Enter Governor Kirk Cox?

Enter Governor Kirk Cox?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 6, 2019

OK, it may be a bit premature, but judging by Democrat “principles,” and “standards,” Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring - all Democrats - should be exiting stage left - far left, any day now, for their various alleged peccadillos and indiscretions.

Apparently Virginia is for Losers, to change the phrase from “Virginia is for Lovers,” used since 1969. Let’s review. Both Northam, 59, and Herring, 57, have been found red-faced for their public displays in black face in 1984 and 1980 respectively, while Fairfax is accused of the more egregious charge of sexual assault in 2004. 

Ironically, Northam’s picture, found in his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, prompted Herring to call for the governor’s resignation. Days later, Herring admitted he too took a turn in black face as a 19 year old attending the University of Virginia. He has since called it “the greatest shame I ever felt.” Democrats nationwide have been apoplectically falling all over themselves calling for Northam’s ouster, but that was prior to learning about Fairfax’s troubles.

Quite frankly, this is sleight of hand perpetrated by the Democrats as they are trying to deflect from Northam’s damning comments in support of infanticide just a day prior to his yearbook picture being made public. https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2019/01/infanticide-new-morality.html  Why the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Ed Gillespie couldn’t unearth this photo in 2017 is inexplicable; it’s not like it was hiding under aunt Martha’s mattress. 

Initially, the chorus of demands for Northam’s resignation was palpable. It seems to have quieted somewhat in light of Herring’s duplicate offense, but more so because of the accusations against Fairfax. Yet, the Democrats must continue the full court press against both Northam and Herring, otherwise they lose the supposed moral high ground and the right to continue to call President Donald Trump a racist, albeit incorrectly so.

Fairfax, turning 40 on February 17, may actually be in legal hot water, not just facing moral indignation. He has been accused of sexual assault by Dr. Vanessa Tyson during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, held in Boston.

“What began as consensual kissing, turned into a sexual assault,” said Tyson, an associate professor of politics currently on leave from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. “Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants. As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him,” Tyson continued.

“At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months that followed it when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years,” said Fairfax.

“Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation. Given his false assertions, I’m compelled to make clear what happened,” added Tyson. The statements made by Tyson and Fairfax appeared on Fox News.

Now the Democrats find themselves in a quandary. Either they throw one of their own under the bus, by adhering to their so called principles, or they are hypocrites. These so called principles are to believe the female accuser regardless of bona fide proof, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court hearings of current Justice Brett Kavanaugh. With little specific memory of events, Democrat senators firmly stood behind Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford.

“Not only do women like Dr. Ford, who bravely comes forward, need to be heard, but they need to be believed. They must be believed,” said Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in defense of Ford then, while saying nothing to support Tyson now.

“I believe her because she’s telling the truth,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), using circular logic in support of Ford, yet the 2020 presidential aspirant had no words of support for Tyson.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he believed Ford, calling her “the survivor,” adding, “she has provided the country with an amazing teaching moment.” Blumenthal himself is on shaky ground where the truth is concerned, having lied about his alleged military service in country during the war in Vietnam. He has had nothing to say in support of Tyson.

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) called Ford “heroic” for coming forward. It was during the Kavanaugh hearings that Booker had his awkward “I am Spartacus” moment. Booker should be called hypocritical because he admitted to inappropriate sexual groping as a teenager, and has been silent on Tyson. The Democrats seemed to have ignored that aspect of Booker’s past, while welcoming him to the ranks of 2020 presidential hopefuls.

None of the Ford stalwarts, including senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), or Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have come to the defense of Tyson, whose memory of the events of 15 years ago seem clear, as compared to the blurred memories of Ford, attempting to recount events from 36 years ago. It seems Kavanaugh is guilty by association with President Trump, but Fairfax is being given quite a bit of the benefit of the doubt.

Where are the feminists now? Hearing crickets.

Will the Democrats, who pressed so hard in their attempts at keeping Kavanaugh from being seated on the Supreme Court, work equally hard supporting another supposedly victimized female - Dr. Tyson, or give Fairfax a pass in the name of party kinship and hypocrisy?

Should Northam, Fairfax, and Herring all have to fall on their swords, that would leave the door to the Governor’s mansion in Richmond open to the Speaker of the House of Delegates in the line of gubernatorial succession. Enter Governor Kirk Cox (R). Or will the Democrats’ hypocrisy and political zeal cause them to reevaluate their calls for resignations because Cox is a Republican?

Marvin Kirkland Cox, 61, represents the 66th District which includes Richmond suburb Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County. Serving his constituents since 1990, Cox said he has no plans to attempt to seek Northam’s ouster. That statement came before the news that could sink the entire Democrat triumvirate. The stickiness of Virginia’s situation is sad, but what is truly sad, is that it is self-inflicted and could have been avoided.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He lived in Northern Virginia for nearly a dozen years.

The Unfair and Unbalanced Media

The Unfair and Unbalanced Media

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

April 8, 2011

While Congressman Jim Moran’s assault on the military and its veterans went viral Friday, April 8, one day following a town hall meeting held in Alexandria at Hammond Middle School, nary a word appeared in The Washington Post.

Moran treated Wayne Tunick, a disabled 27-year veteran rudely following an important question regarding military pay in the event of a government shutdown. In his typical low-rent manner Moran attacked Tunick accusing him of using caustic language.

The video proves Moran’s accusation to be just another lie by a politician who was clearly hell-bent on belittling and demeaning a United States military veteran, a veteran who put his life on the line defending the right of Moran to behave like a petulant child.

None of the exchange between Moran and Tunick appeared in the Post article on April 8 – surely the liberal media covering up the “Morantics” of an elected official who for years has embarrassed both himself and the district he supposedly represents.

The spectacle of our member of Congress shouting at a veteran with such contempt and disrespect dripping from his voice, calling the question insignificant and simple rhetoric designed for Tunick to hear himself speak. During his tirade directed at Tunick, Moran shouted at him to either sit down or leave.

And while it is embarrassing to see this video on Fox News, Facebook, and other sites, it is necessary for the citizens of Virginia’s Eighth Congressional District to see how their elected official behaves.

On the flip side of the Moran coverage, the liberal media continues its witch hunt of former Governor and Senator George Allen by parsing every syllable out of his mouth in an attempt to create another “macaca” moment and thwart his effort to return to the US Senate.

Allen, who paid with his job in 2006 for a verbal gaffe, is now being accused, by some, of racism simply for asking a black news reporter what position he may have played in sports in his younger days. There was no reporting that white scribes were asked the same question.

As most people know, Allen has an impressive sports pedigree. His father, the late George Allen, coached nine teams in college and the NFL, during a career spanning 40-plus years, most notably with the Washington Redskins.

George Allen, the current Senate candidate also penned the tome What Washington Can Learn from the World of Sports, published in 2010. It should come as no surprise that Allen would ask the aforementioned reporter what position he might have played. According to Allen he asks that question of most people he encounters, usually as a form of an ice-breaker. To suggest there is even a hint of racial undertones to the Allen query is absurd. I’ve had several conversations with Allen with subjects ranging from sports to religion to education.

This unbalanced treatment by the liberal media of Democrats and Republicans is not an aberration. Instead it is typical of the double standard by which candidates and elected officials alike are treated. Even after Moran blamed the war in Iraq on the Jews at a town hall meeting, the Post still endorsed him for reelection. Despite numerous ethics complaints, Moran once again received media endorsements.

Yet an innocuous question about what position a reporter may have played in sports becomes a racial epithet in the eyes of a media so partisan it is attempting to create a scandal where none exists and derail a candidate whose campaign is barely out of the locker room and on the field.

Oops – a sports metaphor. What could that possibly mean?

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA – for now.

Phys Ed for Students' Minds and Bodies

Phys Ed for Students’ Minds and Bodies

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

March 10, 2011

We can either pay now or we can pay more, later.

For once I concur with a spending bill that hit Governor Bob McDonnell’s (R-VA) desk before the legislative session crosses the finish line. This is the just over $18 million price tag to more than double the amount of time Fairfax County elementary school students will spend in physical education – from 60 minutes a week to 150 minutes.

At a mere half hour per school day, I would like to see that amount raised to equal a full period a day. Quite frankly this legislation ought to be Commonwealth-wide and include all grade levels.

The $18+ million is a mere pittance in a society rapidly approaching morbid obesity on a grand scale. Compare this to the amount spent on health care and sick days later in life when losing weight and getting into better shape becomes more challenging and more costly in terms of dollars and shortened lifespans.

Critics site more time needed on art, music, English, reading, math, science and social studies. As one with a number of years teaching social studies, I strenuously concur. This is why a longer school day and even a longer school year are so vital.

Hire more teachers and enter into a public-private partnership with corporate America as I recommended in 2006 when I was a candidate for the school board in Alexandria. Corporations dump millions of dollars into naming rights of various stadia around the country. Why not do likewise with schools for a tax write-off?

This is win-win – the school benefits with a necessary infusion of dollars for textbooks, lab equipment, art and music supplies as well as teacher salaries when more teachers are hired. Hiring more teachers becomes pertinent as a longer school day and longer school year will require additional staff. Doing so will prevent teacher burnout, the number one reason retention numbers drop on an annual basis.

For the same reason children need the left brain-right brain juxtaposition in terms of a balance between academics and the creative, physical education also provides an outlet students need.

Students shuttled from classroom to classroom with nothing but academic classes exhibit restlessness and hyperactivity. This is due to not having a physical outlet. As a teacher, I can attest to the importance of students having that outlet. Without it, disruptions in class rise substantially.

Physical education should be designed to not just help children stay in shape, but instruct them in a sense of fair play, teamwork, team sports and also the importance of competition. Competition has widely been removed from American schools, and that is shameful. Children must learn about winning and losing at an early age so as to prepare themselves for the realities and rigors of life outside the school building and schoolyard.

Signing this bill into law is a win-win for all involved – teachers, parents, taxpayer and most importantly, the students. Unlike the teachers’ unions who admit they are not for the teachers or the students, just their own craven power, this legislation is for the students’ well-being today and tomorrow.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

Voting Rights Restoration a No-Brainer

Voting Rights Restoration a No-Brainer

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

April 20, 2010

In response to the Post editorial last week “Virginia’s disgrace,” and all the sanctimonious hand-wringing, there is a simple solution to the problem regarding the reinstatement of felons’ voting rights.

For all those felons concerned about losing their voting rights: DON’T COMMIT THE CRIMES IN THE FIRST PLACE. No one forced these folks to commit felonies in the first place. This is not rocket surgery and does not facilitate deep contemplation.

For those who know me, this is a shock – not in the opinion, but in that it is the shortest one ever offered by me.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

VA Should 'Charter' Untested Waters

VA Should ‘Charter’ Untested Waters

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

February 28, 2010

The business of education is indeed tricky and education is indeed a tricky business.

Education is like going to the doctor for every little malady and stomach ache without regard to cost, because if you have insurance, you don’t see the actual cost. The same is true with education as the costs are built in to our taxes and we don’t see the actual costs. Perhaps if the average taxpayers saw the breakdown of what education costs, they might pay more attention to how substandard and dumbed-down the educational system in the United States truly is and then attempt to affect a change.

Before anyone accuses me of bloviating, I am not just talking the talk but have also walked the walk – as a public school teacher, as a charter school teacher and as a school board candidate. It was as a school board candidate, in 2006, that I called for shrinking the budget by reducing a top-heavy administration and questioning the need to pay the T.C. Williams High School athletic director $92,000 – a salary double that of more than just a few teachers’. Sadly, the voters opted to go in another direction.

This is a case of good money being thrown after a bad system. The City of Alexandria is a most demonstrative example of the need for a charter school in Northern Virginia. According to www.forbes.com (March 4, 2010) the City of Alexandria ranks as the 23^rd richest municipality in these United States. However, in the Commonwealth of Virginia alone, the Alexandria City Public Schools fall to 193 of 219 public school districts in the commonwealth.

Adding to the embarrassment, T.C. Williams High School ranks 311 out of 319 public high schools in the entire commonwealth and Jefferson-Houston Elementary School ranks 1043 out of 1050 public elementary schools in all Virginia. Numbers like these speak volumes, unfortunately too many in Alexandria cannot read them. This in a city where the median household income is $85,135 and supposedly they take education seriously as 63 percent of residents older than 25 have earned bachelor’s degrees, according to the Forbes statistics.

I hope to affect a change by taking my experience and education to the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and open a charter school. For the uninitiated, “charter schools are independent public schools that use tax dollars but do not have to follow a lot of school district rules. They can have different hours, different textbooks, different teaching methods and whatever else appeals to the teachers and parents who have gotten permission to set them up.” That definition comes from Jay Mathews, a longtime Washington Post education writer (March 4, 2010; B-2) and is as good a definition as one will find.

Charter schools would not be necessary were it not for the impoverished system of public education across the United States. This is an indictment of both the Democrat and the Republican parties; the Democrats for taking members of the education community votes for granted and the Republicans for virtually ignoring the education community. To be fair, the vast majority of the education community – teachers, administrators and certainly the unions march in lock step with the Democrats, giving that party little reason to provide any more than lip service.

I stand with Governor Bob McDonnell (R), for whom I voted last November, because among other reasons, he supports an increase in the number of charter schools in Virginia. Currently there are three charter schools in operation with a fourth due to open this calendar year – none of which are in Northern Virginia. Clearly, it has been demonstrated that there is a need in Northern Virginia.

Part of the problem is akin to the fox guarding the henhouse. According to the Code of Virginia’s section on charter schools, an easily readable 10 pages, a successful charter school application is one that meets with approval from “the local school board.” Thus the fox-henhouse analogy. Why would a local school board cede power to a charter school and lose students from the public schools it already controls?

Because it is all about power and control. A Washington Post article, “Charter schools plan hits resistance,” (Feb. 25) noted that Gov. McDonnell supports an appeal process in which rejected charter school applicants could seek relief from the state board of education to override the local school board. Groups representing teachers, superintendents and local school boards have voiced objection to this proposal. I believe it is these groups coupled with teachers unions that are obstructing real progress due to their own power in perpetuity plans.

In the interest of transparency, a bill sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) passed the house mandating local school boards to explain the reasons for rejecting any charter applications. Such explanations will assist potential charters to improve their chances with future applications. Currently, no explanations are required. This only further handcuffs the charter school applicants and strengthens the lock local school boards have over preventing parents from having options for their children.

Why would anyone want to stand in the way of genuine progress? Call it plantation politics. In the days after the Civil War or the War Between the States depending upon who you ask, freed slaves who had no education and for the most part only knew lives of field work, continued to work for their former masters. Granted these were now free people, but what economic prowess did they have? Little to none. And the wherewithal to achieve it? Hardly. But somehow, as sharecroppers, they could never get ahead and in reality, life changed little for them.

City schools systems support the above salient point as they have the highest dependency on government for free and reduced priced lunch and now even breakfast has become the responsibility of government. City schools have the highest dropout rates and ultimately higher rates of unemployment. This is not to suggest suburban and rural schools are not immune to this educational quagmire. The dumbing-down pandemic has stretched its talons far and wide, dragging all who stand in its wake into the trough of mediocrity that can only be cured by conjuring up new mechanisms of providing quality education to children without kow-towing to parents.

Social promotion is one area where parents do considerable harm to their children. Parents demand their children be passed along to the next grade for any number of reasons, none of which are as important as the child actually mastering the material of that grade in the first place. Like the evils of affirmative action, society, or the culture of the school, is not doing these children any favors.

In Whose Best Interest?

Without competition all we have is an educational sharecropper system; a virtual monopoly that the American people have idly watched not for years, but for generations, as it has pushed the United States further behind more and more nations as they strive for the betterment that seems to have passed the United States by and pushed the US hurdling toward the abyss.

As consumers would we settle for one brand of toilet paper? One flavor of ice cream? One style of jeans? Certainly not. Not only do we as Americans want options, we want the best money can buy. Without competition there continues to be a spate of homogenized education where more often than not administrators are in fear of parents, where parents believe their child can do no wrong, where teachers are expected to do more with and for less, where teachers are hardly treated like educated professionals – it’s no wonder more and more are leaving the profession, where students behave with disdain and disrespect toward anyone and everyone even those wanting to help them.

Are more charter schools the answer? As one wanting to open one, the surprise answer is not necessarily. Better charter schools with more autonomy – that’s an answer, or at least a good start. Charter schools where personal responsibility is a mantra. Where students are held accountable for their behavior, their character, their homework and grades and whose parents will play key roles in ensuring the success of both their own children as well as the school as a whole. The ability to offer competitive options is a good beginning.

“It is a fundamental principle of the free market that when you infuse competition into any equation, you make it better. We are lacking in any substantial competition in education,” said Virginia Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) in the above mentioned Post article.

If schools boards, superintendents and teachers unions truly wanted what is best for their charges – the students – the leaders, doctors, lawyers, scientists and teachers of tomorrow, they would fully endorse and encourage greater competition in the educational system. Not to turn this too political, but Democrats who seem to bellow loudest when it comes to issues regarding choice are also quickest to slam the doors on vouchers and charters. Why? Could it be because of the overwhelming, almost unanimous support received by Democrats from those in power positions in education along with teachers and their unions?

As a candidate for school board I recall facing influential groups in an effort to garner their vital endorsements. In spite of being the only candidate in my district with public school teaching experience, I did not secure a single endorsement from such entities. Although I did not win that particular election, many of those who did cast ballots for me said one of the reasons for doing so was my experience in the classroom.

Why then did organizations who represent teachers not feel likewise? Was it because I am a conservative supporting school choice? Was it because I publicly stated throwing good money after failing schools was not the answer? Was it because I suggested the school system was too top heavy and rife with needless layers of administration? It was all of the above simply because my solutions would diminish the stranglehold such organizations have over the public education system not just locally, but nationwide.

Prior to the Virginia Senate passing a watered down version of McDonnell’s nascent proposal on March 9, there were objections from the above mentioned power mongers. They believed McDonnell’s initial proposal giving the state board of education a voice, would thrust new charters on localities without the financing to support the new schools. Until their fears were ultimately assuaged, the representatives of the teachers, administrators and unions actually raised a valid point. Taking a page from the traditionally conservative playbook, the question of from where the funding would emerge was not disingenuous.

A Penny for Your Thoughts, Millions for Stadiums

The solution is the public-private option. Instead of seeking funding via the federal government, purveyors of new charter schools should look toward private industry, foundations and philanthropies with the understanding that such institutions are not dictating policy or teaching practices. That would, as it should, remain in the hands of the professionals.

After all, corporate sponsorships for stadiums are a fixture in society, why not schools? M & T Bank Stadium is where the Baltimore Ravens play football, but M & T Bank does not run the team, determine who should play for the Ravens or the appearance of the uniforms. Closer to the point, and my heart, is the $110 million Comcast Center, home to the University of Maryland men’s and women’s basketball teams. Whatever amount Comcast poured into this NBA-quality arena could easily open a couple of charter schools. Admittedly, as an alumnus, I too contributed to make the Comcast Center a reality.

Public-private partnerships are win-win as the money is not funneled from the federal government, good will is created by corporations who in turn could benefit from improved reputations and potential tax credits. For those people concerned with the influences of advertising, all one need do is look around virtually any school to see various foodstuffs, beverage machines, one brand name of computer or printer instead of another. No, no, that excuse won’t wash.

Corporations looking to recruit students to create the next generation of their workforce should invest in their own futures by investing in the futures of the children they may one day employ. Keep Americans employed by American companies in America.

It is not xenophobic to suggest that too many foreigners who temporarily emigrate to the United States for an allegedly higher quality of education ultimately stay here permanently for undoubtedly higher salaries than they would earn in their country of origin. Perhaps it is the work ethic foreign students display that leads them to the success Americans used to perpetuate more than a generation ago. Quite frankly, who can fault them for seeking greater wealth? However, with the education foreign students garner in this country, they ought to return home and help make their native country a better place to live, work and play, as we say here in Alexandria. After all, if a rising tide is said to lift all boats, these people should bring high tide home.

The Post article also indicated that “charters are freer to experiment with schedules and curricula than regular public schools and are popular with some education reformers.” From those with whom I have spoken, popular with most education reformers would be more accurate. School boards throughout the US are already adjusting schedules on an almost weekly basis as the snow continues piling up in record-breaking and back-breaking volume.

Third World Statistics in the USA

We as a nation can no longer sit by hamstrung by the power brokers who clearly do not have the best interest of the students in mind. It is criminal that a nation as powerful, resourceful and wealthy as the United States of America has schools without heat, schools with broken windows, not enough desks for the students, textbooks so outdated that Ronald Reagan is still president (granted, that is wishful thinking for many of us), no science equipment, no music or art classes, or physical education. This is not an exaggeration – I have taught in schools like that which have been described.

This also begs the question, where is all the money going? It sure wasn’t going into the pockets of the teachers – I have the pay stubs to prove it. Nor for lab, sports, music equipment or updated textbooks or field trips. How can schools in the nation’s capital not embark upon field trips – the city should be treated as a campus adjunct.

Children need music and art education to stimulate the part of the brain that lies dormant from a lack of the non-traditional academic subjects. As for physical education, with all the talk of an obesity crisis in this country, this is needed more than ever. Besides, ask teachers who work in schools sans phys ed how their students release their pent up energy. By being disruptive in the classroom because that is one of the only outlets they have.

Make no mistake, I am not excusing students’ bad behavior simply due to a lack of physical education. I am a firm believer in discipline and am convinced there is not nearly enough of it in our schools.

A lack of discipline, oftentimes the genesis of which is in the home, leads to truancy or worse yet, truculent behavior when miscreant students deign to show up at all. Such malignant behavior spreads like a cancer – eating away at the morale of the students yearning to learn and stealing from their education. Frustration sets in, leading to more students dropping out of school, which in turn plummets their lives further and further toward an unrecoverable vapidness.

According to an article in USA Weekend “One in three kids drops out of school” (Feb. 26-28), “30% [sic] of young people drop out of high school, including half of all minority and low-income youths.”

Right here in Alexandria, VA the graduation rate last year was a paltry 78 percent, according to the inaugural speech given by City Councilwoman Alicia Hughes. There is absolutely no excuse why nearly one out of every four students can not successfully navigate a high school curriculum. And this in a brand new, state-of-the-art school, for which millions of taxpayer dollars were spent, proving that a fancy building does not create successful students.

As paltry as 78 percent sounds, turn those statistics around and look at cities whose graduation rates are 30 and 40 percent, as opposed to dropout rates. Clark County, NV, the home of Las Vegas, a city shunned by Barack Obama, experienced a 44.5 percent graduation rate in 2009, according to the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. Does anyone think the more than half of Vegas’ student body that dropped out will find good, high paying jobs? Don’t bet on it. And for those folks taking Obama’s advice to stay away from Sin City, there go additional tax dollars for public schools or earnings corporations could use to sponsor a charter school. Your words have consequences, Mr. Obama.

And Las Vegas is not the only city whose odds are against its student populations. The graduation rate in Los Angeles was 44.4 percent; Baltimore: 41.5 percent; Cleveland: 34.4 percent and bringing up the rear, Indianapolis, with a truly horrific 30.5 percent graduation rate in 2009, according to the Editorial Projects in Education.

Dreary, disturbing and depressing statistics to say the very least. Even more so that each of those numbers represent children whose ability to pursue happiness will be severely thwarted. Are charter schools the answer? Until administered properly, that remains to be seen, but clearly the present system of government-run public schooling is a palpable and dismal failure.

For those who would suggest that DC charter schools, for example, have not produced beyond what the public schools statistics demonstrate, I maintain it is partly due to improper administration. Charter schools in their infancy that enroll students beginning with middle school or worse yet, high school, are forced to attempt to undo the first six to possibly eight years of public school education.

Consider a newly opened charter school analogous to an expansion team in a sports league. There will be growing pains during the first few years. There is no expectation of an expansion team winning a World Series or Super Bowl during the early years of the franchise. The expansion New York Mets lost 120 games out of 160 – the worst ever – during their inaugural season of 1962. In 1969, after their first seven years in either last or second to last place, the Mets shocked the baseball community by winning their first ever World Series.

Let’s check the statistics after students are educated in charter schools from the genesis of their education and watch graduation figures rise like a Phoenix, not just to respectable rates, but to rates that demonstrate American students can compete successfully in the global arena.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer living in Alexandria, VA. He has a Master’s in Education.

Plum Vows to Keep Open Mind on Charters

Plum Vows to Keep Open Mind on Charters

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

January 13, 2010

I am pleased to learn that Delegate Ken Plum (D-36) is at least willing to keep an open mind on the issue of charter schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He correctly pointed out that there are but three such institutions at work in Virginia, each located south of Richmond with a fourth slated to open during this calendar year in the Richmond area.

There is a reason there are so few charter schools operating in Virginia. As someone seeking to open a charter school in Northern Virginia, I naturally, have been doing my homework. (I have also taught in both public and charter schools in MD and DC.) In reading the Code of Virginia's 10 pages concerning charter schools, a three-word headline can be used to sum up why there are a mere three in the Commonwealth: Fox Guards Henhouse.

One of the reasons there are so few charter schools is that approval from local schools boards in the jurisdiction where a charter is to be located is mandated. So, the first step must be to rid local school boards of such destructive power. It is destructive as competition is the bellwether of America as a whole and such a level of competition amongst schools will only help create better schools, better students and ultimately a better society.

Public charter schools ought to have autonomy to operate as they wish as long as they are able to produce results in keeping within the standards under which all Virginia public school students are expected to perform.

Public schools are too often handcuffed by bureaucracy limiting their movements and actions, while charter schools, at least to the extent I experienced in DC, had a greater degree of flexibility and independence even in spite of their faults as institutions.

Governor-elect Bob McDonnell campaigned in support of charter school expansion this past fall. A commission needs to be established next Tuesday - day one of the new administration and amending the Code of Virginia should be amended to pave the way for smoother road for charter schools to take their rightful place in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria. He has a Masters in Education.

Kaine's Prison Plan Should Be Handcuffed

Kaine’s Prison Plan Should Be Handcuffed

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

January 13, 2009

So Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is interested in letting a few “good” prisoners out of the gray bar hotel 90 days early as a cost-cutting measure claiming they are “non-violent offenders who have been model inmates” and were due for a 30 day early dismissal, according to an article written by Anthony Barkow of New York.

Barkow, who authored “In Kaine’s Budget Plan, a Reality Check for Prisons,” is executive director of the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at New York University School of Law. He penned this biased editorial to sing the praises of this early release plan of the non-violent, noting that “prominent Republicans” with backgrounds in criminal justice policy support this plan, but only names one Republican. Barkow then criticizes the current Virginia Attorney General, Bob McDonnell, the presumptive GOP nominee for governor later this year for not marching in lock-step with this less than savory idea.

Meanwhile, in Barkow’s Empire State, the king of the Ponzi Scheme, Bernie Madoff – pronounced Made-off, as in what he did with $50 billion – yes, billion with a “b” in people’s retirements and charitable organizations’ funds, rests easy in his $7 million home, instead of in a prison cell. People nationwide are outraged, and rightfully so, that a lowlife like Madoff is allowed to breathe the air of a free person while countless numbers of people have been bilked out of their life savings and charitable organizations are unable to do the good works they have done for years.

Just because a criminal is non-violent doesn’t mean he or she shouldn’t be incarcerated. In the case of Madoff, the death penalty is not unreasonable, after all, his misdeeds have inalterably affected the lives of people too old to return to work and certainly could not recoup their losses. Some people have even committed suicide because of the actions of this miscreant.

But back to the Commonwealth of Virginia and down the slippery slope the prison system is about to slide. Barkow claims more than $1 billion is spent annually on incarceration in Virginia and labels tough-on-crime positions “irrational,” suggesting that the non-violent offender who pose no danger to society not be imprisoned. As is typical of liberals, Barkow offers no suggestion as to his appropriate method of punishment, for although they may be non-violent, they are still convicts.

Barkow also suggests that to continue to incarcerate the non-violent offenders, schools and additional police on the streets will lose funding. Of course those scare tactics are exactly what he has in mind. Instead of calling for an to pork-barrel spending and a diminution of special-interest funding, which would make the most sense, Barkow wants to instill fear in the hearts and minds of the citizenry in order to garner support for a lame-brained idea.

There’s a reason Republicans like former governor and senator George Allen pushed hard for no parole in Virginia. When a criminal is sentenced to a term of 10 years for example, he or she serves that amount of time. There should not be early release for good behavior. Instead, there should be extended sentences for bad behavior. Stricter sentences should be the order of the day, not more lenient sentences.

Barkow went so far as to praise Kaine as a governor with “guts” for telling “people that the criminal justice system has gone too far.” Well, to be fair, Barkow is right – the criminal justice system has gone too far, just not in the way he thinks or in the right direction.

Prison should not be a pleasant experience for any inmate – white collar, blue collar or ministerial collar. Since when do prisoners have a constitutional right to cable or any television, for that matter. Weight rooms? Athletic equipment? Gone. If prisoners don’t want their muscles to atrophy, don’t commit crimes and end up in the clink. There’s some money saved as well. Strip these prisons down to their bare bones minimum. Prisoners ought to live like minimalists – smaller cells allow for more prisoners to be housed. If a prisoner wants books, newspapers or other reading material, let them procure it from the outside when family or friends visit. No more computers, radios or other electronic luxuries – after all prison is just that, and not summer camp.

Busy prisoners ought to be productive prisoners learning trades such as carpentry, plumbing, cooking, even first aid skills, all of which are marketable on the outside upon release having served their entire sentences. Any prisoner with a skill or a talent can teach other inmates.

Governor Kaine would be wise to procure a page out Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s playbook. Known around the country as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” he runs the force in Maricopa County Arizona where there are both male and female chain gangs, prisoners painting over graffiti, cleaning the streets and even burying the indigent. Inside the prison Arpaio is known to have the cheapest meals in the United States – averaging roughly 15 cents and the inmates are only fed twice a day.

Now before all the ACLUeless attorneys get their briefs in a twist, once again, for those prisoners who object, don’t become a criminal. They make their choices and those choices come with consequences. There’s a boatload of money to be saved and trimmed from the budget without violating anyone’s rights or giving free passes to non-violent offenders.

While on the budget-trimming subject, any non-indigent sentenced must pay a fine and the money goes in the education and/or transportation coffers. Illegals should not be put in American prisons, but instead, deported to their country of origin. Notice, I do not say illegals who have committed a crime, because once they have taken that first illegal step on American soil, they have broken the law. And for those white collar criminals who have stolen from investors, raided pension funds, bilked charities, all their assets should be liquidated in order to make some form of remuneration to the victims. They may be non-violent, but their crimes certainly are not victimless and they do deserve to fulfill their reservations at the gray bar hotel – sans room service.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

Herndon Voters Validate 2006 Vote

Herndon Voters Validate 2006 Vote

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

May 7, 2008

Throughout the Democratic primary the mantra of its leading candidates has been to seek change. Voters in the Town of Herndon yesterday took to the polls and in their non-partisan Mayoral and Town Council elections decided to keep the change – keeping those members they voted into office two years ago during the highly publicized 2006 races.

For those folks who have been out to sea for the past two years, the Town of Herndon, about a four square mile town in Western Fairfax County, VA, received national attention simply because it had a group of candidates who believed then, as they believe now in some basic core values. Such values include law and order, controlling spending, an expectation of safety for all its legal residents as well as a hope that those legal residents – both native and those who have chosen this great nation as their own, will succeed in garnering their American dream.

However, what the average viewer of “mainstream” television news or reader of “mainstream” newspapers received to their eyes and ears made this particular group of political candidates appear as if they had just stepped out of D.W. Griffith’s film Birth of a Nation. These candidates were portrayed as racist, ignorant, back-water dolts simply because they did not want the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars to pay for a day laborer center that would be used by illegal aliens to the tune of about 90 percent of its users – a Fairfax County statistic. (I use the term illegal aliens because they are not legal immigrants and I do not wish to insult the hard-working immigrants who entered this country legally. Ironically, a liberal friend of mine inspired me to use the term illegal alien.)

Complicit in this crime to provide sanctuary or a safe haven to those who have no legal rights to either work or live in the United States in the first place, Fairfax County, in cahoots with Reston Interfaith and a majority of the Herndon Town Council from the 2004-06 term gave its blessings, and the people’s money, to the creation of this center.

Herndon’s police force, at the time, again thanks in part to the 2004-06 council, did not have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, thus leaving illegal aliens free to harass people attempting to access certain businesses around town as well as appear in public intoxicated and even relieve themselves at times on private property not belonging to them. Overcrowding in private homes became a serious concern in terms of safety, sanitation and potentially decreasing home values.

The time had come for Herndon citizens to take back their town. And take it back they did. In an overwhelming response, Herndon voters in 2006 rebuffed those who supported the day labor center with one exception and installed a new group of council members and a mayor who lived up to their words about cleaning up the Town of Herndon.

Rookie mayor Steve DeBenedittis had a mostly veteran council in spite of three newly-elected members with which to work.

It pleases me to say that the three newcomers to the council are friends of mine – Dave Kirby, Charlie Waddell and Bill Tirrell and each opposed the day laborer center. It is interesting to note that neither Kirby nor Waddell served on either the town’s Architectural Review Board or the Planning Commission, typically stepping stones for council candidates. The voters, hell-bent on real change, decided to give some new folks a chance. Make no mistake, they have worked hard and served the community well – so well both Kirby and Waddell have been rewarded with a second term yesterday.

Bill Tirrell not only served on both the above mentioned boards, but also five terms on the council prior to make two unsuccessful bids to become mayor. Tirrell is tenacious and a solid Navy man whom the voters returned to the council in 2006 and again yesterday. He is fair and balanced, to borrow a phrase. Actually, he has to be as he has umpired community baseball for many years. Sadly, his true downfall is his animus toward my alma mater – Maryland and the fact that he is a Yankees fan.

Dennis Husch, reelected to the council for his seventh term, found himself in the unusual position of being vice mayor – meaning he earned the most votes of any council candidate. This shocked not just Husch, but just about anyone with a pulse in Herndon as he had finished in sixth place in each of his six previous campaigns to reach the dais of the six member council. No longer did anyone have to listen to the oft-told joke by Husch, “what do you call the candidate who finishes sixth? Councilman!”

I give him jazz about those sixth place finishes, as I did again last night as Husch was returned to council for an eighth term in his usual sixth place position. Husch is a good man and good friend who truly looks out for the Town of Herndon – the whole Town.

Also reelected in 2006 were Connie Hutchinson and Harlon Reece, both for a fourth term. Hutchinson is a hard worker who was one of the driving forces that made the Herndon Visitor’s Center a reality.

Reece, a good soldier, literally, well, actually a Marine, was the only holdover of those who supported the day laborer center. Reece is also a good man who believes he is working in the best interest of Herndon, but on the issue of the day laborer center, we had to part ways. I still consider him a friend, but politics is politics, issues are issues, and I could not support Reece in his quest to become the next mayor of Herndon in yesterday’s election.

The huge turnout spoke volumes with the major shakeup of the council in 2006. The turnout yesterday shrunk by a couple of hundred voters, but that is because they did not have the same anger held over from 2006. By and large, voters were satisfied with the work of the 2006-08 council and rewarded all who sought reelection with an additional terms.

Reece, the lone holdover initially supporting the day laborer center lost his bid to replace DeBenedittis. In fact, DeBenedittis faced and withstood two opponents, Reece who is a true Southern gentleman, issues notwithstanding, and Jasbinder Singh, an arrogant individual who had no respect for the rules or the office he sought.

In an encounter with Singh yesterday, he was campaigning too close to the entranceway of the Herndon Community Center where the lone poll was located. Clearly a violation of the rules, I politely told Singh he couldn’t campaign where he stood. He said to me, “I am running for mayor, you must respect me.”

After a split-second recovery from that moronic statement, I said, “if you are running for mayor, you should know the rules, and to not follow them is not the sign of a good leader.”

To which he responded, “I don’t have to listen to you,” followed by his son calling me an “asshole.” I reported the incident to an election official.

Fortunately, the Town of Herndon has been spared the wrath of an individual who couldn’t be less knowledgeable of the issues facing the community.

On the other end of the spectrum, I was impressed with not just DeBenedittis’ knowledge of the issues, but his recollection of virtually every person he encountered on election day. As people approached him he remembered where he met them, often times what street they live on and even an issue of concern the voter may have discussed with the reelected mayor. That is a real talent. As someone who has run for public office a couple of times, that is one of the most challenging aspects of a campaign, to remember the names of that many people.

Throughout the day, voter after voter approached the incumbents to offer good luck wishes, congratulate them on a solid term, reassure the candidates they earned the votes of the well wisher, as well as discuss issues of importance.

One Asian-American gentleman related how he has been a Herndon resident for more than a decade. He said how deplorable it is when people come to this country illegally, don’t follow the rules, laws and customs of the United States. The voter then thanked the two incumbents with whom he spoke for doing such a good job during the current term and hopes they will continue in the term ahead.

Another voter, a Hispanic gentleman voiced similar thoughts and added how embarrassed he gets when he reads in the paper about Hispanic males arrested for public intoxication or the overcrowding of single-family homes by large groups of Hispanics.

Don’t hold your breath waiting to read such comments in The Washington Post or the Herndon Observer, Herndon Connection or Herndon Times. Full disclosure, a number of years ago, I labored for the Herndon Connection. That said, the Observer is considered the alleged voice of the people of the Town of Herndon with its deeper roots in town and actually located in Herndon. Truth be told, the paper was nothing short of being a shill for the candidates running in opposition to the incumbents that won reelection. Far from fair and balanced, one only needs to turn to their editorial and letters pages.

Obviously, the voters saw past the local media and remembered why they elected the incumbents in the first place.

On the economic front, the council controlled spending, a genuine rarity these days, and they did so by not increasing their operating budget for FY-2009. Just as importantly, the Town Council did not reach into its citizens pockets any deeper as they did not raise the tax rates during this same time period.

While keeping their hands out of citizens’ wallets, the council managed to make the Town a more pleasant place to live as residential overcrowding was decreased from 120 cases to roughly 40 cases. This is important as it keeps property values high and sends the message that there is an appropriate way to live and the Town will not be taken advantage of by people not willing to live by the rules.

Couple this with the closure, finally, of the day laborer hiring site, now no longer a magnet for illegal aliens and no longer giving the impression of Herndon as a sanctuary town. This too, is good for maintaining safe streets and does not rob people of their tax dollars to pay for the day laborer site.

Thanks to the Town Council, the establishment of the 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement with Homeland Security, ICE has empowered the Herndon Police to enforce federal immigration law for those miscreants arrested on felony and DUI charges.

Improvements have been made to Runnymede Park and Alabama Drive Park continuing Herndon's reputation as a green-friendly place to live, work and play.

This is why the voters returned the mayor and five incumbents to continue their work for the people of the Town of Herndon. But don’t expect the local press to share this with anyone. That’s why it can be found on my blog: www.sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

Pay Dirt Not Struck on Payday Loan Limit

Pay Dirt Not Struck on Payday Loan Limit

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

March 7, 2008

That a bicameral and bipartisan vote in Richmond would attempt to stem the tide of the increasing epidemic of survival via payday lending, is akin to bandaging a bullet hole with scotch tape.

Make no mistake, the Virginia legislative bodies did not overreach in their 91 to 9 House vote and 37 to 2 Senate vote to reform the payday lending racket. Yes, a racket, because while I am an avowed capitalist and support private enterprise, these institutions are nothing short of usurious, parasitic degenerates preying on some of the most vulnerable members of society who probably never learned to budget or live within their means.

The votes call for a limit of one loan at a time by borrowers, who must produce a paycheck for such loan eligibility. Borrowers will also be limited to the number of loans they may procure throughout any given year and be provided a greater period of payback time.

The annual rate of interest on such loans will be capped, yes, capped at 36 percent with additional fees to boot. Fees, calculated similarly to an interest rate tally up at 391 percent – simply unconscionable.

Actually, the Commonwealth of Virginia did not go far enough, for although it is not the job of government to restrict free enterprise it does have a responsibility to protect its citizens. But, there is a bigger picture on the horizon.

The payday loan industry manifested itself due to a symptom of a grander illness – living within a cycle of perpetual debt. This is a disease perpetuated by the miserable example set by the federal government, who, regardless of the party in power, spends uncontrollably, believes in deficits and also believes the cure is to tax the people more and more in order to pay for some of the most moronic and innocuous programs.

The citizenry, mimicking the government, spends likewise – not budgeting appropriately, not prioritizing expenses and certainly not saving for retirement or a rainy day. Sad to say, for too many people, it’s pouring – now.

Start with the little things. If you smoke, stop. Drink alcohol, cut back or stop. Eat fast food, stop. These are not necessities, will save money and improve health, thus keeping medical costs down. Unable to make the rent payment, don’t go out to dinner and a movie. No, I am not a member of the food, beverage and substance police. Knock yourselves out – but take responsibility when you can’t make ends meet.

Don’t fall prey to the payday loan hustlers. Create a budget, prioritize expenses, cut back on your own and put these bloodsuckers out of business.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

[This column appeared in the Alexandria Times.]

Build it and They Will Keep Coming

Build it and They Will Keep Coming

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 19, 2005

The oft-used phrase “build it and they will come,” co-opted from the Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams, could not ring truer regarding the approved day labor site to be erected on the Town of Herndon-Loudoun County border. This “field of dreams” will soon turn portions of Northern Virginia into a field of nightmares as property values, due to fears both realized and imagined, will begin to plummet.

The five to two decision by the Herndon Town Council on Wednesday evening creates a bad precedent that could spread to Annandale, Woodbridge and countless other locales where residents legal and illegal will flock in even greater numbers.

Such a site only validates the presence of workers who may not have a legal leg on which to stand in the US. The concept of providing a site – at taxpayer expense – for workers who may be in this country illegally simply enables more undocumented workers to rush to the site. The government – at any level – from town to county, state and/or federal – supporting this site is criminal in aiding and abetting lawbreaking.

A site where documentation is verified would be a good first step in an honest attempt to begin solving the pandemic of illegal immigration. Those here legally would be welcome to gather, learn English, and secure legal, gainful employment, thus joining the tax rolls and ultimately becoming less of a burden on society.

As legal residents working, they will add to the economy. Verifying immigration status at such a day labor site will help stem the rising tide of illegal behavior. That those who are here illegally have broken the law must not be overlooked.

Build it and they most assuredly will come. Just make sure those who come are entitled to the fruits of the labor creating this site.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.

Heads in the Sand

Heads in the Sand

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 9, 2005

Proponents of a tax-dollar funded day laborer site in the Town of Herndon continue sticking their collective heads in the sand when criticizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore for publicly commenting on their attempt to behave illegally.

This day laborer problem is not a “local issue” as supporters of the site claim. Instead, it is a microcosm of a nationwide epidemic. For Herndon Mayor Michael O’ Reilly to say “We’re trying to deal with too many people standing on a street corner,” is both disingenuous and absurd.

Turning a blind eye to this situation only opens a bigger Pandora’s Box regarding health, education, welfare and other benefits illegals might steal from or sponge off our tax-paying citizenry.

Former Virginia Attorney General Kilgore has guts taking a public stand on this issue that even the head of his party – President Bush – refuses to take for fear of losing Hispanic votes. There are many Hispanic voters – legal US citizens who stood in line and “did it the right way,” who strongly oppose the genesis of such sites.

I have written about this issue frequently, yet no editor has exhibited the bravery to print these words. I will continue to write such commentaries in hope that those tax dollars go where they are most sorely needed – toward improved school systems and transportation systems.

This issue is neither political nor moral – it is legal. Lawbreakers should be arrested and detained. If police had the authority to handle this situation on a local level it would become less of a national pandemic.

Support of such illegality by O’ Reilly or any other elected official should be cause for recall or impeachment.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria, VA.