Category: Federal issues
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Youngkin Has the Better Message
Dems think they have a winning issue in decrying layoffs of federal workers. Don’t count on it. by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin is looking like a pretty darn good steward of the public fisc these days. Bucking a slowdown in the national economy, Virginia’s General Fund revenues increased 8.8% in April, tracking $220…
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About That $660 Million
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Earlier this year, I had an article in Bacon’s Rebellion discussing the concerns of U.S. Senator Mark Warner about a possible hold-up of federal disaster funds meant for the repair of the damage to the Virginia Creeper Trail caused by Hurricane Helene. Several readers expressed their consternation, and rightly so, at the…
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Business Needs Certainty. So Do Voters.
by Chris Braunlich Asked nearly 40 years ago what he needed most, less regulation or lower taxes, a small manufacturer of machine tools replied: “We need both,” he said, “but the thing we need most is certainty.” “Businesses have to plan out months and years,” he said. “We have to plan for employee salaries, tax rates,…
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Making America Great Again
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Is this what makes America great again? Before you answer, consider: Finally, can anyone identify a period in this country’s history (“again”) when such actions were considered to have made America great?
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Well, Maybe Not Full Responsibility
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin is again showing that he’s “all hat and no cattle.” The latest example is his fawning response to the President’s actions to gut the U.S. Dept. of Education. In it, he declares, “Virginia is ready to take full responsibility for K-12 education.” That sounds impressive, but I thought that Virginia…
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Virginia is Ready to Take Full Control of Education
by Derrick Max Last night, as promised repeatedly during the campaign, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education (the Department). The order also ensures the continued delivery of essential services such as federal student aid and…
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Is the Caterwauling About Proposed Budget Cuts Justified?
by James A. Bacon As the federal government careens toward a fiscal train wreck, Virginia Democrats are bellyaching about the lousy service in the dining car. Congressional Republicans are proposing cuts to federal entitlements such as Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), says Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke. The cuts could result…
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A Little Perspective on the Federal Budget Debate
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There has been much commentary on this blog lately about the size of the national debt and the need to cut federal spending. Many of those commenters point fingers at Democrats as being the big spendthrifts. I would like to add a little perspective to this discussion. When reading the obituary for…
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Oh, All Those Drug Ads
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Tom Garrett, who was formerly a state senator, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and is now a member of the House of Delegates from Goochland County, has called on President Trump to rein in drug prices. One of his suggestions is to prohibit drug companies from advertising. Saying…
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Mark Warner Amends
And he’s right to do so. by Gordon C. Morse Around 12:30 p.m. today, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, appeared on MSNBC with Katy Tur to discuss President Trump’s address last night before Congress and a telling moment emerged mid-way through the conversation. Warner has hit his stride in recent years as a member of…
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Embrace the Musk-alypse
by James A. Bacon From reading the news clips yesterday, one would have thought the end of the world was at hand. Gog and Magog in the form of Elon Musk and DOGE have unleashed a cascade of horrors across the Old Dominion. The Washington Post sounded the alarm: “With federal cuts looming, Northern Virginia…
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Federal Workers: No Place to Hide
by Kerry Dougherty Do indignant federal workers who act as if it’s beneath their dignity to account for their work hours have any idea how petulant and entitled they seem to the rest of us? Apparently not. This woman is griping that she has two days to knock out five bullet points about what she…
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Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Report
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Below are two instances of waste, fraud, and abuse of federal funds that have been recently identified and dealt with in Virginia: Hurricane Helene aid—The Virginia Creeper Trail and the tourist revenue associated with it are important to the town of Damascus and the rest of Washington County in southwest Virginia. Hurricane…
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Do No Harm
By James C. Sherlock One translation of the Hippocratic Oath reads: “I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is (harmful).” That will prove cold comfort to the thousands of Virginia patients subjected to unnecessary danger, pain,…
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FEI gets DOA
A once vaunted institution joins the choir invisible. by Gordon Morse News of the demise of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville arrived on Monday and unexpectedly. What happened there? What sins were committed?” According to the executive order signed by President Trump, “bureaucratic leadership over the past half-century has led to Federal policies that…