By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell could give lessons in economics to Willie Sutton, the famous bank robber who, when a psychologist asked him why he robbed banks, famously replied, "Because that's where the money is." But bank robbery is work; the easy money is in the pockets of taxpayers. After pretending to target only millionaires and "the rich" for new taxes, politicians such as Mr. McDonnell are going after the middle class.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell could give lessons in economics to Willie Sutton, the famous bank robber who, when a psychologist asked him why he robbed banks, famously replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”

The surest and quickest way for a Republican officeholder to kill his future is to dream up a tax increase. Once a rising star in the Grand Old Party, a shortlist contender as Mitt Romney's running mate and a twinkle in the eye of the Great Mentioner for 2016, Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia has disappeared from the speakers' lists at key conservative events, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins Thursday in Washington.

A conservative Virginia-based political action committee is taking out its frustrations with Bob McDonnell and the transportation plan he brokered by airing ads in Iowa and New Hampshire blasting the Republican governor, who is expected to make a 2016 presidential run.

The Virginia General Assembly approved a two-year moratorium on drone aircraft in the state on Thursday, sending the legislation to Gov. Bob McDonnell's desk.

White House homeland security adviser John O. Brennan is expected to face tough, new questions about the U.S. use of drones to target Americans suspected of terrorism, when he appears Thursday before a Senate committee considering his nomination to serve as CIA director.

Civil liberties and privacy advocates in Virginia are incensed over a state study's recommendation to continue research on technology that tracks the specific location of state-issued license plates — a move proponents say would help police and toll operators more readily identify potential scofflaws.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced his opposition Friday to uranium mining and milling in Virginia, citing the potential to slow business and job growth in Southside Virginia and concerns about its environmental impact.

Toll lanes opened for the first time on the Capital Beltway Saturday, providing a disturbing glimpse of the future of infrastructure development. Virginia's Interstate 495 Express Lanes project adds desperately needed capacity to the congested route, which will ease commutes for drivers -- but only if they pay up.

It's not always true that the form of government closest to the people is best. In some cases, it can be the worst. Unchecked by sufficient legal restraints, private homeowners associations (HOAs) have a reputation for going too far when it comes to upholding unnecessary and intrusive community rules.

A contentious legislative session has sent the Virginia General Assembly's approval scores underwater after months of positive ratings - a development that comes as lawmakers gaveled in a special session Wednesday to break an impasse on the state's two-year, $85 billion budget proposal.

The Virginia General Assembly plans to adjourn on time Saturday but without approving a spending plan for the next two years, lawmakers said Friday.

Billions of dollars in tax credits, incentives and exemptions which in many cases were poorly targeted or ineffective have prompted a bipartisan push in the Virginia General Assembly for greater disclosure and better accountability in the state tax code.

The Virginia General Assembly postponed a squabble over judicial appointments after a partisan standoff Tuesday in the state Senate threatened to shut down the upper chamber for up to three days.

It has been more than 100 years since the Virginia General Assembly took a hard look at property rights guarantees in the state constitution. As our lawmakers begin a historic debate about how and whether to safeguard those constitutional protections, it is apparent already that the arguments against property rights protections have a distinct deja vu quality.