Bacon's Rebellion

  • Nuts & Bolts: Modernizing State IT Systems

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A pile of rusty nuts and bolts on a wooden surface.
    Image credit: Grok

    In my last Oinkonomics podcast, I asked former Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings to discuss the commonwealth’s travails in upgrading its financial information systems. In the glory days of Virginia journalism, reporters could have mined these remarks for a half dozen articles. Today? Government-efficiency stories don’t generate clickthroughs, so they don’t get written. — JAB

    Cummings: Two things I’ll talk about in finance, because this was a priority of the Governor. Secretary [of Administration Lyn] McDermid, who was CIO at the Richmond Fed, really focused on this. We had within our cabinet reports a tracker of all IT projects. We’d pause and look at things that were shifting status from green to yellow to red so there’s a conversation to find out what’s going on because state government’s notorious for poor execution in IT.

    In finance, I’d say the two big things are first, the core ERP system, Cardinal, which has a financial function and HR in one package, PeopleSoft. And they installed the finance package starting 10, 12 years ago. They got partway done with it. And then they found they were end-of-life on the old HR system. I don’t know how that was such a surprise, but they had to shift all of their resources off finance over to HR, which means they never really finished the finance package. As a result of that, over 50 agencies had to build their own to close that gap.

    (more…)

  • Public Union Bills Causing Angst Among Local Democratic Officials

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Legislation to expand the potential for union contracts to cover most local and state employees is on the verge of approval if Democrats in the House of Delegates and Senate can reconcile two versions of the bill. 

    They might also have to reconcile with locally elected Democratic officials. Many of them have openly opposed the plan to remove the authority they were granted in 2020 to decide whether their employees could bargain collectively, an option many localities have not taken.

    Local officials also note that that state is leaving with them the burden of paying for the higher salaries and benefit costs which are likely to result. The only additional state dollars being included in the pending budget cover creation of a new Public Employee Relations Board to manage the new bargaining process.

    On the long list of transformative 2026 legislation heading for the desk of new Governor Abigail Spanberger (D), this might have the deepest impact on the state’s political future. Public employee unions are the backbone of her party in the cities and states where they can organize.

    For the first time under these bills, state employees will also be allowed to organize and negotiate a contract. The House bill leaves out employees of the state’s higher education institutions, and the Senate bill exempts home care workers. Both delay implementation until 2028, a planning period the Virginia Education Association complains about on its webpage advocating for these bills. 

    (more…)

  • Jeanine’s Memes

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A humorous depiction of historical figures resembling American Founding Fathers, with one holding a baseball bat, accompanied by a caption referencing Khamenei and '72 Virginians'.

    See more memes at The Bull Elephant.

  • ERIC is Back

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Despite professing concern for election integrity, former Gov. Youngkin pulled Virginia out of Electronic Registration Information Center, Inc., (ERIC), an organization developed to enable states to share data in order to clean up their election rolls and identify people who might try to vote in different states.

    The General Assembly has passed, along party lines,  a bill that would require the Virginia Commissioner of Elections to apply for re-admission to ERIC. Not only does the bill require that the Commonwealth rejoin ERIC, the authors included a provision that would make it difficult for a future governor to withdraw Virginia’s membership again.

    Under the provisions of the bill, a governor could longer withdraw Virginia from ERIC on his/her own initiative, as former Gov. Youngkin was able to do. Rather, the bill would require that, before the state could leave ERIC, two-thirds of the members of the Board of Elections would have to approve. The Board of Elections consists of five members appointed by the governor. Three of the members must be representatives of the party that cast the highest number of votes for governor in the most recent election. Two-thirds of five is 3.335. Therefore, withdrawal from ERIC would require the approval of four members of the Board of Elections. Consequently, at least one of the members from the minority party would have to agree to the withdrawal from ERIC.

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A dog wearing a ski mask in a workshop setting, accompanied by a humorous caption about bacon.

  • Fatal Fairfax Stabbing Sparks Questions About Prosecutor Policies and ICE Cooperation

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
    Republished with permission from IWFeatures

    On Feb. 23, Abdul Jalloh, a Sierra Leone national in the country illegally, fatally stabbed Stephanie Minter, a 41-year-old mother, at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, according to law enforcement.

    Close-up of a smiling woman with wavy brown hair, wearing a black and white striped top, in a well-lit indoor setting.
    Stephanie Minter

    Prior to Minter’s murder, Jalloh, 32, had previously been arrested more than 30 times for multiple offenses, including rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing.

    In more than a dozen of Jalloh’s prior arrests, prosecutors entered “nolle prosequi,” a legal term meaning they chose not to pursue the charges.

    The refusal to pursue charges against Jalloh and the most recent stabbing incident raise critical questions about the county’s notoriously soft-on-crime, George Soros-backed Commonwealth’s Attorney, Steve Descano. Many Fairfax County residents are asking how it’s possible that after more than 30 arrests, Jalloh was still roaming the streets.

    “This case isn’t just a preventable tragedy—it’s criminal negligence by a prosecutor who protects criminals from consequences, especially illegal aliens.” Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, told IW Features. “Descano’s office even has a policy to give illegals preferential treatment, and that dangerous discrimination cost Stephanie Minter her life.” 

    (more…)

  • Why Do Dems Bother?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Assembly majority poised to appoint a judge who hates us.

    by Joe Fitzgerald

    Will Democrats in the General Assembly find a way to piss away their majority?

    Historically, yes. Then they’ll begin looking for a woman to blame it on. (See Filler-Corn, Eileen.)

    A man in a suit and tie sitting at a desk, looking directly at the camera, with a window in the background.
    Todd Gilbert. Photo credit: Washington Post

    Ranking Democrats are currently defending being on the verge of appointing Todd Gilbert to a judgeship. The former Republican speaker of the House of Delegates is a Trump administration reject, fired before he could be confirmed as a U.S. Attorney. He casually stomped on any Democratic initiative in sight when he was in power.

    But judgeships are one of the last bastions of Good Old Boy patronage in Virginia. Nominations are made by the local members of the assembly and approved as a group by the full body. Norfolk Dems pick a judge, Valley Pubs pick a judge, and they all go out for drinks in the Shockoe Slip and talk about how hard they work for their party’s values.

    (more…)

  • A Dangerous Bill

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) Chief patron of HB 333

    The General Assembly has passed, and has sent to the governor for her review, legislation that would require that any  “program of instruction on or relating to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol” shall:

    “1. Not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest;

    2. Not state, suggest, or present as credible a statement or suggestion that there was extensive election fraud that could have changed or actually changed the results of the 2020 presidential election; and

    3. Describe the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol as an unprecedented, violent attack on United States democratic institutions, infrastructure, and representatives for the purpose of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

    This is so wrong on so many levels.  First, the legislature should not be getting into the specifics of what teachers teach.  We are just getting over the argument over whether evolution and creation science should have equal weight in schools.  Second, it sets a dangerous precedent for future legislatures.  For example, many conservatives would love to instruct schools not to teach that climate change is real. Finally, one can hardly, in good conscience, condemn Gov. Youngkin’s prohibition on teaching critical race theory and other “divisive” topics and then prohibit teaching certain ideas concerning the January 6 attacks and the 2020 election and require how the Capitol insurrection must be depicted.

  • Descano Strikes Again

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

  • Fairfax Prosecutor Was Warned Repeatedly About Violent Illegal Alien

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    On Wednesday we wrote about the cruel – and preventable – murder of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter in Fairfax County last month.

    A man smiling while holding a microphone, dressed in a suit against a backdrop featuring an American flag.
    Steve Descano. Commonwralth’s Attorney, Fairfax. Photo credit: WTOP

    She was stabbed to death at a bus stop allegedly by Abdul Jollah, an illegal alien and a one-man crime spree. He had been arrested at least 30 times for everything from rape to assault before police say he wantonly took the life of a random Virginia woman.

    This depraved piece of human excrement should have been deported back to Sierra Leone or to a third country years ago. That didn’t happen due to lazy and lax prosecutors in Fairfax County who care little about law-abiding Americans while wringing their hands over the plight of criminals.

    The commonwealth attorney in Fairfax County is Steve Descano, one of America’s so-called Soros prosecutors who was elected with the support of George Soros, a billionaire who is attempting to tear down the walls of law and order one jurisdiction at a time.

    Wherever you find a soft-on-crime prosecutor chances are he or she was bankrolled by Soros.

    Unfortunately, for those who want to ignore the Jollah case, the best local reporter in Virginia, Nick Minock, is working the story.

    In response to a FOIA request (remember when the legacy media used to FOIA information?) Minock learned that Descano’s office was warned not once, but three times, by Fairfax police that Jollah was violent, dangerous and likely to kill. Continue reading.

  • Justice for Marvin Waters?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A man with a beard and glasses standing outdoors against a clear blue sky.

    Who, you might wonder, is the victim Marvin Waters?

    From his family’s GoFundMe page:

    “On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, our beloved Marvin Waters was taken from us in the most heartbreaking and violent way.

    “He was stabbed and killed while waiting at a bus stop near Richmond Highway and North Kings Highway in Groveton, Fairfax County, Virginia. He was only 32 years old.

    “Marvin didn’t deserve to leave this world like that. He was kind. He was funny. He made people feel seen. He had a whole life ahead of him—full of music, family, stories, and love. We are heartbroken. Marvin was more than just a son, a brother, uncle, and a friend. Marvin could light up a room with just laughter, caring about all the people around him. Marvin brought so much joy into everyday moments, loved by so many people. Now, instead of planning his future, we’re planning how to bring his body home to Portsmouth so we can say goodbye.”

    Click here to help pay for Marvin’s funeral expenses.

    Or click here to help re-elect Steve Descano.

  • Albemarle School Board Moves to Shut Down TPUSA Chapter

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Victoria Manning

    The Albemarle School Board is trying to shut down the largest TPUSA chapter in the nation after the TPUSA club scheduled Erika Kirk to speak at its April meeting.

    Current district policy allows outside speakers on campus. But the school board recently attempted to shut down another conservative speaker attending the TPUSA club — Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb. The Family Foundation’s attorneys challenged the school board, and the board was slapped down when a court intervened.

    Now they’re at it again, with the Albemarle School Board—in Charlottesville—scheduled to have a “special budget work session” at their meeting on March 5, 2026. Yet that isn’t the big item on the agenda. The public most likely has no idea that this meeting is actually an attempt to cancel the Western Albemarle High TPUSA club. The board also doesn’t allow public speakers at their “special” meetings.

    At their Feb. 26th meeting, board member Allison Spillman made a motion to go into closed session to “to advise with regard to legal and safety considerations relating to a recent request from a student organization at Western Albemarle High School to have a presentation by an outside speaker.” Spillman is the same board member who claims to be the parent of a “trans student” and equated TPUSA with the KKK.

    (more…)

  • Losing Trust

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Fairfax County Public Schools: more money, fewer students

    A visual representation of a balance scale, with a bag of money labeled 'Public Funding' on one side and a student walking towards a school labeled 'Enrollment' on the other side, symbolizing the relationship between school funding and student enrollment.

    by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

    There has been a significant decline in enrollment in Virginia’s largest public school district. Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) experienced the largest drop in student enrollment of any district in the state from 2015 to 2025, according to the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. While neighboring Prince William County Public Schools — the state’s second-largest district — grew by 3,970 students, FCPS saw a decrease of 6,894 students during the same period.

    It’s not that the number of school-aged children in Fairfax County is declining — in fact, the opposite is true. From 2019 to 2025, the population of school-aged children increased by more than 9,000. But families with greater financial means and/or flexibility are seeking alternative educational options as concerns grow about the performance and outcomes of the district’s public schools.

    As FCPS leaders request $4.1 billion in the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, many taxpayers are also expressing frustration. Critics rightly argue that increased spending has not translated into improved student outcomes. From 2019 to 2025, average per-pupil expenditures rose by more than $6,000, while average SAT scores declined by 35 points over the same period.

    Not surprisingly, FCPS stopped publishing SAT scores on its website several years ago. In response, the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance regularly submits Freedom of Information Act requests and shares the results publicly.

    (more…)

  • Tightening the Nuts and Bolts

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Former Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings explains how the Youngkin administration saved hundreds of millions of dollars a year through tighter financial controls: more internal audits, better cash flow management, stronger cyber-security, and attention to nuts-and-bolts financial management.

     Jim Bacon: Greetings, everyone. I’m Jim Bacon, and this is the Oinkonomics podcast. In our last podcast, we talked to former finance secretary Steve Cummings, who gave us an overview of the Youngkin administration’s fiscal and economic accomplishments. There was a lot more ground to cover, so Steve has graciously agreed to return for another round. This time, we’re going to take a closer look at the nitty-gritty aspects of keeping Virginia one of the most financially strong states in the country. Welcome back to Oinkonomics, Steve.

    Steve Cummings: Thank you, Jim. Appreciate being back again.

    Bacon: Last time we chatted, you touched upon Governor Youngkin’s thinking that the state secretary of finance should take a CFO-like approach to the job. Traditionally, the position has been organized around budgeting, budget forecasting, collecting revenues, paying bills, and managing debt. But the modern CFO does a lot more. So, let’s start with a high-altitude description of the job as you see it.

    Cummings: I mentioned this in our last conversation that as I got into this role, I realized that many states have different structures to their Secretary of Finance function, and many of them have elected officials that are part of finance, but frankly, those elected officials really aren’t accountable to the Secretary of Finance. And that would typically be in the areas of controller or treasurer. And what’s distinctively different in Virginia from many others, is that it is structured like a true CFO office. I had planning and budget, I had tax revenue collections, I had fund management within Treasury and the group that does debt, and then payments that go outside to vendors and to other constituents that the Commonwealth owes money to.

    (more…)

  • Democrat Groups Invest $19 Million to Pass Redistricting Referendum

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A donkey standing next to a large sack spilling out stacks of money in front of a grand building.
    Image credit: Grok

    by Ken Reid

    Republicans have so far failed to get the state courts  to stop an April 21 referendum to suspend bipartisan redistricting and enable the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to draw new maps to give them a 10-1 advantage in U.S. House races this fall.

    And it would also seem Republicans are at a disadvantage to the Democrats – again! – in raising the money needed to get the gerrymandering defeated at the polls.

    On VPAP.org the other day, I discovered that the top donors in Richmond are not Dominion Power or Michael Bills Clean Virginia, but two Washington, DC-based Democrat groups who are putting a combined in $19 million to pass the referendum.

    House Majority Forward, which VPAP listed as giving $10 million, is described on its web  site “a progressive, non-profit organization committed to promoting economic growth and opportunity, social justice, environmental stewardship, and democracy in the United States of America. We aim to achieve these core goals through aggressive advocacy of policies that move America in the right direction.”

    The president of House Majority Forward is Mike Smith, a longtime Democratic Party staffer. Mike Smith is also the president of the House Majority PAC, a position he has held since January 2023, according to InfluenceWatch.com.

    Punchbowl News Feb. 24 reported the party’s campaign, Virginians for Fair Elections, has already spent $5.3 million on ads and referenced the $10 million from House Majority Forward.  

    The other Democrat money group is “The Fairness Project,” which is listed at $9 million in donations.

    (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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

About

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.

Fund the Rebellion

Shake up the status quo! Your contributions will be used to pay for faster download speeds and grow readership. Make a one-time donation by credit card or contribute a small sum monthly.

Can’t wait until tomorrow

For your Bacon’s Rebellion fix?

Enter your email address to receive immediate notifications of new posts by email.

SUBSCRIBE

Search Bacon’s Rebellion

Categories

Archives

The Jefferson Council

Protecting Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy at the University of Virginia

Forgot Your Password?

Shoot me an email and I’ll generate a new password for you.

Latest