keep this up?

We’re in the wilderness. Now all we need is a leader. Will it be from Congress?

“As Republicans, we believe in advancing innovative solutions, strong management and fiscal responsibility,” Speaker Howell. “Like we have on so many pressing issues people care about, House Republicans are offering a compelling vision for a better future and a convincing way to help lead our Commonwealth out of the current financial and budget turmoil. “These initiatives will result in more jobs, stronger economic development potential and a faster return to prosperity for Virginia‟s families, businesses and taxpayers. I am proud that our strong majority caucus has built a sensible and broad-based economic package for Virginia. We will hard to ensure its passage because I am confident it will deliver a very positive and lasting impact.” 

Here is the complete package, with bill numbers:

Accelerating Higher Education Capital Building Projects HB 1600 (Putney) 

o Expedites five significant higher education capital projects worth $230 million in construction value (by leveraging $12.2 million) to stimulate an estimated 3,400 new jobs and advance higher learning opportunities. The five projects, which would start 12 months earlier by speeding them up from pre- to full planning, are: 

 Construction of the new Luter School of Business at Christopher Newport University which house the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance and the Department of Management and Marketing ($41 million) 

 Construction of Phase III of the Integrated Science Center at the College of William and Mary which will house Applied Science and Computational Science space and allow the college to secure additional sponsored research grants ($85 million) 

 Renovation of Ruffner Hall at the University of Virginia which houses the Curry School of Education as well as the National Research Center on the Gifted and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Educational Design ($19.4 million) 

 Construction of the new Engineering Signature Building at Virginia Tech which will provide classrooms, class laboratories, and research laboratories for the College of Engineering ($41.7 million) 

 Renovation and expansion of Duke Hall at James Madison University which provides classrooms, studios and faculty offices for the School of Art and Art History and the main stage theatre of the School of Theatre and Dance ($43.5 million) 

 Stimulating Virginia Business Job Creation HB 2575 (Putney) 

o Extends by 10 years (to 2020) the successful major business facility job tax credit created under Gov. Allen. 

o Expediting drawdown of those credits over the next two years (instead of three) will stimulate job creation. 

 Encouraging Economic Development HB 2550 (Cox) 

o Provides innovative financing for large, job-creating economic development projects in Virginia. 

o Applies to projects that create over 400 new jobs and invest over $250 million in Virginia communities. 

 Reinvesting in Virginia Financial Institutions HB 2583 (Merricks) 

o Retains a portion (10%) of state revenue holdings in financial institutions located in the Commonwealth. 

o Increases the capital holdings of those institutions by almost $400 million so they can reinvest in local jobs. 

 Enhancing Economic Growth and Productivity HB 2437 (Byron) 

o Allows manufacturers’ corporate income tax to be based on sales and would be phased in by 2013. 

o Helps Virginia remain competitive to retain and/or create some 9,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs. 

 Supporting Workforce Training HB 2056 (Hamilton) 

o Provides economic grant incentives for workforce training programs and facilities. 

o Supports an advanced workforce training program in Hampton Roads that creates 1,000 new jobs.

The complete press release can be found here. 

“My biggest concern is the enormous size of it and the fact it is a big government stimulus and not a stimulus of our economy,” Goodlatte said. 

After looking at  my post below, I think its hard not to feel the same way.

Through Feb. 18, residents can vote for one of 28 slogans to describe their town. The options on the ballot were all submitted by residents as part of a contest created by Mayor Larry Smith.

“We want something to characterize the town, something that will capture the essence of New Market,” he said.

Smith said after visiting towns in Northern Virginia that had slogans, he wanted to apply the same concept to New Market. The response from the community was as positive as he could have wanted, he said.

…..

Smith said he has no preference on which motto wins. The winner — the names of those who submitted each idea are not on the ballot — will get his or her water bill paid for a month, not to exceed $75, and the slogan might be placed at the bottom of the gateway signs at the edges of town.

While the contest certainly seems like fun and there are some great submissions, is this the sort of effort that the town government should really be focusing on during an ever deepening recession? Even if it is just the time of the town clerks to count ballots, the $75 for a water bill, and new signs, this sets a bad precedent and underscores the belief that, somehow, pretty words and sights will bring business to a town. 

Here’s my suggestion for a slogan: “New Market-Where government waste lives on”