Politics. On Point.

We came across this job posting for an opportunity to work at the VA General Assembly. It is an unpaid internship for university credit beginning January 6 through March 7.   Knowledge of # and @ is preferred. (If you looked at those symbols and thought "what?", then you're probably not that into social media, and may be at disadvantage). The job is offering parking and other perks for 'like-minded' individuals. Please note this position is in Richmond, VA. Here's the ad in its entirety . This opportunity is only limited to Students seeking an internship only. Parking is available for interns on an as needed basis. Dates of Internship - Monday, January 6th through Friday, March 7th Virginia State Delegate: Republican (while it is preferred to have an intern with like values, it is not a requirement). Job Description: This internship is an unpaid internship for credit through your university . It is a learning experience for the intern as w...

As issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act continue, and Republicans vow to block, dismantle, or repeal the law, the White House has released a new, national and state report showing the costs associated with repealing the health care law.   According to the White House, the benefits of the health care law which the claim are lower costs, new protections, and expanded access to quality, affordable care – are real, and the repeal plan pushed by some Republicans in Congress would undermine or eliminate the benefits that millions of middle-class Americans now rely on.   THIS IS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Repeal Would Raise Costs, Strip Protections from Families Across America   Helping ordinary Americans and businesses take advantage of the benefits of the health care law is a top priority for the President and Democrats in Congress. The Affordable Care Act does more than just give millions of uninsured Americans access to health insurance. It helps Americans ...

Today President Barack Obama granted clemency to twenty-one individuals, consisting of eight commutations and thirteen pardons.   Said the president, " Three years ago, I signed the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, which dramatically narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses.  This law began to right a decades-old injustice, but for thousands of inmates, it came too late.  If they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society.  Instead, because of a disparity in the law that is now recognized as unjust, they remain in prison, separated from their families and their communities, at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.    Today, I am commuting the prison terms of eight men and women who were sentenced under an unfair system.   Each of them has served more than 15 years in prison.  In several cases, the sentencing jud...

When President Obama decided to join UK Prime Minister David Cameron , and Denmark Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in what appeared to be a jovial display of picture taking, little did he know that he might be in for more than he bargained for. Not only did his actions get questioned by the media  (when don't they?), but it looks like his wife wasn't too thrilled either.  It does look like Schmidt was having just a bit too much fun with the president.  And the president looked like he was enjoying himself as well. Whether you chose to believe Mrs. Obama thought the gestures of her husband were inappropriate for the occasion, or whether she thought her husband was too chummy with Denmark's Prime Minister, First Lady Michelle doesn't looked too thrilled at all.  So, what do you do when the kids are acting up in public? You separate them.   Miss chatter box is all but quiet now, isn't she?  Focus, Mr. President....

The 'Cute Little School' It's been a year (December 14, 2012) since Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Lanza simply walked in, aimed at his target and started shooting, despite the school's security features outlined in reports.  President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama light candles for Sandy Hook elementary school victims. Since that particular school shooting, the Obama administration has openly shed a tear for the victims, legislated funds to help people with mental health issues , and has lobbied Congress in an attempt to change the current gun control laws, starting with increased background checks. President Obama and First Lady Michelle celebrated the one-year anniversary with a candle-lighting memorial in the Map Room. Twenty-six candles, one for each Sandy Hook elementary school victim. The pair then paused in a moment of silence lasting around six...

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre anniversary, and several other incidents of gun violence where suspected perpetrators may have had mental issues, the Obama administration is investing more funding  to ensure those with mental health issues can get the necessary help they may need.   Today, the White House and Vice President Biden announced that $100 million will soon be available to increase access to mental health services and improve mental health facilities.   “The fact that less than half of children and adults with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need is unacceptable.  The President and I have made it a priority to do everything we can to make it easier to access mental health services, and today’s announcements by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture build on that commitment,” said Vice President Biden.   Over the past several years, the Administration ha...

Statement by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, on the Death of Nelson Mandela   "Today, we have lost one of history’s great leaders. I extend my deepest condolences to the Mandela family and to the government and people of South Africa, the Republic that President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela helped free from the cruelty and hatred of apartheid and forged anew into a rainbow nation of hope and healing. I will always cherish the honor and memory of knowing him.   Even as we mourn, we remember how privileged the world was to witness the transformation he wrought by changing minds and hearts. He was apartheid’s captive but never its prisoner, and he rid the world of one of history’s foulest evils by hewing to universal principles for which he hoped to live but was prepared to die. Let us celebrate Madiba’s life by rededicating ourselves to the values and hopes he embodied: reconciliation and justice, freedom and equality, democracy and human rights, an honest reckoni...

President Obama has declared that December 5th Nelson Mandela Day, on the heels of the death of Nelson Mandela, who passed yesterday in South Africa.  Mandela was 95.   Picture of a young, vibrant Mandela.  A former boxer, perhaps it wasn't known then that he was training for one of his toughest fights yet.  Apartheid. Outpourings of respect, remembrance and honor have been shown worldwide for the tremendous leader, statesman, and friend.   In his younger years Mandela fought against the oppressive regime of Apartheid in South Africa that deliberately segregated and denied its people basic human and civil rights.   Leading the ANC (Africa National Council)  Mandela was labeled a terrorist, a trouble maker, (as his birth name suggested) and sentenced to life in prison.      Said Mandela on why he chose to stand against Apartheid,   " I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, ...