Category: VA House

State House matters

Challenger will get the work done in the 56th

There is work to be done on behalf of the people of the 56th district. We count on the legislators that we send to Richmond to do that work for us.

Louisa County’s current delegate, John McGuire, has made it abundantly clear that the people of the 56th district are not of interest to him. As evidenced by a recently released voicemail, he sees himself in Washington, not Richmond. In a message left for a big money Texas donor, Del. McGuire describes him[1]self as a “potential nominee for a top-five congressional seat — VA-07.”

It’s the same thing he did in 2020 when he tried to win the nomination for congressman, but failed. You can’t be in two places at once. You can’t do a good job when your heart and head are somewhere else. We have an alternative. We can elect Blakely Lockhart this November. She is rooted solidly in our district, and dedicated to serving its people. Let McGuire pursue his dreams elsewhere. We have work to do here.

McGuire pursue his dreams elsewhere. We have work to do here.

Tamara Haymore
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Echoes concerns about climate change

To the editor:
I want to emphasize the point Sara Elder made in her recent letter to the editor (July 29). We are indeed lucky to have young people working on climate change issues. We need young creative minds who care about what is happening in our world right now. The deadly heat waves in the Midwest, the wildfires killing people, and the flooding that is taking lives in Europe are all directly attributable to climate change.

Unfortunately, we have a representative in the General Assembly in Richmond who consistently votes against measures, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, that are designed to help cut carbon emissions. Does John
McGuire not understand that this is happening; that this is a matter of life and death? Does he believe that his extremist ideology will save him?

Further, Mr. McGuire also voted against the House budget bill that included money for broadband and bonuses for state troopers. I’m planning to vote for Blakely Lockhart to replace him because she will vote in the actual interests of the people of the 56th district.

Peter Sugarman
Louisa
This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Lockhart protects the right to vote

For someone who is always talking about how he will protect the right to vote, Delegate John McGuire certainly has a strange way of going about it.

Having voted NO on:

  • No-excuse absentee voting. (HB 1)                                                                               
  • Same-day voter registration. (HB 201)

In 2020, and following up in 2021 with these NO’s:

  • The Virginia Voting Rights Act. (SB 1395)                                                                     
  • Ballot drop boxes and pre-paid postage for vote-by-mail. (HB 1888)
  • Automatic restoration of rights for people who have served their time (SJ 272) 

He publicly admits to participating in the January 6th Rally in DC, joining white supremacists and proud boys.   

McGuire is an insurrectionist

This week he is scheduled to repeat those lies about the elections integrity at an Election Integrity Rally . 

The right to vote-Hiding their deeds

Most people don’t know that a three-bus caravan chartered by the Culpeper Republicans took like-minded Louisa County residents to join him. Or, that they are doing their best to hide this inconvenient fact.

Patriots erasing their participation

There have always been those who dislike their Party’s embrace of racial hostility and culture wars but have swallowed their distaste as long as their taxes were low. And now that the G.O.P. has become the party of election lies and violent insurrection — are they still willing to make that trade-off? 

Their ceaseless lies about the legitimacy of elections make it clear that they don’t support protecting the right to vote. And while everyone was paying attention to these distractions, one third of the country has passed laws to restrict voting.

Winning with a minority

Their goal is to normalize the theft of a constitutional right. Treating it like a privilege, which can be restricted if voters fail to meet their expectations. Ensuring they can win elections even when in the minority.

So what should you do when one Party does not want every legal vote to be counted?

Start at the local level by rejecting the two astroturfed challengers for Board of Supervisors. And clear out the deadwood in the General Assembly, electing Blakely Lockhart as your next delegate

Jon Taylor

This letter is an enhanced version of a letter published in the August 5th edition of the Central Virginian and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

 

Wrong vote on animal abuse bill

To the editor:

If you care about animals as much as I do, you may be glad to know that we have a new law in Virginia that will help protect our beloved companions from being abused in breeding situations and pet shops. The bipartisan bill, SB1412, was introduced by Republican Sen. Bill Stanley and passed the Senate 29-10 and the House of Delegates 67-28.

It is now a misdemeanor for anyone working with companion animals as a pet shop owner, dealer, breeder, or employee of these people to have a criminal record of animal cruelty, neglect or abandonment.

One would think that this law wouldn’t be controversial. After all, who would be in favor of animal abusers working with animals? Apparently, Del. John McGuire is. Our representative for the 56th istrict voted against this bill.

This makes me suspect that he is in the pocket of puppy mill breeders and the unethical dealers who sell these mistreated creatures. Hard to say, but whatever his reason, it can’t be a good one. It is a well-known fact that pet shops that sell puppies get their animals from puppy mills, which have a long record of horrific abuse. If you wonder why so many pet stores do not sell dogs or cats, or only provide space for animal rescue groups to support pet adoption, ask anyone working in animal rescue, animal control officers, or veterinarians. The one thing that would make this egislation stronger would be an outright ban on selling puppy mill dogs in Virginia. The fact that it does not is evidence of the strength of the puppy mill lobby.

There is nothing good about animal cruelty, and there is nothing good about McGuire’s refusal to support legislation aimed at stopping it. So far, on any piece of decent legislation – even bills patroned by members of his own party – John McGuire is batting zero.

Sincerely,
Claire Kaplan
Troy

Administrator’s Note: This letter was originally published in the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Money shouldn’t be all that talks in politics

Should the people with the most money get to make the laws in Virginia?

There’s a cycle. In order to write laws, legislators need to be elected. They need money to get elected. It’s often the one with the most money that gets elected because they are able to get their name before more people. The corporations and industry lobbyists who give them money ask for laws that favor their business dealings in return.

The legislators say they don’t let these large campaign con-tributions influence their lawmaking, but how can you believe that? If they were not impacting legislation, why would they give candidates money?

Who is giving candidates money in Virginia? The candidates for the 56th district of the General Assembly show a marked contrast. From his own campaign finance reporting we see that John McGuire has taken in a considerable amount in donations from Dominion Energy and industry lobbying groups, such as the auto dealers association and beer wholesalers.

His opponent, Blakely Lockhart, on the other hand, is relying on small donations from ordinary people, and has pledged to refuse donations from Dominion.

Whose interests will be represented when bills are proposed and voted on? I want our lawmakers to work together to solve our problems without being under pressure to satisfy the demands of large donors.

Mary Kranz
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Bad Votes on Education Bills

Education is something Virginians really care about. Virginia Commonwealth University took a poll recently and found that 70 percent of Virginians think Virginia schools need more funding.

Louisa’s delegate in Richmond, however, consistently votes against issues the Virginia Education Association calls “crucial education bills.” In 2021, John McGuire voted against five of the six such bills in the House. Accordingly, the VEA gives our delegate a 17 percent score in supporting education.

The six bills included the following:
House Bill 1736 – School Nurse bill, McGuire voted against.
House Bill 1904 – Cultural Competency, McGuire voted against.
House Bill 2027 – Growth Assessment, McGuire voted for.
House Bill 2176 – Abusive Work Environment, McGuire voted against.
House Bill 2305 – Governor’s Schools, McGuire voted against.
House Bill 1257 – Standards of Quality, McGuire voted against.

On education, John McGuire earned a failing grade.

Jim Wolf
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the July 8, 2021 edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.