VA 10th District Congressional Candidates

As a public service, here are links to the official websites for the four candidates:

Frank Wolf - Incumbent
Judy Feder
Neeraj Nigam
Bill Wood

Please study up what you want and their issues and records and decide for yourself. If party is more important than issues or records, then go vote based on party affiliation. As an American, please go vote. I will - even though I haven't quite made up my mind yet on the four choices above.

Another Algonkian Park Scene

Whitetail Deer in Algonkian Park

House Prices in County Drop

I had heard that single family houses in areas around Leesburg have dropped as much as $100,000 from their peak last year. For those of you that sold then, my congratulations. For those of you that bought then... I'll keep my mouth shut.

Here's a article on the market. Read it and anticipate.

The thing that will be more telling next is that assesments should automatically go down and that will mean less property taxes for the county. That tells me that someone is going to start yelling about the shortfall for OUR children's education.

Why am I not surprised?

Shootings

Yes I am very late with this news but I am glad that the Loudoun county sheriff has made some arrests on all those houses that were shot a few weeks ago. Based on the local media, there didn't seem to be a tangible connection to MS-13 as initially suspected. I for one, am glad of that. Nevertheless, if you want to know why I am so worried about MS-13, then here's a wikipedia extract

The gangs have moved from beyond their Salvadoran, Mexican and Los Angeles origins and can be found now in Belize, West Honduras, Guatemala, Canada, Mexico, and over 30 U.S. states, especially around Washington, DC in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs

Check out the whole Wikipedia entry.

Curious About the new Goodyear?

At first it was Great American, then it became Shell, now it is Goodyear. You may know what I mean if you live anywhere near Algonkian Park. I was hoping it was going to be better than the last 2 occupants... here go read about it yourself based on another Sterling resident's experience and decide for yourself.

Racism and Bigotry Alive and Well in Loudoun County

You might look at the demographics of Loundoun county and conclude that it is an affluent, educated and cosmopolitan county and you would be right. However, if today has taught me anything, it teaches me that even in an area such as this, there will always be those select individuals that are bigoted and will say things to their spouses (but not in your face strangely enough) that your class or identity is "making a mess of the country."

If anything, it makes me sad that such beliefs still pervade in Loudoun County even among the educated and affluent. If all the issues and news and discussions in the media and schools and town hall meetings have not helped this person to realize how incorrect they are, there is absolutely nothing you or I can ever do to change their minds.

Bulletholes in Sterling

Unless you have been on another planet recently, you might have heard of the drive by shootings in Sterling - specifically Sterling Boulevard. They don't know who is responsibile and it was all done at night. As many as nine houses were hit with multiple bullets and one man went to the hospital as a result.

It may or may not be related in any way to the occupants of those homes - my guess is that they were partly random. What may be a good hunch by some law enforcement officers is that they were possibly done by gangs such as MS-13 to prove a point since gang activity has not been ignored by the Sherrif's department the last couple of years.

Let's hope they manage to stop this one early.