Inform Progressive VA

A nonpartisan redistricting coalition Wednesday attacked a proposed congressional district plan that reportedly seeks to protect all 11 of Virginia's congressional incumbents.

As reported by the political website Politico, lines would be drawn so that the eight Republicans and three Democrats in the House of Representatives would have easy re-election bids in 2012.

"This is partisan gerrymandering at its worst," said C. Douglas Smith, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and chairman of the Virginia Redistricting Coalition. "They've ignored voters' communities of interest to reinforce their own self-interests."

"If this secret plan stands, they ought to call it: the U.S. House of Self-Preservation," said Olga Hernandez, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia.

The proposed plan was agreed to by the congressional delegation, Politico said.

Since the GOP takeover of the House of Representatives in November, "bipartisanship" has been the political buzzword in Washington.

But the reality is a different thing entirely.

In a divisive political climate with fringe groups barking the loudest, a presidential election approaching and 33 U.S. Senate seats on the ballot next year, politicians have grown increasingly wary of the center.

In Virginia, three Democrats who veered into the middle of the road — Reps. Glenn Nye, Tom Perriello and Rick Boucher — were run over last fall.

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., is giving it a shot anyway, working with Republicans to tackle what he sees as the nation's biggest issue.

Last summer, Virginia's junior senator struck up a conversation on the Senate floor with his friend Saxby Chambliss, a Republican senator from Georgia, about the need to address the nation's crippling debt in a meaningful way.

While the budget talks tend to dominate General Assembly sessions, plenty of other issues are at stake. Here are 20 other reasons why this year's session mattered:

Abortion: Lawmakers passed legislation that would require clinics that perform more than five first-term abortions per month to be regulated like hospitals.

ABC privatization: Gov. Bob McDonnell's revised plan to privatize the state's liquor stores died a quiet death as House and Senate committees refused to bring it up for a vote.

Alcohol ads: Legislators hammered out a compromise to maintain some state control over billboards that show alcohol advertisements.

Autism: Legislation heading to McDonnell would mandate autism insurance coverage for children ages 2 to 6, a critical period for treating the disorder.

Federal balanced-budget amendment: A resolution backed by McDonnell asking Congress to balance its budget passed the House but died in a Senate committee.

Car-title lending: A measure that passed the House and the Senate would allow car-title lenders to issue high-cost, instant loans against motor vehicles registered out of state.

Cellphones: Efforts to prohibit people from talking on cellphones while driving except when using hands-free devices died.

Chanting "the workers united will never be defeated," several hundred union advocates rallied at the state Capitol on Saturday to support their Wisconsin counterparts.

They railed against what they view as an attack on the middle class and workers' rights in Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker is trying to curb collective-bargaining allowances for public employees. Walker also wants workers to pay more toward pensions and health-care costs to help alleviate budget troubles.

"I say we can not, should not, and will not balance the budget on the backs of the middle class," said Richard Hatch of the Communications Workers of America, Virginia council.

"Pensions are deferred compensation," he said. "They are not taxpayer handouts."

Gov. Bob McDonnell has come to Walker's defense, saying states must make tough choices to balance their budgets. McDonnell is also seeking changes to the Virginia state employees' retirement system, and has asked the legislature to require workers to contribute 5 percent into their plans and receive a 3 percent salary increase.