Bacon's Rebellion

  • Redistricting: Risky for Spanberger but Win-Win for Scott

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    By Paul Goldman

    We finally smoked out the truth about redistricting. As I have written, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the presumptive Governor-elect, could win or lose depending upon how the politics play out. But House Speaker Don Scott wins no matter what. I didn’t think he had the cajones to do it. My bad. Not going to make that mistake again.

    Scott’s plan would scrap Virginia’s nonpartisan redistricting process and, contingent upon Republican redistricting initiatives in other states, replace it with gerrymandered congressional districts. Spanberger has pretended not to be part of Scott’s plan. But it requires her to sign a bill allowing for a redistricting referendum — risking her reputation and the success of her four-year term in the process.

    Two successive legislatures must adopt a resolution to put before the voters. Time is tight — the 2026 elections are just one year away — and extraordinary political measures will be called for. To reverse the electorate’s vote in 2020 to create a nonpartisan process, Spanberger (assuming she gets elected) will have to go full-bore super-partisan.

    (more…)

  • Jeanine’s Memes

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    James A. Bacon

    A man in a blue shirt stands next to a flip chart, presenting two statements about government shutdown and dependency on tax dollars.

    View more memes at The Bull Elephant

  • Under Youngkin, Virginia Cut Permitting Times, Attracted $125 Billion in Investment

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A futuristic robot wielding a sword is cutting through red ribbons, symbolizing the removal of bureaucratic barriers or regulations.

    by Hans Bader

    “Under Governor Glenn Youngkin, Virginia created a new permitting dashboard, and cut permit processing times by 72%. The state’s attracted $125 billion in capital investment since 2022. Conservative abundance at work,” notes Russ Greene of Stand Together.

    The National Review adds that under Youngkin, Virginia “occupational license approval times declined from 33 days to 5 days. Stormwater permitting reforms saved $124 million.” And “Department of Environmental Quality permit processing times declined by 70%.”

    When people don’t have an occupational license due to bureaucratic delays, they can’t work or support their families. Their lack of employment reduces the income tax revenue that pays for schools, roads, and law enforcement. So speeding up licensing and permitting, as Youngkin has done, is very important.

    Governor Youngkin’s regulatory reforms have saved Virginians $1.2 billion per year, and cut the cost of building a home by $24,000 on average, by eliminating obsolete regulations not required by Virginia law.

    “Since 2022, Virginia has reduced the number of requirements in its regulatory code by 26.8 percent, exceeding Youngkin’s goal of 25 percent. He says his administration is on pace to reach a 33 percent reduction by the end of his term early next year. The reduction in regulatory word count is even greater: 11.5 million words were struck, nearly half of the total found in state guidance documents,” the National Review says.

    (more…)

  • Spanberger is the Antithesis of Standing with Women

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    A close-up of a fountain pen poised over handwritten notes on aged paper.

    by Ashley Varner-Thielan

    As a Virginia woman, I am no stranger to the continued struggle over protecting women’s spaces and girls’ sports. We have fought tirelessly for the idea that privacy, fairness, and safety matter, and that acknowledging biological reality is not intolerance, but common sense.

    For decades, Democrats have claimed to be champions for women. But where are those so-called champions when women are the ones being harmed? In Congress, Abigail Spanberger has had every chance to stand for women, defend equality, and protect the spaces that belong to us. Instead, she has doubled down on supporting policies that have eroded women’s privacy and dignity by letting men into women’s spaces. 

    (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

    Posted on

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    James A. Bacon

    Text graphic humorously stating 'Daylight Savings just means the bacon comes an hour earlier,' with an image of a strip of bacon.

  • Outfoxed

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    The GOP had an opportunity to force Abigail Spanberger into a no-win position on redistricting. They blew it.

    by Paul Goldman

    General Assembly Democrats hope to speed a measure through the legislature that would allow voters to approve a constitutional amendment providing for redistricting in time for the 2026 congressional election. Democratic nominee for Governor Abigail Spanberger has said she does not oppose those efforts. However, with the campaign still underway, she says, “I will let the General Assembly take this step, and then we’ll talk calendar issues later.”

    Two successive legislatures must adopt a resolution to put before the voters. Time is tight — the 2026 elections are just one year away — and extraordinary measures are called for. If Dems have any chance to make redistricting a reality, Spanberger will have to get actively involved, assuming she gets elected.

    Here is the key provision in the VA Constitution: 

    (more…)

  • Virginia’s Dreadful Nursing Homes – Part Four – Recommendations For 2026 Legislation

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    Virginia’s Dreadful Nursing Homes – Part Four – Recommendations For 2026 Legislation

    by James C. Sherlock

    This series is being constructed specifically to support legislation in the 2026 General Assembly. To reiterate the legislative recommendations from Part 3:

    Recommended legislation

    Consumer protection. Right now, citizens in Virginia Beach and in other communities have no defense against poor and badly staffed nursing homes that charge too much. The good ones simply do not have nearly enough beds to support demand.

    Hospitals and insurance care managers can helpfully provide more information to patients about to transfer or to their caregivers. That should include useful information on local nursing homes, such as:

    • the latest inspection ratings and staffing ratings,
    • average nursing CMI as a proxy for cost,
    • number of beds, and
    • average occupancy.

    That does not happen broadly in Virginia. 

    Those service providers can be required by law to provide to patients facing a nursing home stay a written handout including:

    • specified CMS data tailored to hospital service areas, and
    • a written explanation of the meanings of the information.

    The law would not challenge those required to take the actions because the data do not change very often. It would provide a very necessary service to citizens.

    (more…)

  • Sanctuary Politics

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    James A. Bacon

    Here’s the kicker: “@EROWashington previously lodged two immigration detainers against Melendez-Gonzalez with Fairfax County. Fairfax County officials REFUSED to honor the detainers, releasing Melendez-Gonzalez back into the community.“

  • Virginia Dems: So Classy

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    You could respect Virginia Democrats if they would just be honest.

    Alas, it’s not in their nature and so we must endure endless gaslighting from the left as they breathlessly work to undo the constitutional amendment that the vast majority of Virginians voted for five years ago. You know, the measure that ended political gerrymandering and handed the responsibility of drawing congressional districts to a bipartisan commission.

    Virginia has 11 congressional districts. Six are Democrat and five are Republican, an indication that in this closely divided commonwealth, the districts are fair.

    As other states – without similar constitutional restrictions – rush to redraw congressional maps along political lines, Virginia’s Democratic leadership is frantically working to join in the gerrymandering frenzy while they control both chambers of the General Assembly.

    All while pretending this is simply an exercise in democracy.

    Continue reading.

  • Virginia’s Dreadful Nursing Home Choices Part 3 – Nursing Home Costs and Alternatives

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    Virginia’s Dreadful Nursing Home Choices Part 3 – Nursing Home Costs and Alternatives

    by James C. Sherlock

    Nursing home costs and payments are complex subjects not often explained.

    Patients need a place for round-the-clock skilled nursing care to continue to heal from surgeries after hospital discharge. For some, their care is too complex to get at home, or their homes are not suitable for such care. They need skilled nursing facility (SNF) beds.

    The patient’s skilled nursing insurance, including but not limited to Medicare and Medicaid, pays the bill. Those with insurance co-pays pay their percentage either through a Medicare Advantage plan or something similar. The payers include the poor and middle class alike. The wealthy may or may not have other options.

    Those needing institutional long-term care (LTC) and who do not have long-term care insurance have two options: Medicaid or out-of-pocket.  It is very expensive care. Most (80%) use Medicaid even if they have to pay down assets to qualify.

    Nursing homes get the bulk of their money from those two government insurance programs. Some are demonstrably not earning what they are paid, but the government does not effectively assess value in Medicare and Medicaid payments.

    Market forces are diminished by failures of government. Not enough hospitals assist patients in understanding their limited choices.

    (more…)

  • Readers, Divine the Election Outcome

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    An elderly woman with a headscarf gazes intently at a glowing crystal ball, surrounded by tarot cards and decorative items.
    Image credit: Grok

    Virginia’s elections are down to the wire. The election is Tuesday.

    The latest poll, by Roanoke College based on responses from 1,041 likely voters, shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a 10-point lead (51% to 41%) over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the gubernatorial race.

    Democrat Ghazali Hashmi leads Republican John Reid in the race for lieutenant governor by two points (42% to 40%).

    And Republican Jason Miyares is ahead of Jay Jones in the bid for Attorney General by 8 points (46% to 38%).

    But, hey, what do pollsters know? How many ever get it right? Compare them to the all-wise, all-knowing readers and commenters who frequent Bacon’s Rebellion. This is your chance to prove how much more you know than everybody else! Post a comment and tell us who you think will win Virginia’s statewide races, and why.

    (For readers who have never commented before, click on the headline above and scroll to the bottom of the page. You need to register with the Disqus commenting platform in order to post a comment.)

    To read more about fortune telling through the reading of pig entrails, read on…

    (more…)

  • Democrat Racism and the Delusion of Moral Superiority

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

    A smiling woman wearing a cream-colored suit stands in a legislative chamber, with an American flag in the background.

    Last week, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” panelists argued that Abigail Spanberger wasn’t dominating the Virginia gubernatorial race because of sexism. The gaffe prompted her opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, to post on X, “Who wants to tell them?” 

    Had the shoe been on the other foot, if these political commentators overlooked a Democrat black woman running against a Republican white woman, mainstream media outlets would be conjuring up Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech for weeks. 

    Given the incessant lip service liberals have paid to “racial justice” and “equity,” such an oversight seems like blasphemy for Democrats. In truth, though, they only care about race when it’s politically expedient. 

    Case and point—four years ago, another liberal commentator on MSNBC who makes his living off racial commentary, Michael Eric Dyson, called Earle-Sears a “black mouth” for “white supremacist practices.”

    Like other black conservatives, Earle-Sears is targeted with verbal abuse from the sanctimonious “Hate has no home here” political party. Last month, Democrat Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, went on a racist rant about Earle-Sears. She said, “All skin folks ain’t kinfolk! We don’t need somebody who looks like me in the Governor’s mansion … Don’t be fooled!” 

    (more…)

  • Virginians’ Dreadful Nursing Home Dilemmas Part Two – Virginia Beach

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    by James C. Sherlock

    This article will explore a single geographic area, Virginia Beach, to focus on what nursing home choices mean in practice to the citizenry of Virginia’s largest city.  

    The quality of the nursing home inventory in Virginia Beach is illustrative of that of all of south Hampton Roads and much of Virginia. Offered below is an overview of the fifteen nursing homes in my city. The for-profit chain nursing homes here, eleven of 15, present an enormous challenge to citizens and to state oversight. The state is challenged because all are owned by out-of-state chains. 

    Except as noted, all facilities listed offer both skilled nursing beds certified for Medicare and long-term care beds certified for Medicaid. Many of the beds can be flexed to either purpose. Each may accept other insurance or out-of-pocket payments. 

    Virginia Beach (2) and Norfolk (2) general hospitals are all Sentara facilities. They are included among five Sentara general hospitals of the total of seven in south Hampton Roads. Both regional trauma centers are Sentara hospitals. Sentara exited the nursing home business in November of 2020, when it closed on the sale of all seven of its nursing facilities to Saber Healthcare. That healthcare system now faces the same mostly dreadful choices for patient transfers to skilled nursing after surgery as do its patients.  

    Most if not all hospitals in Virginia have contracts with nursing homes and also recommend nursing home options to patients seeking one. Some, like Sentara, are vertically integrated with insurance companies that have contracts with nursing homes.  

    Patients, and the government, have no idea what terms their nursing home contracts specify. Perhaps they should.

    (more…)

  • Redistricting Won’t Accomplish What Don Scott Wants

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Look at the calendar. Amending the state constitution to draw new congressional districts will be a drawn-out process.

    by Paul Goldman

    I get what Democratic Speaker Donald Scott, D-Portsmouth, wants to do. When I was Democratic Party Chair, I helped create the districts that elected the first Black member of Congress and the first female member. Partisan redistricting for sure. But that was 35 years ago. Virginians overwhelmingly voted in 2021 for non-partisan redistricting. There’s no indication they’ve had a change of heart. 

    Speaker Scott is thus understandably leery about being seen as reviving partisan redistricting. He and his allies have come up with a clever approach to the matter. The new Democratic plan is to use the power of partisan redistricting only in response to some other state doing it first to Virginia’s detriment. Thus, his constitutional proposal is one of the weirdest in American history.

    Republicans are crying their usual crocodile tears. They would do the same power grab as Scott if they were in the majority. So, I’m not impressed by their insincere Fourth of July speeches or legal opinions from the current AG, whose grasp of constitutional law seems rather sketchy.

    That being said, an honest commentator has to say the Democratic proposal is laughable as a matter of constitutional principle. What’s most amazing in this redistricting debate is the lack of understanding of the redistricting- process calendar. I think presumptive Governor Abigail Spanberger has looked at this timeline. She’s staying out of the debate for reasons which will soon be apparent from this timeline. 

    (more…)

  • Schumer Shutdown Backfires On Democrats

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    I wouldn’t want to be a Democrat right now.

    What am I saying, I wouldn’t want to be a Dem ever.

    But right now they’re in a bind.

    On one hand, Dems want to keep the government shutdown going until after Election Day. They’re counting on angry federal workers to deliver a Virginia victory. (And no, they don’t care that the workers may be out of money and ready to miss mortgage payments. Do you really think uber wealthy Democrats like Mark Warner have any idea what it’s like to struggle to pay their bills?)

    On the other hand, their ridiculous chorus of Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House so this is their shutdown isn’t working.

    Don’t take my word for it. Here’s CNN:

    Continue reading.

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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