January 2015 - Checks and Balances Project

Virginia Minority Leader Saslaw Again Declares His Opposition to Ethics Reform

2015-01-22

Virginia Democratic Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-35) is a man of strong opinions when it comes to government ethics standards – basically, that we shouldn’t have any. That was clear (again) when I spoke on Jan. 10 at the Fairfax County Delegation’s Annual Public Meeting. Senator Saslaw presided. It was an opportunity for citizens… Read more »

Will the American Energy Scorecard Ask Lawmakers to Reject All Subsidies?

2015-01-21

The American Energy Alliance announced on Jan. 8 “the nation’s first and only free-market congressional energy accountability scorecard.” But how much of their new scorecard will be devoted to getting mature, highly profitable fossil fuel industries off corporate welfare? In AEA’s announcement, it declares the new Scorecard will “educate lawmakers” and “empower the American people,”… Read more »

Op-Ed: Leniency for McDonnell would send wrong signal

2015-01-15

This op-ed was originally posted by the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sunday, January 4, 2015. by Scott Peterson Is this the time for leniency? Former Gov. Bob McDonnell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Spencer on Jan. 6. But with Virginia ranked 47th out of 50 states on the… Read more »