High School Students Are Our Heroes

Hero or Zero?
February 23rd

Welcome to Progress Virginia’s Hero or Zero, a weekly, unapologetically progressive take on this week’s heroes and zeros in Virginia politics. Check out this space every Friday, and Tweet us or post to our Facebook to nominate your own heroes and zeros.

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Hero: Parkland Students, and High School Students, and the Students Who Walked Out, and All the Students.

How are we back here—again? Oh right, because Congressional Republicans are betrothed to the NRA. The students of Stoneman Douglas High School are not, and they’re taking no shit from elected officials.

They’ve taken to Twitter, mainstream media, the streets, and the Florida Legislature to voice their outrage at the unwillingness of elected officials to prioritize the safety of students and stand up the NRA.

Some of these students will be 18 by the midterm elections and most will be 18 before the next presidential election. So will the students who walked out of class this week and marched in support of gun control legislation, even here in Virginia.

The tides are changing on gun control and our elected officials had better take note, or GTFO.

If you are a student, or know a student who will turn 18 before the next general election (November 6), register to vote right now. If you turn 18 before the general election, you are eligible to vote in the primary on June 12, even if you are not 18 by June 12.

Feature Image from a teacher at Wakefield High School.


Zero: The Virginia Senate GOP

This week, the Virginia Senate GOP…SUCKED.

On Sunday, they refused to include Medicaid expansion—and the savings that would come with it—in their budget. Instead they opted to cut proposed funding for higher education and financial aid, eliminate pay raises for state teachers, and reduce funding for local schools and school breakfasts—all cuts to MAKE UP FOR THE SAVINGS THEY WOULD HAVE HAD if they had expanded Medicaid.

On Tuesday, they continued to be terrible when they boasted of their non-existent accomplishments in healthcare policy. We’ll remind you, this is the same Senate GOP that refuses to expand Medicaid and help 400,000 Virginians access affordable healthcare.

And in case you missed it, they spent Thursday in a penis-measuring contest.

I can’t with the Senate GOP anymore. So tell them to cut the bullshit and expand Medicaid now.