Bacon's Rebellion

  • Virginia’s Gas Tax Increase: What Drivers Need to Know

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Rich Tucker

    Drivers in the commonwealth will pay more for gas beginning on Wednesday. This isn’t because of the recent legislative budget deal. It isn’t because of a war in the Middle East. It isn’t because of a pipeline shutdown. It’s because lawmakers put tax policy on cruise control years ago, and prices just keep climbing.

    It is a tenet of American governance that a previous legislature may not bind a future one. In simple terms, that means that today’s lawmakers can’t make spending and taxation decisions for their successors. That’s why Virginia’s budget lasts for two years, not 10 or 20, and even the second year is subject to change if circumstances change.

    Today’s General Assembly, however, is allowing a House elected in 2019, three governors ago, to bind its hands. In 2020, lawmakers tied fuel taxes to the consumer price index, so as overall prices increase, so does the gas tax. Lawmakers started from what today looks like a very low rate. On Jan. 1, 2020, the retail tax was 16 and two-tenths cents per gallon of gas.

    That jumped to 21.2 cents in July 2020, when the next fiscal year started, and has been soaring along with inflation ever since. It reached 28 cents in 2023, 9.8 cents in 2024, and 30.8 cents in 2025 before the next jump this year.

    (more…)

  • A Judge Who Moved Justice Forward

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    James A. Bacon

    Judge Penney Azcarate. Image credit: Grok

    by Chap Petersen

    We spend a lot of time complaining about public servants in today’s America. And, truthfully, a lot of elected officials are pretty worthless. But there are exceptions.

    Last Friday, Judge Penney Azcarate presided over her final Motions Day docket as the Chief Judge of Fairfax County Circuit Court. She will be best remembered as the trial judge for the Johnny Depp defamation trial, but her career was a lot more than that.

    Let’s start with another legend: James Riddel, the former Marine and Fairfax County cop nonpareil. In 2007, Riddel adopted me as the Democratic challenger for the State Senate. He knocked on every door in Vienna and single-handedly won me the police union’s endorsement. (Pretty much my only one that cycle). When I stood on the stage that night, he was right there beside me, along with my family. We were that close.

    Jim Riddel asked for one thing: Make Penney Azcarate a judge. She had been an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, then briefly in private practice. Her main background had been as a Marine Corps JAG officer. Impressive.

    Azcarate was an easy sell to the delegation. We nominated her to the GDC bench in 2008. She moved up fast. In 2012, she had been elected to the Circuit Court and quickly developed a reputation as a no-nonsense judge, who did not suffer fools. (And there were more than a few in the local Bar).

    (more…)

  • Covid Tyrants: Never Forget

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    The decals on the floors are wearing away. Much of the Plexiglas is gone, too. And what exactly did people do with all those stupid cloth masks they loved to wear just five years ago?

    (I had one: a black mask made of cheesecloth with holes so big I could drink through it. It did absolutely nothing except it silenced the self-pointed covid police. Remember the Karens? I wore that theatrical mask only when I was forced to during Anthony Fauci’s lab-leak pandemic.)

    I was in line at the post office the other day, mailing a letter to my granddaughter at camp. Tha’s when I noticed the well-worn decals on the floor. The woman behind me saw me take a picture of it.

    “They should scrape those up,” she muttered.

    “Nah. Leave them,” I replied.

    I hate to see the reminders of that dystopian time disappear. I want those idiotic, not-based-on-science signs demanding that we “social distance” to remain. They should serve as a warning about what happens when power-mad government factotums gain power.

    They successfully stomped on our civil rights once. They’ll try again. Continue reading.

  • Thanks to Heat Wave, RGGI Will Bite Fast and Hard

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    There is some irony in how Virginia will reenter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme on Wednesday just as a long and deep heatwave begins. It is safe to predict that every RGGI-covered coal and natural gas generation plant in the state will be running full tilt until next weekend or longer to meet electricity demand.  

    The energy cost to the utilities and ultimately to consumers in multiple states will be greatly inflated by the mandate that the Virginia generation units must add the cost of RGGI to every megawatt hour they sell starting Wednesday. At $35 per ton of carbon dioxide emitted, the wholesale price of natural gas power may rise about $15-18 per megawatt hour, depending on the efficiency of the plant. 

    Advocates for wind, solar and battery power often tout its lower cost to produce. But within the PJM Interconnection regional transmission organization, the price you pay is not what the power costs. The price you pay is the price charged by the most expensive generation needed to meet the last portion of daily demand. This is why RGGI is a profit bonanza for solar power. 

    The $35 per ton of carbon emissions Virginia’s natural gas plants must add to their prices starting Wednesday will also raise the price of every solar, wind, nuclear or hydropower megawatt generated. If a battery discharges, the price paid by PJM for that power will be higher because of RGGI. The generators (often independent companies) will collect the same amount per megawatt hour as the utility-owned coal or gas plant.

    When Virginia load-serving entities call on generation from out of state to meet their demand, those out of state suppliers will also get the inflated PJM marginal price. RGGI also means that West Virginia and Pennsylvania coal and gas plants will be selling more power into Virginia and selling it a higher price.

    (more…)

  • Spanberger Playing “Russian Roulette” with Virginia’s Must-Pass Budget

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Derrick Max

    Virginia is now facing one of the most dangerous habits in modern state government: using a must-pass budget to carry major policy changes that could not, or did not, move through the normal legislative process.

    Budgets have always contained some policy language. No one who has watched Virginia government closely would pretend otherwise. The Appropriation Act regularly includes agency instructions, reporting requirements, spending conditions, transfer authority, and implementation language. That is part of budgeting.

    But there is a difference between budget language that manages state spending and budget language that rewrites major areas of Virginia law.

    This year, that line has been crossed.

    The General Assembly is being asked to vote on Governor Spanberger’s budget amendments today — barely two days before the start of the new fiscal year and under the threat of a July 1 shutdown. That timing matters. It means legislators are not being asked to judge each policy on its own merits through the normal process. They are being asked to accept or reject sweeping policy language under deadline pressure, with the operation of state government hanging in the balance.

    The budget now before Virginia is also a sprawling policy vehicle touching taxes, energy, data centers, cannabis, labor law, public safety, environmental regulation, local referenda, health care, and more.

    (more…)

  • Social Breakdown Update

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    James A. Bacon

  • $2 Million this Biennium for Menhaden Research

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Former House Delegate Tim Anderson on Menhaden fishing:

    “Every state on the east coast has banned reduction fishing of menhaden in coastal waters except Virginia. A Canadian company is raping the bay to deplete menhaden for omega oils for dog food.

    “And no governor – Republican or Democrats wants to stop it. Makes me sick. Let’s throw another $2 million at it. I wonder why the Chesapeake Bay is collapsing? 51,000 tonnes of menhaden are pulled out annually. That’s enough fish to fill bumper to bumper tractor trailers from Reedville to Richmond.

    “Politicians looking the other [way] for campaign donations. Pathetic.”

    See the full post on X here.

    Here’s where Big Fish — Omega Protein — has been spreading its money this year.

  • ICE Enforcement Continues in Red Virginia

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    From Uriah Kiser at the Virginia Insider:

    Virginians woke up to news of ICE and Greene County deputies rounding up illegal criminal immigrants near Charlottesville – and the left is losing it.

    Abandoned cars lined rural roads after the operation, proving enforcement is happening even under [Governor Abigail] Spanberger’s restrictions.

    Sheriff Steven Smith didn’t mince words: he doesn’t answer to the governor when it comes to working with ICE. Elected sheriffs serve the people, not Richmond.

    Enter Charlottesville attorney Andrew Young – a land use and environmental lawyer, not a criminal or immigration specialist – who rushed to the scene, offered representation, and allegedly had multiple firearms in his car. Officers drew weapons during his traffic stop. Young claimed it was about due process. Critics see it as classic obstruction from the Charlottesville bubble.

    This mirrors dangerous incidents elsewhere where activists have confronted federal agents.

    Meanwhile, Virginia families still mourn victims like Stephanie Minter, killed by an illegal immigrant with a lengthy record.

    (more…)

  • Jeanine’s Memes

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    James A. Bacon

  • Board of Education Moves Forward on Raising Standards

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Derrick Max

    Yesterday, the Virginia Board of Education voted by a near majority to reject a proposal to delay the implementation of more rigorous Standard of Learning cut scores. I was honored to testify before the Board, along with Arlington Democrat Todd Truitt — who really has been a leader on this important issue. A handful of other parents and leaders testified in opposition to any delay, while no parents testified in favor.  

    Thank you to the dozens of readers who sent in emails to the Board calling for them to move forward on the planned implementation of the higher standards after reading my last article. 

    We applaud the Board for doing the right thing and look forward to hearing Governor Spanberger’s continued support for greater accountability and standards! Virginia’s children deserve our best. Governor Spanberger’s leadership on this is critical.

    Below is the testimony I gave before the Board yesterday:

    My name is Derrick Max, I am Vice President of the Jefferson Forum, previously known as the Thomas Jefferson Institute. Thank you for serving on this important board and for allowing public comment today. Your work matters more than you may realize, it is greatly appreciated!

    (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

  • Coop Customers (But Not NOVEC) May Now Get RGGI Rebates

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative’s territory within the greater Northern Virginia region.

    Governor Abigail Spanberger’s proposed amendment to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative rebate system will give most but not all residential customers of Virginia’s rural electric cooperatives a shot at some cash back. The Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative is still in the RGGI wilderness.

    The feeding frenzy over the RGGI carbon tax dollars, predicted when a carbon allowance auction reached a record $35 per ton of emitted CO2 last month, is well underway and getting very complicated, perhaps too complicated. The state is likely to reap $800 million to $1 billion or more per year in RGGI taxes at that $35 per ton carbon price.

    Spanberger’s new language, due for a vote when the Assembly comes back on Monday, also precludes any rebate to a non-Virginia customer. That presumes there will be utility customers deemed “non-Virginian” who are paying the utility a direct RGGI tax on their bills but will not be eligible for rebates.

    Do they not teach the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution anymore? Can a state law discriminate that way against people or a business in another state? (I cannot find a link directly to the amendment she put out last night, so it is set out at the end of this column.)

    Spanberger and her fellow Democrats in the Assembly have gone from claiming that RGGI, with its carbon dioxide tax, cap and trade approach would lower customer costs, to admitting customers foot the bill. The generation companies that must pay the tax on the coal, oil, and natural gas they use simply pass it along to customers somehow.

    (more…)

  • Ask the Real Questions about Nursing Homes in Virginia

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    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    This author is tired of hearing that the left has compassion for poor people.  

    The left that runs Richmond just completed another session in which they refused to face our nursing home crisis. They claim to prioritize the concerns of minorities, but pretend that Medicaid long-term residential care is somehow not a minority concern.

    Too many Virginia nursing facilities are horrible because out-of-state chains take Medicare and Medicaid money and put it in their pockets rather than properly caring for their residents. It is no more complicated than that.  

    Our Governor and too many General Assembly members take money from industry lobbyists, put it in their pockets, and look the other way. That is not complicated either. It is corruption.

    The current administration, generally tight-lipped about what is happening in the Secretariat of Health and Human Resources, has not offered a comment, much less a plan to improve the situation. The Department of Health press releases instead lean into things like World Doula Day.

    Look at the nursing facilities in Virginia Beach, the Commonwealth’s largest city.

    The chart is highlighted with stoplight colors.  It should prove a profound embarrassment to the city and the state.

    • People of all ages needing post-hospital residential skilled nursing care have very few beds available at safe facilities.  
    • Medicaid members have no safe option for long-term residential care.  

    Our Lady of Perpetual Hope is primarily an assisted living and memory care facility. Medicaid does not pay for those services. The Jones and Cabacoy Center, much welcomed, serves only Virginia veterans. Westminster Canterbury is a profoundly expensive continuing care facility with skilled nursing beds available to non-members, but only as space allows.

    It is no surprise that the Virginia Beach outposts of two of the worst chains in America, Eastern Healthcare Group and Medical Facilities of America (MFA), DBA LifeWorks Rehab, are uniformly horrible. Yet they dominate the bed counts in this city.

    (more…)

  • Soros’ Man in Virginia

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Tom Perriello, Democratic Party candidate for Congress, in a May 6, 2026, email blast:

    And for the past 15+ years – ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision opened the dark money floodgates – a network of corporate special interests and right-wing billionaires have been using unlimited funds to buy the election results they want.

    To protect their corrupt power, they are going to need to hold the new VA-6. Our race could well make the difference between restoring our Constitutional system of checks and balances or continuing a GOP trifecta that is laying waste to the American dream.

    Top donors to Perriello’s campaign, according to the Virginia Public Access Project:

    “The dark money machine is coming for us,” warned the Perriello email. “We don’t need to match them dollar for dollar. We just need to raise enough to get our message to the people.”

    Total campaign contributions to Perriello and his two Democratic Party opponents in the congressional district incorporating Charlottesville and the surrounding area:

    (more…)

  • Virginia Board of Education Rejects Surprise Proposal to Delay Cut Score Increases…For Now

    Posted on

    by

    Todd Truitt

    The Virginia Board of Education on Thursday rejected a last-minute proposal from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to delay implementation of tougher passing standards (“cut scores”) on Standards of Learning (SOL) exams. Board members repeatedly emphasized we have the lowest math and reading cut scores in the country and that Virginia students, especially the least advantaged, have already waited long enough for more accurate measures of academic achievement.

    But it’s not dead yet.

    Governor Abigail Spanberger’s appointees will control the majority of the Board in August. Two of the three Spanberger appointees yesterday voted to reject the move on cut scores. The other Spanberger appointee abstained for procedural reasons while the fourth appointee was absent. But if the administration continues with this proposal, one can imagine the pressure these new Board members would be under.

    Suspicious Timing; Board Members and Public Left in Dark Until Last Moment

    Board members noted that even they just learned of the proposal on Thursday, June 24th when it became public. The proposal’s timing—released Thursday afternoon before a holiday weekend and after schools closed for summer—appeared designed to limit public scrutiny.  And if the proposal had been approved yesterday for first and final review, it would have been subject to a final vote at the Board’s August meeting—the first meeting that Spanberger appointees would control the majority.

    There were no other public hints this was coming. The possibility of delay was not reflected in the VDOE listening sessions report or appendices issued in April. In the Board slides, the VDOE’s references to any support in the April listening session documents for this proposal were scant and indirect.

    One notable timing issue is that Spanberger vetoed the collective bargaining bill on May 14. The president of the Virginia Education Association, Carol Bauer, released this impassioned video the same day denouncing the Governor as betraying working people. On June 1, organized labor held a mass protest against Spanberger.

    (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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