Category: Uncategorized
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Not Sweet
by James C. Sherlock I have written here for years about Virginia’s worst nursing homes and the inevitable abuse that comes from ritual understaffing as a business model. The activities of the nursing home operating companies are funded by Medicare and Medicaid and overseen by federal and state health authorities. To make short a very…
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About the Latest SOL Scores…
by Charles Pyle In his September 2 contribution to Bacon’s Rebellion, John Butcher offers a tight analysis of the performance of students on the 2025 Standards of Learning tests. It was good to see the byline of my former Northside neighbor, who decades ago could always be counted on to purchase far more Boy Scout…
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My Soapbox: Dorm Rooms
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A common complaint, on Bacon’s Rebellion and generally, is about the high costs of colleges. I am usually sympathetic to such complaints. I see the projected costs of the higher ed institutions my grandkids are going to or are considering. But, then, I run across articles like this and this and I become very…
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Sunday Memes (On Monday)
Sunday Memes–Stupid Woke in Great Britain and crime in the US – The Bull Elephant
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Who Are the Haters Now?
by Chap Petersen Ten years ago, with the initial rise of Donald Trump, a yard sign began popping up in the yards of right-thinking progressives: “Hate Has No Home Here.” The message was effective, promoting the righteousness of the homeowner while demonizing “the other.” A moral hierarchy was established. Funny, how that seems a long time ago.…
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A Cautionary Tale for Republican Appointees
by Dick Hall-Sizemore In a surprise move, Todd Gilbert has resigned his position as acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Gilbert, a stalwart conservative Republican and former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, had been in the position for a little over a month. Gilbert offered no explanation for his resignation.…
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Youngkin: Virginia In “An Extraordinary Position of Financial Strength”
By Steve Haner The Commonwealth of Virginia ended its last full fiscal year under Governor Glenn Youngkin with a large stash of ready cash, $1.7 billion, despite more than $7 billion in tax cuts and tax rebates over the past three years. That includes the $200 rebate income taxpayers will get before the November election.…
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Hurricane Season. Are You Ready?
by Kerry Dougherty Unexpected guests show up and you have nothing to serve them. Suddenly, you remember your hurricane supplies. It’s happened to all of us. Next thing you know, you’re on your hands and knees in a desperate search for emergency snacks. I know there are crackers in here somewhere. Oh look, peanuts! Days…
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A Solution for Effective Nursing Home Oversight
Cutting the Gordian Knot by James C. Sherlock An overarching fact often overlooked is that the for-profit nursing home industry is the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Few for-profit facilities and chains existed before the passage of those programs in 1965. Yet it is for-profit systems that overwhelmingly commit abuses. Government oversight has proven…
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Spanberger Support for Mandatory Union Jobs Not “Moderate”
By Chris Braunlich Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger wants voters to believe she’s a moderate. That’s understandable. At a time when the Democratic Party’s favorability is at 33 percent and with an avowed socialist as the party’s nominee in the most highly visible election in the nation, the smart money is for Democrats in Virginia…
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Stand Up to Big Data-Center Money
by Chap Petersen On December 11, 2023, a small group of citizens stood outside the Prince William County Government Complex, distributing a letter delivered to the County Board that morning. The letter, drafted by your humble correspondent, pointed out that the County had failed to properly advertise its upcoming December 12th public hearing re “the Digital…
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The Colonial Heights Scandal – the Tip of a Very Large Iceberg
The Boys from Lakewood by James C. Sherlock Most of them are quite young. They have a lot in common. They are friends in many cases. Some grew up together. More are related through blood or marriage. Many have worked together. Some are a second generation of their families in the nursing home industry; To…