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Category Archives: Your Tax Money

The Digital Divide – Further Inequality in Education

08 Jan

The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, VA  recently completed a consensus study with the National League of Women Voters on the Role of the Federal Government in K-12 Education. The LWV of Montgomery County has some special webpages dedicated to further study of some of the issues that came to light during our study. You can find more information and materials at: League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, VA – Education Study.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, one issue that did not come up in the study (at least not directly) was the impact of the “Digital Divide” in education. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on January 8, 2012 in VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

Changes coming in 2012 for the Christiansburg Planning Commission

16 Dec

The Christiansburg Planning Commission is shifting the way business will be done concerning those issues that require public hearings and Council recommendations. The Town is joining other jurisdictions in the area by changing from a Joint Public Hearing for issues such as rezoning, conditional use permits, and some ordinance changes to having 2 separate hearing. The first hearing would be a hearing specifically for the planning commission and the 2nd would be for the council. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on December 16, 2011 in Christiansburg, VA, Citizen Participation, Your Tax Money

 

Moving on after the elections

10 Nov

The elections are over and it is time to move on. By “move on” I do not mean it is time to winterize the garden, calk windows, etc. I mean it is time to “move on” by getting ready to watch and evaluate the performance of our returning and new employees, elected officials.

Money is tight. We all know and feel that! Stopping the spending of money is not going to do anyone any good. Careful, thoughtful spending of money is making an investment. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on November 10, 2011 in Education, Local Government, US Government, VA government, Your Tax Money

 

Throwing Money or Investing Wisely: What does that mean in government?

20 Oct

While I’m sitting around pondering who to vote for in this election, spending keeps rolling around in my head. It seems to me that there is a lot of talk about either spending or not spending and not much about the wise use of taxpayer dollars.

I hear candidates talking about “I’m gonna do this.” “I’m gonna do that.” but there is something routinely missing. “How ya gonna pay for this or that?” Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on October 20, 2011 in Local Government, US Government, VA government, VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

Elections, Jobs, and Economic Development: AND VOTING!!

07 Oct

(Data used for graphics from: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data)

Ever wonder whether your vote actually matters? Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on October 7, 2011 in VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

Are there benefits to Unions?

23 Sep

I hear people talking, all the time, about how “poorly” things are made these days. In particular, I hear a lot about how structures, like homes, are just “shoddy” compared to what they use to be. I recently had such a discussion with someone when that old “light bulb” above my head flashed a few times. (You know it’s important when it flashes instead of coming on and staying on — unless of course you have a short in the synapses:) Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on September 23, 2011 in US Government, VA government, Your Tax Money

 

Do citizens living in Towns pay double taxes?

20 Sep

I have heard citizens of the Town of Christiansburg say, more than a few times, that they don’t like paying double taxes. A lot of people perceive that they are paying double taxes simply because they live in a Town and have to pay both County and Town taxes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on September 20, 2011 in Citizen Participation, Economic Development, Education, FOIA, Local Government, VA government, VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

Talking About Education? If You Aren’t Maybe You Should Be!

15 Sep

What do you think the role of Federal Government should be in K-12 Public Education? What are the “Common Core Standards”? What affect could changes in the role of Federal Government have on our local schools? Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on September 15, 2011 in Citizen Participation, Education, Local Government, US Government, VA government, VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

The Price of Poor Planning for Christiansburg Taxpayers

25 Aug

Planning for jurisdictions SHOULD be a process of anticipating needs caused by growth and developing a process whereby infrastructure needs for the future are identified, planned for, and developed. In many jurisdictions, a large part of this is done during the process of approving developments with the jurisdiction determining what the developer needs to do to manage storm water runoff from new development to insure it does not have a negative impact on those people who are already living in the jurisdiction. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on August 25, 2011 in Christiansburg, VA, Local Government, VOTE, Your Tax Money

 

Children Living in Poverty in Virginia

20 Aug

 

I first heard of the Annie E. Casey Foundation when I was volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem in Florida. Over the years, I’ve continued to use it now and then to answer a question I was pondering. The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, VA is currently studying the Role of Federal Government in Public Education, and I find myself again drawn to the wealth of data provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by on August 20, 2011 in Economic Development, Local Government, US Government, VA government, Your Tax Money

 
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