Bacon's Rebellion

  • USPS and Absentee Ballots

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    At the end of March, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of persons eligible to vote in a federal election in each state.  The executive order also directed the United States Postal Service (USPS) to compile a list of eligible voters and prohibited it from transmitting a mail-in or absentee ballot completed by any person not on that list.

    To implement the requirements of the Executive Order, USPS announced that it would compile a list of eligible voters from voter rolls submitted to it by states. In accordance with the provisions of the executive order, It then went on to say that it would not deliver absentee or mail-in ballots from voters that were not on those lists.

    The order was immediately challenged in federal courts.  The NAACP filed a challenge claiming that the Executive Order violated the provisions of an agreement regarding absentee ballots that the federal government and the NAACP entered into several years previously.  The court agreed with the NAACP, thereby negating the Executive Order.  However, an appeals court overturned the district court’s order, leaving the Executive Order in place.

    On another front, California and the attorneys general from 22 other states filed suit in another federal court challenging the Executive Order on different grounds.  Their suit claimed that the Executive Order was unconstitutional because it violated the separation of powers.

    The court agreed with the states. Regarding the requirement that DHS compile a list of eligible voters, the court declared “the President lacks any authority to compile voter lists for each State.”  As for the USPS announcement that it would not transmit absentee ballots from voters not on its list of “enrolled voters”, the court pointed out that “the Constitution reserves the power to determine voter eligibility to the States alone.”  The court issued an injunction prohibiting the government from implementing the applicable provisions of the Executive Order.  The federal government asked the court of appeals to stay the court’s order pending appeal, but its request was denied.

    (more…)

  • Money Isn’t the Problem With Public Education

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    1.4 million students, lower test scores, and a 34% increase in spending. What is going on with public education?

    by Shaun Kenney

    Recent numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) offer a gripping overview of the state of public education in America. Fewer children to teach, lower test scores, and a massive infusion of federal cash to hire more teachers and administrators is evaporating post-pandemic — leaving state and local governments in the lurch.

    Tosin Akintola over at Reason outlines the results:

    Still, more money hasn’t led to better student outcomes. At each grade level and across subject areas, there’s a decline in current achievement when compared to student benchmarks from 2019. In 2024, the most recent data available, only 60 percent of fourth graders and 67 percent of eighth graders were reading at or above a basic level, the lowest performance tier used by the National Center for Education Statistics.

    It doesn’t get better as students age, with just 68 percent of high school seniors reading at or above a basic level.

    Of course, this is a very high gloss look. Pushing $190 billion in temporary relief during a pandemic perhaps served to highlight problems that have been cropping up in classrooms since the introduction of the smartphone. The ubiquity of artificial intelligence has introduced a degree of pragmatism in students conditioned to produced test results rather than engage in deep learning — again, another factor not easily measured by either the NCES or NAEP.

    (more…)

  • Will Mamdani’s Anti-Israel Animus Cause Heartburn for Virginia?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Paul Goldman

    Virginia does more business with Israel per capita than any other state due our unique Virginia-Israel state agency. This distinction may soon put us in the crosshairs of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He needs a new anti-Israel attack since his campaign promise just got exposed as phony.

    Mamdani has long said the Israeli policies toward Palestinians remind him of apartheid in South Africa. He sees Palestinians as the heirs to Nelson Mandela constituents. This tells me where he is likely to go next.

    Due to recent developments in New York City, the Mayor is suffering a social media credibility gap among anti-Israel progressive Democratic voters. They powered his upset Democratic primary victory last November. 

    Candidate Mamdani’s campaign promise — that if elected, he would order the NYPD to arrest Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited the United Nations — has recently been exposed as cynical voter manipulation. He knew the Mayor of New York possessed no such authority. But he made the campaign promise anyway to get votes.

    Accordingly, to save his credibility, I believe he will therefore soon champion a different anti-Israeli policy — boycotting the country — which defined his initial political activism.

    (more…)

  • Pumped Storage Energy Facility May Help Meet Virginia’s Power Needs

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Rich Tucker

    Virginia’s need for plentiful, reliable energy is increasing every year. Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin developed an “all of the above” program during his administration to tap into any available source of power. That included promoting technologies such as a fusion plant in Chesterfield. While the technology hasn’t been proven commercially yet, it shows potential to be the power source of the future.

    In October, Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger plans to unveil the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan to describe energy trends, identify challenges and opportunities across the energy system, and identify strategies that span 10 years and fit “the 2045 net-zero carbon energy economy for all sectors.”

    This week, Spanberger rolled out one piece of her plan, a statewide “Switch Together” program, which will promote the use of solar panels on residential homes. “By using the power of the free market, leveraging the Commonwealth’s buying power, and cutting out middlemen, we are creating significant discounts for families and businesses,” the governor said in a news release. She said the program could save a family more than $6,000 on the installation of solar panels.

    Another potential project is a pumped storage hydroelectric plant under development in Wise County. Pumped storage uses gravity to generate electricity by moving water from one reservoir to another.

    (more…)

  • Virginia’s Tenants’ Rights Law: Marxist Mission Creep

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Why is it that leftists hate landlords?

    Is it the second syllable – “lords” – in the name? The fact that they are landowners? Or is it that landlords make fat, juicy targets when the left tries to gin up divisions between the so-called haves and have nots?

    Why do I ask?

    Well, in New York City, Zohran Mamdani’s vilification of landlords was the cornerstone of his mayoral campaign. One of his first actions in office was to pressure the city’s Rent Guideline Board to freeze the rent on about 1 million properties beginning October 1.

    Did they also freeze the utility bills on these frozen rentals? The city taxes? Insurance?

    Of course not.

    The evil landlord is expected to eat those skyrocketing costs because as everyone knows, all landlords are heartless fat cats who sit around at night, counting their money.

    What Mamdani doesn’t seem to know is that the best way to ensure that there is a shortage of rental units is to create an environment where there is no return on investments for the owners.

    NYC-style landlord targeting is beginning in Virginia where Democrats are crowing about the tenants’ rights measures they passed in the last session.

    As of July 1, tenants in Virginia now have 14 days – up from the current 5 – to squat in a rental unit before a landlord can begin eviction measures for non-payment. Continue reading.

  • Trickle Down Unaffordability

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Rising electricity costs impact local government cost structure. Are higher property taxes coming next?

  • Arlington Tops National Fitness Rankings

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Bikers along the W&OD trail make the turn on Simpson Circle next to Route 9, just west of Leesburg, Virginia. (Tracy A Woodward/The Washington Post)

    by Rich Tucker

    Things are really shaping up in the commonwealth. Arlington was selected again this year as the nation’s fittest city by the American College of Sports Medicine.

    “Arlington, Virginia, continues its long-standing position as the nation’s fittest city, reflecting strong performance across multiple indicators including physical activity levels, access to parks and recreational facilities, and supportive transportation infrastructure,” the group said.

    The American College of Sports Medicine’s index measures personal health behaviors, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure, and environmental factors to “provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”

    Arlington is noted for its network of bike and pedestrian pathways that make it easy to get around by biking, walking, or running.

    (more…)

  • Nominated!

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    I am delighted to announce that my soon-to-be-published novel, “Trogs” has been nominated for the Prometheus Best Novel Award. Established in 1979, the Prometheus Awards recognize the best in libertarian-oriented science fiction and classic fiction.

    “Trogs,” the sequel to “Dust Mites,” is scheduled for release Sept. 8. Set in the year 2075, both novels chronicle the stirrings of a second American revolution in colonies on the Moon.

    There are several steps on the way to winning the award. I’ll keep Bacon’s Rebellion readers posted as to my progress — assuming I progress, that is. (If I don’t make the cut, I’ll just drop the subject!) — JAB

    Learn more about the Prometheus Awards here.

  • This Explains a Lot…

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    No wonder state/local politics has become nationalized in the Old Dominion.

  • Spanberger’s Soft Numbers Signal GOP Opportunity for 2026 Midterms

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    After getting dinged by one referendum and with sagging poll numbers, Spanberger is set to get dinged by three more. So, where’s the moderate?

    Squishy poll numbers. Image by Grok

    by Shaun Kenney

    The VCU Wilder Center released its post mortem poll results for Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and the results are not good for Democrats heading into the midterm elections.

    Not only do 47% believe the Commonwealth is headed in the wrong direction (as opposed to the 39% who believe everything is on the right track), Spanberger’s approval ratings are 44-46% with a massive 35% of Virginians strongly disapproving of her tenure thus far — that’s 1 in 3. Only one in five Virginians strongly support.

    Read the full VCU Wilder School poll here.

    Making matters worse, 31% of Virginians are concerned about inflation and the cost of living — the marquee issue Spanberger ran upon before delivering a 300% pay increase to the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Another 11% are concerned about housing affordability. While campaigning on such things in 2025 sounds politically smart, governing on such issues in 2026 uncovers all sorts of landmines — not just the fact that state governors can only make the problem worse and not better in terms of fees and taxes, but that until Virginia gets serious about the disconnect between local land use, state transportation dollars, regional economic development, and above all else energy infrastructure. Things are only set to become more — and not less — expensive when it comes to the things under Richmond’s control.

    (more…)

  • Virginia: a True BANANA Republic Now?

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    Below is a selection of headlines from today’s Virginia Public Access Project state news compilation, which really could be replicated on many days now. What a change in the state’s economic (and media) climate. This will not end well.

     Warner proposes link of data center tax break to environment

    State senator opposed to data center tax break to bring listening tour to Danville

     Starwood files plans for first Plaza 500 data center near Alexandria as residents prepare to rally against it

     Loudoun Supervisor Eyes Data Center Generator Regulations

     Application for proposed battery storage facility in Chesapeake withdrawn

     Clarke School Board OKs resolution against transmission line

     Pittsylvania County advances $100B data center campus proposal despite resident concerns

     Residents want Buckingham Co. board to oppose gas plant

     Franklin County supervisors agree to more discussion on data centers after outcry

     Franklin County residents bash supervisors on data center discussions

    Transmission lines, battery storage, a new gas plant, and data centers — all subject to pressure as NIMBY transforms to BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything.) I left out the stories about the growing opposition to NextEra Energy’s acquisition of Dominion, which in my opinion is mainly fueled by the environmental movement’s fear that the combined entity will bypass the Virginia Clean Economy Act and push successfully to build additional natural gas generation, and also their concerns that they will have less political influence on a Florida-based entity.  

    Nope, not going to end well at all, Virginia. — SDH

  • Oh, the Joys of Motor Voter

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Whaddya know. That thing that never happens, happened.

    New Jersey Gov. Mike Sherrill admitted yesterday that a “software error” within the Garden State’s Department of Motor Vehicles, registered 6,600 non-citizens to vote even though they self-attested that they aren’t American citizens.

    Not to worry, though. “Fewer” than 400 of these foreigners actually voted.

    So those 399 illegal voters effectively cancelled out the votes of New Jersey citizens who went to the polls and cast their ballots.

    How often does this happen?

    Not never, that’s for sure.

    Oh, and the New York Post reports that several local NJ elections saw winners win by fewer than 400 votes.

    Seems like it was just last week that America’s lefties were mocking President Trump’s speech in which he claimed thousands of non-citizens were on voter rolls. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security indicates that Sherrill may be drastically undercounting illegal voter registrations. The Feds claim they’ve found 35,152.

    So far.

    If that many illegals were on the NJ voter rolls, imagine how many are on California’s.

    Or Virginia’s. Continue reading.

  • Toward a More Perfect Meritocracy

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Virginia’s Left and Right agree that merit matters. They disagree about what merit is—and how institutions should recognize it.

    by Kenrick N.G. Brown

    Image credit: Grok

    The Constitution begins with an aspiration. “We the People,” it declares, seek to form “a more perfect Union.” The wording matters. The Framers did not announce that they had created a perfect country. They described political union as an unfinished project—something capable of improvement, correction, and refinement.

    Virginia should think about meritocracy in much the same way.

    Nearly everyone claims to support merit. Republicans support merit. Democrats support merit. University administrators, civil-rights organizations, business leaders, public employees, and taxpayers all invoke merit when defending their preferred systems of hiring, promotion, and admission.

    Yet agreement on the word disguises disagreement over its meaning.

    The political Right generally locates merit in common and measurable indicators: grades, examinations, professional credentials, technical qualifications, work experience, and demonstrated performance. The political Left generally defines merit more contextually, placing greater weight on unequal opportunity, obstacles overcome, historical exclusion, personal experience, and demographic inclusion.

    The resulting debate is not always a conflict between supporters and opponents of meritocracy. More often, it is a conflict between rival conceptions of merit.

    (more…)

  • Frustrated in Fairfax

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Chap Petersen

    Last week, my “Sleepless in Stafford” newsletter detailed how County officials had ignored state law in restricting a homeowner’s right to use her own private residence via short term rental.

    It’s not confined to Stafford County, folks.

    Two years ago, a Fairfax County resident purchased a 4-acre undeveloped property off Wolf Run Shoals Road in Clifton for his dream house. If you know the area, it’s the “rural” part of the County, with two-lane roads and natural spaces. The residential property he purchased was primarily open space — like in “Field of Dreams” — perfect for a soccer pitch or baseball diamond.

    The resident hired an architect, obtained plans and approached the County with a site plan to begin construction. They informed him that he needed to plant 239 mew trees — at a cost of nearly $300,000 — before he would be allowed to begin construction. Alternatively, he could make a direct contribution to the County’s coffers.  

    (more…)

  • Not Corruption, Just Raw Political Power

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    I have been charged with defaming a great Virginia company and major employer. One of my regular readers high up in Dominion Energy Virginia, someone often complimentary of my efforts, called yesterday to push back on any implication from me that the company is corrupt or engages in corrupt practices. 

    The basic point of the column from four days ago, “Dominion Sale is a Warning Sign on Virginia’s Weak Ethics Laws”, was that Virginia’s General Assembly should impose campaign finance limits across the board, along with other specific legal recommendations to limit corporate influence at the Capitol or improve utility regulation. The focus was indeed on Dominion. 

    After pointing out that many of the methods of political persuasion used by NextEra Energy and Dominion are similar, methods I and others have complained about, I wrote “Virginia must fight the corruption across the board.” Yep, with that I applied the word to the company. “Guard against” would have been a better choice than “fight.” Or “overwhelming special interest influence” could have replaced “corruption.”

    (more…)

Now Available

Book cover of 'Dust Mites: A Second American Revolution' by James A. Bacon, featuring astronauts planting a flag with a blue and white emblem on a lunar landscape, with Earth visible in the background.
For sale on Amazon.com

The year: 2075. The American colonies on the Moon are getting restless under Washington’s tyrannical rule….

This second edition of “Dust Mites” has a snazzy new cover, includes helpful lunar maps, and is 5,000 words tighter than the original. The sequel, “Trogs,” is scheduled for publication this summer.

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Bacon’s Rebellion is Virginia’s leading politically non-aligned portal for news, opinions and analysis about state, regional and local public policy. Read more about us here.

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