afpchrisgraham Videos

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine wrote this week in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the payday-loan industry is "an obvious consequence of free market forces responding to consumer demand." AFP editor Chris Graham points out other examples of free-market forces responding to consumer demand that are just as harmful as payday lenders in the course of shedding light on the hows and whys of the watered-down payday-lending reform effort in Virginia.

Tags: payday loans payday loan payday lender tim kaine gov. tim kaine virginia gov. tim kaine virginia

It makes sense when you look at it on paper. Close the Waynesboro Department of Social Services office, consolidate operations at the Verona office already serving Staunton and Augusta, and save everybody money in reduced overhead. But what looks good on paper doesn't always make sense in terms of real-world impact. AFP editor Chris Graham explores the issue and warns of possible impending doom on the regional-cooperation front in today's Rant.

Tags: staunton waynesboro augusta county virginia

Carefully chosen words for today - "Merry Christmas." AFP editor Chris Graham explores the controversy behind the otherwise innocuous holiday greeting.

Tags: merry christmas happy holidays war on christmas

It's nice that at least one local government is saying it will give its residents a bit of a reprieve from requirements to have public sidewalks in front of their homes and offices clear after a winter storm due to the enormity of this weekend's blizzard. AFP editor Chris Graham notes this rather dryly and raises constitutional issues with the "requirement."

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The buzz in Richmond - Tim Kaine's 2010-2012 budget is going to include a tax increase. Seriously, Tim-may? Because you know this is going to be your legacy. Some legacy, Chris Graham says today in his Rant. You're the governor who proposed raising taxes in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression. And you're the DNC chair?

Tags: dnc democratic national committee tim kaine gov. tim kaine democrat democratic party virginia

Enough with the bluster about "socialized medicine" and a "government takeover" of health care. The people advancing the lies know better. AFP editor Chris Graham calls them out in today's Rant.

Tags: hands off my health care sean hannity rush limbaugh glenn beck health care reform government takeover public option socialized medicine barack obama senate democrats

It's Democrats now being all righteously indignant over the threat of filibuster that Joe Lieberman is using to get his way on health-care reform. Republicans were pretty indignant a couple of years back when it was Democrats using the threat of filibuster to try to influence judicial appointments. At what point can we, the people, work ourselves into this indignance game? Who's got our backs on all this? Chris Graham asks those questions in today's Rant.

Tags: joe lieberman senate united states senate u.s. senate filibuster health care reform washington capitol hill

The more things change, the more they actually don't. Chris Graham started thinking about this while messing with his XM-Sirius radio today and noticing that music and culture for him seemed to come to an end around 1992. What else is similar to 1992 - well, a recession leading to the election of a Democratic president, activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yeah, the more things change ...

Tags: grunge hip hop democratic party recession afghanistan iraq xm-sirius

Jilted at the altar, again. The top candidate for the open economic-development director job has turned Waynesboro down, meaning city leaders are back at the drawing board. It's imperative that the city get on the stick on this, AFP editor Chris Graham offers in today's installment of The Rant.

Tags: waynesboro virginia economic development

The idea to reconfigure elementary education in Waynesboro isn't a bad one on its face, but ... What's the big rush? Shouldn't we take our time and make sure that we're doing the right thing? The push has some people wondering aloud about what the real motivation might be. AFP editor Chris Graham explores the topic in The Rant.

Tags: waynesboro virginia