Bacon's Rebellion

  • VMI Loses DEI Court Case: a Win-Win Situation

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Jake Spivey

    In Virginia’s ever-shifting landscape of diversity, equity, or opportunity, and inclusion, a powerful decision has been made. Following the sensational, yet unproven, allegations of exceptionally bad behavior and poor leadership at Virginia Military Institute in late autumn 2019, the administration and Board of Visitors attempted to quickly effect conclusive actions that would correct their unproven ills. A prime effort by the administration would be delivery of DEI training to staff, faculty, and the Corps of cadets. Unfortunately, in its haste to instigate the training, VMI circumvented the state’s procurement laws. By sidestepping the proper legal path for solicitations and contracts, VMI became vulnerable to protest by competing but unsuccessful contractors.

    After a series of hearings before Judge Christopher B. Russell, the judge rendered a verdict finding VMI in “Violation of Virginia Public Procurement Act and/or the Rules Governing Procurement of Goods, Services, Insurance and Construction by a Public Institution of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” The judge’s decision represents a loss for VMI and its legal counsel,  an alumnus. VMI’s attorneys tried but repeatedly failed to have the case dismissed on technicalities rather than argue the merits of VMI’s actions when pursuing the DEI training contract. (more…)

  • Like It or Not, Solar Farms May Be On Their Way

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Kerry Dougherty 

    I know it’s winter and Virginia is not looking her best. But if you have nothing else to do this weekend, may I suggest you take a drive into the rural corners of the commonwealth and soak up the bucolic scenery.

    Check out those cotton fields along Route 58 west toward Danville, even though most of the cotton has been harvested. Check out the farmland of the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck. Then head out toward Lexington and north to the orchards of the Shenandoah Valley. Don’t forget to take a drive up the Eastern Shore past the thousands of acres that in summer give us potatoes, tomatoes and corn. Lastly, zip out to Pungo where the fields will be full of strawberries in a few months

    While you’re driving, take a gander at the beautiful old growth forests that blanket much of the Old Dominion.

    In fact, take a good, long look. Drink it in. Vow to never forget the beauty that was once Virginia.

    Because next time you pass through these areas you may see nothing but the glare of solar panels. The wildlife that once inhabited the land? The birds that nested in the trees? The produce that flourished in the fields? Gone.

    If Democrats in Richmond have their way, that is. (more…)

  • The Monster at the End of the Book

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    We have created a monster. The genie is out of the bottle. Whatever metaphor you want to use, there is no going back and the way forward poses great dangers. The monster or genie is AI.

    The media are full of the promising possibilities of AI improving our lives—great leaps in medicine, science, technology, manufacturing, etc. There is less discussion of the effects of having leaders in business and government, as well as the bureaucrats in those spheres, who are incapable of composing a coherent paragraph on their own due to their reliance on ChatGPT through high school and college.

    What really concerns me is the potential of AI for politics; elections in particular. Candidates, or, more likely, sympathetic groups, could release recordings having opposing candidates seeming to say what they did not say. For example, residents of New Hampshire recently received a robocall with what sounded like the voice of Joe Biden urging them to skip the primary election there.

    For the upcoming election, think of the effect of a video surfacing that showed Trump doing what the Steele dossier alleged he did in Russia. There is no doubt this is possible. After all, last fall, a group of teenage boys in New Jersey, being teenage boys, circulated pictures of girls in their classes with nude bodies (not theirs). Experts say that all it takes is an iPhone and easily accessible AI software.

    I have been mulling all this over for a while. It turns out that I was not thinking broadly enough. In addition to being a possible weapon, the existence of AI provides politicians “plausible deniability,” as one expert explained. FOX News recently ran an ad comprised of well-documented gaffes of Trump. He responded, “The perverts and losers at the failed and once disbanded Lincoln Project, and others, are using A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) in their Fake television commercials in order to make me look as bad and pathetic as Crooked Joe Biden, not an easy thing to do.”

    I should not have been surprised at this response. After all, this is a man who insists, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary, that the 2020 election was stolen. And millions of people accept his version. I expect that, at some point in the upcoming year, Trump or some group allied with him, will be claiming that all the footage showing the January 6 attack on the Capitol was AI-generated.

    It used to be said, “Seeing is believing.” That is no longer true. We are entering a world in which we will not know what to believe. We will not know whether to believe that what we see, pictures, video, film, etc., is real or AI-generated. Truth will become elusive. Or, perhaps truth and reality will cease to exist as objective concepts and become whatever one defines it to be at that moment.

  • Failure is not an Option with Proposed SOL Revisions

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    by

    Bob Rayner

    Glenn Youngkin

    by Charles Pyle

    During summer and fall 2021, Glenn Youngkin tapped into rising parent frustration over prolonged school closures and a general unease about falling student achievement in Virginia’s public schools. 

    Although a newcomer to state politics, Youngkin had the data and evidence to show the correlation between the lowering of expectations for students and schools under his two Democratic predecessors and declining achievement on state and national assessments. 

    Youngkin seized on the performance of Virginia students on the pre-pandemic 2019 national reading and math tests to highlight the consequences — especially for minority students — of lowering standards. He correctly pointed out that Virginia’s definitions for proficiency relative to national expectations were the lowest in the nation.

    The challenge Youngkin faced as he took office mirrored what confronted George Allen 28 years ago following sharp declines in student achievement on the 1994 national reading and math tests. 

    Allen saw the results as a call to action. His Commission on Champion Schools laid the foundation for the Standards of Learning program, and Allen went on to become the most consequential Republican “education” governor of the 20th century. 

    Allen launched the SOL reform despite Democratic majorities in both houses of the General Assembly and at times fierce opposition from the education establishment. But over time, the performance of Virginia students improved, and the “SOL wars” ended as a bipartisan consensus emerged around standards and accountability. (more…)

  • Virginia Legislation Would Define Raising Rent to Keep Pace with Inflation as ‘Rent Gouging’

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    from the Liberty Unyielding blog

    Raising rent to keep up with inflation isn’t what most people would consider “rent gouging,” even when the landlord has to increase rent by more than 7%. For example, Washington, DC’s rent control board allowed landlords to raise rents on most tenants 8.9% in 2023, to compensate for the 6.9% inflation in Washington, DC that occurred in the previous year. But pending bills in Virginia’s legislature would allow local governments to adopt “anti-rent gouging” ordinances, that would define raising rent by more than the lesser of 7%, or inflation, as illegal “rent gouging.”

    The legislation states that once a local government has adopted “anti-rent gouging provisions,” it “shall prohibit any rent increase … of more than the locality’s annual anti-rent gouging allowance,” defined as the “percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index...or seven percent, whichever is less.” So if inflation is 8% — as it was nationally in 2022 — the landlord can only raise rent by 7%, at most. And the landlord might not be allowed any inflation adjustment at all, because under the legislation, a local government “may” — not must — “allow rent increases” to compensate for inflation.

    So landlords will become poorer and poorer due to inflation under the ordinances authorized by the legislation.

    This seems unfair. Why shouldn’t landlords be able to raise rent to keep pace with inflation? Most tenants get pay raises or cost-of-living increases to compensate for inflation. American workers’ wages grew faster than inflation in most of the past decade, and over the cumulative ten-year period. Federal workers commonly get pay raises to offset inflation. Retirees get annual increases in their social security payments based on cost-of-living adjustments. With their increased wages, tenants should be able to pay rent that rises with inflation. But under the legislation, they could avoid doing so, and pay less than the market rate.

    Effectively, this legislation would allow local governments to adopt very harsh rent control. Currently, Virginia does not have any rent control laws, either at the local government level, or at the state level. Like most states, Virginia has viewed rent control as a bad idea. Thirty-three states preempt local governments from adopting rent regulation laws.

    But this legislation — which is pending in both houses of Virginia’s legislature as HB 721 and SB 366 — would for the first time give local governments in Virginia the power to impose rent control. (more…)

  • Rebellion Within the Rebellion: The Wayward Militiamen of Rockingham

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    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Karl Rhodes

    Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing; as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions indeed generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them.”

    Perhaps this was the principle at work in March 1862, when a significant number of Virginians in Rockingham County refused to comply with Gov. John Letcher’s declaration that all militiamen in the Shenandoah Valley must answer the bell for round two of the Civil War.

    The first inkling of this little-known rebellion within the rebellion came from the pen of Jedediah Hotchkiss, who would become Stonewall Jackson’s topographer. “The Rockingham militia has been released for 10 days,” he wrote on March 18, as he passed through the county on his way to Jackson’s headquarters at Winchester. “They are quite averse to going.”

    It was certainly no surprise to Hotchkiss or to Jackson that groups of Mennonites and Dunkers (German Baptist Brethren) were captured in mid-March as they tried to flee through the mountains of Western Virginia. But these nonviolent deserters were not alone in their refusal to return to the war. Jackson’s 10-day grace period had ended, and quite a few Rockingham militiamen were still AWOL. Some of these men had volunteered for military service at the start of the war, and under Virginia law, their one-year military obligation was about to expire. More disgruntled men joined the Rockingham Rebellion after March 29, when Governor Letcher proclaimed that all Virginia militiamen would be inducted as privates into “volunteer companies” of the Confederate ranks.

    “There is much uproar among the militia,” Hotchkiss wrote. “I am glad that I have made my escape from the militia [onto Jackson’s staff] before this proclamation.” (more…)

  • Serious Tax Reform Addressing a Serious Problem

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    Chris Braunlich

    By Chris Braunlich

    The American linguist Yogi Berra once said of a New York City restaurant: “Nobody goes there anymore.  It’s too crowded.”

    Overcrowding, however, isn’t what motivates a move to a state (or from a state).  Those decisions are inspired by robust economic activity, jobs for residents, and a pathway for each generation to do better than their parents did.  People move for a job, for higher pay, for lower cost of living, or for a better education. (more…)

  • A Doggone Tale

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    State Sen. Tammy Mulchi (R-Mecklenburg)    Photo credit: Mecklenburg Sun

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    A recent special election in Southside Virginia is a stark illustration of  how a small special interest group can exercise out-sized power.

    In mid-December, long-time state Sen. Frank Ruff (R-Mecklenburg), announced he was resigning from the Senate, shortly after having been re-elected to a seventh term.  He had received a diagnosis of cancer in October and was facing a strict regimen of treatment.  Gov. Glenn Youngkin set Jan. 9 as the date for a special election to fill the seat.

    Ruff’s announcement caught most people by surprise.  According to the reporting of David Poole in the Mecklenburg Sun , two people who were not surprised by the announcement were Tammy Mulchi, Ruff’s legislative aide, whom he endorsed in his resignation announcement, and Kirby Burch, the leader of the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance.  Both got advance notice from Ruff of his impending resignation announcement. (more…)

  • Jeanine’s Memes

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    From Jeanine’s Memes

  • Bacon Meme of the week

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

  • Index Minimum Wage? Do the Tax Code, Too.

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    By Steve Haner

    One bill that certainly is heading for Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk is the increase in the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour as of two years from now. Both versions, House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1, raise it to $13.50 for next year, with the $15 level kicking in a year later. Both bills are now out of their first committees.

    It was a campaign promise. The Democrats in both chambers coordinated to make it their first bill of the year on both sides. Smart marketing. Soon the Republican governor must decide whether it becomes his first veto, with Republican legislators then having to vote to sustain it or not. (more…)

  • An American Opportunity Story, from Missouri to Virginia

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    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Dan Stoddard

    Though some of today’s political leaders and commentators may try to tell us that the American Dream is dead – or was always a myth – they are wrong.  America is still the Land of Opportunity.  Throughout the country there are countless examples of women and men of humble beginnings who have achieved a degree of success and contribution they could hardly have dreamed of as children. I know because I have seen them, I have met them, and (in a small measure) I am one of them. I write this because I want to share with young people and their parents what I believe are keys to that success – keys that for them will unlock those same opportunities for a happy, successful, and fulfilling life in this great country of ours.

    There is nothing particularly special about me – and that is exactly the point.  I have no unique, innate talent (that fifteen-inch vertical leap cut short my hopes of pro basketball career at a very early age). Despite that fact, my life has taken me from a small home in rural Missouri, to becoming a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company here in Virginia. Along the way I’ve travelled to multiple countries; shaken the hands of congressmen, senators, governors, and at least one vice-president; and had the opportunity to serve my country in the United States Navy. I have also been blessed with the ability and the means to serve and contribute to numerous charitable and social welfare organizations over the years.

    So how did a young man who grew up in a mobile home, far out in the country, whose father never finished high school because he left to join the Navy and fight in World War II, and whose mother raised him after having lost a leg in an automobile accident at a young age, have so many opportunities? Application of a simple formula – one that is available to young people of all backgrounds: getting an education, having a thirst for knowledge, accepting that risks and challenges are a part of life and that setbacks are not signs to give up, but opportunities to learn and grow, and a lot of good old-fashioned hard work. Those things, along with integrity, respect for others, strong faith, and love of family and of country, are the quintessential American Values – ones that any young person can and should embrace. (more…)

  • Roanoke’s Murder Crisis

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. (D). During his administration from 2017-2023, Roanoke City has had an unprecedented 123 murders.

    by Scott Dreyer

    Roanoke City, with about 97,000 residents, suffered a record-breaking 31 murders in 2023,causing some to question the city’s leadership and direction.

    Based on public announcements and appearances, how concerned are Roanoke’s leaders about the Star City’s murder pandemic?

    In Mayor Sherman Lea Sr.’s (D) announcement that he will not run for re-election in 2024, he made no-mention of the gun violence / murder crisis or work that needs to be done to address it. His only reference to “guns” was touting the “Formation of the Gun Violence Prevention Commission.” He also boasted the “Removal of Robert E. Lee Memorial,” even though Lee died in 1870.

    Lea ignored these bloody Roanoke benchmarks since he won election as Mayor in 2016:

    • 2017, record-breaking 17 murders (up 41.6% from 2016);
    • 2022, record-breaking 18 murders (up 5.8% from 2021);
    • 2023, record-breaking 31 murders (up 72.2% from 2022);
    • Not counting 2016, 123 murders 2017-2023;
    • First Mayor in Roanoke history where every year in office had double-digit murder rate.

    When Mayor Lea was asked about this situation, a staff member emailed: “Mayor Lea is unable to offer comments and would like to direct you to the City Manager’s office.” (more…)

  • Loudoun County Schools Defy FOIA Requests

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    Insignia, Loudon County Public Schools

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Luke Rosiak is the best investigative reporter in Virginia. There isn’t a close second.

    Several years ago, The Daily Wire reporter uncovered Loudoun County Public Schools’ attempts to hide serial bathroom sexual assaults from the public.

    Rosiak’s reporting ultimately resulted in the firing of former school superintendent Scott Ziegler. And the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who made parents’ rights a cornerstone of his campaign.

    Rosiak is tracking down another potential blockbuster, but school officials in Loudoun are not cooperating. Apparently, they never learn.

    The Daily Wire is now headed to court to try to wrench documents from the hands of secretive Loudoun school officials. These documents will reveal just how much public money the county’s school district blew in recent years settling embarrassing lawsuits.

    So far, school officials are playing cute with FOIA, pretending that certain so-called privacy laws allow them to keep that information secret. (more…)

  • Virginia Bill Would Allow Even Serial Killers to be Released After 15 Years

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    from the  Liberty Unyielding blog

    On January 9, a bill was introduced to let Virginia prison inmates be released after 15 years with the approval of a judge. Even serial killers serving life sentences without parole would be eligible for release. In 2022, a similar bill easily passed the Democratic-controlled state senate, only to die in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates. But this year, Democrats control both houses of Virginia’s legislature, so it may pass.

    The bill, HB 834, would not require all inmates to be released after 15 years, but it would encourage their release by letting judges release inmates based on factors slanted in favor of release, and by giving most inmates the right to a taxpayer-funded lawyer to argue for their release. The bill instructs judges to consider factors that typically favor release, such as “support from” stakeholders for the inmate’s release, “and the petitioner’s efforts to participate in any educational or therapeutic programs.” It does not list factors such as deterrence and retribution, even though the Supreme Court has ruled that those are both valid reasons to keep an inmate in prison, in decisions such as Tison v. Arizona (1987).

    Such early releases would increase crime and make it harder to deter premeditated murders. A 2014 study in the American Economic Journal found that early releases of prison inmates increased Italy’s crime rate. A 1998 study found that longer prison sentences deter violent crimes more effectively than short ones, based on California’s experience after it increased sentences for repeat offenders who commit murder, robbery, or rape. (See Daniel Kessler, et al., Using Sentence Enhancements to Distinguish between Deterrence and Incapacitation, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 6484 (March 1998)). (more…)

Now Available

Book cover of 'Dust Mites: A Second American Revolution' by James A. Bacon, featuring astronauts planting a flag with a blue and white emblem on a lunar landscape, with Earth visible in the background.
For sale on Amazon.com

The year: 2075. The American colonies on the Moon are getting restless under Washington’s tyrannical rule….

This second edition of “Dust Mites” has a snazzy new cover, includes helpful lunar maps, and is 5,000 words tighter than the original. The sequel, “Trogs,” is scheduled for publication this summer.

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Bacon’s Rebellion is Virginia’s leading politically non-aligned portal for news, opinions and analysis about state, regional and local public policy. Read more about us here.

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