Bacon's Rebellion

  • Bacon Bits: Good News for a Change

    Posted on

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    James A. Bacon

    More wind turbines off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Electricity from the Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind project 27 miles off the coast of Corolla, N.C., construction of which could begin as soon as 2024, will be funneled into the electric grid via a substation in Virginia Beach’s Sandbridge community. Roughly 600 jobs will be generated within the Hampton Roads statistical area, which includes part of North Carolina. The project is expected to generate 2,500 megawatts of electricity eventually, enough to power 700,000 homes, reports Virginia Business. From Sandbridge a combination of underground and overhead cables will make the electricity available for resale by developer Avangrid Inc., to Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Appalachian Power, and others.

    No aggressive enforcement of COVID curfew. Chesterfield County police will not enforce Governor Ralph Northam’s midnight-to-5 p.m. COVID-19 curfew by stopping motorists who are otherwise driving lawfully. “The law requires officers to have reasonable suspicion to stop a driver,” wrote Police Chief Colonel Jeffery S. Katz on Facebook. “There are completely lawful reasons for people to be out and about during these times and therefore mere operation of a motor vehicle does not remotely meet the legal burden necessary to justify a lawful stop.” Responding to queries from The Virginia Star, Henrico County police and the Hanover County sheriffs department confirmed that they, too, require reasonable suspicion for conducting traffic stops.

    Satellite broadband for Southwest Virginia. Wise County Public Schools will be the first school district in Virginia to use the Starlink satellite internet constellation founded by Elon Musk. The entrepreneur, better known for his Tesla electric vehicles, touts Starlink as delivering broadband to “locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.” (more…)

  • Legal Futility of Virginia’s Online Petitions

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    James A. Bacon

    by Emilio Jaksetic

    Currently, online petitions are advocating the removal of the superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools and the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School. (See the petitions here and here.)

    Such online petitions are legally futile.

    Under Virginia law, removal of elected officials such as Fairfax County school board members is handled differently from removal of appointed officials such as a principal or superintendent. According to Virginia Code, Section 24.2-230:

    Appointed officials. “[A]n appointed officer shall be removed from office only by the person or authority who appointed him unless he is sentenced for a crime as provided for in [Section] 24.2-231 or is determined to be ‘mentally incompetent’ as provided for in [Section] 24.2-232.”

    Accordingly, no petition signed by Virginians — regardless of the number of signers — can force the removal of an appointed official in Virginia. At best, a petition signed by Virginians can be presented in the hope of persuading the appointing authority. (more…)

  • Virginians Are Loading the COVIDWISE App. Does It Make a Difference?

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Virginia leads the nation in the percentage of citizens who have downloaded the COVIDWISE smart phone app that alerts users when they might have been exposed to the virus, reports Virginia Business.

    The state has spent $1.5 million promoting sign-ups. Jeff Stover, executive adviser to the health commissioner, says that downloads have been averaging 2,000 to 5,000 per day. Nearly 900,000 people, 10% of the population, how have the app.

    Stover cites a model by Google, Stanford University and Oxford University that predicts if a locality has a 15% app adoption rate, infections can be reduced by about 8% and deaths by 6%.

    Could COVIDWISE partially explain the lower rate of spread in Virginia, even as the virus induces panic in other states? According to Statista, Virginia had the 8th lowest rate — 3,303 confirmed cases per 100,000 population — among the 52 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. (more…)

  • Ranking Virginia Colleges for COVID Performance, Round II

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    It is a legitimate question to ask: Which of Virginia’s colleges and universities are doing the best and worst job of managing the COVID-19 epidemic? Over the weekend, I posted some numbers showing that Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and the University of Virginia had posted the largest numbers of confirmed COVID cases in the state. But the raw numbers don’t tell us much by themselves. As large public universities, those three institutions have among the biggest student bodies. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to compare the colleges after adjusting for the number of students enrolled. That’s what I’ve done here.

    (more…)

  • With Chase Vs. Cox, The Field Looks Complete

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    Steve Haner

    Senator Amada Chase, R-Chesterfield

    By Steve Haner

    Give credit  where it is due: Chesterfield Senator Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, had the wisdom and courage to reverse a bad decision. Virginia’s Republicans may be back in the game for 2021.

    Both Senator Chase and Delegate Kirk Cox had expressed a preference for their party to choose a nominee for governor by holding a June primary, likely to draw several hundred thousand voters to make the choice. A week ago, party insiders in a smoke-filled Zoom chat made the bonehead decision to hold a convention, where fewer than 1 percent of those likely primary voters might participate.

    The other 99.5 percent of the Virginians who probably would have liked to pick a GOP nominee – but not spend their money and time on a convention — were just told: You don’t matter, we don’t care what you think, those of us who live and breathe the insider game want to pick. But we sure hope you show up in November and help us then. Brilliant.

    Chase’s immediate reaction was to announce she would simply gather petitions and get on the November ballot as an independent, although you could expect her to claim the title “independent Republican.” She saw and grabbed the high ground, claiming (correctly) that the GOP was once again behaving as insular, out of touch and disinterested in broadening its appeal.

    The decision sparked a war within the GOP, with primary advocates even attacking State Central Committee members. Somehow, however, Chase realized that was not a path to victory for her, and in fact guaranteed the Governor’s Mansion to the Democrats. Who wants to be another Russ Potts? So now she is back in the hunt for convention delegates.  (more…)

  • Northam’s New Rules. Worse Than the Old Ones

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    I missed Gov. Ralph Northam’s Thursday presser. But I heard and read all about it.

    Two things stand out: First, his idiotic curfew is simply the action of a little man attempting to flex his muscles for a populace that is growing weary of his arbitrary and capricious rules. Second, this secular leader is dancing dangerously close to telling Virginians how to worship.

    Careful, there, Ralph.

    As usual, Northam’s edicts had nothing to do with science or data, despite his insistence that he was being guided by both.

    Will someone please tell this man that simply saying “science” over and over doesn’t make it so. While you’re at it, tell Joe Biden too. (more…)

  • Liberty’s Curious “Think Tank”

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    Peter Galuszka

    By Peter Galuszka

    Imagine there is a “think tank” at a private, non-profit university. It produces no academic papers and does no peer-reviewed research. Instead, it holds podcasts, seminars and buys ads on Facebook that obviously promote a political party and president.

    Would that be a “think tank” or a political action committee?

    That about sums up the situation involving Falkirk Center at Liberty University in Lynchburg, according to Politico, a Washington-based news outlet.

    True, Liberty is a private, conservative religious institution. But that does not mean it can do what it wants.

    “Universities are not allowed to back candidates or be involved in elections because of their status as 501c(3) nonprofits, which exempts institutions like Liberty from paying income tax and allows donors to deduct their donations from their taxes,” according to Politico. (more…)

  • UVa Builds Scholarship Endowment to Half-Billion Dollars

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Over the past four years the University of Virginia has raised $500 million, enough to endow 350 undergraduate and graduate scholarships, President Jim Ryan informed the Board of Visitors Friday. He highlighted two programs in particular that share the goal of “fostering excellence and diversity of the student population, and ensuring their success.”

    The University Achievement Awards, inaugurated during the presidency of John T. Casteen are given to Virginia students who demonstrate outstanding leadership and character while overcoming personal hardship. The Blue Ridge Scholars program, launched in 2014 with a $4 million gift from alumnus John Griffin, supports undergraduate students with exceptional academic promise and significant financial need.

    The need for financial assistance has intensified over the years as UVa has aggressively increased tuition, fees, and charges for room and board. The annual cost of attendance (including books and modest personal expenses) runs around $34,000 for undergraduate Virginians and $69,000 for out-of-state students before financial aid is taken into account. (more…)

  • Sen. Lucas’ Record Shows No Concern for Poor Health of Her Constituents

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    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    Senator Louise Lucas

    I mentioned Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, prominently in my essay yesterday in which I criticized the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

    To illustrate the point, I have reviewed Sen. Lucas’ sponsorship of bills concerning health care that came before the Senate Education and Health Committee of which she was Chairwoman in 2020 and a senior member in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

    The list is missing something — a show of concern for the health of her constituents.

    (more…)

  • As It Turns Out, UVa Has Third Most COVID Cases in Virginia Higher-Ed

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    In my previous post I reported how the University of Virginia has handled the COVID-19 epidemic, noting that the state’s flagship university had experienced 1,250 cases since reopening this fall and only seven hospitalizations. Having no basis for comparison, I withheld judgment on whether UVa had done a superior job compared to other public institutions. As it happens, the New York Times has just published data for most of the higher-ed institutions across the country. It turns out that UVa ranks third among Virginia colleges and universities for total confirmed cases — hardly an endorsement of the Ryan administration’s handling of the epidemic.

    This data from the NYT database lists all cases since the beginning of the pandemic, not just this semester:

    (more…)

  • A New Low for Virginia Republicans

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    By Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Three Virginia Republican members of the House of Representatives joined a brief supporting the request from the state of Texas asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the election in four states. Think about it. The state of Texas was objecting to how four states ran their elections and was asking the Supreme Court to set aside the results of those elections and direct the legislatures of those states to select the electors. Never mind that the Constitution delegates the administration of elections to each state.

    What happened to those Representatives’ concerns about activist judges? And federalism? They wanted the federal government to overturn the elections in those states and tell those states how they were to select Presidential electors. And these Representatives call themselves conservatives?

    The three Virginians who joined in this farce:

    Rob Wittman (1st District)
    Morgan Griffith (9th District)
    Ben Cline (6th District)

     

     

     

     

     

    The Supreme Court summarily dismissed the request by Texas to file the suit, thereby saying that the case was not worthy of even being heard and considered by the Court.

  • How UVa Dodged the COVID-19 Bullet

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    University of Virginia President Jim Ryan addressing the Board of Visitors in a virtual meeting.

    by James A. Bacon

    The major challenge facing the University of Virginia this fall was controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus when reconvening for the new academic year. With a combined student and employee population of about 45,000 the UVa administration had a gargantuan task. Fear was running rampant. Many people thought the university’s decision to reopen was reckless. Some told President Jim Ryan he would have blood on his hands. 

    Like other public universities in Virginia, UVa plowed ahead. The normally hide-bound institution moved more nimbly than anyone thought it was capable of. Professors and grad students took crash courses on virtual learning and converted their classes to an online or hybrid virtual/in-person format. The health system ramped up testing capacity. A COVID call center was set up, contract tracers were organized, and isolation/quarantine rooms were set aside in student housing.

    The result: Between move-in day and Thanksgiving, UVa had confirmed 1,250 cases in the university community, mostly among students. Zero students were hospitalized. Only seven non-students were hospitalized.  There was no evidence of transmission in classrooms, nor from UVa students to members of the community, Ryan told the Board of Visitors in its December meeting today. The percentage of positive hits on the tests declined through the semester even as it was rising across Virginia. “We learned we can do hard things,” he said. “Everyone rose to the challenge.” (more…)

  • Utilities Face Paperwork Blizzard to Provide Relief

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Virginia utility customers who are behind on their bills in the COVID-19 recession are closer to receiving government payments toward their debts, but there is one more paperwork hurdle that may trip some of them.

    A few days ago, the Virginia State Corporation Commission completed a preliminary allocation of the $100 million in federal CARES Act funding to various regulated electric, gas and water utilities around Virginia. The payments were authorized in the amended budget adopted by the recent General Assembly special session.  (more…)

  • Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Sits Idle While Constituents Suffer and Die

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    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    I have been attempting to improve healthcare access, affordability and competition, which improves both access and affordability, in Virginia for 15 years, especially for the benefit of the poor.

    I have seen the Governor’s office and members of the Virginia General Assembly (especially Democrats on health care issues) continue to bow to the wishes of big healthcare industry contributors and repeatedly hurt the cause of improving healthcare for poor people.

    Who are disproportionately black.

    Today I am going to call out some of the worst offenders I have seen in action over those years, members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. (more…)

  • In Memory of Stuart Connock

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Stuart Connock (left)
    Photo Credit: Joe Mahoney, Richmond Times-Dispatch

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    A legend in Virginia government passed away this past Sunday.  Stuart Connock  dominated state government finance in the 1970s and 1980s.  Before that, he was the one that Governor Mills Godwin tapped to implement the new sales tax. His influence was felt long even long after he retired.

    Stuart (everyone who worked with him felt they could call him by his first name) was quiet and self-effacing. He was not well-known to the general public, but he once was viewed as more influential than the governor. He was liked, respected, and trusted by all legislators, whatever the party.

    Stuart’s influence and power came about in the old-fashioned way — his knowledge of the budget and state government in general and taxation and revenues in particular. His understanding of the budget was unmatched. This gave him a leg up on those, to use Jeff Shapiro’s phrase, “part-time legislators often incurious about budget arcana.”

    Above all, Stuart was a nice person.  He always took time to listen to others and to patiently explain complex budget issues to neophytes, as I can personally attest.

    To some on this blog, Stuart may be regarded as part of the “plantation elite.” He was courteous, knowledgeable, nonpartisan, cared about good government, and cared about Virginia. The Commonwealth could do a lot worse if it had more Stuart Connocks around.

    Jeff Shapiro’s column on Stuart Connock’s legacy is here.

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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