Bacon's Rebellion

  • Virginia School Officials Should Not Be Their Own Regulators

    Posted on

    by

    Todd Truitt

    by Todd Truitt

    As Virginia’s new Democratic Governor, Abigail Spanberger will soon shape the direction of public education statewide through five appointments to the Virginia Board of Education. Based on her longstanding focus on transparency and eliminating conflicts of interest, her administration can chart a different course with respect to a recent Virginia practice.

    The Spanberger administration will have to consider an important question in choosing these appointees: Should current school district or school officials serve on the very board that regulates them?

    As a licensed attorney and Certified Public Accountant—professions governed by strict conflict-of-interest rules—I strongly believe the answer should be no.

    This is not about personal character. It is about institutional design, good governance, national best practices and, in particular, public confidence in our public school system.

    (more…)

  • The $4 to $5 Billion in Tax Hikes the Assembly is Approving

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    The tax increase proposals still pending at the 2026 General Assembly will extract another $4 to $5 billion annually from Virginians if enacted, shared between the state and the local governments.    

    The Democrats in political control have taken a bow for producing competing budget proposals that are not dependent on major tax increases, and for killing the large income tax increase and sales tax expansions some of their members proposed.  That does not mean there will be no tax increases forwarded to Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) for approval.

    Three proposals will impact most households and one of them was already signed by Spanberger, with the other two endorsed by her and expected to be signed.  There are at least five other pending bills which will produce revenue from specific transactions that only some Virginians will have to pay, transactions they can choose to avoid. 

    The most unusual and noteworthy of those is a state gross receipts tax on the sale of firearms or ammunition of 11 percent, a far higher tax rate than any sales tax imposed anywhere in Virginia and far higher than the gross receipts taxes imposed on retailers by Virginia local governments.  

    (more…)

  • Virginia Sanctuary Funding: Following the Money Trail

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    The financial infrastructure behind Virginia’s transformation

    by Jeff Bayard

    Map of Virginia showing current and upcoming sanctuary policies, with areas of current sanctuary policies in dark red and areas at risk under 2026 legislation in a lighter shade.

    In Part 1, we documented the sanctuary architecture already built across Virginia. In Part 2, we identified the organizations executing the playbook. Now we follow the money—tracing Virginia sanctuary funding to its sources.

    Policy campaigns require staff, offices, lobbyists, and lawyers. Someone pays for all of it. Our investigation traces funding flows from major national foundations through policy organizations to Virginia advocacy groups. The trail leads to familiar names.

    The three-tier funding model

    Virginia sanctuary funding follows a model refined over two decades. It operates on three tiers.

    Tier 1: Major Foundations. At the top sit wealthy foundations that have made immigration policy a strategic priority. The most significant include George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Ford Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation.

    Tier 2: National Policy Organizations. Foundation money flows to national groups that develop strategy, create model legislation, and coordinate campaigns. Key players include the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and the national ACLU.

    Tier 3: State Advocacy Groups. Money reaches organizations that execute campaigns in specific states. In Virginia, this includes CASA, the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC), the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR), and ACLU of Virginia.

    Money flows down. Model legislation flows up. The coordination is documented. Here’s what we found.

    (more…)

  • Extended Teacher Leave Entitlement Could Hit Schools Hard

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Derrick A. Max

    The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran my guest column this morning that warns of the significant learning loss that will likely occur from the Paid Family and Medical Leave bill (SB2) that is quickly winding its way to the Governor’s desk for her promised signature.

    As I have written previously, the Virginia General Assembly is about to pass the most expansive and expensive paid leave bill in the country — one that will increase its utilization and cripple small businesses.

    Today’s article exposes the likely impacts it will have on our already struggling schools, as teachers who already get summers off are covered in this bill. As I wrote in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

    Research has repeatedly shown that teacher absences reduce student learning. One national study found that each additional stretch of teacher absence lowered student achievement in measurable ways, particularly in math, because substitute instruction rarely matches the effectiveness, pacing and subject mastery of the regular classroom teacher.

    (more…)

  • Virginia’s Sanctuary Playbook

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A coordinated national campaign is targeting the Commonwealth.

    by Jeff Bayard

    Map of Virginia highlighting areas with current sanctuary policies in red and regions at risk under 2026 legislation in a lighter shade, titled 'Sanctuary Virginia: Now vs. Coming'.

    Part 2 of a 3-part investigative series: Virginia’s sanctuary transformation — happening while you weren’t watching

    This is not grassroots advocacy. Virginia’s sanctuary playbook follows a documented national pattern—one developed by policy organizations, funded by major foundations, and already deployed in California, Oregon, Illinois, and Colorado. Our investigation reveals the coordinated campaign now targeting the Commonwealth.

    In Part 1, we examined what sanctuary jurisdictions are and the architecture already built across Virginia. Now we expose how this happened—and who made it happen.

    The sanctuary playbook Virginia is following

    Over the last decade, national advocacy groups have developed a repeatable pattern for sanctuary policy. Their strategy starts by limiting local participation in enforcement. Next comes building out local “trust” policies. Finally, they lock restrictions into state law. Their own materials describe how this approach has spread from early states like California and Oregon to newer targets.

    (more…)

  • Virginians for Ayatollahs

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A protest poster announcing a National Day of Action on March 2, demanding to stop the war on Iran. The design features bold yellow text on a black background, highlighting the date and message.

    The Answer Coalition posted a call online on Feb. 28 for support of their Day of Protest on March 2 at 39 locations across the country against the US. and Israel war against Iran.     

    “Initial co-sponsors of this day of protest include: ANSWER Coalition, The People’s Forum, National Iranian-American Council, Democratic Socialists of America, Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine, Black Alliance for Peace, CODEPINK, Center on Conscience and War, About Face.”

    One location is in Richmond, Virginia.

    Donations are being collected online by Progress Unity Fund PUF/Answer Coalition.

    On Saturday, Feb. 28, Columbia University’s largest anti-Israel group, “CUAD (Columbia University’s Apartheid Divest) held a gathering with signs in Persian saying,” Death to America,” according to a NY POST report online on Mar. 1. The group was forced to remove the phrase from X or face removal of the page.

    — Carol Bova

  • When a Weary Party Makes Its Stand

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    The April 21 redistricting referendum will be a test of courage worthy of the Commonwealth’s Founding Generation.

    by David Botkins

    Close-up portrait of a smiling man with short light-colored hair, wearing a dark blazer and a checked shirt.
    David Botkins

    There are moments when the question before us as Republicans and as Virginians is not simply what we believe, but whether we still have the courage to act on those beliefs.

    We are in such a moment now — a moment of crisis, yes, but also a moment of choosing. We stand at a crossroads in the life of our Commonwealth. The political landscape has shifted beneath our feet. Republicans are exhausted, demoralized, and outnumbered. Institutions we trusted have been bent, the rules rewritten, and our voters pushed to the margins. It is tempting to hope that courts, national figures, or the next election cycle will somehow reverse the tide.

    But deep down, we know the truth: no one is coming to save Virginia but Virginians themselves.

    And that realization brings me back to the 250th anniversary of the nation we helped birth. The idea that free people can govern themselves was not theoretical here. It was lived, defended, and handed down. Now it falls to us — weary as we may be — to decide whether that inheritance will endure.

    A commonwealth under one-party rule

    For the first time in years, Democrats hold every statewide office and both chambers of the General Assembly. That is the result of recent elections. But what they have chosen to do with that power should alarm anyone who believes in balance, fairness, and the integrity of our institutions.

    (more…)

  • Data Center Showdown

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Tuesday, February 24 was cold and blustery at the Arlington Courthouse, where the Court of Appeals was meeting. Welcome to the front lines of the “Third Battle of Manassas,” which has been going on for 3.5 years — just a few months less than the American Civil War.

    A man in a light coat speaks to reporters outside a courthouse, surrounded by journalists with microphones and notepads. The scene captures a busy atmosphere with urban buildings in the background.
    Chap Petersen speaking to media.

    What’s at stake? The future of western Prince William County and really the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, which has been Ground Zero for data center development over the past decade. A quick recap of the relevant facts:

    In December 2023, the Prince William County Board approved “the Digital Gateway” (a/k/a “Wheeler’s Folly”) — a massive development featuring 37 data centers spread over 2,000 acres. The largest data center project in U.S. history, it is sited directly adjacent to Manassas Battlefield, displacing open fields and farms where over 100,000 Americans gathered for battle.

    In an event defining the term Deus ex machina, the County failed to timely place the advertisement for the December 2023 public hearing. Faced with a “lame duck” Board that would lose their seats on December 31, the developer chose to proceed with the hearing anyway … and here we are.

    Tuesday’s argument consolidated two appeals, each challenging the Board’s flawed rezoning. My clients are neighboring landowners, including the American Battlefield Trust, who seek to preserve the rural crescent. (My very able co-counsel is Craig Blakeley of Alliance Group representing Oak Valley HOA). We are opposed by a half-dozen major law firms representing the top legal talent in Virginia. The Appeals Court judges were well-prepared and peppered us with questions. They will be ruling within a few weeks and, very likely, the case will continue to the Supreme Court, unless the Prince William County Board chooses to admit its mistake and pull the plug.

    (more…)

  • VMI Under Siege

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    The fight for military excellence is only beginning.

    Plaque displaying the name 'Virginia Military Institute' and the year it was established, 1839.

    by Bronson Winslow

    After regaining full control of Virginia’s government in November, Democrats swiftly abandoned their carefully cultivated image of moderation.

    Already by January they had begun advancing sweeping ideological priorities, with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates at the forefront. Among their most prominent targets was the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), an institution deeply entrenched in the history of Virginia.

    The decision to target VMI was not made on a whim. It was the continuation of a “progressive” war started by former Gov. Ralph Northam (D), himself a VMI alumnus who called for an independent investigation into the school in 2020, spurred by a Washington Post article claiming the school promoted a racist and sexist environment.

    Unsurprisingly to those of us who know VMI well, the investigation concluded that “VMI has no explicitly racist or sexist policies that it enforces,” and further stated, “the investigation did not identify conclusive violations of Title VI or Title IX.” Despite this, the report alleges “an overall racist and sexist culture” at VMI—and Democrats ran with it.

    (more…)

  • Hazing Revisited

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Five young men sitting around a table adorned with a white lace tablecloth, casually sipping tea from small cups. The table is filled with various pastries and snacks, and the background features a warm and cozy room with decorative items and a 'PARTY' banner.
    Image credit: Chat GPT

    by Buddy Weber

    Last week, the Free Press published an article by Catherine Morrissette, “Why Hazing Makes Better Men.” The impetus for the article was the release of some police body cam footage of an initiation ritual in the basement of a fraternity at the University of Iowa. The footage went viral and the responses on social media were uniformly negative.

    She wrote:

    In less than a week, it has accumulated over a million views on YouTube, and over 50 million on X. “Crazy what men will do for the validation of other men,” reads one X post with almost 500,000views. “It’s really a grooming ritual—training members to normalize exploitation, hierarchy, and silence,” reads another. The New York Post called the incident “disturbing.”

    The university suspended the fraternity for violating its policy on hazing.

    Although her headline characterized the incident as hazing, she likened it to historic rites of initiation for young men. She wrote:

    As uncomfortable as the video appears, these young men are going through something together—and the disgust and discomfort are exactly the point. (more…)

  • What Do You Want In Your Neighborhood (and City)?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Jon Baliles

    For some time now, the city has been engaged in an effort to update the city’s zoning ordinance which was written in 1976. Richmond has come a loooong way in that time in many ways and in other ways…not so much. The latest zoning effort, known as Code Refresh, has generated much discussion and debate about how to grow the city in the decades ahead. Richmond is landlocked and cannot annex any of the surrounding counties (which I’m sure they’re thankful for); nevertheless, in order for Richmond to grow, it needs to grow up (literally and figuratively) and it needs to spur growth and development vacant and undeveloped properties, of which there are plenty.

    The Code Refresh effort has held numerous public sessions over the last year plus and the process has drawn much discussion and debate, sometimes intensely so. There is a school of thought that the city needs to maximize density on just about every single property no matter where it is, and there is a school at the other end of the spectrum that wants little to no change or rewriting the zoning code. As usual, the truth and the solution are usually found somewhere in the middle.

    The second phase of the city’s public comment period on Code Refresh is coming to a close on March 1st (Sunday), so you have a chance to weigh in if you have not already done so. The city created a helpful, interactive map where you look at your neighborhood and see what changes are proposed and participate and add comments and register your support, concern or displeasure. The goal is to have City Council approve parts or all of Code Refresh sometime later this year, so this weekend might be your last chance before Council considers it.

    (more…)

  • Criminal with Long History of Arrests Allegedly Stabs Woman to Death in Fairfax County

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Hans Bader

    On Monday, Stephanie Minter was stabbed to death at a bus shelter in Fairfax County’s Hybla Valley. Convicted criminal Abdul Jalloh was arrested for the killing. He was out of jail and free to allegedly commit this crime, despite having a long record of arrests for violent felonies such as rape and malicious woundings, and despite having been convicted in a 2023 case.

    Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with wavy hair, wearing a striped shirt, in a well-lit indoor setting.
    No second chances for Stephanie Minter

    He exited the bus with her moments before the stabbing. Police arrested him the next day after he allegedly engaged in shoplifting at a liquor store. Police also “connected him to a larceny that occurred earlier in the day” in Woodlawn, reports WJLA.

    “Fairfax County arrest records show Jalloh has more than 30 prior arrests, including five malicious wounding cases filed between 2023 and 2025. Other charges included assault, battery and theft-related offenses. Court records indicate the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office dismissed the violent charges in each case, resulting in his release,” reports The Fairfax Times. Critics blame those dismissals by Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano for the tragedy.

    News4 notes that “Jalloh has a lengthy criminal history, according to Virginia criminal case records, which includes multiple assault larceny, assault and felony malicious wounding charges in May and August 2025.” “FOX 5 looked into Jalloh’s criminal history,” and found that although he has been arrested many times, “In most of those cases, prosecutors chose to drop charges.”

    Descano’s office also allows an abnormally high fraction of killers to escape conviction by agreeing to their insanity pleas.

    (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Day

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Close-up of cooked bacon strips on a wooden surface with a humorous text overlay about bacon being 73% fat and salty.

  • Expanded PIPP Pulls $360 Million from Power Bill Piggy Bank

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    The expansion of an existing state electricity-bill subsidy program under legislation pending at the 2026 General Assembly could add up to $360 million to the annual cost during its first full year of implementation. 

    The Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) has produced a detailed fiscal impact analysis for House Bill 884, which revamps the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), first authorized in 2020. The bill would raise the eligibility threshold to bring in more participants and increase the financial benefit they would receive.

    The Department of Planning and Budget left out one little detail in its five-page report. PIPP is funded by ratepayers, not taxpayers. All the money for higher benefits and the administrative overhead would come from the ratepayers of Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power Company. PIPP is not available to the rural cooperatives’ customers.  

    House Bill 884 (that link is to the current bill text) has passed the House of Delegates 63-34 and is pending in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee. The final House vote happened February 17 and the financial estimate is dated February 21, so it may not have been part of the record before the House voted, even though it shows up with the vote on the legislative tracking page.

    (more…)

  • 191 UVA Faculty Materially Mislead the UVA Community

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by The Jefferson Council

    Prejudiced professors fail to do their homework

    A letter signed by 191 University of Virginia faculty members accuses the Board of Visitors of running a “sham” process, engaging in “hasty” behavior, and conducting a “secretive” search in selecting Scott Beardsley as UVA’s next President. These are serious charges leveled against serious people. They deserve serious scrutiny.

    They don’t survive it.

    The letter is a case study in what happens when predetermined conclusions go looking for evidence rather than the other way around. It is riddled with unsubstantiated accusations, embarrassing omissions, and at least one central claim that is provably, demonstrably false, as anyone who bothered to read both Beardsley’s and Jim Ryan’s presidential employment contracts would immediately know.

    The UVA community (students, alumni, donors, administrators and faculty who did not sign) deserves to know what this letter actually is: advocacy dressed as scholarship, and sloppy advocacy at that.

    The “poison pill” that isn’t — the letter’s most damning error

    Let’s start with the claim that should disqualify the letter’s authors from being taken seriously on contract matters: the assertion that Scott Beardsley’s employment agreement contains a presidential “poison pill” making it financially catastrophic to remove him.

    This is false. It’s not debatable and not a matter of interpretation.

    (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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