UVA stops classes for Obama swear-in

Good thing the inauguration is on the 20th. :)

Just another example of political bias in this town. Oh, so coincidental...we did not do this for Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter...on back. What a good lesson in productivity; teach the little acolytes that they can get a few hours off to watch something they can see in the evening, for days and days after the actual event.

Music Lover, you are way off key on this one...Oh, by the way, I see Obama is already reneging on his campaign promises for "Free Stuff for Everyone." I can see the "stimulus" package coming already from him: $10 million for a Meredith Richards Railroad Museum, $5 million an Aboriginal Art Museum (oops, got one already, so we will spend it on an Abor-unoriginal Art Museum), $5 million for a David Toscano Research Grant to Explore Ways to Hyperspace from Cville to Richmond in Five Seconds. This administration will have more pork than Smithfield! As we cultured, evolved, wordly Charlottesvillians love to say: tres pathetique!

So how is this an example of political bias if UVA didn't do it for Bush, Clinton, Reagan or Carter? Is Obama the member of some third political party I'm not aware of? Maybe the higher ups at UVA are now realizing that inaugurations are a significant enough event to justify canceling three hours of classes. If UVA decides not to do it when we elect another new president in four or eight years, then you can accuse them of bias.

For heaven's sake, we're talking about three hours off one day out of the semester. Watching an event like the inauguration as it's happening is completely different from Tivo'ing it, as a person suggested in another thread. Some of the students were in elementary or middle school the last time we swore in a new president and probably don't remember the event. Not all learning has to happen behind the desk of a classroom.

voodoo, just in case you didn't know, the Farmer's Almanac is pretty darn accurate half the time. But let's go one step further too. How many times have you seen all the local media predict bad weather (snow and ice), everybody rushes to the grocery store fighting for that last loaf of bread or last gallon of milk, and we don't get a single drop of any type of precipitation?

Last week my wife wanted new tires on her car when the local media predicted the bad weather moving in. I told her it wasn't going to amount to diddly squat. And it didn't. I also told her it was a game around here to drum up business for all the local grocery stores. And it does.

But all is good though. I bought her four new all season tires yesterday, mounted and balanced. She can now drive to the store in the ice and snow we don't get next time the locals predict it. :)

The reason that this is historical is that all of the Democrats can't actually believe that a black man got elected.and need to see it with their own two eyes. It is ironic that Republicans are much less surprized. We just didn't think it would be someone who is so underqualified, not because of his race but because of his experience and socialist leanings.

As the neighbor of a property under a conservation easement, I can attest to the fact that these easements are poorly enforced. Our previous neighbor placed his land under easement with the Virginia Conservancy. When the subsequent owners began flaunting their affluence with construction and paving projects, I contacted the Conservancy to ask if these projects were permitted. Their response was that they usually only answer such questions from the landowner. Apparently they have to turn themselves in!

I would expect county staff to make yearly surprise visits to this "outbuilding" to ensure there are NO restoration of services.

This makes me wonder who is ACCOUNTABLE for these county BLUNDERS! First you have Crozet and their invisible 12,000 extra houses that no one on staff highlighted or recognized until after the BOS gave their rubber stamp of approval and now we get 2 houses on one lot under conservation easement.

In response to Cantelope, this acreage could have been alot of things but it ain't! Its CONSERVATION EASEMENT, get it? The new owners could have also added on to the new house without wasting resources on a totally new house but they didn't!

Their money, their waste i guess BUT maybe they could have also bought where there was no easement.
I don't recall this being the only lot in Albemarle. Surely with their wealth they could have bought anywhere. Old Trails has some land available still I think. Isn't that the solution to new growth & come-heres? LOL

Notice Selden's comment from the story. He is not mad that the new owners built a new house. He is mad that he missed out on the financial windfall that would have resulted from subdividing the land into a bunch of lots.

It's a good thing that the Harris family has this land now. Keeps greedy guys like Selden from chopping it up into a bunch of McMansions.

Maybe the Harrises should just tear down the old house. Would that make everyone feel better?

The problem is there are 2 houses on the lot. What don't you understand? If you flew over this lot you would see two houses. If you drove past this lot you would see two houses. If you walked past this lot you would see two houses.
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Ok Catlin and other bozos, which house above has the stove? How many houses do you see? Do you get it yet? These people were to arrogant to conform and should have bought else where if they wanted morethan one house on their land...PERIOD!

Hey Answer4Confused:

If the new owners tore down the old house, would you be happy? Sally Thomas says that is one alternative.

I think that's what should be done, and then the landfill can be filled up with the debris from a 4,000 s.f. house. But at least you'd sleep better at night with your jealousy satiated.

This issue is NOT about being happy one way or the other nor is it about control or loopholes. It is about Conservation Easement. Two houses will exist regardless what you want to call them. There is now destruction of the land to accommodate a second dwelling. That runs counter to the Conservation part of the deal. As stated, there are plenty of parcels in this county and others, why these people needed to buy one with Conservation Easement is a mystry to me except maybe they wanted to avoid paying land tax and put more money into heating and cooling their 19,500 sq ft dwelling.

Welcome to America, land of excess!

I think that making yearly, monthly, even daily surprise visits to the Harris' outbuilding to be sure that an oven hasn't crept in would be such a productive use of the County's resources. This is a case of jealousy and self-righteousness gone amuk. Leave them alone. They are complying with the rules as written. If the County and others don't like it, I guess they'll write subsequent restrictive easements differently.

Don't tear the 4,200 s.f. down. That would lower the assessment and taxes, shifting more burden to us commoners.

Look, like it or not, the law clearly states that a building is not a "house" without a staove. Moreover, as even the County Supervisor admits, this is pretty much the law EVERYWHERE. By the clear letter of the law, the family is entitled to have 2 buildings, as long as only one has a stove.

So ... what is the problem? You want the law changed, retroactively, AFTER the contract has been formed, because you don't like the idea of 2 building on the property? And what business is it of anyone's anyway? Leave this family alone - they aren't hurting anyone.