Monday, April 12, 2010

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Just when I thought that Governor Robert McDonnell and Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli (the Laurel and Hardy of Virginia politics) had floundered enough in the area of discrimination due to sexual orientation, they have gone and done it again (and again and again).

Most recently, a draft proposal by McDonnell and his administration would require a non-violent felon to submit a letter before the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth will consider restoring the individual's voting rights. The letter will not only contain information on the offender's personal story and criminal case (which is already a part of the current process) but also details on the individual's contributions to society since his/her release, including subsequent employment, education and participation in church and community activities. If the applicant is unable or would prefer not to write the letter, the individual can actually contact the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and relate his/her story. But despite this last option, Secretary Janet Polarek feels that this new proposal would actually "streamline the process". Or just maybe Polarek's wishful thinking will have something to do with the fact that, by including this extra step, certain non-violent and non-habitual felons will be discouraged from applying.

Only Kentucky and Virginia require the state's governor to restore voting rights to felons. The overwhelming majority of states automatically restore voting rights to an offender once a prison sentence has been completed, while the District of Columbia provides felons with the ability to vote upon their release from prison. And while I certainly do not feel that convicted felons should be immediately integrated into all aspects of American society, this new proposal from McDonnell is certainly reminiscent of the literacy tests administered during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. David Mills, the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia, stated that McDonnell "chose to institute an unprecedented roadblock in a commonwealth with a painful history of blocking voting rights. Given his experience last week, it’s shocking that the Governor would unnecessarily stumble on Virginia’s history yet again."

By last week's "experience", Mills was referring to McDonnell's recent proclamation that the month of April will now be recognized as Confederate History Month in the State of Virginia. The issue with the original proclamation is that McDonnell made absolutely no mention of the practice of slavery. In an apology a day later, McDonnell declared: "We cannot avoid our past; instead we must demand that it be discussed with civility and responsibility." However, McDonnell decided against discussing the topic of slavery in a civil and responsible manner by avoiding the topic in his proclamation. Aside from his apology, McDonnell issued a new proclamation which contained language specifically addressing slavery.

Not to be outdone, Attorney General Cuccinelli announced that his office will be filing a notice of appeal concerning new regulations on fuel efficiency from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA authorized new rules for new cars and trucks built between 2012-2016. Cuccinelli, in true alarmist fashion once again, uttered that the regulations were based on climate change research which was "unreliable, unverifiable and doctored".

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