Del. Pollard's column
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Delegate Albert Pollard, Jr., represents the 99th District, which
consists of the counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond,
Westmoreland, King George and a portion of Caroline, in Virginia’s
House of Delegates. You may contact his office in Lancaster Courthouse
at (804) 462-5940 or visit his website at www.albertpollard.com. |
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Legislating Common Sense? Again. |
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Last week we had what we call a perennial bill before us on the House floor. That is, a bill which appears before us year after year.
The bill would require children under the age of 12 to wear a life jacket while on a boat, unless that boat is anchored. Make no mistake – Mariah and I insist our children wear life jackets whenever we are on the water, and I strongly encourage the use of life jackets regardless of age.
But to me, this bill is a 'nanny-istic' attempt to replace the common sense of a parent with the collective wisdom of the legislature.
Recognizing that the vast majority of Delegates are from urban places and, therefore, do not have the experience around the water that we enjoy, I gave the following speech against the bill on the House floor:
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My dad used to tell a story about a hard working guy who wasn’t that bright who had been hired by the highway department.
The supervisor knowing he had to be “task specific” assigned the man to paint lines on the highway. “Put the paintbrush in the bucket,” the supervisor instructed. “Paint a stripe. Put the paintbrush back in the bucket. Paint another stripe.”
The first day of work, the man painted five miles of stripes. The second day, three miles. The third day, only one mile.
When the supervisor asked what was going on, the employee said "Boss I keep working harder and harder, but it keeps getting to be a longer walk back to that bucket."
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Every Christmas season one of the constants for our Mariah and me is to work hard to appreciate everything we have. In a season marked by excess, focusing on what we have – as opposed to what we want or think we need – can be a full time endeavor.
It is with this backdrop that I heard the news at our church’s Christmas Eve service. Leroy had died.
I am not even sure I know Leroy’s last name, but in a small town, you really don’t need one.
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I am not a betting man, but even if I were, I wouldn’t place a bet if the odds were 297:1.
However, thirteen years ago I, along with several others, embarked on a journey where the odds of winning were 297:1. And the incredible news is that we won.
Last weekend I had the occasion to attend the Alliance to Save the Mattaponi’s celebration of the defeat of the King William reservoir. If you recall, this project would have taken up to 75 million gallons of water a day from the Mattaponi River and pipe it down to Newport News.
In and of itself, this would be disturbing, but what was most egregious is that the City of Newport News (through their consultants) “cooked the books” to create a water need that wasn’t there. Among other things, in its original water needs assessment, Newport News claimed that every new job created through the year 2040 would use as much water as a hospital worker.
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Preparing for a rainy day — in funding |
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When I was first elected to the General Assembly, my predecessor was W. Tayloe Murphy Jr. I worked for Delegate Murphy for a number of years and learned much from him.
Tayloe - as he is known to his family and friends - is renowned for his bow tie, his commitment to the Chesapeake Bay and his genteel manner. Tayloe is also known for his keen intellect and his willingness to explain problems and solutions to all who asked.
Aside from policy issues, I learned from Tayloe to distrust the slogan “if you are explaining, you are losing”. Indeed, I learned from Tayloe that good leadership comes through the art of laying out the facts and options to solutions.
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