Tax Restructuring Can Benefit Every Virginian
Technology Revolutionizes Road Construction
Activists’ Case is True-Life Three Ring Circus
Urban Highway Tunnels Coming of Age
Anti-hydrocarbon policies subsidize crony capitalists
Earth Day 2012 – Life is Good!
Private Colleges and African-American Educational OpportunityAppreciation»
Great American Heroes (Comments Off)
With all the grim economic news and continued partisanship in our great nation, one must look to the true character of regular men and women in our work force who are making a tremendous difference and saving lives.
Civil Liberties»
Are Courts Assaulting Our Liberties? (1)
Presidential contender Newt Gingrich was criticized recently for his remarks regarding judicial activism. He claimed parts of our modern court system are engaging in “…a fundamental assault on our liberties…” Further, Gingrich contends the Founding Fathers wanted “…to have a balance of power, not to have a dictatorship by any one of the three branches.” [...]
Crime»
New Evidence Should Give McDonnell Second Thoughts on Lewis Execution (2)
Teresa Lewis is scheduled to die on September 23. Here’s why he should reconsider
Economic Development»
Virginia Ranks Third in Recent ‘Rich States, Poor States’ Study (Comments Off)
Virginia has been a leader in economic growth over the past five years while many other states have yet to experience significant growth. So why is it that Virginia does so well while other states continue to struggle? The latest edition of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Rich States, Poor States,” uses census data to [...]
Economy»
Virginia’s Next Economic Boom? (Comments Off)
Virginia’s economic developers expect a wave of manufacturing and logistical investment when the Panama Canal expansion is complete. Opportunities this big, they say, come along only once in a generation New mega-industrial parks and a proposed $1.8 billion highway could help create a world-class economic development asset in an unlikely corner of Virginia: the sparsely [...]
Education»
Private Colleges and African-American Educational Opportunity (Comments Off)
There is a tremendous thirst in Virginia’s African-American population for higher education that is not reflected in minority enrollment at Virginia’s public colleges and universities. Only 13.8% of the students attending public institutions in the fall of 2008 were African-American. But 47.4% of the students enrolled in private, proprietary colleges (often referred to as career [...]
Energy»
Anti-hydrocarbon policies subsidize crony capitalists (0)
The Obama Administration’s anti-hydrocarbon ideology and “renewable” energy mythology continues to subsidize crony capitalists and the politicians they help keep in office – on the backs of American taxpayers, ratepayers and motorists. The latest chapter in the sorry ethanol saga is a perfect example. Bowing to pressure from ADM, Cargill, Growth Energy and other Big [...]
Environment»
Activists’ Case is True-Life Three Ring Circus (0)
Producers involved in animal agriculture may soon owe Feld Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a deep debt of gratitude. The parent company of Ringling Bros. has been engaged in its own three ring circus, and I do not mean what you take your children to enjoy. Animal [...]
Feature»
Wetlands: The New Land Grab by EPA (1)
EPA’s draft guidance on identifying waters which may be wetlands was issued on April 27, 2011. My recent blog discussed the concern an Illinois congressman had regarding the impact of this guidance on agriculture and farmers.
Government Reform»
The Governor’s Pension Reform Proposal Should Become Law (1)
It is imperative that in the current session the General Assembly pass Governor McDonnell’s Virginia Retirement System (VRS) reform package or something similar. Two factors create the urgency in this matter. First, the Governor and General Assembly leaders made clear for several years their intention to make changes to increase the long-term sustainability of the [...]
Health Care»
ObamaCare Continues to Strain Small Business (Comments Off)
This article was originally published in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s policy blog, the AmericanLegislator (www.americanlegislator.com). A Gallup Poll released in February found that nearly half of small business owners pointed to potential healthcare costs (48 percent) as a reason for not hiring new employees. Even though 23 percent of small employers at the beginning [...]
History»
Remembering Reagan at 101 (Comments Off)
It was an honor to know and work for Ronald Reagan, whose 101st birthday we celebrate this month. I “cut my political teeth” working for him in West Texas in 1976 and 1980, running for the U.S. House at his suggestion in 1978, and later serving in his administration in several executive positions. I was [...]
Immigration»
Reviving the Great Melting Pot (Comments Off)
A century ago, Americans expected immigrants to learn English and adapt to a new culture. Would it be politically incorrect to encourage today’s immigrants to “Americanize”?
Land Use»
Governor McDonnell Signs Bill Creating Inventory of Virginia State-Owned Land (Comments Off)
Bill requires DGS to provide a listing of surplus properties on the Department’s website, to include parcel identification consistent with national spatial data standards in addition to a street address.
Law and Justice»
Search Warrant Served on Student Newsroom Violates Federal Law (1)
The search warrant served on the JMU Breeze in the aftermath of JMU’s riot violated the the Federal Privacy Protection Act.
Local Government»
Local Zoning Issues Belong in the Hands of our Elected Officials, Not the Courts (Comments Off)
It is unfortunate that a local issue of serious importance to our area rests in the hands of the Prince William County Circuit Court, and not with our locally elected officials as it should. Right now the Court has hijacked a zoning issue that should be decided by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. [...]
Media»
Citizens vs. Media Access (Comments Off)
Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act is a citizens’ law, not a press law. It is the people’s right to know, not just a reporter’s right to know. But sometimes practice deviates from that ideal. Here’s why.
Nice & Curious Questions»
A Rocky Business: Quarries in Virginia (Comments Off)
Modern quarries in the Old Dominion owe their existence to the automobile – and muddy roads. In fact, in 1928, before the state took over road maintenance, Fairfax County opened a quarry near Centreville to extract crushed stone for county roads. Now privately owned, the Luck Stone Corporation quarry site on Route 29 provided material [...]
Politics»
Virginia will Remember December 2010 (2)
Thanks to the Governor’s $4 billion transportation program and the Attorney General’s big victory against Obamacare, December 2010 is a month to remember in Virginia.
Regulation»
Should the Uranium Mining Moratorium Be Lifted? (1)
The debate over uranium mining in Virginia is reaching a crescendo as the Virginia General Assembly meets for its 2012 Session and those in favor and those opposed are ready to battle over this important public policy and economic development issue. While this is important , especially to those who live in Southside Virginia, the [...]
State Government»
Tim Hugo Comments on the Va. House of Delegates during the 2012 Session. (Comments Off)
In the video below, Del. Tim Hugo, Majority Caucus Chair, comments on the activities in the Virginia House of Delegates during the 2012 Session.
Taxes»
Tax Restructuring Can Benefit Every Virginian (0)
What if you could improve Virginia’s economy by eliminating state income taxes on the working poor (and cutting taxes for everyone else) while creating thousands of new jobs? And what if, at the same time, you stimulated hundreds of millions in new business investments – even while eliminating three job-destroying business taxes? According to a new [...]
Technology»
Flying Blind Does Not Serve Taxpayers (1)
In order to implement and measure the effectiveness of the programs proposed by President Obama and Governor Kaine we need a better understanding of our land. The US and Virginia both need better maps.
Top Story»
Virginia Toll Projects and “Loss Aversion” (1)
In his book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” psychologist and Nobel Prize winner in economics Daniel Kahneman describes the phenomena of “loss aversion” and “reference points.” These deeply embedded cognitive quirks, which had survival value for hunter-gatherers, pose dilemmas for politicians in complex modern societies who try to change the status quo. The McDonnell administration’s plan [...]
Transparency»
USDA Spy Proposal: So Much for Privacy (Comments Off)
(Publishers note: Gary Baise is a nationally recognized environmental attorney who was a key part of the initial leadership team when the Environmental Protection Agency came into existence. He is a Virginia resident and the issues brought up in his columns are clearly of concern to all farmer, including those here in Virginia.) Washington has [...]
Transportation»
Technology Revolutionizes Road Construction (0)
New technology is taking cost, time and uncertainty out of highway design. For Virginians, this quiet revolution means less traffic disruption, lower costs and faster turn-around times on big projects. Last fall Fluor Transurban was negotiating a contract with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to build or upgrade 29 miles of express lanes on [...]
Uncategorized»
Public Private Partnerships Key to Virginia Congestion Relief (Comments Off)
(Editor’s note: Jim Bacon is one of our state’s best out of the box, yet practical thinkers. This column first ran in the Virginia Pilot on Christmas Day 2011.) While Virginia’s Public Private Partnership Act may be experiencing growing pains as projects from the Midtown and Downtown tunnels to HOT lanes on Interstate 95 see [...]
Virginia Roundup»
Virginia Roundup (Comments Off)
A roundup of news from the last two weeks around the state.
Entries(RSS)