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Yeah, the times they are a-changin' here in Virginia. That is, at least, according to Del. Terry G. Kilgore (R) from rural Scott County. The entire Kilgore quote, courtesy of the Washington Post, reveals the context of his observation:
"A lot of us rural guys are still trying to keep government out of people's lives," said Del. Terry G. Kilgore, a Republican from Scott County, in the far southwestern corner of Virginia, who voted against the red-light bill. "But times are a-changin'."
In other words, Virginia is becoming less rural and more urban/suburban/exurban than it used to be. This trend is particularly pronounced in Northern Virginia, but it's happening in all "Four Virginias" - NOVA, the Richmond "Capital Region," Shenandoah, and Tidewater - as well.
The suburbanization of Virginia leads directly to concerns about gridlock and to just about anything auto-related. Thus, we have bills requiring "booster seats" for kids and banning teens from yakking on their cellphones while they drive. We also had Tim Kaine's defeat of Jerry Kilgore in 2005, at least partly due to Kaine's emphasis on transportation and land use planning. Still, as much as the "times are a-changin'" and Virignia is becoming less rural, there are numerous signs that the (not-so) good ol' days live on. For instance, we have:
*Continued resistance to bans on smoking in public places, despite overwhelming evidence that secondhand smoke causes cancer and other diseases
*Moves to restrict or even ban abortion, with the latest attempt at doing so defeated by a group of largely urban/suburban/exurban Democrats led by Del. Brian Moran (D-Alexandria), plus a handful of Republicans, many of whom represent suburban or exurban areas.
*A bill, tentatively approved by the House of Delegates yesterday, that would "make it a felony for a woman to cause her own miscarriage." (note that the bill was sponsored by a Republican - Chris Jones - from rural Suffolk County)
*Continued Republican opposition to embryonic stem cell research. Leaders in this were three Northern Virginia Republicans, all of whom could be in grave danger this election year - Grand Inquisitors Robert "Bob" Marshall, Ken Cuccinelli, and Jay O'Brien. It will be very intersting to see what happens to those guys in November, as all three will face stiff challenges from Democratic opponents.
The bottom line is that the times may indeed by "a-changin'" in Virginia, but they haven't totally "a-changed" quite yet. The question is, will they? And, of so, how quickly? I suppose that only time will tell, but we can all help time move a bit faster by letting our representatives know how we feel.
You don't like second hand smoke? Then don't go to a bar where people smoke. Bar's and restauurants are "private property" and the owners can determine whether they will allow people to smoke or not.
But, since it is a popular and "zipless" issue for politicians, smoking will be banned in public places. And women will be charged with a felony if the can't prove they didn't cause their miscarriage (take you'r vitamins lately?).
So please don't let common sense get in the way of a good ban!