Bacon's Rebellion

  • Assess Yourself a Tax Break (Since City Hall Won’t)

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Jon Baliles

    A miniature house model surrounded by toy figures reviewing a property tax bill, with cash and a coffee cup in the background.
    “Honey, I shrunk the property tax bill.” Image credit: Bing Image Creator

    If you own property in the City of Richmond, you likely received your new assessment in the mail this week, and in almost every neighborhood, property values have once again gone up, with some areas seeing double digit increases. Many areas saw increases above the citywide average increase citywide of 5.74%.

    That means the city’s budget will grow this year once again as it has over the last decade+, with property owners as the Sherpas carrying most of the weight. The city’s total general fund budget in FY2018 when Mayor Stoney took office was $542 million, with $238 million of that revenue (about 44%) coming from real estate tax payments. This year, the Fiscal Year 2026 general fund budget (which took effect July 1) was $1.056 billion with $607 million coming from real estate taxes (about 57% of the general fund budget).

    In that time, few at City Hall have seen fit to try and help relieve the burden of property owners as the city becomes more and more costly and expensive on so many levels. Renters are paying more, too, because of the higher assessments (among other reasons). Councilwoman Trammell’s repeated efforts to lower the rate by even a couple of cents has earned a few votes but not enough to successfully reduce the rate or burden. It is driving people out of the city to the counties (or elsewhere) where tax rates are being reduced without a corresponding reduction in services (or an amplification of excuses).

    In 2017, the median home price in the city was about $247,000 and the median annual tax bill was $2,964 ($247 per month). In 2024, the median price was about $370,000 according to Virginia REALTORS with a tax bill of about $4,440 (about $370 per month) while the real estate brokerage firm Redfin showed a 2024 median price around $423,000, with a tax bill of about $5,076 (about $423 per month). Any way you slice it, the city is spending more than ever before and taxes are correspondingly rising.

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  • Jeanine’s Memes

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    James A. Bacon

    A person with extensive facial tattoos and large ear gauges, featuring text that humorously states, 'CAN'T FIND A JOB BLAMES THE GOVERNMENT.'

    See more memes at The Bull Elephant

  • Please Get Kerry an Unabridged Copy of the Declaration of Independence

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    (Written in response to Kerry Dougherty’s column “Tim Kaine Needs a Copy of the Declaration of Independence.” — JAB)

    Close-up view of the Declaration of Independence document, highlighting the text and fading parchment texture.

    by Paul Goldman

    Kerry, you can’t trust AI. Let this be a good lesson. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence — later edited by Franklin and Adams to keep the Southern states all-in on the Revolution — what did he mean by “inalienable rights?”

    No need to bore anyone with too many details. Especially when Kerry’s asking Senator Tim Kaine to resign for failing to read a founding document.

    Since President Trump regularly claims the Constitution says what it doesn’t say, I guess Kerry’s asked him to resign too. I consider myself a good Kaine supporter. But if Kerry’s willing to throw Trump under the bus along with Kaine,  I’m sorry, Timmy, but I gotta take that deal. Like the president says, all things are transactional. Even inalienable rights.

    Kerry is right on one thing: Our public school system will now actually have to go back to teaching these historic documents once again. But what does Kerry think they’re gonna teach exactly? 

    Jefferson and his boys were really playing a word game back in the 18th century. We need to ask ourselves: When they wrote those stirring words in the Declaration of Independence, they also knew only a handful of Americans actually had actual access to those rights. So yes, technically, all the slaves, all the white women, all the indentured servants, all the White guys with little property, had those rights in theory. But they never had those rights in reality for centuries. Most importantly, however, they would have no chance of getting them at least here in America unless the Revolution succeeded and actually gave us a democracy. 

    (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

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    James A. Bacon

    A frying pan on a stove with strips of vegan bacon cooking, next to a package of vegan bacon, and a humorous text overlay about the product.

  • Electricity Carbon Tax Advocated by Spanberger Rises Again

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    By Steve Haner

    Spanberger loves RGGI. Electricity will cost more.

    Based on the most recent carbon tax imposed on the member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), Virginians will pay about $500 million more per year for electricity if Virginia again becomes one of those member states.  Your vote in November may determine that. 

    Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger has pledged to rejoin the RGGI compact and reinstate the carbon tax.  Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has promised to maintain the policy of Governor Glenn Youngkin and stay outside of RGGI.  There is also a pending lawsuit that challenges Youngkin’s actions in withdrawing.

    There is a clear demarcation between the political parties on rejoining RGGI and adding this cost to Virginia’s electricity customers.  Getting us out of RGGI was Youngkin’s most successful initiative to lower electricity bills.  Every Virginia generator – both utilities and independent generators – had to buy an allowance (pay a tax) for every ton of carbon dioxide its plant emits from using coal, oil or natural gas. 

    RGGI held its third 2025 auction for carbon emission allowances September 3 and the results were released today.  The clearing price to purchase an allowance was set at $22.25 per emitted ton. The peak was a year ago at $25.75 per ton. The first two 2025 auctions cleared at just under $20 per ton.  

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  • Fairfax County Public Schools Tells Registrars to Destroy Student Identification Documents

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    James A. Bacon

    by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
    Republished with permission from IWFeatures

    Fairfax County Public Schools is issuing new guidance to public school registrars, telling them to purge copies and digital uploads of students’ personal documents from school records. 

    Schools have long required these legal documents to prove a student’s identity, residence, and relationship to his or her parents and caregivers. Yet, on July 1, Dave Anderson, Fairfax County Public Schools’ senior district manager for student registration, who earns an annual salary of about $150,000, sent an email to school-based registrars that states, “Based on recent Division Counsel guidance … FCPS will no longer retain copies of identification documents, including the student birth certificate, in the student’s cumulative file. … For clarification purposes, identification documents refer to copies of a parent’s photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport, etc.”

    Email from Dave Anderson regarding new guidance for Fairfax County Public Schools registrars on purging personal documents from student records.

    The email did not provide registrars with a reason for this policy change, and there has been no official communication with parents about the change. This leaves moms like me, who have three children currently enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools, wondering why the leaders of the largest public school district in Virginia are suddenly determined to destroy student documents proving students’ identification, residency, citizenship, and relationships to parents. 

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  • Tim Kaine Needs a Copy Of the Declaration of Independence

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. From the Declaration of Independence.

    Ladies and gentlemen, l present Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator from Virginia. At the Senate confirmation hearing for Riley Barnes to be Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, he belched out the following.

    This was in reaction to Barnes’ statement, “We are a nation founded on a powerful principle, and that powerful principle is that all men are created equal, because our rights come from God our Creator — not from our laws, not from our governments.”

    Kaine found Barnes’ view of civil rights, “troubling.”

    I find Kaine troubling. Continue reading.

  • Debate: Where Do Our Rights Come From?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    The most famous line in the Declaration of Independence reads as follows: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    Virginia’s junior U.S. senator Tim Kaine takes exception to that view.

    In a humanistic age in which an increasing number of Americans don’t believe in God, does Kaine have a point? If human rights don’t come from God (or other deity), where do they come from? Conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz have attacked Kaine for the statement, the context of which is missing in this clip (and which readers are encouraged to provide). Whatever prompted Kaine to present this argument, it is consistent with humanistic principles and undoubtedly represents the views of many. Feel free to debate in the comments. (To reach the comments, click on the headline then scroll to the bottom of the page. — JAB

  • Do Offshore Wind Projects Pose National Security Hazard?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Enemy submarines and drones could exploit points of vulnerability, experts warn

    A large offshore wind turbine installation platform with a crane and multiple turbine components visible against a cloudy sky over the ocean.
    Dominion ship installs wind turbines off Virginia coast. Photo credit: Energynews.us

    by Kevin Mooney

    Offshore wind projects could potentially enable foreign adversaries to hide submarines in U.S. territorial waters and penetrate U.S. air defenses, according to national security and energy policy analysts. 

    For this reason alone, they would like to see President Donald Trump’s administration pull the plug on projects up and down the East Coast located near to where military exercises take place. The U.S. Air Force and Navy have in the past expressed concern over how wind farms might impact radar and sonar operations to the point where they compromise defensive and offensive capabilities. 

    The Trump administration seems to be listening. 

    Officials have already reversed at least some of the prior approvals President Joe Biden’s administration extended to offshore wind plans. Trump’s January executive order called for a temporary cessation and immediate review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. The decision dealt a blow to several projects that were either already in motion or in the planning stages. 

    “The U.S. Navy has good reason to be concerned with offshore wind because there could be interference with Navy sonars. Imagine a scenario where China and Russia could park their submarines in the seabed right outside the Chesapeake Bay because our sonars cannot operate as they should.”

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  • Keep Violent Geezers Behind Bars

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Just what Virginia doesn’t need: Violent predators – murderers and rapists – vomited back into society from prison just because they’re old. 

    But that’s what we get in Virginia, thanks to a wrinkle in the law that allows the parole board to spring inmates once they get a few gray hairs.

    Let’s back up. 

    Many Virginians foolishly believe they live in a no-parole commonwealth. 

    After all, in 1994 Gov. George Allen brought us “Truth in Sentencing,” a law that guarantees that every convict would serve almost every single day of his or her prison sentence. That measure was designed to slam shut the revolving doors on Virginia prisons.

    The parole board was left to hold hearings for inmates convicted prior to February 1, 1995 – of which there are very few – and those eligible for geriatric parole. That is, an inmate who’s at least 65 years old with 5 years served, or 60 with 10 years served. 

    These incarcerated senior citizens can be considered annually by the parole board for release.

    Looks like there are lots of wrinkled convicts. According to the Department of Corrections, there are approximately 3,171 inmates aged 65 and older. And that number just keeps on growing.

    Lest you think these geezers are in the big house for passing bad checks, selling weed or knocking off liquor stores, they aren’t.

    DOC website shows that 90% of those 65 and older are in prison for violent felonies. A full 29 percent of those are in for rape of sexual attacks.

    Bar graph showing the percentage of confined population by current age group and crime type: under 50, 50-64, and 65+. The graph highlights violent crimes in red, property/public order crimes in yellow, and drug-related crimes in blue, indicating that 71% of those under 50, 78% of those aged 50-64, and 90% of those aged 65 and older are incarcerated for violent offenses.

    They should never be released. Even when they’re in hospital beds hooked up to tubes and monitors. Let ‘em die where they belong: in prison. Continue reading.

  • Another Power Struggle Between Youngkin and General Assembly

    Posted on

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Another dispute between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly, one that has faint echoes of one occurring north of the Potomac, has taken on a larger life with parties turning to the Virginia Supreme Court.

    Before going into the details, some background would be helpful. The Virginia Constitution provides, “The Governor shall have the power to veto any particular item or items of an appropriation bill.” The “item veto” is a powerful tool for the governor, but it is not an unlimited one.

    The authorization of an item veto has been discussed in some detail earlier on this blog, therefore there is no need to go into that detail here. In summary, the Virginia Supreme Court, in Brault v Holleman, laid out the parameters on the item veto power:

    “While the Governor is empowered to veto any particular item or items of an appropriation bill, he must, for his veto to be valid, strike down the whole of an item; he cannot disapprove part of an item and approve the remainder… Where a condition is attached to an appropriation, the condition must be observed. The Governor cannot veto the appropriation without also disapproving the condition; correspondingly, he cannot veto the condition without also disapproving the appropriation.”

    The Clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates is a unique position. By law he is designated the “Keeper of the Rolls.” The law gives the Clerk the responsibility of keeping the originals of all bills that have been passed and signed by the Governor. It also directs the Clerk to “enroll all of the acts of the General Assembly and joint resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution by such other permanent and substantial method or methods as he may deem proper; and shall have the enrolled acts bound for publication after they have been signed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate.”

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  • Once Divided, Data Giants Now United on Dominion Rate Proposal

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    Steve Haner

    By Steve Haner

    Several of the technology giants that own data centers in Virginia and are planning many more have settled their internal dispute over Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposal about how to charge them for electricity. The document laying out their new favored compromise was being prepared just as Bacon’s Rebellion last week highlighted their broad differences. 

    That is the risk when writing about an active dispute in the energy regulatory world. Things change rapidly. The document was filed with the State Corporation Commission at the end of Friday just before the holiday weekend, one business day before a hearing opened Tuesday.

    Amazon Data Services, Google, Microsoft Corporation, the Data Center Coalition and the coalition for Virginia’s large industrial users – which are not data centers – all signed on to the proposal. Another heavy hitter, Wal-Mart, took a position of “not opposing.” During this week’s ongoing hearing on Dominion’s pending base rate application, proponents told the SCC judges they wanted to “make your jobs easier.”

    The reaction from Dominion was highly negative, complaining both that the move is outside the normal SCC process, and it was wrong to label the document a “stipulation.” It was only a stipulation among the willing, and apparently other parties saw it first when it dropped.

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  • NOVA-Only Vehicle Emissions Tests are Ripe for Repeal

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    By Derrick Max and Gabrielle Brohard 

    For more than four decades, Northern Virginia drivers have dutifully lined up every two years to have their vehicles inspected for emissions (separate from the equally onerous safety inspections required throughout Virginia). The mandate, which only applies to localities in Northern Virginia, was enacted in 1982 under the 1970 Clean Air Act and was once a reasonable response to the air quality crisis of its time.

    That era is long gone. Today’s vehicles are technological marvels compared to those on the road when Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and the region’s air quality has dramatically improved. Yet Virginians are still footing the bill—over $50 million every two years—for a regulatory program that delivers almost no environmental benefit. It’s time for policymakers to acknowledge the program’s success and retire it altogether. 

    The results speak for themselves. Cars manufactured today emit 98–99% fewer pollutants than their mid-20th-century predecessors. Air quality in Northern Virginia now consistently meets the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), even accounting for anomalies like the recent Canadian wildfires which blew into our region. 

    Cleaner Cars, Cleaner Air 

    The program’s original goal was clear: reduce the smog and pollution caused by older, less efficient vehicles. At the time, many cars lacked catalytic converters, and even newer models had no sophisticated onboard diagnostics. That’s no longer the case. 

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  • SOL Scores: Post-Covid Recovery Still Incomplete

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    by John Butcher

    The 2025 SOL data are up on the VDOE Web site. This post looks at the statewide data.

    But First: VDOE reports pass rate averages for “economically disadvantaged” students (“ED” here, mostly those who qualify for free/reduced price meals), their more affluent peers (“Not ED”), and all students. ED students generally perform less well than the Not ED, see below. Most reports and, it appears, the new Accreditation system look at the all-students averages. That serves to unfairly penalize the divisions with large ED populations. A fair system would look at both groups and probably would emphasize the performance of the group that needs more attention, the ED. This post looks at the ED and Not ED data in addition to those for all students.

    VDOE scores SOL pass rates on a 600-point scale. Scores above 500 are counted as Pass/Advanced. Those from 400 to 500, Pass/Proficient. The sum of those two rates in the overall pass rate. Note: The Board of “Education” lowered the cut scores to the current levels in 2020, creating modest uncertainty in the calculation of the pandemic’s effects. Topic for another day: As set out in the document at that link, Virginia reports proficiency at rates roughly double those published by the NAEP.

    The 2021 testing was voluntary so that year’s data surely are not reliable measures. I’ve omitted them here.

    The Big Two subjects for Accreditation (and, probably, for functioning in life) are reading and math. To a lesser degree, the accreditation process considers the science pass rates. For reasons that will become obvious, I’ll start with math.

    Here are the 2015 to 2025 state average pass rates for the mathematics tests. The Board of “Education” relaxed the math standards in 2019, hence the bump in pass rates that year.

    Line graph depicting mathematics pass rates for all students from 2014 to 2026, showing categories for Advanced, Proficient, and overall Pass rates.
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  • My Soapbox: Dorm Rooms

    Posted on

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    A common complaint, on Bacon’s Rebellion and generally, is about the high costs of colleges. I am usually sympathetic to such complaints. I see the projected costs of the higher ed institutions my grandkids are going to or are considering. But, then, I run across articles like this and this and I become very cynical.

    For those of you who do not have access to the Washington Post and the New York Times, I will summarize the articles. They are about students and their parents spending tons of money to decorate their college dorm rooms. There is a whole market out there for items to decorate dorm rooms. Here is the result of a Google search of “Decorate dorm rooms.” The pictures are amazing.

    And it is not just the cost of the furnishings. Many students hire specialized design consultants to help them make their dorm rooms “livable.” Costs vary, depending on the range of services desired. A full package can include consulting with the client over what is desired, selecting and procuring the furnishings, and showing up on move-in day to completely set up the room. It is big business in some areas. One dorm design consultant, who graduated from college in 2021 with a degree in integrated marketing communications (I have no idea what that entails), had more than 200 clients in 2024. She employed 25 seasonal employees. Her fee was $10,000 per room ($5,000 for each student). Another consultant, for a “basic bedding, design and decor package” typically charges “$2,500 in design and $3,500 in procurement.”

    The National Retail Federation projects that Americans will spend $12.8 billion this year for dorm or college apartment furnishings. Keep in mind that this is for rooms that come already furnished by the college.

    (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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