Falwell Jr. calls for DC to annex Northern Virginia

[Va Lefty]

Link to tweet

[MineralMan]

1. You tell 'em, Jerry! LOL!

Bloviate some more, wontcha?

[louis-t]

2. "then sweeps his arm across the checkerboard

before tipping the table over."

[Initech]

3. Holy crap! Sore losers, much?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Who is the largest beneficiary of Federal student loans in the Commonwealth of Virginia?

Guess.

Acts of Faith

Liberty University, a hub of conservative politics, owes rapid growth to federal student loans

By Tobin Grant July 15, 2015



Liberty University is not just your average school down the road. The once small Christian college founded in 1971 by the Rev. Jerry Falwell now has the largest student body of any private nonprofit university in the country. ... With over 70,000 students, the university has become a destination for political candidates seeking the GOP’s more conservative favor. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) kicked off his campaign during a convocation at Liberty. In May, former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) followed in the footsteps of John McCain and Mitt Romney by giving Liberty’s commencement address.

The irony: The exponential growth of Liberty University has been fueled by billions in federal student aid made possible by President Obama and congressional Democrats. ... Fifteen years ago, Liberty had 5,939 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students. Last fall, the university enrolled 49,744 undergraduates and 31,715 graduate students.

Most of the university’s dramatic growth has come through distance education, and its online students now make up most of Liberty’s student body. Three-quarters of undergraduates and 97 percent of graduate students at Liberty study exclusively through distance education, according the American Federation of Teachers.

But more astounding than the growth in students is the growth in federal aid. Data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shows that federal aid has grown five times faster than enrollment. ... In the late 1990s, Liberty students received less than $20 million in aid. Students now receive over $800 million dollars a year in federal aid.
....

Tobin Grant blogs for Religion News Service at Corner of Church and State, a data-driven conversation on religion and politics. He is a political science professor at Southern Illinois University and associate editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Online enrollment spurs big increase in assistance

Liberty tops state in federal aid for its students

Liz Barry Mar 27, 2011

Liberty University students received approximately $445 million in federal financial aid money last fiscal year, according to U.S. Department of Education data, making LU the top recipient in Virginia.

The rapid growth of Liberty’s online program has fueled the increased reliance on federal aid dollars, said Robert Ritz, LU’s executive director of financial aid.

[Va Lefty]

5. The founders also talked about separation of church and state. Remember Jerry?

[sl8]

6. He's 170+ years out-of-date

District of Columbia retrocession:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession

The District of Columbia retrocession was the process of returning to the state of Virginia a part of the land that had been ceded to the federal government of the United States for the purpose of creating Washington, D.C., the national capital. The area, formed in 1790 under the name of "District of Columbia",[1] initially consisted of 100 square miles (259 km2) ceded by the states of Maryland and Virginia in accordance with the Residence Act.

In 1846, the area of 31 square miles (80 km2) which was ceded by Virginia was returned,[2] leaving 69 square miles (179 km2) of territory originally ceded by Maryland as the current area of the District in its entirety.[3] 21st-century proposals to return the remaining portion of the District of Columbia to the state of Maryland are cited as one way to provide full voting representation in Congress and return local control of the city to its residents.[4]

...

The Supreme Court of the United States has never issued a firm opinion on whether the retrocession of the Virginia portion of the District of Columbia was constitutional. In the 1875 case of Phillips v. Payne the Supreme Court held that Virginia had de facto jurisdiction over the area returned by Congress in 1847, and dismissed the tax case brought by the plaintiff. The court, however, did not rule on the core constitutional matter of the retrocession. Writing the majority opinion, Justice Noah Haynes Swayne stated only that:

The plaintiff in error is estopped from raising the point which he seeks to have decided. He cannot, under the circumstances, vicariously raise a question, nor force upon the parties to the compact an issue which neither of them desires to make.[16]

The constitutionality of the retrocession has been called into question. The contract clause found in Article One of the United States Constitution prohibits states from breaching contracts to which they are themselves a party. By annexing Alexandria in 1847, Virginia may have breached its contractual obligation to "forever cede and relinquish" the territory for use as the permanent seat of the United States government.[15] President William Howard Taft also believed the retrocession to be unconstitutional and tried to have the land given back to the District.[12]

...

More at link.

[atreides1]

7. He should follow in his fathers footsteps!!!

The sooner the better!!!

[C_U_L8R]

8. Not only does he have the sadz...

the dope doesn't have the votes.
How're those hopes and prayers working out?

[gratuitous]

9. So people living in northern Virginia aren't Virginians?

Boy, conservatives sure do like it when others are subject to taxation without representation, don't they? Falwell should just bundle up every last dollar of federal money that comes in to Liberty University and throw it right back in Congress' face. Wouldn't that demonstrate his unyielding commitment to his holy principles?

[lpbk2713]

10. A sore loser is still a loser just the same.

Get over it sweetheart.

?w=460

[thucythucy]

11. How about we grant statehood to DC instead?

There are more people living in DC than in Wyoming. Why shouldn't they have representatives in Congress?

Not to mention, this would mean two more Democratic Senators, at least one more (voting) House member, and at least three more guaranteed Dem votes in the Electoral College.

[get the red out]

12. This guy is going totally off the rails

Oh my!

[greymattermom]

13. Nope

western Virginia should join West Virginia.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. Why? NT

[irisblue]

14. He must have missed multiple Americsn history & civic classes.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. If you remove Fairfax/Fairfax/Arlington/Alexandria from the #VaGov totals, Gillespsie still loses.

If you remove Fairfax/Fairfax/Arlington/Alexandria from the #VaGov totals, Gillespsie still loses.

Link to tweet

[thucythucy]

17. Here's irony for you.

DC was supposed to be diamond shaped. The agreement was that Virginia, as well as Maryland, would give up some counties to make this happen.

Virginia reneged on the deal.