Author: James A. Bacon
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Note on Comments
The goal of Bacon’s Rebellion has always been to maintain a high-quality comments section where people of diverse views can engage in civil dialogue on topics of state and local interest. Inevitably, commenters, being human, are tempted to stray from matters addressed in the columns. Before long, some wind up debating the price of eggs…
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The Death of Fair Representation
Every partisan-drawn map is an insult, but Virginia’s is the most insulting. by Derrick A. Max There is a difference between redistricting and rigging. One is a constitutional necessity. The other is political temptation. Right now, Virginia stands at the crossroads between the two. On April 21st the voters will decide which way we turn. Using current…
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States Confront Rising Energy Costs
Data center demands create headaches for lawmakers by David J. Toscano As Donald Trump continues his campaign against offshore wind[1] and encourages the U.S. military to buy expensive, dirty coal[2], state governments are left to manage electricity affordability, reliability, and climate goals on their own. It is a delicate balance. Consumers naturally want lower rates and reliability.…
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Is Boeing Leaving Virginia?
Not exactly. Calm down. by Chris Saxman Boeing is relocating the headquarters of its Defense, Space & Security division from Arlington, Virginia back to St. Louis, Missouri to align leadership more closely with its primary engineering and manufacturing workforce. Company officials indicated the move is intended to improve operational focus, program execution, and proximity to…
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Same Controversy, New Plaintiffs, New Arguments
by Steve Emmert (Steve Emmert, who formerly published the Virginia Appellate News & Analysis blog, offered this legal perspective on Virginia’s redistricting debate. — JAB) I continue to believe that the impetus for this new filing was a recognition by the plaintiffs’ lawyers that the judge’s original order last month contained everything they wanted except…
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Restore “Fairness”? Fairness to Whom?
by Ken Reid The Republican National Committee (RNC), and Virginia U.S. House Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-9, and Ben Cline, R-6, announced Feb. 18 a second challenge to the Democrat-controlled General Assembly’s April 21 ballot measure to suspend bipartisan redistricting – which passed in 2020 by a roughly 65-35 margin – so the GA can gerrymander…
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Virginia Dems Lose Leftist Media Support Over Gerrymandering
by Kerry Dougherty Maybe, just maybe, Virginia Democrats have gone too far. Their lopsided congressional district map, designed to create safe districts for handpicked Dem candidates may simply be too brazen to get a nod from voters in April. Looks like brazen election rigging is a bridge too far for the leftist fan club of…
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Will Virginia Criminalize Opposition to Islam?
by Daniel Greenfield Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, D-Faircax, claims that Virginia is in the middle of an ‘Islamophobia’ crisis. The second Muslim selected for the state senate, after Ghazala Hashmi who is now Virginia’s Lt. Governor, the Bangladeshi immigrant, from a country where non-Muslims are being murdered in the streets, has made complaining about “Islamophobia”…
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Buttressing Virginia’s AAA Finances
Running budget surpluses, cutting taxes, and maxing out the rainy day fund Excerpt from the Feb. 13 Oinkonomics podcast interview of former Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings about Governor Glenn Youngkin’s fiscal legacy: “We were able to generate $10 billion in cumulative surpluses. Some of that was last year, where a conservative position was taken…
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Rigging Elections to Save Democracy
Last week the state Supreme Court negated the 2020 votes of 2.8 million Virginians who supported redistricting reform. by Scott Dreyer On Friday, February 13, the Supreme Court of Virginia (SCOVA) overruled a lower judge and stated that an election about the redistricting of Virginia’s 11 Congressional seats can proceed. Democrats, angered by President Trump’s urging GOP-led states to gerrymander their Congressional lines ahead of this year’s midterm elections,…
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Radical Progressive Bills Advance in General Assembly
Car tax relief dies as radical Democrat legislation moves forward. by Victoria Manning Car tax relief was a central issue in the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race. Both candidates publicly supported ending the car tax. Yet now that she’s governor, Abigail Spanberger has failed to deliver. Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing legislation to raise taxes and impose radical social…
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Why Stonewall Jackson Is Still Worth Honoring
by Donald Smith The Capitol Square Preservation Council, which has the mission to review any major changes to the monuments in Capitol Square. Although it still exists, it has been defunded and no longer operates. These are my prepared remarks for the presentation I would gladly offer to the council, should it convene again, to…
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Dems Don’t Want To Talk About Their River Of Poop
by Kerry Dougherty In the past month Virginia’s two senators and governor have been busy on social medial. Mark Warner interrupted his relentless whining about President Trump long enough to demand that Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth be sacked and to blame Robert Kennedy for an outbreak of measles among adults. Tim Kaine constantly blamed…
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Virginia’s Medicaid Finances
Includes $21.8 million paid to managed care programs for dead enrollees.