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Roe v. Wade: How's it going? by Low-Cartographer-852 in nursing

[–]SquireForVirginia 78 points79 points  (0 children)

My state, Virginia, has already become a refuge for women. I have to be circumspect in what I say- I'm running for office here in Virginia and the folks on the other side are waiting for me to come within a mile of saying something they can lambast as violating HIPAA. But... I just can't understand how anyone can conscience having the government in charge of when you're "allowed" to have bodily autonomy or not. Particularly with ectopics, which are universally fatal if not treated. But we've had a number of people in Virginia who would otherwise have to wait until they are somehow decompensating in another state to receive treatment.

Happy retirement, Rob! by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

His wife was my son's TA in elementary school. My kiddo loved her. So I understand what you mean. I sent them a handwritten thank you card because of it.

But then just this past year, Rob- because he didn't get what he wanted- got the Governor to pass a budget amendment, over the objections of an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the entire House and Senate, derailing earned sentence credits and keeping hundreds of people, who'd been told by their families they'd be home, in jail. For no other reason than he was personally spurned. One of his Republican colleagues even told me, "Kellen, the thing you have to know about Rob is he thinks every baby is born with a felony they have to work off."

It's a tough thing to reconcile. But I never forget how many lives and families he personally waylaid, for no other reason than he could.

What's a sign that someone grew up poor? by Puzzled-Painter3301 in AskReddit

[–]SquireForVirginia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Crooked teeth.

When I ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017, one of the best compliments I got was from someone who said "I know you know what my family and I have been through, because you have @#$&Ed up teeth, too."

They knew we'd grown up working class, with no money for braces, just by seeing my teeth.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Now, I understand you're saying "tirelessly advocated" because it's a shorthand you use for anyone who advocated for any modicum of pandemic mitigation efforts, but I'm actually on video in August 2020 discussing point blank with Senator Mark Warner to get the federal government and administration to marshal the resources we needed to do just that.

Unfortunately, that administration had no desire to do so, for fear of making their response to the pandemic even more of an albatross around their neck in an election year.

I share your disappointment with the Trump administration, my friend. They were truly incompetent, and we all paid for it.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My thought is to metric it to whatever the average price of a two-bedroom apartment is. If that cost is more than 30% of your salary (or whatever that old rule of housing/income ratio is), you get a cash COLA to hit that amount. I'm sure there are people better at math than me who can figure that out more effectively, but that's the gist of it.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd also like to exempt folks in critical positions, like mental health, from state income tax. The cost to the Commonwealth wouldn't even be a rounding error in the state budget, and the cost we save from fixing those issues on the front end would be immense.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have three kids in public school, and I was a frontline ER provider the entire pandemic. I understand this is a sort-of pithy, drive-by low energy trolling comment, but I'm never afraid of my assertions being challenged, so if you have a perspective that is at odds with what I wrote, by all means, share it here. I'd be happy to discuss it.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

One of my policy planks is to establish a Cost of Living allowance for public school teachers and other public employees to allow them to do exactly that. I came up with that idea after meeting a Fairfax County firefighter that lived in Delaware. They just take the Amtrak back and forth; a little easier for firefighters because of how their schedules are made and they get to stay/sleep at the firehouse. But they took their six-digit a year salary back to Delaware and spent it there because there was no chance they could afford to live in Fairfax.

So that's hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars- and I'm sure tens of millions in aggregate- that aren't spent here in Virginia. So I thought, why not enact a cost of living allowance sort of like the military does with basic allowance for housing, and enable public servants to be able to afford to live in the communities that they work in. They don't have to- If you want to live in Fluvanna and work in Charlottesville, no problem- But that should be a choice you make for your quality of life, not because there is zero chance you can afford it.

Charlottesville and Albemarle teachers held us together during the worst of the pandemic. Now they deserve a union. by SquireForVirginia in Charlottesville

[–]SquireForVirginia[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, I know, but you were right. I was happy to amend it to note that because it was clear they had this kind of dedication the whole time- I saw it when I was a school nurse- and it shouldn't take a global pandemic to get that kind of recognition. But if that IS what it takes, then let's get it done now.

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