Bacon's Rebellion

  • Foy on Healthcare Reform: More Price Transparency

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Jennifer Carroll Foy

    by James A. Bacon

    Judging by his campaign fund-raising e-mails, Terry McAuliffe thinks he can snag the Democratic Party nomination for governor by running against the Republican’s poll-leading candidate, Trumpette Amanda Chase. Given his name recognition as a former governor, that may work. But give his lesser-known rival for the nomination, Jennifer Carroll Foy, credit for talking serious public policy.

    Foy’s missive on health care probably won’t garner much attention from the media, which prefers political catfights over debates of substance, and it may not win over many voters. After all, how many voters read public-policy white papers? Her position paper won’t even win over me — Foy’s natural instinct is to turn to government to solve every problem. But at least the former Prince William County delegate has given serious thought to improving Virginia’s healthcare system. And at least one of her proposals — to improve price transparency — is something that even small-government, free-market conservatives can work with.

    Rather than dwell on her proposals to establish a prescription drug affordability board, steer funds into a Virginia Reinsurance program, and initiate a half-dozen programs to spend more money, permit me to focus on the Big Idea that has the potential to build bipartisan consensus. (more…)

  • SW Va Schools Seize Initiative Again, Create Regional Online Academy

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    While Virginia’s public school bureaucracy fixates on racial justice issues and dithers over how to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic, ten school districts in Southwest Virginia are taking matters into their own hands by creating a regional virtual academy.

    Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the ten districts, the regional academy will hire its own teachers and create its own curriculum. The group is discussing whether to contract with a private company, Herndon-based Stride Inc., or another entity expected to submit an offer this week.

    Online classes would be offered at no charge to families with state funds allocated to school districts on a per-person basis, reports the Bristol Herald-Courier. The level of state funding is determined by a formula that calculates a locality’s ability to pay. The City of Bristol receives about $7,000 annually per student/ The virtual academy is expected to cost $3,500 per pupil. School districts would keep the balance. (more…)

  • Severe Cold Is Messing with Texas

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    James A. Bacon

    Frozen Texas wind turbine. Credit: Watts Up With That?

    As I repeatedly remind people, you don’t build an electric power grid to handle routine weather conditions, you build them to survive rare but extreme weather events. Texas, which became enamored with wind power — wind accounted for between 22% of the state’s electricity in the first half of 2019 — has learned this lesson the hard way. In the midst of a bitter cold snap expected to last several days, ice storms knocked out nearly half the state’s wind-power generating supply. The spot price of electricity has surged to $9,000 per megawatt hour, compared to $100 per megawatt hour during periods of high summer demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas called on consumers and businesses to reduce electricity use as much as possible Feb. 14, through Feb. 16. Just imagine how bad the situation would be if Texas derived 100% of its electricity from renewable energy.

    Meanwhile, the question Virginians need to be asking in anticipation of the commonwealth deriving much of its electricity from offshore wind power within a few years is this: What’s the freezing temperature for salt water?

    Answer: 28.4° Fahrenheit. (more…)

  • Your PIPP Tax Will Buy Heat Pumps For Poor

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Lower-income Virginians who are customers of the two largest electricity providers may begin to receive subsidies on their residential bills in March 2022 under legislation moving forward in the General Assembly. The money for the subsidies will come from their fellow customers.  (more…)

  • The Most Powerful Woman in State Government

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    James A. Bacon

    Dr. Janice Underwood, Chief Officer for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

    by James A. Bacon

    Shortly after his blackface scandal, Governor Ralph Northam took a deep dive into the literature of critical race theory, determined to reinvent himself as a champion of African-Americans and foe of racism in Virginia. One of his most consequential actions was appointing Janice Underwood, director of diversity initiatives at Old Dominion University, to fill a newly created cabinet-level position — the first in the nation — as chief of diversity equity and inclusion.

    Underwood has gotten sporadic mention in the media when giving speeches or addressing legislation, but the mainstream media, as woke as it purports to be, has not paid her much attention. Whether that’s due to media oversight or her desire to keep a low profile, I don’t know, but she consented recently to give an interview to Virginia Business, and the public should be very interested to know her view of the world.

    Underwood’s portfolio gives her license to get involved in race-related issues across the entire scope of state government — not just government personnel policy but as far afield as predatory lending to minorities, the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic upon black health, and the racism investigation at the Virginia Military Institute. With Northam’s sanction to intervene anywhere in state government, she just may be the most powerful member of his cabinet — without question the most powerful woman in the administration. (more…)

  • In Praise of Trailer Parks

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    James A. Bacon

    Bermuda Estates, Chesterfield County

    by James A. Bacon

    Nobody knows for sure how many trailer parks there are in Virginia, and Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, wants to find answers. He has introduced a budget amendment to establish a Virginia Manufactured Home Park registry, to be funded with a $100 database maintenance fee from each mobile home park. 

    Krizek regards trailer parks as a rare form of affordable housing in the state, and he’s concerned that market forces could put them out of business. Many were built long ago on land that was inexpensive at the time but due to the evolution of real estate markets has become desirable.

    “The biggest problem is that the land is so valuable,” Krizek told The Virginia Mercury. “These parks are a gold mine for someone who wants to come in and build a 20-story apartment complex. I understand the need for density, but it’s sad when one of these communities goes away because they have been there for 20-30 years.” (more…)

  • The Latest Lunacy: Face Masks for Fishermen

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Ever wonder what would happen if feminists, man buns and smoked salmon socialists crafted federal policy?

    You’d get moronic rules like this one from the Biden administration:

    One of Joe’s latest executive orders requires all commercial fishermen to wear face masks – including while asleep in their cramped berths – and the Coast Guard is charged with enforcing the regulation. (more…)

  • Should Virginia Rebuff the HUF?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Rav4 hybrid — paying its fair share

    by Bill Tracy

    There’s a new Virginia tax called a HUF — for Highway Use Fee.

    Who knew? Not me — until I had to pay it.

    If you renew your Virginia vehicle registration, and your car exceeds a 25 miles-per-gallon EPA rating, you will be politely advised that you are underpaying pump taxes, and to be fair, you will be assessed an extra fee. In my case, I owed an extra $35 taxes because my new RAV4 Hybrid gets 40 MPG.

    Because my wife and I do not put on many miles in retirement, and with COVID, that means I probably now pay a little more combined Virginia pump tax with my RAV4 Hybrid than I would with a non-hybrid RAV4. Not to mention significantly more annual car tax to Fairfax County. (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

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    by

    James A. Bacon

  • Jeanine’s Sunday Memes

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon


    Jeanine’s Sunday memes at Bull Elephant

  • The Latest Federal COVID Money Pot

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Illustration credit: YouTube

    By Dick Hall-Sizemore

    The federal COVID money keeps rolling into the Commonwealth.

    According to the Secretary of Finance, as of January 13, it was estimated that the state would receive $2.4 billion from the stimulus bill passed by Congress in late December (the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA)).

    Unlike the earlier COVID stimulus money (CRF from the CARES Act), the December federal legislation provided less flexibility with this pot of money, directing it to specific agencies and purposes.

    K-12 education gets the biggest share. The estimates for Virginia are:

    • Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund—Flexible—$30.0 million
    • GEER Fund—Private Schools–$46.6 million
    • K-12 Fund–$939.3 million.

    (more…)

  • McAuliffe’s “Big Bold” Housing Plan Is Neither

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Richmond homelessness. Credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch

    by James A. Bacon

    Homelessness spiked in the Richmond area over the past year — more than 50%, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The increase from 549 to 838 people in 2020 was the largest single-year jump since anyone began tracking the number in the 1990s. Given the fact that hundreds of thousands of Virginians are at risk of eviction, homelessness likely will get much worse before it gets better.

    Clearly, Virginia has a social crisis on its hands. The burning question is what to do about it. Do we treat the symptoms? Do we enact remedies that backfire and make things worse? Or do we address underlying problems?

    We can get a glimpse of Virginia’s likely course of action by scrutinizing the plan to tackle the commonwealth’s housing crisis proffered by gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. Dominating the field of Democratic Party candidates, the former governor is the odds-on favorite to win the party nomination. Facing the survivor of the Republicans’ circular firing squad, that makes him the odds-on favorite to become Virginia’s next governor.

    McAuliffe announced he has a plan — a “big bold” plan — in a Feb. 8 press release. In McAuliffe’s assessment, more than 260,000 Virginia households face the risk of eviction in the fall. (more…)

  • Richmond Schools Chief Proposes Year-Round School

    Posted on

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    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras has proposed that city schools operate year-round next year to help students impacted by learning losses caused by disruptive COVID-related schooling changes.

    Unless something changes, Richmond public schools will remain closed to in-person instruction for the rest of the current school year.

    From an excellent piece written by Alan Rodriguez for NPR  

    Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras is proposing that city schools operate year-round next year to help students impacted by virtual learning and the pandemic.

    Kamras’s vision is for the 2021-2022 school year to begin in person in August, and end in late June. It would include four two-week breaks, or “intersessions,” every nine weeks. About 5,000 “high-need students” would receive additional instruction during these intersessions, adding up to 40 extra school days.

    (more…)

  • Once Upon a Time, a Long, Long Time Ago, When the Spirit of Reconciliation Ruled the Land…

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    As the Washington & Lee University board of visitors nears a vote on dropping Lee from the university name, 22 W&L alumni affiliated with the General’s Redoubt have affixed their names to an essay that makes the following points:

    • There are numerous historical ties between the families of George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and both families were involved in the birth of our nation and its ongoing evolution.
    • Both George Washington and Robert E. Lee were interested and involved with education, not only academic instruction, but also practical and moral education.
    • Both men supported reconciliation after long and divisive wars.
    • The personal association of George Washington and Robert E. Lee with our university has been a successful “branding” strategy for over 225 years.

    You can read the letter here.

    — JAB

  • A Rare Recognition

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Bill Howell. Credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch

    It’s not often that we see our friends at the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (TJI) get recognition in established media. The younger generation of reporters gravitates toward studies and reports published by left-leaning advocacy groups, seemingly living in a universe in which informed conservative opinions do not exist. So, I’m delighted to see that the Richmond Times-Dispatch has highlighted the announcement that former House Speaker William J. Howell has joined TJI as chairman of the board of directors.

    “He’s a superb fit,” said Chris Braunlich, president of the 24-year-old institute. “He brings to our institute the knowledge of the workings of the General Assembly.”

    “There is a need for a vigorous, free-market, center-right organization that can help develop good policy, promote good policy and ensure that it works,” he added in a Thursday interview. (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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