Episode 51: Lobbying Day in Richmond & a flurry of Trump EOs: Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, and the Death Penalty. This week, the team discussed the recent lobbying day in Richmond – with a focus on ballot access and housing, and then they took a look at a few of President Trump's new executive orders, their implications of and the potential for future presidents to abuse their powers. Focusing on birthright citizenship, refugee resettlement and the death penalty, the guys expressed concern over the current administration's direction, the escalating power of the presidency, expressing concerns about the potential for abuse. The conversation ended with a focus on the need to stay focused on local issues and the significance of state elections in 2025.
Relevant links from this episode include:
Presidential Actions
Briefings and Statements
Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship
22 states sue to stop Trump’s order blocking birthright citizenship. “‘Radical Leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump,’ White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said.”
14th Amendment
2024 election results: Donald Trump won 49.8% of the popular vote.
Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program
Restoring The Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety
Amnesty International - Global: Executions soar to highest number in almost a decade (29 May 2024)
Some have claimed that as many as 39 executions have been carried out in the face of compelling evidence of innocence or serious doubt about guilt in the US from 1992 through 2004. Wikipedia, Capital punishment
Innocence Project: Since 1973, at least 200 people have been exonerated from death row in the U.S., according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). A 2014 study estimated that at least 4% of those sentenced to death are innocent. These numbers don’t demonstrate the full scope of the impact that the death penalty has on the problem of wrongful conviction as the threat of the death penalty causes innocent people to plead guilty and induces false testimony from witnesses. The vast majority of people exonerated from death row are Black or Latinx, and more than half of death row exonerees are Black.
AP: Biden sets record by commuting sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted on nonviolent drug charges, 17 Jan.
Reason: Despite 2024 Setbacks, Drug Policy Is Still on a Long-Term Trend Toward Reform, from the February issue.
Axios: First look: Mayors across U.S. warn of worsening housing crisis, 17 Jan.
Treasury: U.S. Department of the Treasury Report: Homeowners Insurance Costs Rising, Availability Declining as Climate-Related Events Take Their Toll, 16 Jan.
Wired: License Plate Readers Are Leaking Real-Time Video Feeds and Vehicle Data; Misconfigured license-plate-recognition systems reveal the livestreams of individual cameras and the wealth of data they collect about every vehicle that passes by them. 07 Jan.
Classical Liberal Party of Virginia Open markets. Open minds. Free people. https://clpvirginia.org
Liberal Party USA: https://www.liberalpartyusa.org
CLPVA on Bluesky: @clpvirginia.org
Liberal Party USA on Bluesky: @liberalpartyusa.bsky.social
Brian on Bluesky: @biodoss.bsky.social
Chris on Bluesky: @frashure.bsky.social
Andy on Bluesky: @andyjabbour.bsky.social
Join Us: https://clpvirginia.org/join
Facebook: Classical Liberal Party of Virginia
Instagram: classicalliberalpartyva
X, formerly Twitter: @clpvirginia
Chris Frashure: The Open Mode
Andy’s Substack: America’s Awesome
