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Take My 2010
Legislative Survey!
With session fast approaching, it's vitally important
that I hear from my constituents. Please
click here to take my 2010
legislative survey!
Join My Tele-Town Hall!
I'm hosting a tele-town hall this Wednesday evening at
7 PM. To be an effective legislator, it's important that I hear
from my constituents, so I'm looking forward to this opportunity
to take questions and hear from many of my constituents this
Wednesday.
If you want to make sure you're included on the call, please
send me your name and telephone
number, and we'll make sure you receive a call Wednesday night
at 7 PM allowing you to join the discussion.
With session just over a week away, I really want to hear your
thoughts and concerns about state government. We have a
challenging session ahead of us, and difficult decisions must be
made. Hearing what matters to you is, therefore, more important
than ever. I hope you'll join my tele-town hall this Wednesday,
January 6th at 7 PM!
Sweet Victory Suite at the RPV
Advance
My "Sweet Victory Suite" on Friday evening (December
4th) may not compare to the excitement of election night, but
dessert is pretty sweet as well, and
what better way to celebrate sweet victory than with a dessert
and coffee bar?
The "Sweet Victory Suite" is a celebration of Election Day's
sweet victory with sweets – fruit tarts, cheesecake, éclairs, a
coffee bar, and more – and enter a drawing for one of ten copies
of Craig Shirley's "Reagan's Revolution" or ten copies of Ron
Maxwell's critically acclaimed Civil War films "Gettysburg" and
"Gods and Generals."
Please join me Friday, December 4th at the Advance (Room 12 at
the Marriott) to celebrate sweet victory for Bob McDonnell, Bill
Bolling, Ken Cuccinelli, and Republican candidates across the
state!
The Obenshain Report: Thinking
Outside the
Box on State Employee Health Benefits
Here's a sobering statistic: in the last decade, the
cost of providing health care to state employees has risen an
astonishing 135% and now costs $770 million a year. If that
weren't startling enough, consider this: a further $325 million
cost increase is anticipated for the 2010-'12 biennium, and it
is now apparent that unless we do something, health care costs
and balanced budgets are on a collision course.
Virginia continues to face a serious revenue shortfall, and
we’re up against the limits of what traditional responses can
accomplish to get us back on course. We need to set aside
conventional notions and start having some discussions that may
be uncomfortable.
Today is the second (and final) day of the Senate Finance
Committee retreat, and each successive presentation only
reinforces an unfortunately grim outlook. The Commonwealth's
employee health benefits are just one piece of the puzzle, but
it's a large and very important piece nonetheless, and nearly
everyone agrees that continuing on the current course is simply
impossible. Bottom line: we can't afford it. {continue
reading}
The New MarkObenshain.com
Welcome to my new website! It's still a work in
progress, and you might see continued changes around here, but
I'm excited to unveil the new MarkObenshain.com, which will
feature frequent updates from me, especially during session, and
will, I hope, allow me to connect with you better.
You can also find me
on Facebook,
and I strongly encourage you to
sign up
for my email newsletter, the Obenshain Report, if you aren't
subscribed already. Finally, please
let me
know how my online presence can be improved to better
serve you!
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