Author: James A. Bacon
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The Day-Late-and-a-Dollar-Short Administration
by James A. Bacon So much dysfunction…. at so many levels. The federal government has been throwing trillions of dollars into COVID-19 relief. Many billions have flowed into Virginia. Despite this unprecedented peace-time spending, thousands of Virginians are being evicted from their homes, and thousands more are lining up at food pantries and soup kitchens.…
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Newspapers: Words Still Matter
by Kerry Dougherty After 42 years in newspapers, having dedicated my adult life to that once-proud industry, I now read papers with a sense of dread. All too often that turns to disgust. Rarely do I stumble on a newspaper piece that delights anymore. The reasons are many, and you’ve heard them all before: Newspapers,…
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No Child Left Ahead
by Pamela Fox The Virginia Department of Education is planning a radical change to mathematics education in grades K-12, deceptively packaged as just a means of offering additional math classes to high schoolers. Dubbed the Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI), the plan is actually a stealthy attempt to lower standards and eliminate all advanced math…
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Calculus and Jury Duty
by Joe Fitzgerald Calculus is like jury duty. Everyone agrees that it’s essential, and any sensible human being will try to get out of it if they can. But panicked right-wingers are currently cluttering the internet with claims that a change in high school calculus teaching is the latest threat to Western Civilization. I write…
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UVa’s Crying Game
by Jock Yell0tt “When Dean Goluboff took the stage to respond, she immediately started crying and was largely incoherent to the audience for much of the first part of her response … ” Risa Gobuloff, Esq., is Dean of the University of Virginia Law School. Dean Gobuloff’s crying spate occurred at a Town Hall meeting…
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How Not to Build a Big Tent
by James A. Bacon American Jews belonging to the Reform and Conservative movements within Judaism back Democrats in overwhelming numbers. Ultra-Orthodox Jews skew strongly Republican. But there is a swing vote within U.S. Judaism: Modern Orthodox Jews. While a slim majority identify as Democrat, liberal or progressive, 37% describe themselves as Republican, conservative, or libertarian,…
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First Came “New Math.” Now Comes the “Math Path.”
by James A. Bacon The Northam administration is working on what arguably is the biggest overhaul of the mathematics curriculum since the 19th century. The Virginia Mathematics Pathway Initiative (VMPI) would replace the classic progression of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 courses with classes that teach “essential” concepts. All students would take the same…
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State Anthem Controversies: Maryland, My Maryland
by James Wyatt Whitehead V Tensions had reached a boiling point in the city of Baltimore on April 19, 1861. 160 years ago, a mob of pro-Southern sympathizers attacked the 6th Massachusetts Infantry as the unit was making its way by rail to Washington, D.C. There had been trouble the day before when regiments of…
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Guilty As Sin
by Scott Lingamfelter The recent and tragic death of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minnesota is the latest in a series of controversies concerning race and law enforcement in America. Floyd has now become a poignant symbol of what people say is “systemic racism” in America. So, is racism…
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Virginia Pols Call for Passage of George Floyd Act
by Hans Bader After the murder conviction of the policeman who killed George Floyd, Virginia’s progressive politicians are calling for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would allow police departments to be sued when police stops aren’t racially and sexually balanced. Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) said, “This verdict is a start,…
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The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Two days ago, a bureaucratic entity known as the “Special Committee to Review the Standards of Accreditation” held a teleconference to discuss, among other issues, the disproportionality of punishments meted out to students of different races in Virginia public schools. In that discussion, Leah Walker, director of equity and community for the Virginia Department of…
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Yeah, the Parole Board Scandal Really Is a Scandal
by James A. Bacon Bacon’s Rebellion has not given the biggest scandal of the Northam administration (since Blackface) the attention it deserves. In fact, we have given the matter little attention at all. Sorry, folks, we don’t have the resources to do it all. And there’s no need when the mainstream media is doing a…
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Where Are the Parents?
by Kerry Dougherty America has a problem. And I’m not talking about the police or racism or a political schism as wide as the ocean. I’m talking about parents. Rather, the lack of parents. In recent weeks the nation has been shocked by a series of horrific stories about kids being killed — by the…
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Bacon Bits: Jerry Reed Tribute Edition
When you’re hot you’re hot. How hot is the data center industry in Northern Virginia? It’s so hot that vacant land in parts of Prince William County is nearing $1 million per acre. “They are just building like crazy,” said Tim Leclerc, Prince William County’s assistant finance director, as reported by the Prince William Times.…