Says John Behan at www.vaconservative.com: “Allen pushes Senate peers for apology over lynchings.” This is an interesting article. Says Behan: “Three days into Black History Month,U. S. Sen. George F. Allen of Virginia renewed efforts Thursday to have the Senate formally aplolgize for its failure to move against a wave of lynchings that swept the…

I tried to engage the Blue Dog, Steven Sisson, after his Bacon’s Rebellion column on campaign contributions, but the dog wasn’t hunting just then. I’m going to try again. Howard Dean is poised to become the face of the Democratic Party. Two major political observers, Mickey Kaus and David Brooks, are seeing a connection between…

With no web presence, publications like the Richmond Free Press are rarely acknowledged in the blogosphere. The RFP serves the African-American community in the City of Richmond. In the latest edition, staff writer Jeremy M. Lazarus reports that the Legislative Black Caucus celebrated killing a bill that would have merged the Department of Minority Business…

What is the value of state-owned intellectual property (patents, copyrights, etc.) in Virginia? Is there a repository of this data somewhere? Approximately how much income does it produce in a year? Where is the accounting of it?

If one wants to understand why METRO is not meeting its potential as shaper of functional human settlement patterns or why citizens have not given METRO a dedicated source of revenue, look no farther that the story in today’s The Washington Post. In February of 2005 METRO announced that as of 1 July it is…

Renowned UVA political scientist Larry Sabato this morning announced a $1,000,000 cash gift to the University of Virginia. The gift, payable over three years, is the largest ever given the university by an active faculty member, according to UVA President John Casteen. Sabato has written 23 books. Some of them have been read! Mostly lifted…

California is spending $350 million in stem cell research, so Virginia might as well get into the act. That’s the logic of state Sen. Russell Potts, R-Winchester, for appopriating $1 million in state funds for stem cell research. (See Senate Bill No. 1194). Well, that’s not the only reason he gave. How’s this for a…

In justifying a $1 million state subsidy for stem cell research, state Sen. Russell Potts, R-Winchester, indirectly invoked the moral authority of Ronald Reagan. “If [stem cell research] is all right for Nancy Reagan and her family … it’s all right for me.” (As reported by Richmond Times-Dispatch writer Jeff E. Schapiro.) It is touching…

In response to the soaring property values in his Arlington District and all of Northern Virginia, Del. Bob Brink (D) has proposed an amendment to the Virginia constitution allowing a “homestead” exemption. HJ 820 Authorizes the General Assembly to enact legislation that will permit localities to exempt from property taxes up to the first $100,000…

The House of Delegates may have killed legislation to clean up air pollution earlier today, but the House leadership has put forth a plan to put more money into cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. According to a press release from the Speaker’s office: Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today announced a…

Voting 17-5 this morning, a House of Delegates committee killed legislation that would have required the owners of 15 coal fired power plants in Virginia to drastically reduce emissions. EPA studies indicate that power plant emissions are responsible for 1000 deaths, 140,000 lost work days and 23,700 asthma attacks annually in Virginia, according to reports…

In an otherwise predictable Washington Post editorial skewering of the Republican House of Delegates car tax proposal is this surprising line: There’s a fair argument to be had about how much of this year’s unanticipated revenue to spend, return to taxpayers or put in reserve.

The Danville Register & Bee reports that SB 893, sponsored by Sen. Charles Hawkins, R-Pittsylvania, was unanimously passed by the Senate Committee on Local Government. The measure calls for a meeting in Southside to discuss rural economic development and formulate a strategic plan. There was no mention in the article of “Virginia Works,” Gov. Warner’s…

When Governing Magazine gave Virginia all A’s in its survey of state performance, it certainly did not support my contention that Virginia’s government could be more efficient. Barnie Day was probably too polite to mention this in our recent discussion. Well, along comes Norman Leahy of One Man’s Trash to remind us of the Virginia…

To date, 865 budget amendments have been filed by members of the House of Delegates during this session of the Virginia General Assembly. Requests for new spending total $3,861,517,482. Requests for spending cuts total $16,907,129. Do the math. The net new spending requests in this biennial total $3,844,610,353. Keep in mind that this total is…