Bacon's Rebellion

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post has more on why Richard Goemann, executive director of the Indigent Defense Commission, was pushed into resigning on Friday, but it’s still a murky situation. Steve Minor had asked, “Where’s the beef?” over at Commonwealth Conservative, then posted an item about the controversy on his always useful SW Virginia Law Blog.

From Jackman, we learned that “some public defenders complained that Goemann’s executive offices in Richmond expanded while resources were denied to struggling public defender offices in the field.” But then he quoted Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-VA Beach, as saying Goemann’s departure was “not based strictly on budget issues — it just had to do with what was best for indigent defense.” Stolle couldn’t say more because of “confidentiality rules on personnel matters.”

Commission member Steven Benjamin said “This is not directed at Richard. The commission has made bad decisions about the allocation of taxpayer money. More should be going to the field or public defenders, and less should be going to administration and frills in the central office.”

There you have it. The commission made bad decisions, so Goemann had to go.

In the comments section of my Hawaii post, Scott asks if Bacon’s Rebellion is going to take on the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation, especially in light of the revelations published by Save Richmond.

Contrary to blogosphere rumors, Jim Bacon does not summon us in the middle of the night to issue the “party line.” For my part, I’m going to join the opinion of Norm Leahy over at One Man’s Trash. It’s time to pull the plug on this organization (“put a stake through this boondoggle”) and try to salvage something for the city. The first priority should be to bring back the Carpenter Center.

County officials are back from a national conference in Hawaii and Will Jones of the Richmond Times-Dispatch checked in with them. In a sign that citizen and media skepticism before the trip had an effect, officials Jones spoke with gushed about specific things they learned that will help their localities.

What they really learned was that vague claims of “hard work” at these conferences just won’t cut it anymore. At least the skepticism accomplished something.

In a Potomac News story on three day care centers that may be shut down by the state for violations, I came across this bit of information about a critical player in our economy:

Given that there are about 600 daycare licensing regulations, most of the state’s 2,621 licensed daycare centers’ records include violations, according to Lynne Williams, assistant director of the division of licensing programs. [emphasis mine]

We may have part of the explanation for why day care is so expensive for consumers and so low-paying for employees.

In a letter signed by all of Virginia’s congressional delegation except Eric Cantor, Congressman Rick Boucher, of the Fightin’ Ninth, has asked the Veterans Administration for a formal explanation of Virginia’s next-to-last ranking in average compensation for disabled veterans–a matter first reported in Virginia here at Bacon’s Rebellion (See ‘Shameful’ post of July 16, 2005). Additionally, an aide to U. S. Senator George Allen reports that Allen’s office has filed a similar inquiry.

Sunday’s New York Times published a thoughtful and balanced essay, “Bad News,” about the decline of the Mainstream Media, with special attention paid to the issues of political polarization, media bias and the role of blogs. (If all you care about is blogs, jump to page 5.)

Author Richard A. Posner, a federal judge, law school professor and blogger, addresses a number of critical blog-related issues — contrasting the error-correcting machinery of blogs vs. that of the MSM, for instance — but raises one in particular that has concerned me, a former member of the MSM:

The bloggers are parasitical on the conventional media. They copy the news and opinion generated by the conventional media, often at considerable expense, without picking up any of the tab. The degree of parasitism is striking in the case of those blogs that provide their readers with links to newspaper articles. The links enable the audience to read the articles without buying the newspaper. The legitimate gripe of the conventional media is not that bloggers undermine the overall accuracy of news reporting, but that they are free riders who may in the long run undermine the ability of the conventional media to finance the very reporting on which bloggers depend.

Who can deny it? Bloggers are parasites. Where would Virginia’s emerging digital media be without the MSM publishing online news and commentary that we can link to and respond to? In Virginia, a handful of e-zines — Bacon’s Rebellion, Augusta Free Press, Virginia News Source — provide a modicum of reporting, but it pales in comparison to the breadth and depth of news coverage provided by Virginia’s daily newspapers. As for that sub-species of digital media we call blogs, only a handful have created “news” content of any kind.

It is tempting for bloggers to cackle at the newspapers’ declining circulations and their own rising readerships, but the status quo cannot sustain itself indefinitely. Virginia newspapers are business enterprises. As circulation declines and ad revenues stagnate, newspapers are cutting resources dedicated to gathering news. More critically for blogs, newspapers are restricting the unfettered access to their online offerings. At some point, Virginia blogs must contemplate a future in which readers must pay to access MSM material online, thus negating much of the blogs’ value. What, then, will the blogs do?

One might observe, rightfully, that blogs do create original content. Occasionally, bloggers provide eye-witness accounts of political events. Increasingly, political campaigns are taking blogs seriously — witness Tim Kaine’s first-ever blog conference. Without question, Virginia political blogs have begun functioning as filters for campaign press releases, often beating the MSM to publication. But masticating press releases is essentially passive. For the most part, we aren’t digging up the news, we’re simply digesting scraps of the news that we stumble across or that are handed to us. We are adding to the body of knowledge, but not comprehensively enough to be considered a credible “news” source.

Ultimately, I believe, digital media needs to create its own content and its own economic base. That means (a) charging subscriptions (a non-starter), (b) generating advertising, (c) raising money through sponsorships and foundation grants, and/or (d) sharing resources. If this is not a topic that we can discuss in the upcoming Sorenson Institute blog conference, perhaps it is one that can be considered in a follow-up assembly.

The Town of Herndon is ground zero for two intertwined debates, one local, one national.

The local debate is over a proposal to create a site where day laborers, predominately Hispanic, can gather for the purpose of getting hired to work for contractors and individuals. These laborers are currently mingling at a 7-11 in the town, creating something of a nuisance.

The national debate is over illegal immigration. Part of the opposition to the planned location argues that a government funded meet-up location is tacitly encouraging illegal immigration.

I know the slogan says “think globally, act locally,” but in this case I think those fighting the illegal immigration problem by fighting a gathering location is misguided. Defeating a meet-up location won’t make a dent in the national illegal immigration problem, but establishing a designated place will do a lot for local orderliness.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a news story on the controversy; the Washington Post had an editorial supporting the meet-up location.

The executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission was asked to resign yesterday amidst charges that not enough of the money appropriated to the Commission was being spent on indigent defense. Meredith Bonny of the Richmond Times-Dispatch has the complete story here, including this:

Betsy Wells Edwards is director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Coalition, a nonprofit group aimed at improving and reforming the indigent-defense system. She said pay and a lack of resources for public defenders offices and court-appointed attorneys in Virginia are long-standing issues.

“It’s embarrassing,” she said, explaining that in Virginia, court-appointed attorneys are paid $112 per misdemeanor charge. “You can’t even keep the lights on for that.”

Others agreed.

“We still have a long way to go in terms of providing good quality representation,” said Steve Benjamin, a defense attorney and member of the commission.

Meanwhile, Jerry Kilgore is criticized for suggesting that he would work with various groups to find a way to increase funding to indigent defense attorneys.

From one end of Virginia’s political spectrum to the other, from Kaine to Kilgore, individuals, groups and organizations yesterday denounced the Marrs fundraising letter. (See Schapiro piece in today’s T-D). To all of them–Bravo! Will this be the end of such bigotry? No. But it helps. It is a starting point. And it started here, with the Jim Bacon post.

Let us pause from gay-baiting fundraising letters, flat earther/scorched earther pronouncements, and blogger navel-gazing to consider some theoretical economics.

We’ve talked about the housing bubble at some length here at Bacon’s Rebellion. Today, Steve Landsburg, who writes an “Everyday Economics” column for Slate, speculated on the cause of the housing bubble.

While the cost of housing should be cost of land + construction costs + reasonable profit for the developer, there is a “mystery component” that is adding to the jacked-up prices being seen. Landsburg cites a University of Pennsylvania study that suggests this “mystery component” is a complex “zoning tax” that varies by locality.

Surprisingly, the areas included in the study omitted Northern Virginia, but did include Norfolk.

It’s thought provoking stuff for wonks and wonkabes.

Del. Bradley Marrs, R-Chesterfield, has attacked a $10,000 contribution to his independent challenger, Katherine B. Waddell, which he characterized as coming from a “wealthy homosexual businessman.” Though not referring to him by name, Marrs apparently was alluding to George M. “Mac” Pence III, a local automobile dealer who is gay. As quoted by Jeff Schapiro in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, Marrs wrote:

But most recently, Mrs. Waddell accepted another big donation from a wealthy homosexual businessman active in the lobbying efforts of the homosexuals’ advocacy group, Equality Virginia. That donation was for TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!

In an interview, Marrs suggested that Waddell “may be” in favor of same-sex marriage and extending adoption rights to gay and lesbian couples, both of which he opposes. Waddell declined to state her views on those issues.

Well, let’s see now… Let’s apply Marrs’ logic to the $10,500 contribution that he received from personal injury law firm Allen & Allen.

But most recently, Mr. Marrs accepted another big donation from wealthy personal injury lawyers at Allen & Allen, who make their money by suing businesses. That donation was for TEN THOUSAND, FIVE-HUNDRED DOLLARS!!

In an interview, Jim Bacon suggested that Marrs “may be” in favor of filing frivolous lawsuits and shaking down businesses, while pocketing outrageous contingency fees, all of which he opposes.

“Republicans who raise taxes are rat heads in Coke bottles.” Grover Norquist, un-elected, self-appointed Grand Hyena of the Flat Earth Society, The New Yorker, August 1, 2005.

Note to centrists: Stand down. Take some time off. Go to the beach. Give this guy all the running rope he wants.

Gov. Mark R. Warner’s credibility as a potential presidential candidate got a big boost today in the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page. Stephen Moore, founder of the Club for Growth, quoted national Democratic Party insiders as describing Warner as “the primary alternative to Hillary Clinton” in seeking the 2008 Demo nomination and that “he would be the party’s strongest conceivable general election candidate.”

Moore cites Warner’s track record as a successful entrepreneur, as a moderate in the Bill Clinton mold, and his skepticism of Democratic Party pieties, quoting him as attacking Washington Democrats for “defending the same government programs, thinking they are going to get us new results.”

Of course, Moore is no friend of Mark Warner. He attacks the Governor’s claim to be a fiscal conservative, and in particular his campaign promise not to raise taxes — followed by his support for the regional sales tax initiatives and then the successful $1.4 billion-a-biennum tax increase of 2004. Says Moore:

Gov. Warner alleges that the tax hike was necessary to balance the budget and preserve the state’s triple-A bond rating. That was mostly a canard. Months before the tax hike was enacted, the state’s revenue office reported a massive 7.5% surge in tax receipts from the previous year due to the national economic recovery. This year, with the higher tax rate, tax receipts have exploded by 12 % [Actually, closer to 15 percent-Editor] and the state legislature is swimming in a green river.

Also, asserted Moore, “The Virginia state budget has expanded by 26% over Gov. Warner’s tenure, about twice the national average for the states.” Still, none of those inconvenient facts have stopped Demo party pros from trumpeting “Clinton-Warner” as the dream ticket in 2008.

Washington Post reporter Michael Shear offers his take here on the blogger conference call with Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine. He more or less accuses bloggers of trashing Kaine in print but engaging in a “lovefest” during the call. I’d disagree; bloggers were respectful and listened; we weren’t trying to debate him or cheer him on.

Shear zings yours truly with the unkindest cut of all: asking a softball question. I’m not particularly chastened by the charge, but I do want to set the record straight. My question about economic development came at the end of the call. Kaine’s campaign manager was trying to wrap up, but Kaine said he’d take one more question. I jumped in and asked a question I had not formulated ahead of time. Shear did not quote my question fully. I suggested that the current state program for helping small businesses seemed to consist of signing them up to be state vendors. Kaine did not respond to that part of the question.

As a writer for Bacon’s Rebellion, I wanted to ask questions that pertained to things we write about here frequently. Waldo got the transportation question first; I asked about state government efficiency/reorganization and economic development.