Save the Date

Friday, August 20 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.: William Byrd Community House Summer Carnival


Tuesday, September 21 12:30 p.m. shotgun start: 11th Annual Kiwanis Cup Golf Tournament

Rep. Wittman speaks on a variety of topics at our May 10th meeting

Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-VA, 1st) spoke about the economy, health care, the Chesapeake Bay and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq during his remarks at our May 10 lunch meeting.
Wittman, who was elected to Congress in 2007, said that he has been told by many business owners that Washington needs to "slow down" in the amount of legislation they are trying to pass. As a result of recently passed legislation and other laws being considered, businesses are delaying hiring workers as they sort out the costs and details of these new regulations. He also said Washington needs to create a responsible budget and to reign in entitlement spending.
Wittman said he believes the recently passed health care bill will add more costs and that Washington felt the need to "pass something as opposed to the right thing."
He also said the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq "were much better than a year ago", that Pakistan has to do more to stop the Taliban and the withdrawal of troops should be based on information from commanders in the field.
In regards to the Chesapeake Bay, which is a main issues in his constituency, Wittman said there is still a way to go in cleaning up the bay, but he adds that a clean bay is an economic issue because a cleaner bay leads to more jobs and more seafood and better economic health for the area.
Wittman's district runs as far north as Faquier County down to the city of Hampton along the eastern coast of Virginia. Wittman has served in public office since 1986 on the Montross Town Council, the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors and the Virginia House of Delegates.

Perfect Attendance Awards

Congrats to all of our members who have received recognition at our last two meeting for their perfect attendance during the most recent Kiwanis year. In particular, a big shout out goes to Dick Velzy and Bernie Swann for 38 and 39 years, respectively, of perfect attendance at our club.

Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-1st) May 10 Speaker

Please join us May 10 as Rep. Robert J. Wittman is our featured lunch speaker. Rep. Wittman has served in Congress since 2007, when he won a special election to serve out the term of the late Jo Ann Davis. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee as the top Republican of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus. He began his political career as mayor of the town of Montross.

Lunch will be served at noon with the club meeting to begin at 12:30. We hope you can join us.

Welcome to Bob Davis

The Kiwanis Club welcomed new member Bob Davis at our May 3 meeting. Davis is a Springfield, PA native with a bachelor's degree from West Chester State Teacher's College, a master's degree from Penn State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Since 1973 he has been a professor of education at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is married with one son, one daughter and one grandchild. Davis is a member of First Presbyterian Church, where he met Skip Ford, his Kiwanis sponsor.

Board Elected for 2010-11 Kiwanis Year

At the May 3 meeting, president-elect Marc McGahee was elected president for a one-year term beginning October 1. Current vice president Robert Priddy was elected as president-elect. Jack Newsom was re-elected as the club's treasurer and Mark Atchison was elected as treasurer of the club's foundation. Brad Williamson was elected as vice president.

Elected for two-year terms as directors were Doug Martin, John McGinty, Tom Scott, John Stultz and Jack Thornton.

Dr. Tang Hao speaks on the relationship between the Chinese and American economies

There are several reasons why the Chinese economy is primed to continue to grow, said Dr. Tang Hao, our speaker at our May 3 lunch meeting.
Tang, a visiting Fulbright Scholar and associate professor at Randolph-Macon College, said that the Chinese tradition of saving has given the Chinese people access to capital as their economy expands. He also said that the compulsory education system in China, where students will be in school for 12 to 15 hours a day, helps dedicate them to learning. Tang said that an improving secondary school system, one that graduates 500,000 engineers a year, will only add to their manufacturing abilities.

He also said that the interdependence with the United States economy is a strength and described it as one of "mutual economic possession" and one where "made in China, really means made in the USA" because of the direct investment. As a example, he said that out of a $299 IPod that $163 goes to the designers, $132 goes to investors and transportation and that $4 goes to the Chinese worker. While $4 is not a lot of money, Tang said that it goes a lot way to help keep unemployment low.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program. The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program brings visiting scholars from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities. While at Randolph-Macon, Tang’s lectures and courses will focus on the economic relationship between China and the world and China’s contemporary economy and politics.