Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Just a reminder that I will be hosting
informal office hours at Main Street
Bagel this Saturday, October 10th from 9:00
a.m. to 11:00 a.m.� As usual, the
format is casual and no appointment is
needed.� After coffee, head on down to the
Fall Festival in Old Town Fairfax for great
food, booths, and attractions!�
For my younger constituents, I'd like to
encourage you to help bring fame, glory, and
honor to the 37th District by entering the
first annual student art
contest hosted by the Clerk of the
House of Delegates!� The contest is open to
all public, private, and home school students
ages 4-12.� The goal is to provide an
opportunity for students to be creative,
explore new ideas, and express a vision on
any aspect of Virginia's rich heritage or
even brighter future.� The winner will spend
a day at the Capitol during session and will
be presented with a $200 United State
Savings Bond on the House Floor.� And, if one
of my constituents wins, you can bet that
the work of art will find a prominent spot in
my Richmond office for the entire session.�
For more information, please visit Virginia
House of Delegates Art Contest site.
Is Virginia Ready for Campaign
Finance Reform?� Many people are
surprised to learn that in Virginia there is
no limit on how much a person, business, or
PAC can contribute to a political campaign.�
What we have, though, are very good campaign
finance disclosure laws.� The idea is that
knowledge is power and that voters can reach
their own conclusions about a candidate's
funding sources.� With the advent of the
Internet, the system is even more open than
ever.� Check out the Virginia Public Access
Project (www.vpap.org),
which allows you to see who has given how
much to any candidate running for state
office.
While the disclosure part of the system
works, I have become increasingly concerned
about the absurd cost of running for election
these days, and even more concerned about
the influence of contributions from outside
of Virginia.� Back in the old days, the Byrd
Machine set up Virginia elections to be on
odd years so that Senator Byrd didn't have to
worry about federal politics interfering
with his control of state politics.� That has
now been completely turned around.� The fact
that Virginia and New Jersey are the only
games in town right after a presidential
election means that we have now become a
litmus test for the national political mood.�
As a result, millions of dollars are poured
into our state elections from out-of-state
sources.� So much so, that I fear the voices
of average Virginians are being drowned
out.� Perhaps the time has come for campaign
finance reform in Virginia.� I am interested
in knowing your thoughts!
Hope to see you at Main Street
Bagel this Saturday between 9:00 and 11:00
a.m.!
Sincerely,
David Bulova
© 2009 David
Bulova
Paid for and authorized by Friends of David
Bulova
Websolutions
by Questox