Archives

There are several ways to locate past content from Bacon's Rebellion:

• By date of publication. Scroll through the past issues of Bacon's Rebellion listed chronologically below.

• By author. Go to "Wonks on the Web." Each author's past articles are listed on his or her personal page.

• By key word. Use our "Bring Home the Bacon" search engine (on the home page) to conduct key-word searches on the Bacon's Rebellion web site and an expanding selection of pages on the Web.

2008

- April 21 -

The Tribune of the People. In two high-profile lawsuits, Patrick McSweeney has defended the interests of the common citizen against power grabs by the political class. Virginians owe him a bigger debt than they'll ever know. by James A. Bacon

There's a Hole in the Bucket. It's called road maintenance, and it's draining the Transportation Trust Fund of revenue for new construction. by Doug Koelemay

The End of Flight as We Know It. Between fuel prices, terrorism and the environment,  air travel is losing altitude fast. In the not-too-distant future, plane rides will be a luxury for those at the top of the economic pyramid. by EM Risse

Fund Reading First. Congressional politicking could eviscerate one of the few federal programs proven to help at-risk children in Virginia learn to read. by Chris Braunlich

And Now, a Kind Word about Tolls. The public prefers tolls to taxes as a method to fund transportation improvements -- as long as the public sees a clear benefit and politicians do not divert revenues to other projects. by Norm Leahy

The Kaine Mutiny. Is Dominion’s coal-fired plant destroying the Governor’s political future? by Peter Galuszka

A Response to Norman Leahy. Our call for an alternative transportation policy is indeed "conservative" -- organized around free markets, an aversion to subsidies and devolution of government power to the local level. by Pat McSweeney

The New American Revolution. Virginia citizens achieved a momentous victory with the defeat of regional transportation authorities. Now is the time to press their advantage and hold politicians truly accountable. by Ron Utt

The Thrill of No-Till. Adopting the tried-and-tested agricultural practice of no-till farming could be Virginia's simplest, most cost-effective strategy for restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay. by David Schnare

Nice & Curious Questions. Beyond Bluegrass: Virginia's Rock 'n' Rollers. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- April 7 -

First, Shoot All The Cars. While Virginians seem hell bent upon raising taxes and building roads, Ameri-kiwi Claude Lewenz shows a different way to reduce traffic congestion and save the environment: Build car-free villages. by James A. Bacon

Newseum. The D.C. attraction opening this week celebrates freedom of the press, the rise of the news and the decline of the newspaper. by Doug Koelemay

Space to Drive and Park. Cars consume huge amounts of space for roads and parking, which disaggregates human settlement patterns, co-opts transportation alternatives, and... increases dependence upon cars. by EM Risse

Two Spheres of Fraud. While the media salivates over the subprime lending fiasco, journalists are overlooking the main reason why Americans can't afford housing:  the building of the wrong kind of housing in the wrong places. by EM Risse

How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying. Think Virginia lawmakers are serious about restraining state government spending? Consider this: Simply freezing 7,627 vacant positions could have saved $1 billion in the next two-year budget! by Mike Thompson

You Call This Conservative? A self-proclaimed "conservative" transportation plan appears to be animated by the conviction that Virginians really don't know what's good for them. When did conservatives become central planners? by Norm Leahy

Creating a New Segregation. When Richmond combined Jim Crow with urban planning in the 1940s, the result was expressways, the destruction of African-American neighborhoods and white flight. by Peter Galuszka

Reaching the Promised Land. In his lifetime, Martin Luther King empowered African-Americans. By his death, he stimulated Southern, evangelical whites to search their hearts and embrace all children of God. by James Atticus Bowden

Nice & Curious Questions. Bottled Poetry: Wine Trails of Virginia. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- March 24 -

User Pays. Virginia's transportation system needs more money. But how we raise the money is just as important as how much. Only a user-pays system can break the political gridlock. by James A. Bacon

Good News, Bad Reporting. As the economy weakens, you can count on the MainStream Media to defend MassOverconsumption and Business As Usual in a desperate bid to keep the advertising dollars flowing. by EM Risse

Learning from Big Boxes. Consumers love big box stores for their "bargains" and "everyday low prices." What they don't see are the costs imposed by hidden subsidies and the scatteration of human settlement patterns. by EM Risse

Extend Foot, Pull Trigger. The unilateral rewriting of the Dulles Greenway legislation sends a bad signal to potential investors in Virginia roads: When times turn tough, lawmakers renege on deals. by Leonard Gilroy

Pork and Transparency. The Commonwealth is slowly, grudgingly opening up its books to citizen scrutiny. Putting credit-card bills on a Web-accessible database is a big step forward, but it raises more questions than it answers. by Norm Leahy

The War Bill Comes Due. The hidden costs of the Iraq war are a bigger economic debacle than the sub-prime mess. by Peter Galuszka

Juice Junkies. The Day household is addicted to electricity. Our careless consumption has consequences beyond the light bill: pollution, mountaintop removal and greenhouse gases among them. by Barnie Day

I'll Take the Two BMWs, Please. Rail to Dulles is so expensive that we could lease two BMWs per rider with the money. The Feds were right to turn down funding, and Virginia Congressmen should leave well enough alone. by Wendell Cox and Ron Utt

Smokes, Litter and Drugs. Youngsters who smoke cigarettes are more likely to litter and abuse drugs as well. The campaign to snuff out smoking is not just a public health issue, it's a crusade to save our children. by Frank Kilgore

More Roads Are Not the Answer. The unraveling of Virginia's transportation funding plans could be a blessing if it prompts lawmakers to wean the Commonwealth from its auto-centric, sprawl-inducing policies. by Michael Cecire

Nice & Curious Questions. Doggie Happy Hours, or Virginia is for Canine Lovers. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- February 25 -

Curriculum VITA. The overhaul of the Commonwealth of Virginia's antiquated IT system is a textbook study of how government can improve performance and save money -- without a dime of taxpayer investment. by James A. Bacon

Learning from the Mouse. Why do people travel halfway around the world to visit Disney World and Octoberfest? One big reason: Both are places where you don't need cars to get around. by EM Risse

Fund the Child, Not the Bureaucracy. Virginia's formula for distributing state aid to schools is indecipherable. A little common sense would make the system more transparent. by Chris Braunlich

The Big Lie? Headlines tie immigrants to sex crimes as politicians like GOP gubernatorial hopeful McDonnell cash in on the xenophobia they stir up. by Peter Galuszka

The Untold Story. House Republicans warrant much of the criticism they get, but give them credit for this: They share power more fairly with minority Democrats than the Dems ever did with them. by Frank Kilgore

Nice & Curious Questions. The Physics of Incentives. Or, Enterprise Zones in the Old Dominion. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- February 11 -

The Innovation Gap. There are compelling reasons for people to ditch their cars and use mass transit. Unfortunately, auto companies are reinventing themselves while the transit sector stands still. by James A. Bacon

What Is the Problem with Cars? Cars are a 20th century answer to a 19th century problem. Tweaking our auto-centric transportation system will not address the 21st century realities of traffic congestion, escalating energy prices and Global Warming. by EM Risse

Let the Sun Shine In. Getting the political establishment to agree to budget transparency is like pulling teeth -- from a saber-tooth tiger. But Virginia is slowly making progress. by Michael Thompson

Virginia Is for Lovers - Behind Closed Doors. Virginia has been roiled of late by a sex workers' show, mildly racy Abercrombie & Fitch displays and trailer hitches that look like bull testicles. What's going on? by Norm Leahy

Call for Philip Morris. Richmond’s elite lauds the cigarette maker for putting its R&D center downtown. But its newly spun-off sister unit still aims to make butts the old-fashioned way, endangering the lives of millions around the world. by Peter Galuszka

A Transit Network for NoVa. The odds look good for the General Assembly to study a rapid transit network covering Northern Virginia to points as far flung as Winchester and Fredericksburg. by William Vincent

Toro! Toro! Tim Kaine is upset that the Federal Transit Administration turned down funding for Tysons-Dulles heavy rail. But the project had more red flags than a bull-fighting ring. by Ken Orski

Nice & Curious Questions. Virginia: Home of the Outdoor Privy Race. Or, Whatever Happened to Outdoor Plumbing? by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- January 28 -

Tomahawk Chop. The departure of the R-Braves baseball team is no great loss to Richmond. Indeed, the region should take the tomahawk to other groups of marginal value and invest in institutions of knowledge creation. by James A. Bacon

Who Killed Rail-to-Dulles? Many people share the blame for the collapse of the Rail-to-Dulles financing scheme. The feds are only the first in a long line of guilty parties. by EM Risse

Lottery Options. Virginia should consider leasing out rights to operate the state lottery. Privatization could generate a steady income stream, reducing risks of revenue variability. by Leonard C. Gilroy

Baptists and Bootleggers. When good intentions collide with self interest, self interest almost always wins. You can't go wrong betting on politicians, whatever their high-minded principles, to do what's expedient. by Norm Leahy

A Matter of Exquisite Balance. In a world where the only constant is change, the State Corporation Commission is the keeper of economic balance in Virginia. A judgeship is open, and I would like to fill it. by Barnie Day

A Sensible Tax. A 5-cent hike in Virginia's gas tax as a way to fund transportation improvements is vastly preferable to the motley mash of taxes, fees and fines enacted last year. by James V. Koch

Nice & Curious Questions. Millions of Kilowatt Hours: Nuclear Power in Virginia. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

- January 14 -

Brain Gain: Building Human Capital. Human capital is the driving force of prosperity in a  globally competitive economy. Soon, regions will vie for it like they compete for investment capital. Will Virginia be prepared? by James A. Bacon

Gray Matter Migration. A chart ranking the 50 states by net in-migration.

Virginia Migration Winners and Losers. A spreadsheet ranking Virginia localities by net in-migration.

Hypercompetition. Here's the sub-text of Tim Kaine's state of the commonwealth speech: Invest in Virginia's economic future. We can afford it. Our economy is still out-performing the nation's. by Doug Koelemay

The Road Ahead. As the MainStream Media fails to provide information citizens need to function as voters and consumers, a citizen-driven media will emerge to fill the void. It's not yet clear what that new media will look like. by EM Risse

Unleash the Private Sector. Many localities are too financially strapped to execute Tim Kaine's pre-K initiative for at-risk tots. He could bypass that bottleneck by engaging private daycare providers. by Chris Braunlich

Rooting for Hillary. Hillary Clinton has friends in strange places. Among the millions of Americans who reveled in her New Hampshire primary comeback, there were quite a few in Virginia's Republican Party. by Norm Leahy

Strife in the Coalfields. Dominion’s plans to build a coal-fired plant stir worries about greenhouse gases, ozone, smog, dirty coal trucks and mountaintop removal. by Peter Galuszka

Hot Air or Cold Logic? The Governor's Commission on Climate Change could guide Virginia's energy and environmental policy for years to come. One option it needs to consider: geo-engineering. by David Schnare

Nice & Curious Questions. Birdies, Bogies and the Back Nine: Golfing in the Old Dominion. by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs