Bacon's Rebellion

  • Dominion Electric Bus Scheme Back, With More

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    EV School bus? Storage battery? No, utility profit center.

    by Steve Haner

    First published this morning by Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.

    The ultimate goal of the Transportation and Climate Initiative with its tax and rationing scheme is to eliminate fossil fuels for transportation and get us into electric vehicles. That is something advocates have admitted and critics have pointed out. While Virginia TCI participation is on hold in this statewide election year, the 2021 General Assembly is following other pathways to the utopian EV future.

    The House of Delegates has sent the Virginia Senate a bill to create a state financial incentive of $2,500 for purchase of a new or used electric vehicle. An additional $2,000 rebate is offered to a low- and middle-income buyer of a new car and $500 if that buyer choses a used EV.

    The House has also passed legislation empowering the state’s Air Pollution Control Board to adopt state regulations on vehicle fleet fuel economy and to model California’s existing program forcing manufacturers to offer more zero- and low-emission vehicle sales in the state. This bill sets no goals but puts an accelerated process in motion, bypassing the full regulatory review, with a goal of regulating the 2025 model year vehicles offered in the state. (more…)

  • All According to Plan – the Biggest Government Scandal in Virginia History

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    by

    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    The Virginia Mercury published  an excellent article on the difficulties being encountered in Virginia in scheduling COVID shots.

    But who could have anticipated the need? Who indeed.

    This story is part of the single biggest government scandal in Virginia history and the press is either ignorant of the underlying issue or has ignored it. I think ignorance is more likely. Certainly Governor Northam’s executive branch made every effort to hide it from them.

    I say the executive branch because I firmly believe — and hope really — the Governor himself never had a clue.

    The now-hidden-from-public-view Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan, Hazard-Specific Annex #4 Pandemic Influenza Response (Non-Clinical), Virginia Department of Emergency Management August 2012 (the Plan) required planning and exercise of a vaccine distribution plan and much more.

    Never happened.

    The Plan specified planning, exercise and operational responsibilities for
    the following executive branch organizations: (more…)

  • Carilion Takes a Crack at Reforming Hospital Billing

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Just as they’re borrowing billions to pay for college, and automobiles, and credit cards, and houses, Americans are borrowing billions to pay for their share of healthcare costs that their insurance doesn’t cover — $88 billion, according to a 2019 Gallup poll. Adding insult to injury, Americans are subjected to a bewildering blizzard of paperwork from insurers, doctors, and hospitals.

    Two years ago Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic, the healthcare system that serves more than a million people in western Virginia, knew it had a problem. More than half the health system’s patients wanted to pay off their hospital bills monthly, but 28% could afford no more than $250 a month.

    “We realized that we did not have the technology in place to meet our patients’ and their families’ expectations in today’s environment,” said Don Halliwill, Carilion CFO in a Visitpay white paper, “Why CFOs Should Start Thinking Like Patients.”

    The white paper describes how Carilion partnered with Visitpay to overhaul its patient billing process. Needless to say, the Visitpay paper puts a positive spin on the solution it devised to help Carilion. I don’t write about it here to tout the solution, but rather to suggest that there are better ways to do things. In Virginia, hospitals have come under intense criticism for antiquated and confusing billing and abusive collections practices. Carilion provides one possible model — I make no endorsements — for taking some of the pain out of the process. (more…)

  • Signs of the Bubble Economy…

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    From Virginia Business magazine: Charlottesville-based Blue Ridge Bank has made it possible for customers to purchase and redeem bitcoin at its ATMs — the first commercial bank in the country to do so. Blue Ridge Bank cardholders can purchase and redeem the virtual currency at 19 locations across the state. A year ago, bitcoins were worth $6,000 each. Today, they’re worth approximately $45,000.

    By all means, let’s make it easier for small, unsophisticated investors to speculate in highly inflated and volatile cryptocurrencies!

    Last August Michael Saylor of Tysons-based Microstrategy invested a quarter billion dollars in bitcoin on the premise that massive fiscal and monetary stimulus in the U.S. and other central banks around the world would be highly inflationary. His bet is looking brilliant at this moment in time. More recently, Elon Musk of Tesla fame — Tesla shares ballooned 7.4 times in 2020 on rampant speculation — has endorsed bitcoin. Don’t get me talking about the GameStop frenzy or the IPO boom for companies that have yet to make a profit. The scary thing is, we haven’t reached peak crazy yet. (more…)

  • Dems Spike Dead-People-Don’t-Vote Bill

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Every once in a while – not often, rarely in fact – you see a common sense bill in the General Assembly and think to yourself, “No one could oppose this.”

    That was the case with SB1422, a measure introduced by Virginia Beach State Sen. Jen Kiggans. She calls it her “Election Accuracy Bill.”

    I call it the “Dead-People-Don’t-Vote Bill.”

    It was quite simple.

    The bill would require the State Registrar of Vital Records to send the Department of Elections a weekly list of people over the age of 17 who died during the previous seven days. Currently, this list is transmitted monthly.

    The bill would also require the voter registrars to use this information to purge the names of the deceased from the voter roles.

    Keeping voter registration lists current and accurate is a good thing, no? (more…)

  • More Vaccination Confusion

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    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    By Dick Hall-Sizemore

    I do not know who is to blame–CVS or the state–but the vaccination situation is unacceptable.

    The Commonwealth seemed to be getting on the right track by enabling individuals to register with their local health departments and the local agencies then using those registration to schedule appointments.

    Then the federal government changed things by announcing that the vaccines would be distributed through private pharmacies.

    That could have worked well. The local agencies would take registrations centrally and then work with the designated CVS store to schedule the vaccinations. That is sort of what was reported was going to happen. But CVS said that folks would have to register with its stores, but it would give priority to those on the health department registry. (more…)

  • How the CARES Funding is Being Allocated

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    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Design credit: Atlantic Cape Community College

    By Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Upon Jim Bacon’s suggestion, Jim Sherlock and I have taken on the task of looking closer at the federal COVID money that is coming the Commonwealth’s way and trying to discern how it is being spent.  Unfortunately, this is not an analysis one finds in the general news media.

    We have taken different approaches, perhaps reflective of our different backgrounds.  Jim has started with the federal programs and their components and requirements, along with the amounts of funding allocated to Virginia. I am looking at how the federal  pot is being split up among state agencies, as reflected in the state budget.  Later, I hope to examine how some of those agencies are spending the money. (more…)

  • Medicare for All – A Cautionary Tale

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    sherlockj

    The Business of Healthcare

    by James C. Sherlock

    For those of you who think “Medicare for All” would be a good thing, I offer a cautionary tale from Becker’s Hospital CFO Report titled Hospitals barred from suing over $840M pay cut.

    A group of more than 680 hospitals can’t revive a lawsuit saying they lost $840 million in payments because of adjustments made by federal regulators to make up for a Medicare shortfall, according to Bloomberg Law.

    On Feb. 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held that federal law bars the hospitals’ lawsuit. At issue was whether HHS unlawfully extended a program to make up an $11 billion Medicare shortfall.

    (more…)

  • Holding Richmond Public Schools Accountable — Part I

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    by

    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    We have discussed here the failures of the City of Richmond Public Schools (RPS) in educating its economically disadvantaged children, as well as the abysmal performance of Black children in its schools.  

    I intend to help readers understand how it manages to fail repeatedly even with major federal funding as guardrails and state oversight officially in place.

    Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) such as RPS and its schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet state academic standards.

    It is useful to drill down into the details of that program so that readers can understand how every school district in Virginia is supposed to plan and execute the education of poor kids to improve their chances of success.

    The question that will remain when I finish will be accountability.  

    How does a system like the Richmond Public Schools continue to submit similar paperwork every year and every year fail to meet its stated goals? Where is the accountability? Why do the people of Richmond put up with it?  (more…)

  • Shredding Virginia Employment Law One Bad Bill at a Time

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    Face palm

    by Liam Bissainthe

    The Virginia state senate has blocked a bill that could potentially change the definition of “sexual harassment.” It would hold even small employers liable for comments defined as either “workplace harassment” or “sexual harassment.” Employers would held liable even for conduct that occurs “outside of the workplace,” and even for conduct committed by “nonemployees” such as customers.

    But the very same provisions are found in another bill passed by the Virginia House of Delegates, that is still sitting in a committee of the state senate. So the legislation could still conceivably become law.

    In a 20-to-18 vote, the state senate voted on February 5 to send the first harassment bill (SB 1360) back to the Judiciary Committee, where it died on February 6. But the exact same provisions appear to be found in the second harassment bill, HB 2155, which is still alive and sitting in the General Laws committee. (more…)

  • Herring Strikes Blow for Emotional Support Animals

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Phoebe, the Bacon family emotional support cat, provides companionship and comfort — in sum, helps us maintain a “happier more full life” — during the COVID-19 shut-in.

    by James A. Bacon

    Attorney General Mark Herring has issued a press release touting his victory in compelling a Pulaski County townhouse community to accommodate a couple with an emotional support animal.

    “Virginians with disabilities have the right to live with an assistance animal, especially if that assistance animal helps them live happier, more full lives — assistance animals are not pets and cannot be subject to fees or breed and weight restrictions like other pets can be,” said Herring. “Assistance animals … are often the best way for individuals with debilitating symptoms caused by various mental or physical impairments to substantial improve their quality of life.”

    Here are the particulars of the case, as recounted in the press release. The couple, Michael and Charlene Butler, provided “clinical verification” of the need to bring Charlene’s assistance dog to live with them in the Unique Deerfield Village Townhomes Complex. The property managers imposed weight limits and pet deposit fees on the assistance animal. (more…)

  • Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Virginia Coal Exports??

    Posted on

    by

    Peter Galuszka

    Norfolk Southern’s coal loading terminal at Lambert’s Point in Norfolk

    By Peter Galuszka

    Oilprice.com, a petroleum trade newsletter, has a story that could spell more bad news for the faltering Virginia coal industry.

    For many years, the most valuable product from Virginia’s coal fields was coking or metallurgical coal that is exported to other countries for use in steel making.

    China has been a crucial buyer of Virginia coal but recent pronouncements from the Communist Party leadership indicate that coal is on its way out after leader Xi Jinping outlined a far-reaching program that set a peak of carbon emissions in 2030 followed by net zero policy by 2060.

    Correspondingly, steel companies are also setting net zero carbon goals including the world’s biggest steel makers ArcelorMittal of Europe, Baowu Steel of China and Nippon Steel of Japan.

    The moves could erase Virginia’s coal experts because the demand for the steam coal used to generate electricity has already been undercut by the remarkable growth of renewable energy sources like solar and wind in China and India. As they expand, their costs go down – below those of coal.

    Coking coal exports from Hampton Roads could get slammed as global steelmakers experiment with new manufacturing processes. (more…)

  • Before There Was an Atlantic Gas Pipeline….

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Before There Was an Atlantic Gas Pipeline….
    N&W coal train in West Virginia

    …There Was the Coal Slurry Pipeline.

    by James A. Bacon

    The early 1980s were a momentous time for the U.S. coal industry, and for Virginia economic history and politics as well. As the world turned to coal in the wake of the Arab oil embargo, coal exports through Hampton Roads were surging. Loading terminals literally could not load the black rock fast enough, and dozens of ships were backing up in Hampton Roads waiting for their turn at dock. Meanwhile, the Norfolk & Western Railway (soon to become part of Norfolk Southern) and the C&O (soon to become part of CSX) exercised duopoly control over rail shipments to the ports, and, newly deregulated, they used their power to charge punishing tariffs. Thus commenced a years-long battle between railroads and coal operators over the spoils of a once-in-a-lifetime export boom.

    E. Morgan Massey, president of the Richmond-based A.T. Massey Coal Co., took the lead in taking on the railroads. Not only did he build new terminals in Newport News and Charleston, S.C., to bust the railroad monopoly on loading facilities, he helped orchestrate a bid to build a 350-mile coal slurry pipeline across Virginia to bypass the railroads. Just one hitch: A coal slurry pipeline had to cross railroad rights-of-way, and only the General Assembly could grant the eminent domain. Thus began one of the greatest lobbying battles between business lobbies – VEPCO, the Transco pipeline company, and coal industry interests on the one hand, and the railroads on the other — that Richmond had ever seen.

    Chapter 8, “Rails and Pipes,” of my new book, “Maverick Miner” tells the story of the clash between business titans from Massey’s perspective. Here, for the joy and delight of Bacon’s Rebellion readers, I excerpt the section that focuses on the coal slurry pipeline debate. There is no coal slurry pipeline in Virginia today, so it is not a spoiler to reveal that the railroads won the legislative battle. But Morgan and his allies, VEPCO and Transco, felt like they squeaked out a victory in the business war. (more…)

  • Maverick Miner

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Maverick Miner

    I have been neglecting my duties at Bacon’s Rebellion over the past three years because I was engaged by E. Morgan Massey to write a history the Massey family and the A.T. Massey Coal Co. Under the terms of the deal I struck with Morgan, I was allowed to repurpose that book for a wider audience. The result is “Maverick Miner,” which focuses mainly on Morgan, whose 75-year career (he’s 94 years old now) spans the entire post-World War II history of America’s coal industry. 

    “Maverick Miner” is available in both print and ebook editions on Amazon.com.

    Here follows the official press release announcing the book. — JAB

    RICHMOND, VA—E. Morgan Massey made headlines in the 1980s as president of the A.T. Massey Coal Co. when he contested the railroads’ stranglehold on coal export traffic and challenged the powerful United Mine Workers of America in a long and bitter strike. If his career had ended in 1991 when he reached mandatory retirement age, he would have been one of the most consequential leaders in modern U.S. coal industry history.

    But at 65 years of age, Massey’s adventures in the coal industry had just begun. Working out of a tiny office in Richmond, Virginia, he proceeded to compete with the international energy giants in opening the coalfields of China and South America to global commerce. (more…)

  • UVa Committee to Study Free Expression Issues

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Leslie Kendrick

    by James A. Bacon

    The University of Virginia has created two new committees: one to articulate the university’s commitment to free expression and inquiry, and another to examine naming and memorials on the grounds (as the UVa campus is referred to).

    “We are working to give voice to our commitment as an educational institution to the free and open exchange of ideas, and to grapple with the complexities of our University’s history and the names that we honor,” Ryan said in making the ann0uncement. “These committees will help us forge a path forward as we continue to address these issues as a community and as a nation.”

    First Amendment expert Leslie Kendrick, vice dean of the School of Law, will chair the Committee on Free Expression and Free Inquiry. According to UVAToday, the group will craft a statement that “identifies the role that free expression and free inquiry play in UVA’s academic enterprise and how they shape engagement with the ideas of others.”

    UVa officials did not explain what prompted the creation of the committee, but the university has been racked by a number of free speech/free expression controversies recently. (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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