By Susan Laume: Va. Lt Gov. Justin Fairfax was on hand to address protesters at the Beyond the Wall March for Justice in the Gum Springs community in Mount Vernon on June 9. The United Methodist Church event was planned in coordination with civic leaders and drew approximately 500 citizens to the peaceful demonstration. Fairfax told the racially diverse crowd…
By Marcus R. Motta: The Fairfax County NAACP drew an estimated 1,000 vehicles to a rally recently designed to demonstrate that large protests can be safely mounted during the pandemic. The event, Justice for Black Lives Car Rally, was staged in the Fairfax County Government Center parking lot on Wed., June 3. Attendees, who had reserved parking spaces earlier through…
By Abby Block: Many of the nearly 73,000 Fairfax County residents who applied for unemployment insurance between mid-March and mid-May have most likely lost their employer-supplied insurance or were already uninsured and are facing hardship paying premiums. What are the options available for them, and all uninsured residents? First, regarding coronavirus, testing and treatment is available free or based on…
By Bill Brazier: Virginia Democrats should be proud of the legislation passed to lessen gun violence and control deadly weapons, thanks to new Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate. But the proposed bans on assault weapons and large magazines remain on the agenda for the next session, starting in Jan. 2021, and all reasonable people should fight for…
By Marcus R. Motta: Do you think Donald Trump needs to see a psychiatrist? Do you still need more motivation to get involved to get Trump out of office in November? If your answer is yes to either question you need to read the “Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President” By Bandy…
By Susan Laume: (Editor’s Note: This is the second of an occasional series on Virginia’s 2020 animal legislation.) Animal welfare is an issue where “two Virginias” are often evidenced in citizen viewpoints: rural and urban. Perhaps nowhere has the difference in views of what constitutes humane treatment been seen as acutely as in the multi-year legislative debate over adequate shelter…
By Steve Verdier: As I first-time phone banker, I am finding much the same satisfaction as canvassing – and often with a higher response rate, as so many voters are at home these days. I used to say about canvassing, “There’s a new friend behind every door.” Phone banking is similar, but without the chance of rain or overly excited…
By Bob Leggett: The pandemic has worsened the affordable housing shortage in Fairfax County, and highlighted the overall needs of the many in our prosperous region who already were on the margins. More than 70,000 people were living in poverty in the county last year out of a population of around 1.15 million people – a poverty rate of 6.1%,…
Ed. Note: Podcasts are enjoying a surge in popularity during the enforced downtime of the pandemic. Write us with your favorites to share the enjoyment! By Abby Fox: I’ve found one of the best ways of beating the COVID-19 blues is to listen to a great podcast. Suddenly you’re less alone in the world when you hear the familiar voices…
By Julie Galdo: Hispanics are six times more likely to get sick from coronavirus in Fairfax County than non-Hispanic whites, according to data from the Fairfax County Health Department. It has been widely reported that COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities in many parts of our country and the world. But the stark truth is we have…
By Rep. Gerry Connolly: First and foremost, I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I wanted to give you a quick update on what I’ve been working on during the coronavirus pandemic and of course make sure you know that if there’s anything you need during these difficult times our office is here to…
By Marcus R. Motta: Virginia Democrats put their stamp on Virginia law in a whirlwind session of the General Assembly last winter, but they could not come to agreement on a Paid Sick Time (PST) bill even though the COVID-19 virus had already established a beachhead in the state. The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), a Richmond based…
By state Sen. Chap Petersen: I want to thank Jay Swanson for writing about the issue of local elections during this time of COVID-19 and for the courtesy of a “heads-up” so that I could draft a response. (The Blue View, April 24: “Chap Petersen was wrong — we shouldn’t hold elections in a pandemic”) I learned two weeks ago…
By Alan Lindsay: As we get closer to the May 19th Town of Vienna election, I’ve noticed a sharp uptick in mentions of candidates’ party affiliation in online discussions. Although these are nonpartisan elections, we know the value of knowing someone’s preferred party. We vote for candidates based on a lot of factors. And in the event that we don’t…