Author: Dick Hall-Sizemore
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Money Burning a Hole in their Pockets
by Dick Hall-Sizemore If anyone needs concrete evidence that the 2024 General Assembly had more money for the 2024-2026 biennial budget that it could responsibly spend, he need only to examine one little-known item in the budget: capital maintenance reserve (MR). In an earlier article, I examined this budget item and identified five agencies that…
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All of the Camel is Almost in the Tent
by Dick Hall-Sizemore For more decades than one can remember, the policy of the Commonwealth, with one exception, has been to pay for road construction with money raised by gasoline and other transportation-related taxes. Money in the state’s general fund, consisting of revenue from income, sales, and other miscellaneous taxes, was not available for road…
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“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Each Sunday afternoon during the summer, the Historic St. John’s Church Foundation presents a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. The reenactment, which has been presented for almost 50 years, takes place in the Historic St. John’s Church in Richmond, the site of the original speech.…
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Rambling: A Reminder of the Beginnings of Religious Freedom
by Dick Hall-Sizemore This is one of the most attractive church buildings I have seen. It is Mathews Baptist Church, located on Rt. 198 in Mathews County at the intersection with the road leading to Gwynn’s Island. The sign above the door says the church was organized in 1776. In the years leading up to…
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A Confessed Killer is Found Innocent
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Marvin Grimm spent 44 years in jail and prison for sexual abuse and murder of a three-year old boy, to which he confessed and pleaded guilty. However, the Court of Appeals of Virginia recently said that there is no evidence he committed the crimes and fully exonerated him. Grimm’s case is largely an…
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Republicans Still Fighting in the Fifth District
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Republicans are still fighting each other over the primary results in the Fifth Congressional District. As reported by Cardinal News, Bob Good is still contesting his loss in the Congressional primary and a candidate for Lynchburg City Council has filed suit to invalidate the results. According to the latest tally, Good, the…
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A Curious Appointment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin has appointed Banci Tewolde as director of the Dept. of General Services (DGS). She will fill the vacancy created by the sudden departure last December of Joe Damico, who had served as deputy director for 16 years and as director for the last six years. It is a curious appointment for a…
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A Taste of His Own Medicine or Hypocrisy at its Greatest
by Dick Hall-Sizemore State Sen. John McGuire (R-Goochland) is an ardent and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, who constantly questions the integrity of the electoral process and still peddles the lie that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen. McGuire attended the Jan.6 “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. McGuire challenged incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob…
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Another Learning Skill Abandoned
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Recently, I was listening to a story on NPR about the cyberattack of a company that provides software to auto dealerships across the country for managing sales and other services. This incident had significantly slowed activity in approximately 15,000 dealerships. Besides contemplating the implications of businesses in all parts of the country…
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Rambling: Guess Who He is Voting For
There is no doubt as to whom the residents in this house perched on the edge of Rt. 58 in Grayson County are supporting!
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An Answer for Jon Baliles: It’s the Constitution
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Shame on Jon Baliles for not knowing why cities and counties are treated differently in the Code of Virginia regarding the issuance of general obligation debt. The answer is simple; the state constitution requires the different treatment. Article VII, section 10, of the state constitution deals with the issuing of debt by…
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Is This What is Meant by Cult of Personality?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The primary race for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District seat is a microcosm of what the modern Republican party has become. Both candidates, Bob Good, the incumbent, and John McGuire, a member of the Virginia Senate, are ultra-conservative. There is probably not any substantive difference between them on policy issues. Yet, they and…
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The Cost of DEI? That’s the Easy Part.
by Dick Hall-Sizemore This whole argument over the cost of DEI at UVa. is a tempest in a teapot in budget terms. Even if one accepts the inflated figure of $20 million put forth by Open the Books, that is less than one percent of UVa.’s adopted budget of $2.40 billion for the academic division…
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An Alternative Interpretation of the EV Statute
by Dick Hall-Sizemore This is a follow-up to Steve Haner’s article on Gov. Youngkin’s announcement that Virginia will not be bound by California regulations on electric vehicles after this year. The Governor’s announcement is a lawyer’s dream. There are different ways to interpret the laws and regulations involved and, so, off to court we go.…