Author: Dick Hall-Sizemore
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Youngkin Denies Virginia Taxpayers Access to Free Tax Services
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The 2022 federal Inflation Reduction Act directed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to prepare for Congress a report on “a potential IRS-run free direct e-file tax return system (Direct File).” After delivering the report to Congress, the IRS proceeded to develop a pilot e-file tax return system and made it available to…
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Miscellaneous Musings
Hanover County teenagers are not that clueless The members of the Pamunkey Regional Library (Hanover County has the most members) have gone to great lengths to assure that books with explicit sexual content are shelved in the adult section, rather than the “teen section.” A recent phone call to the library confirmed that any teenager…
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A Tax Question
The numbers in the following scenario are not necessarily based in reality. They are used to illustrate a point. Mary Sue works as a housekeeper in a large hotel, cleaning guest rooms and changing bed linens. She makes $30,000 annually. Her employer deducts taxes, including Social Security, from her wages. Susie Que waits on tables in a busy…
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The Flimflam Blues
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Just out in time for the election season is a new song by Robin and Linda Williams. The nationally-acclaimed husband-and-wife duo has been writing and recording songs and giving concerts all over the country, as well as abroad, for almost fifty years. They were long-time regulars on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.…
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We’re Transparent Only When It Suits Our Agenda
by Dick Hall-Sizemore On Sept. 9, 2022, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the creation of an “Election Integrity Unit” within his office. His press release contains this statement: I pledged during the 2021 campaign to work to increase transparency and strengthen confidence in our state elections. It should be easy to vote, and hard to cheat.…
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This and That: GMU and Voter Turnout
GMU board appointees Jim Bacon and others who are lauding Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments of Heritage Foundation-affiliated folks to the Board of Visitors of George Mason University should bear in mind that those appointments are subject to confirmation by the General Assembly in the 2025 Session. With Youngkin being a lame duck and with the…
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Now What Do We Do With Him?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore I was perusing the latest list of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments and could not help smiling when I came across one entry: Carl Beckett, Special Assistant, Department of Corrections. I have no idea who Carl Beckett is. It was the position that caught my eye. “Special assistant” is a pretty non-descriptive job title. Some…
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Stifling Discussion in Hanover
A story in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch caught my eye. It revealed what seems to be an outrageous action by the Hanover County School Board. The story deals with the controversy over the recent resignation of the school superintendent. One school board member, in an e-mail exchange with a county resident, blamed the other school board members…
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Money Burning a Hole in their Pockets
by Dick Hall-Sizemore If anyone needs concrete evidence that the 2024 General Assembly had more money for the 2024-2026 biennial budget that it could responsibly spend, he need only to examine one little-known item in the budget: capital maintenance reserve (MR). In an earlier article, I examined this budget item and identified five agencies that…
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All of the Camel is Almost in the Tent
by Dick Hall-Sizemore For more decades than one can remember, the policy of the Commonwealth, with one exception, has been to pay for road construction with money raised by gasoline and other transportation-related taxes. Money in the state’s general fund, consisting of revenue from income, sales, and other miscellaneous taxes, was not available for road…
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“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Each Sunday afternoon during the summer, the Historic St. John’s Church Foundation presents a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. The reenactment, which has been presented for almost 50 years, takes place in the Historic St. John’s Church in Richmond, the site of the original speech.…
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Rambling: A Reminder of the Beginnings of Religious Freedom
by Dick Hall-Sizemore This is one of the most attractive church buildings I have seen. It is Mathews Baptist Church, located on Rt. 198 in Mathews County at the intersection with the road leading to Gwynn’s Island. The sign above the door says the church was organized in 1776. In the years leading up to…
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A Confessed Killer is Found Innocent
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Marvin Grimm spent 44 years in jail and prison for sexual abuse and murder of a three-year old boy, to which he confessed and pleaded guilty. However, the Court of Appeals of Virginia recently said that there is no evidence he committed the crimes and fully exonerated him. Grimm’s case is largely an…
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Republicans Still Fighting in the Fifth District
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Republicans are still fighting each other over the primary results in the Fifth Congressional District. As reported by Cardinal News, Bob Good is still contesting his loss in the Congressional primary and a candidate for Lynchburg City Council has filed suit to invalidate the results. According to the latest tally, Good, the…
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A Curious Appointment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin has appointed Banci Tewolde as director of the Dept. of General Services (DGS). She will fill the vacancy created by the sudden departure last December of Joe Damico, who had served as deputy director for 16 years and as director for the last six years. It is a curious appointment for a…