Category: Uncategorized
-
Bacon Bits: Lonely and Creepy
The loneliest Metro stop. The Loudoun County Gateway Metro averages 317 riders daily, according to The Washington Post. It’s the least busy of the Metro rail system’s 98 stations. Opened to much fanfare as part of the $3 billion Phase 2 of the Silver Line in Northern Virginia, it is a sad reminder of broken…
-
Healthcare’s Tangled Ball of Confusion
by James A. Bacon The cold-blooded killing of United Health CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of invective against health insurance companies. There is widespread sentiment that insurance companies (along with their much-detested brethren, the pharmaceutical companies) are the root of all evil in American healthcare. They make profits, goes the claim, by denying…
-
News Update: Santa Returns Safely to North Pole
News flash: Bacon’s Rebellion has learned that Santa Claus has returned safely to the North Pole after experiencing the most hazardous flying conditions since forever.
-
Save Data Centers from the Luddites
by James A. Bacon Luddites, unite! You have nothing to lose but your fossil fuels! Concern among environmentalists is growing in Virginia as it dawns upon them that Artificial Intelligence creates demand for data centers, which in turn boosts demand for electricity… which in turn emits carbon dioxide… which in turn drives global warming. A…
-
A Voucher by Any Other Name
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin has included in his proposed budget $50 million to provide $5,000 “Opportunity Grants” to 10,000 students from low-income families to apply against the cost of attending private schools. While this limited voucher program avoids the primary objection of being a subsidy to rich families who send their kids to private…
-
A Nonsensical Proposal
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin has taken on the car tax again, sorta. Rather than attack it directly, he proposes a Rube Goldberg process for some Virginians to get some relief from the car tax. Here is how it would work: Individual taxpayers with a federal AGI of $50,000 or less would get a refundable…
-
A Cluster Fark of Monumental Proportions
by James A. Bacon Broadly speaking, there are two ways to extend broadband Internet service to remote rural areas. One way is to sign up for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service. Order a Starlink satellite dish, Wi-Fi router, mounting hardware, and cables; the kit arrives within a few weeks and typically can be installed in…
-
Chesterfield Spending, Taxes Out of Control
by Doug Bradham In early 2024 I received a 10.8% increase in my residential property tax versus 2023 (which now totals a 30.8% increase over the past five years of 2020 thru 2025). Other Chesterfield residents complained that they were seeing dramatic increases in their property taxes as well. Joining forces with other citizens who…
-
Radical Idea: Virginia H.S. Grads Should Know More About Their Country Than Foreigners Do
by Kerry Dougherty What do you say we start this morning with a little quiz? Pour yourself a cup of coffee and get out your number 2s! What is the name of the national anthem: “1” you say? Well done! How many U.S Senators are there? Let’s try one more: In what month do we…
-
Happy Thanksgiving!
by Kerry Dougherty When you’re a mediocre cook, you have to find ways to distinguish yourself at holiday meals. My mother, who perked up nearly all of her overcooked dishes with Lipton Onion Soup Mix, was respected widely for her punctuality. And her eclectic collection of guests. My parents regarded a holiday shared exclusively with…