Bacon's Rebellion

  • Bonfire of the Sheepskins

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    James A. Bacon

    Image credit: Bing Image Creator

    by James A. Bacon

    As tuitions climb ever higher and the wage premium for a college degree has plateaued, an increasing percentage of Americans — especially younger Americans — consider their diplomas a waste of money, concludes Indeed.com, an online job site, on the basis of a new survey.

    Twenty percent of Baby Boomers considered their college degrees worthless, but the percentage increased to 41% for Millennials and 51% for Gen Z, found the poll, which queried 772 U.S. adults who are employed or seeking employment and have an associate degree or higher.

    The high cost of higher-ed means that half of all respondents (52%) were saddled with student debt. Unsurprisingly, those with higher debt burdens were more likely to question the value of their degrees.

    “The combination of stagnating wage benefits, skyrocketing costs, degree saturation, and debt may explain why younger generations increasingly question whether college is worth it,” states Indeed’s analysis. “The traditional promise of higher education simply doesn’t align with the reality many younger professionals experience.”

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  • Why Harvard and the UDC Should Keep Their Tax Exemptions

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    James A. Bacon

    Strange bedfellows. Image credit: Chat GPT

    by Derrick Max

    Every taxpayer dollar sent to any university or private entity should be closely scrutinized. In the case of the billions sent to Harvard University and other elite schools, the probe being imposed by the Trump administration is long overdue. 

    The research grants which make up the majority of Harvard’s non-medical federal funding, notoriously lack transparency, allow for use of funds for supposed “indirect costs” that go almost unfettered to the University, and are the type of grants that are not available to most other colleges and universities in the country.

    When the Harvard Crimson reports that more than three-quarters of Harvard’s faculty self-identify as “left” or “far left” and 65 percent of Harvard graduates identify as “progressive” (only 12 percent identify as “conservative”), the level of federal funding from a progressive leaning federal bureaucracy rightly raises concerns about “self dealing” in the eyes of a newly elected conservative administration.  

    With famous liberal graduates like former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama and liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, it is no wonder that Harvard is considered the intellectual center of the failed progressivism that is an offense to much of what was rejected by voters in this last election. President Trump is right to view Harvard with some distrust, if not disdain. On this, we and most conservatives agree.

    Throw in the lackluster response to the antisemitism running rampant on Ivy League and other college campuses and you have more than enough reason to take a second look at the taxpayer funding given to these institutions.

    But, this disdain and scrutiny should not bleed over into any consideration of challenging Harvard’s tax-exempt status. While President Trump’s mention of removing Harvard’s favored tax status could just be a part of a broader negotiating strategy (three dimensional chess), it would set a dangerous precedent.

    Such a move, without question, would put Liberty University — Virginia’s largest University and 18 other Christian colleges in the Commonwealth — square in the crosshairs of some future progressive President who would use Liberty’s policies on homosexuality and gender as justification to end their tax status. 

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  • About Being Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor

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    James A. Bacon

    Patrick Herrity

    by Gordon C. Morse

    Earlier this week, Patrick Herrity dropped out of the June 17 primary for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, and it’s too bad. The son of Jack Herrity had not fallen far from the tree and that alone promised to make his race both fun and useful.

    About his old man: born in Arlington, Jack Herrity opened his political career by winning a spot on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1971. Five years later, he was elected chairman and remained so for the next 12 years.

    Herrity favored economic growth in the 1970s and 80s when “growth” invariably inspired a protracted fight. Herrity stayed the course, and in the process, earned lasting respect.

    It earned him growing opposition, too. In 1987, the slow-growth forces in Fairfax handily defeated him, though his legacy remains undiminished.

    Son Patrick likewise embraced a “let’s-get-things-done” mentality. His business background stood him out in a part of the state now celebrated for its ideological blather. You didn’t always have to agree with Pat Herrity to see that his knowledge of local government would have benefited him in state office.

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  • The Opportunity-for-All Candidate

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Pundits and politicians are enamored with the idea that Virginia will “make history” in its gubernatorial elections this fall. No matter who wins the election — Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears or Democrat Abigail Spanberger — she will be the first woman to serve as Governor.

    The making-history observation applies to Earle-Sears in triplicate. She’d be the first woman, the first immigrant, and the second African-American to become governor — an undisputed winner of identity-politics sweepstakes. But it’s not a distinction she’s looking for.

    “I acknowledge that [the election] is historical, but I don’t stand on that,” Earle-Sears told an audience of roughly 200 at the University of Virginia yesterday in an event sponsored by The Jefferson Council and Center for Politics. The luster of being a historical first wears off quickly, she said. People quickly adopt the attitude, “Now what? What have you done for us?”

    Earle-Sears did not delve into detailed policy proposals. Rather, she sounded broad themes. She believes in equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. The keys to achieving equal opportunity in Virginia are freedom of choice in education, an all-of-the-above energy policy, safe communities and a robust economy.

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  • More Bizarro Logic from the Intelligentsia

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Image credit: Bing Image Creator

    Governor Glenn Youngkin issued a press release yesterday highlighting the success of the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force, which, in cooperation with federal authorities, has made 521 arrests since February 25, including 132 individuals affiliated with MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and other transnational criminal gangs.

    Markus Schmidt with the Virginia Mercury covered the story with an article that quoted extensively from the press release without distortions or cherry-picking of data (which means he’s not yet ready to work for The Washington Post). So, kudos to Schmidt for that.

    Sadly, however, he chose to assault readers with this down-the-rabbit-hole logic:

    A 2024 report funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at significantly lower rates than U.S.-born citizens.… The findings challenge an unproven core assumption underlying the rhetoric around initiatives like the VHSTF — that undocumented immigrants pose an outsized threat to public safety.

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  • Some Small Victories for Good Government

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Image credit: Bing Image Creator

    Virginians can argue all day long about the proper size and scope of state and local government. But we should be able to agree upon one thing: that whatever it does, government needs to do its job as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

    So, it’s good news to hear that the state Office of Transportation has generated $105 million in savings, according to Dave Ress with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It’s not clear from the article whether the savings occurred in fiscal 2024 or the three years since Governor Glenn Youngkin set up the office. Either way, it’s not chump change, even in a General Fund that spends roughly $30 billion a year.

    On the other hand, the savings cited in Ress’ article come from administrative efficiencies that seem in retrospect to be no-brainers: reversals of practices that should never had been allowed in the first place.

    The biggest gains came from changes in procurement policy. For example, as described to Ress by Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward, state agencies hire professional services, such as consulting services, without knowing (or caring) that other agencies have engaged the same consultants at lower hourly rates. Adjusting payments for all services to the lower rates netted $47 million in savings.

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  • About That $660 Million

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Sample of damage to Virginia Creeper Trail by flooding following Hurricane Helene.
    Photo Credit: Cardinal News

    Earlier this year, I had an article in Bacon’s Rebellion discussing the concerns of U.S. Senator Mark Warner about a possible hold-up of federal disaster funds meant for the repair of the damage to the Virginia Creeper Trail caused by Hurricane Helene. Several readers expressed their consternation, and rightly so, at the cost estimate of $660 million for the trail’s repair.

    It is a lot of money and seems an unreasonable amount to repair a walking trail, even if those repairs include replacing numerous trestles and relocating the trail in some areas. It was with some chagrin that I had to admit that I had not focused on the cost. Subsequently, I decided to find out the basis for that cost estimate.

    It has sometimes been a frustrating search but a fascinating one overall. Before going any further, some background might be helpful.

    Virginia Creeper Trail background

    The Virginia Creeper Trail is an example of the “Rail to Trail” movement in which abandoned railroad rights-of-way have been converted to trails—walking, biking, horseback riding, etc. The right-of-way was originally purchased and cleared in the 1880’s by a company hoping to build a rail line to haul iron ore out of the mountains east of Abingdon. That effort was abandoned.

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  • Solving the Greatest Mystery in History

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Easter, the holiest day of the Christian calendar, marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The historic underpinnings of Christian doctrine have long fascinated me, and I have spent many years of amateur study of Jesus’ life and times in an effort to achieve a greater understanding of this seminal moment in human history.

    The result is my new novel, The Mystery of the Empty Tomb, which tells the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in the year 33 C.E. (Common Era), his arrest by the temple priests, his trial and crucifixion by Pontius Pilate, his burial, and the disappearance of his body from the tomb. The story is narrated by Nicolaus, a Greek by culture, native of Caesarea, and aide to Pilate. Grave robbery was endemic in the ancient world and the purloining of corpses was forbidden by imperial decree, so Roman authorities would have immediately assumed that the body had been stolen. The conceit of the novel is that Pilate puts Nicolaus in charge of identifying the culprits and tracking them down.

    Nicolaus’ investigations take him from the palace of Herod the Great to the Temple of Jerusalem (the greatest of the ancient world), into the mansions of the high priests, through the streets and marketplaces of Jerusalem, and to the cities and villages of Galilee and Samaria. Through Nicolaus, the reader learns about the power struggle between Pilate and the priests, the rivalries between Sadducees and Pharisees (and among factions of Pharisees), the ethnic tensions between Jews, Greeks and Samaritans, and the revolutionary aspirations of the anti-Roman zealots. As Nicolaus probes deeper into the sects and doctrines of the Jews, he introduces readers to the mysteries of throne mysticism and arcane practices of sorcery.

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  • Jeanine’s Memes

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    James A. Bacon

    From The Bull Elephant

  • Who Should Lead Virginia?

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    James A. Bacon

    by Gordon C. Morse

    In roughly six months, Virginia will elect a new governor, and her name is Abigail Spanberger.

    That appears to be the consensus view and, based on the circumstances (money, history, money, Trump, and money), the logic favoring Spanberger, a Democrat, appears convincing.

    So where does that leave Spanberger’s GOP opponent, current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears? In need of a compelling, un-risk-averse message. She will have to take some chances. A formulaic, by-the-numbers campaign will likely not get it done for Earle-Sears.

    Let me first attempt a description of the overall situation.

    “Virginia does presidential reactions,” a seasoned, wise and experienced chum said on Thursday, while we sat eating lunch in bucolic Charles City County. It’s less and less about Virginia, per se, in other words.

    My friend pegs the shift to year 2016, when Donald Trump first ascended to the White House. America suddenly and urgently needed to channel its response – as felt by those, of course, who did not care for Trump – and Virginia promptly offered an electoral opportunity to do so the following year.

    The theory behind Virginia’s offset elections, so we’re told, once sat in the notion that the commonwealth should avoid entanglements. No one in Virginia (if it was to remain Virginia) would benefit from state politics getting too tied up in national politics. Keep the two separate.

    Well, so much for that.

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  • Bacon Meme of the Week

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    James A. Bacon

  • Talking Out of Both Sides of Their Mouths

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    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, (R-2)

    Two members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation, Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-2nd District) and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1st District) seem to be in a bind over how to handle budget decisions coming up later this year in Congress.

    As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, they joined ten other Republican members of the House of Representatives in a letter to the Republican House leadership stating their strong support for Medicaid and warning, “We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill
    that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.” They did say that they supported “targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women – those who the program was intended to help.”

    U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1)

    However, earlier in the spring both Wittman and Kiggans supported the House budget resolution that would have required an $880 billion cut over 10 years in federal programs under the House Energy and Commerce Committee. As demonstrated in a letter issued by the Congressional Budget Office, it would be impossible to cut that much out of the programs under the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee without substantially cutting Medicaid benefits. The targeted reforms they referred to are not going to produce $880 billion in savings.

    It would seem that Wittman and Kiggans first supported legislation that would have resulted in significant Medicaid cuts, but then sent a letter to the House leadership saying that they could not support a final bill that included cuts to Medicaid.

  • Where’s the Local Media on This National Story?

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    Norfolk house at the center of a national controversy. Image credit: The New York Post

    by James A. Bacon

    A big national story has landed in Virginia, and state media, which could help the public sift through conflicting charges and countercharges, have been totally silent.

    In a 2022 trial heard around the world, New York Attorney General Letitia James famously secured a $354 million judgment against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization for submitting inflated property valuations to secure favorable loans. Trump and his defenders claimed that the valuations were subjective, the loans were repaid, and the prosecution was purely political.

    Now Trump is president, and he’s retaliating against his tormenters. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte accused James of playing fast and loose in a real estate transaction of her own. It appears that in a 2023 application for a $220,000 mortgage, James declared that she intended to occupy a Norfolk, Va., house as her “primary residence.” But she lives in New York, and she has conceded that her niece lives in the modest, single-family dwelling. Read the details in this New York Post account.

    Most recently, a report of irregularities has surfaced of James’ involvement in a 2008 real estate transaction in Martinsville, Va. Documents show her as a co-purchaser of a single-family home on a “final foreclosure accounting” (her name was misspelled as Lititua) but her name did not appear on the deed as it should have. The report could not identify a connection between James and the other buyers but noted that her mother resides in Martinsville.

    So, James stands accused of submitting inaccurate information in real estate-related legal documents — just as she charged Trump of doing, though on a much smaller scale. As with Trump, there is no evidence that anyone was harmed from the alleged (though heavily documented) misstatement.

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  • A Quiz

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    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Can you identify the following:

    1. The company whose LinkedIn description is “________Company has been providing commercial and residential work on appliance repair and installation, plumbing, and electrical services for over 34 years. We give you quality work at reasonable prices, and the best service! Work is performed for businesses, private individuals, warranty companies, and in subcontractor capacity. As a female-, veteran-, and minority-owned company, we are able to help federal contractors meet their diversity requirements.”
    2. The young business executive who, upon assuming co-leadership of a major national firm lamented the lack of racial and gender diversity in his industry and lauded the efforts of his firm to to address those disparities. “The second we stepped into this role, we emphasized that this approach was not only going to continue, but it was going to be one of our key priorities.”

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  • Case Study: How to Slant a Routine News Story

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    James A. Bacon

    Image credit: ChatGPT

    by James A. Bacon

    The Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors yesterday named Thomas “Teddy” Gottwald as interim president of the school’s governing body, succeeding former president John Adams who resigned for personal reasons last week.

    Gottwald disclaimed any desire to continue serving as president beyond June. Although VMI has been embroiled in controversy — most recently the board declined to renew the contract for Superintendent Cedric T. Wins — the appointment does not signal a change in direction for VMI.

    Of greater interest is how The Washington Post treated this routine story. The new reporter covering VMI, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff is… I can’t bring myself to say he is more “objective,” so I’ll say… less subjective than his odious, agenda-driven predecessor Ian Shapira. But he’s still a creature of the left, with all of its biases and preconceptions.

    Let’s start with the headline: “VMI selects controversial Youngkin donor as new interim board president.” Sub-head: “Teddy Gottwald, who quit the board days ahead of its 2020 vote to remove a Stonewall Jackson statue, was reappointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022. He will serve through June.”

    The headline sets the Post’s narrative-driven context right off the bat. Gottwald, whatever his other attributes, is “controversial.” How so? He quit in 2020 days before a board vote to remove the Stonewall Jackson statue from post. Thus, for readers, the five-year-old Stonewall Jackson controversy becomes Gottwald’s defining characteristic — even though he never voted on the issue himself!

    (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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