Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

I Voted; Final Thoughts

Posted

Today is the “Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November,” and it is time again for Americans to cast their ballots.

Across the nation we are voting to select members of the U.S. House of Representatives. In about two-thirds of states, but not in Virginia this year, we will be selecting members of the U.S. Senate. Many states are also selecting governors, and there are countless local races and ballot issues.

These races may lack the pomp-and-circumstance of presidential elections, but the “midterms” are just as important in charting our national course. They are an opportunity for the public to either endorse how things are going, or demand a change.

If you are an eligible voter, go vote today.

But first, do some research. Read my endorsements, which explain why I voted the way I did. Read other peoples’ too. Read the candidates’ websites. Read opinion articles and editorials. Talk to your friends. And don’t pay too much attention to party lines and hyperbolic ads. Use your head and make your own choices.

Read more . . .

Posted

It’s time for another bunch of random photos. I’m going to try to post these every six months or so, depending on how many pile up. They’re mostly just the weird or interesting things I come across while I’m “out and about” . . . or pet photos. Enjoy!

Read more . . .

U.S. House, Virginia, 2022

Posted
Seal of the U.S. House of Representatives
Seal of the U.S. House

All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election every two years. There are 435 seats, representing each of the fifty states in rough proportion to their population as recorded in the most recent national census. There are six non-voting delegate seats representing U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

This is the first congressional general election since the 2020 Census. In the reapportionment, one state gained two seats (Texas), five states gained one seat each (Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon), and seven states lost one seat each (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). These and most other states, including Virginia, also realigned their district boundaries.

The Democratic Party currently holds a 221-212 majority over the Republican Party in the House. Two seats are vacant. Virginia has eleven seats in the House, with seven held by Democrats and four held by Republicans.

Read more . . .

Loudoun County Bond Referendums, 2022

Posted
Seal of Loudoun County
Seal of Loudoun County

Article VII, Section 10, of the Constitution of Virginia requires local governments to obtain voter approval to issue bonds. Voters in Loudoun County, Virginia, will be asked to consider three bond referendums on this year’s ballot.

Bonds are debt. When they are sold, the issuing government receives an influx of cash from the purchasers. But, like a bank loan, that money must be repaid over time with interest.

Like any other loan, bonds should be used only when necessary. Most projects should be funded directly from the general fund (i.e., from the “money in the bank”). Only when some specific project is very important, but too large to fund directly, should we turn to using bonds for financing.

Read more . . .

Michael Foran (CC BY 2.0)
Posted

The al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, are known by their date.

This is unusual. Other major events, though we might recall their dates, aren’t named by their dates. We know that the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, but we don’t call it the “December 7” attack. We don’t refer to the Normandy landing on D-Day as the “June 6 landing.”

Most events are known by their place—the Northridge earthquake, the Chernobyl disaster, the Battle of Bull Run. Those affecting ships and planes are known by their names or flight numbers—the Titanic disaster, Pan-Am Flight 103, the USS Cole attack, TWA Flight 800. But this event affected too many places . . . and too many planes. We know the places and flight numbers too, but they’re just parts of something bigger and more horrible.

The government now officially refers to the annual September 11 commemoration as “Patriot Day,” but nobody calls it that. We call it “September 11,” or just “nine-eleven.”

Read more . . .

Scott Bradford has been putting his opinions on his website since 1995—before most people knew what a website was. He has been a professional web developer in the public- and private-sector for over twenty years. He is an independent constitutional conservative who believes in human rights and limited government, and a Catholic Christian whose beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He loves Pink Floyd and can play the bass guitar . . . sort-of. He’s a husband, pet lover, amateur radio operator, and classic AMC/Jeep enthusiast.