Bacon's Rebellion

  • Makary on Mandates

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Marty Makary

    by James A. Bacon

    For insight into Governor Glenn Youngkin’s approach to managing the COVID-19 epidemic, read the latest column by Marty Makary, a research professor at the Johns Hopkins University, in The Wall Street Journal. He argues that society is paying a high cost for disparaging the immunological resistance that arises from exposure to the COVID virus. 

    Some excerpts from his column:

    Last week the [Centers for Disease Control] released data from New York and California, which demonstrated natural immunity was 2.8 times as effective in preventing hospitalization and 3.3 to 4.7 times as effective in preventing Covid infection compared with vaccination.

    Yet the CDC spun the report to fit its narrative, bannering the conclusion “vaccination remains the safest strategy.” It based this conclusion on the finding that hybrid immunity — the combination of prior infection and vaccination — was associated with a slightly lower risk of testing positive for Covid. But those with hybrid immunity had a similar low rate of hospitalization (3 per 10,000) to those with natural immunity alone. In other words, vaccinating people who already had Covid didn’t significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization.

    (The CDC study can be found here.) (more…)

  • Showdown at the GA Corral

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares recently announced on the nationally televised Laura Ingraham show that “there’s a new sheriff in town.” That new sheriff was gunned down Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    The issue was Miyares’s marquee proposal to broaden the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute criminal cases in circuit court. As originally introduced by Senator Ryan McDougle (R-Hanover) the bill, SB 563, would have enabled sheriffs and police chiefs to request the Attorney General to prosecute cases involving specified violent crimes, without the concurrence of the local Commonwealth’s attorney. (more…)

  • Fairfax County Bars Maggie, 9, and Max, 7, from School

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Asra Nomani

    Brave mama bear Carrie Lukas walked two of her cubs, fourth grader, Maggie, 9, and first grader Max, 7, up to the front doors of Forestville Elementary School here in Fairfax County, Va., for another day at school, but an interim assistant principal barred the two young children entry into the school, citing the school district’s mandatory mask policy.

    The refusal of educational services raises legal issues for new Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares because of state law that protects the right of children in the Commonwealth of Virginia to receive educational services and a new executive order by Youngkin allowing parents the right to choose if their children wear masks at school.

    An officious security official for the school district and a community relations official for the school district, both dispatched to the school over the mask issue, tangled with a local reporter (and local father) whom they demanded stand on the nearby sidewalk. Later, school officials called Fairfax County Police and squad cars arrived, the school district posting a tweet that the police were called on the journalist, not the mother and her children. (more…)

  • Richmond Fentanyl Deaths Reported by RTD. Next: Efforts to Arrest and Prosecute Local Dealers?

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    Sometimes reporters commit errors of omission. Especially when a pet cause is threatened by the facts.

    Left-leaning newspapers, which include the large majority of such outlets, tend to write that an “SUV” ran down a crowd at a Christmas parade or that an “illegal gun” shot a cop. That removes personal agency and assigns guilt to inanimate objects.

    Which in turn allows them to advocate both “eliminate cash bail” and “prison reform” causes while pushing gun control. They stop short of mentioning criminals unless, of course, they can be identified as right-leaning.

    The Richmond Times Dispatch features a 1,200 word story:

    Richmond is Virginia’s overdose capital. Nine of 10 fatal overdoses in the city involve fentanyl. 

    Good reporting. Except for that inanimate object thing again. Fentanyl, in this story, is the equivalent of an SUV or an illegal gun. (more…)

  • First Bill to Amend VCEA Buried by Committee

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    Failed bill may have given the SCC a path to refuse Dominion’s proposed offshore wind project.

    by Steve Haner

    The first of several pending bills to slow Virginia’s rush to an expensive energy future based on unreliable electricity just failed in a Republican-controlled committee. There is every reason to expect the same fate for two other pending measures with similar goals.

    In past years energy bills have gone to a subcommittee, usually for consideration in concert with similar bills on the same topic. House Bill 839, sponsored by Delegate Tony Wilt, R-Harrisonburg, appeared by itself Tuesday on the docket of the full House Commerce and Energy Committee.  (more…)

  • Restoring Process Over Politics

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Shaun Kenney

    Over the last eight years, Virginia Democrats have been swift to impose their will in violation of political process — a fact that continues to frustrate Virginia Republicans on fronts as wide as economic shutdowns, mask mandates, the tearing down of history and war memorials, the imposition of Critical Race Theory in government schools, and the enforcement of gender ideology in state government.

    The list is long and needs to be truncated quickly.

    Republicans acted in November, and with the election of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin there was the hope that incoming Republicans would act with the swiftness and speed demonstrated by the Democrats.

    Yet Youngkin has walked into a few checkpoints. Rather than run over top of them, Youngkin has chosen not to de-escalate but adjust on at least two fronts — namely Northam’s cap-and-trade schematic under RGGI and on repealing the mask mandates.

    But notice the play here. (more…)

  • Homeschooling Interest in Virginia Exceeds that of Other States

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon


    by James A. Bacon

    Virginians have a higher interest in home schooling than would be predicted by their level of education, political leanings, or incomes — demographic factors explored in a report by eLearningWorld.

    Interest in home schooling has soared nationally since the beginning of the COVID epidemic, writes self-described e-Learning technology geek Scott Winstead, and with school closures still in the cards in many districts, there is no indication that interest is diminishing.

    Partnering with Mindnet Analytics, a data science consulting firm, eLearningWorld used online search trends to gauge the level of interest in homeschooling for the 50 states. It found that the level of interest in Virginia was higher than in 35 other states (including the District of Columbia). (more…)

  • Youngkin Backs Virginia Senate, House Bills that Offer Real Coastal Flood Protection

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    Some of us, led by then-Delegate Jason Miyares, have been trying for years to establish a state authority that finally can bring regional storm surge protections to Virginia.

    Now we have a chance. For whatever reasons, we could never get a governor behind the proposal.

    Gov. Youngkin has stepped up and supported HB 847 (Delegate Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack, and SB 569, Senator Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach).

    We now have a chance. (more…)

  • Do Not Move RGGI Tax Into Utility Base Rates

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) is seeking to get Virginia out of a regional carbon tax compact, yet inexplicably has offered supporters of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) a path to protect it.

    His proposal would remove the tax on monthly electric bills which has galvanized opposition and move the cost of the mandated carbon allowances into the base rates of Dominion Energy Virginia. If somebody told Youngkin that was a benefit to the taxpayers, he was misled. It still costs us money.

    Who benefits from his move, especially if it becomes a long-term approach? The utility does, as it is still using ratepayer money, and also the various special interest spending programs now being supported with the RGGI taxes. The state collected $228 million last year and will likely collect $300 million in 2022.

    The proposal is in the form of a budget amendment to House and Senate Bills 29, the so-called “caboose” bill that makes amendments to the budget now in force. As a language amendment to the caboose bill, if adopted, it technically would expire as of June 30, 2022.

    The danger, and do not think for a moment I’m the first to see this, is that the amendment could migrate to House and Senate Bills 30, the new budget, and be in force from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024. By then, the RGGI tax costs would be established as a regular cost of doing business. It would reduce the excess profits that fund the customer rebates like those the State Corporation Commission just ordered and reduce the chance future excess profits might spark a rate cut. (more…)

  • UVA at the Intersection

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    Credit: UVA Today

    by James C. Sherlock

    UVA has forged yet another academic/political merger and named it, with characteristic modesty, the Karsh (major donors) “Institute of Democracy”.

    To those who say the university has more “institutes” and “centers” than bricks, I say give this one a chance until a closer look.

    The executive director is Ms. Melody Barnes. Ms. Barnes’ biography and CV reveal her to have an impressive education and to be well left of center politically. Like nearly every member of the UVa faculty.

    Not that there is anything wrong with that.

    But let’s leave her to it. There is more to assess. (more…)

  • Youngkin The Deficit Budgeteer

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    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    As reported on this blog earlier by Steve Haner, Governor Youngkin has proposed new tax cuts totaling approximately $3.0 billion for the biennium. But the governor was not content with tax cuts. He also wants to spend more. His proposed amendments to the budget introduced by Governor Northam include more than half a billion dollars in new general fund spending. There are no proposals to cut the budget to cover these revenue reductions and additional appropriations.

    Following are some highlights of these new spending proposals (amounts are biennial totals):

    • Charter schools — $150 million
    • Various economic development and employee training programs — $144.8 million
    • State Police Training Academy (capital project) — $65.0 million
    • School resource officers — $51.6 million
    • Cybersecurity — $40.0 million
    • Office of Chief Transformation Officer — $28.0 million
    • HB 599 — local law enforcement — $27.0 million
    • Slavery and Freedom Heritage Site (Richmond) — $10.0 million

    A spreadsheet setting out all the governor’s proposals can be found here. (more…)

  • Don’t Delay Electric Vehicles in Virginia

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Not to mention, they’re unspeakably cool.

    by Alleyn Harned

    In the 2022 General Assembly, Delegate Tony Wilt, R-Harrisonburg, has introduced legislation which will increase consumers’ transportation costs and maintain our dependence on foreign oil. Both consequences are unacceptable in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley region, which produces no oil and stands to benefit greatly from access to renewable technologies.

    On Friday, January 21st, Wilt sent constituents an email mentioning his 2022 legislation, in which he emphasized “clean and affordable energy” in an all-of-the-above energy approach. Then he submitted House Bill 1267, which would delay implementation from 2025 to 2030 of the Advanced Clean Cars Program for low-emission and zero-emission vehicles.

    The delegate’s attempt to delay Virginia’s modest goals for access to electric vehicles will send consumers to neighboring states for the rest of the decade to purchase electric cars. This would benefit the economies of Maryland and North Carolina, limit residents’ choices, and put Virginia at a competitive disadvantage. (more…)

  • The Resistance Is Cohering. And the Media is Part of It.

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    I think Donald Trump might have enjoyed a longer honeymoon with the media than Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares. No, upon reflection, that’s not quite true. The media went into attack mode the day after Trump’s inauguration over the crowd-size controversy (a meaningless issue that Trump largely brought upon himself by his silly insistence that the crowd was bigger than it actually was). By contrast, the media waited three or four days to take out the knives for Youngkin and Miyares.

    Hopefully, we can put at least one ginned-up media controversy to bed — the paranoid and ill-informed speculation that Miyares fired University of Virginia’s university counsel Tim Heaphy as a form of retribution for taking a leave of absence to work on the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. There was never a shred of evidence to support the allegation and plenty of reason to believe otherwise, not the least of which was the denial of Miyares’ spokesperson at the time. Now Miyares himself has said emphatically on television (see the video clip above) that Heaphy’s involvement in the Jan. 6 investigation had “zero” role in the decision to cashier him. Got that? Zero! In case you missed it… zero! (more…)

  • Chap Petersen to the Rescue?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Senator Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax.

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Don’t look now, but Virginia may have its own version of maverick U.S. Senator Joe Manchin.

    I’m talking about Democratic State Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax County. The lone member of Virginia’s General Assembly — from either party — with the stones to stand up to former Gov. Ralph Northam’s despotic executive orders last year and challenge them in court.

    Petersen, a lawyer, didn’t prevail but he fought the good fight.

    It appears Petersen may not be a fan of any executive orders, including the new one by Gov. Glenn Youngkin that reverses Virginia’s statewide school mask mandate.

    That doesn’t mean Petersen believes kids should be wearing masks in school much longer.

    In fact, in an email Petersen warned that if Fairfax County didn’t end forced masking by Valentine’s Day he’d join with Republicans in the Senate to pass a bill that liberates our school children. (more…)

  • CDC Has Three Recommendations on the Masking of Children. None of Them Match.

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    And the Governor’s Executive Order will outlive the Virginia law that directs schools to adhere to CDC guidance, even if they think they can figure out what it is.

    by James C. Sherlock

    Many quote the “science” that favors their opinions.

    Virginia law requires:

    …each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner in which it adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    A little-noted provision of that law is that it expires on August 1 of this year. It will not pass again. The debate will continue after that date, but so will the executive order.

    Regardless, I thought it would be useful to go to the source, CDC, and see if its science-based “currently applicable mitigation strategies” match its politically influenced  guidance.

    I cannot certify that they do. The CDC offers at least three different recommendations for protecting children from COVID.

    None of them match. And there is strong evidence that the CDC changed its school masking recommendations under National Education Association pressure. (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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