Vote Hurt or Goodlatte, Bosiger and Yes – Yes - Yes

Published in the Lynchburg Ledger  October 29, 2010

By Bill Wheaton

Press Media Group, LLC.

My health care premium will increase next year from between 21 and 45 percent, depending on what plan I chose.  This is due to one thing and one thing only, ObamaCare. 

And that is just the beginning.  Everyone who received employer-paid health care will see those premiums taxed adding perhaps thousands to their federal tax liability.

And who can we thank for all this?  Why, it is Congressman Tom Perriello.

I attended one of Perriello’s town hall meetings where a fully 95 percent of these there were passionately opposed to the Democrat health care bill.  Perriello voted for it anyway.

In fact, he voted with Nancy Pelosi 90 percent of the time, but in the campaign, he is running away from Obama and Pelosi and trying to sound like a conservative by demonizing Robert Hurt, a real conservative.  His lies and half-truths fill the airways and unfortunately the Hurt campaign is not doing enough to respond.

One half-truth Perriello is telling is about Robert Hurt voting against an extension of unemployment benefits.  As a conservative, Hurt did oppose accepting a particular extension because it had strings attached.

Like so many federal programs, they provide federal seed money up front, which if taken, obligates the state for high additional expenditures later on.  That is what the Perriello ad fails to disclose.

Perriello went negative on Hurt early on because he couldn’t run on his own record.  Robert Hurt has stayed on message in his campaign and during the debate last week finally began to take it to Perriello.  He needs to keep on the attack from now to Election Day.

In the 6th Congressional District, Bob Goodlatte has been a consistent voice and vote for conservative principles and deserves to be re-elected.

Attracting almost as much attention in Campbell County as the congressional race is the race for Clerk of the Court.  Four candidates are on the ballot but the race quickly shook out to be a two-way race.  Penny Wallace and Tonda Davis are not much of a factor and the battle is between “still wet behind the ears” Rick Boyer and the interim clerk with 25 years experience, Sheila Bosiger.

Boyer is claiming that his recent law degree from Liberty University makes him the most qualified for the job.  A law degree is not a requirement for the job as demonstrated by the fact that out of the 120 separate Circuit Court Clerks in Virginia, only two have law degrees.

There is not a single course taught by any law school that would prepare someone for the office of clerk.  Business and management experience is what is needed.  Most clerks rise through the ranks as it takes years to learn how to properly perform all the functions of the office.

At one time in Virginia, the Clerk’s office was the political center of the county in what was known as the “Byrd Organization,” which had its greatest influence in rural Virginia.

 

Harry Flood Byrd was a dominant figure in Virginia Democratic Party politics for much of the first half of the 20th century. He was Virginia’s 50th Governor and continued to control Virginia political activities.  He also served as U.S.Senator.

It would appear Rick Boyer is attempting to resurrect the Byrd Organization in Campbell County, except this time it is for the Republicans.  With Boyer’s known political ambitions, he would in all likelihood use the office as a political springboard rather than serving the citizens of the county.

Boyer is proposing make the same changes in the office that Sheila Bosiger began years ago.  They have already digitized 1.22 million documents, every document entering the office is immediately digitized and many are already available on a secure server. 

What Boyer doesn’t seem to realize that many court documents contain personal information of citizens and to guard against identity theft must be protected.  .

Boyer’s failure to determine how much work had already been done and his apparent unconcern for the citizen’s personal information demonstrated just how unqualified and inexperienced he is.

Sheila Bosiger is the only qualified and experienced candidate in the race.  Her entire working life has been spent working in the Clerk’s office, 15 of which has been in Campbell County.  She was the Chief Assistant Deputy for 10 years until appointed Interim Clerk in July.

Sheila Bosiger is supported by 19 current and former elected officials residing in Campbell County.  Not one single elected official from Campbell County is supporting Boyer.  None of the supervisors Boyer served with on the Board of Supervisors are supporting him and that is significant.

 

There is also a Clerk of the Court race in the City of Lynchburg and in Appomattox County.

Finally, there are three Constitutional Amendments on the ballot.  The first will allow local governments to set their own financial worth limitations to set tax relief for those over 65.

The Second would allow the state to provide property tax exemptions for 100 percent disabled (service connected) veterans.

The last would allow the state to increase the size of its Revenue Stabilization Fund (rainy day fund) from 10 to 15 percent of the annual tax revenue.

All three look like worthwhile changes to me.

Bill Wheaton lives in Concord, Virginia.  His email address is bwheaton@moreinformation.net.

Vote Hurt or Goodlatte, Bosiger and Yes – Yes - Yes