By Michael J.W. StickingsTPM:Gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia are no longer specifically protected against discrimination, thanks to a little-noticed change made by new Gov. Bob McDonnell.McDonnell (R) on Feb. 5 signed an executive order that …
Politics
Governor McDonnell (R-VA) eliminates non-discrimination for LGBT state workers
It’s one thing for a homophobic conservative to refuse to implement non-discrimination statutes for the LGBT community. But it’s quite another to remove existing non-discrimination statutes, which is exactly what recently-elected Republican Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia has done. From Talking Points Memo:
Gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia are no longer specifically protected against discrimination, thanks to a little-noticed change made by new Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell (R) on Feb. 5 signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination “on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities,” as well as veterans.
It rescinds the order that Gov. Tim Kaine signed Jan. 14, 2006 as one of his first actions. After promising a “fair and inclusive” administration in his inaugural address, Kaine (D) added veterans to the non-discrimination policy – and sexual orientation.
Some people may have been taken in by McDonnell’s assertions that his viciously misogynist and homophobic screed (or “thesis” as he called it) was a youthful indiscretion at the tender age of 34, and that he has mitigated his views since then. But consciously stripping protections for LGBT people who just want to serve their Commonwealth exposes that lie.
Politics
WSJ uncovers more examples of GOP lawmakers privately admitting stimulus created jobs
The Wall Street Journal has followed up on The Washington Times report about Republican lawmakers who publicly opposed the stimulus but privately sought stimulus funds to create jobs in their states and districts. Some nuggets:
Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who called the stimulus a “wasteful spending spree” that “misses the mark on all counts,” wrote to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in October in support of a grant application from a group in his district which, he said, “intends to place 1,000 workers in green jobs.”
Republican Reps. Sue Myrick of North Carolina and Jean Schmidt of Ohio sent letters in October asking for consideration of funding requests from local organizations training workers for energy-efficiency projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency received two letters from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas asking for consideration of grants for clean diesel projects in San Antonio and Houston. Mr. Cornyn is the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. One of the letters was signed jointly with Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, also of Texas.
The agency also appeared to have received eight identical letters from Republican Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah recommending infrastructure projects in his state, seven of which were sent before stimulus legislation was passed by Congress.
The entire congressional delegation of Alabama, including its two Republican senators, wrote to then-Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell asking for $15 million for cogongrass eradication and control programs in the state. The state ended up getting a $6.3 million grant.
It’s not just the WSJ and Washington Times that are paying attention. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Gov. Tim Pawlenty used stimulus funds to balance his state’s budget. TPM notes new Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has privately thanked the administration for offering stimulus funds to his state.
Based on these and other reports, the Obama Administration is mounting an aggressive defense of the stimulus program, pointing to the ’slam it in public, beg for it in private’ hypocrisy of its Republican critics. They’ve got a pretty good argument: if Republicans truly believe the stimulus is such a bad thing, shouldn’t their private behavior match their public rhetoric?
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