Year: 2012
-
Self Esteem Loses Steam
Another rare piece of good news: The “self esteem” movement is losing favor in the nation’s schools. The Washington Post has the story here. A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities. As schools ratchet up academic standards for…
-
Thumbsucking, Richmond-style
By Peter Galuszka The incredible, shrinking Richmond Times-Dispatch offers a lot less to read these days. Under the leadership of Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri, many staffers have been fired to boost parent firm Media General’s top line. The effort hasn’t been entirely successful since its stock, once around $65 a share, is now a little better…
-
Do Panic!!
Some readers may have taken note of Standard & Poor’s Friday downgrade of the long-term debt ratings of France, Italy and Spain as well as assorted minor European countries such as Austria, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic. To some, that development may seem distant and irrelevant to Virginia as legislators struggle to assemble…
-
Don’t Panic!!!!!!!
It may be too soon to freak out over FY 2012 budget revenues. But it’s not too early to get severe case of the heebie-jeebies. The Commonwealth’s December revenues declined 4.7% compared to the same month last year — significantly below the 4.6% average average annual growth rate required to meet budget. Year to date…
-
In Defense of McDonnell’s VRS Reforms
by James A. Bacon Yesterday I referred to Gov. Bob McDonnell as an “incrementalist reformer.” That’s not entirely fair. Some of his reforms come in pretty big increments, like his proposal to put the Virginia Retirement System back on a sound actuarial basis. If he can get his plan enacted over the inevitable objections of…
-
McDonnell the Incrementalist Reformer
by James A. Bacon Gov. Bob McDonnell delivered a competent if uninspired State of the Commonwealth address yesterday, sounding the broad themes of restoring fiscal integrity to the state budget and harnessing the power of state government to create jobs. For the most part, his agenda reflects the conventional thinking that comes out of Virginia’s Republican Party…
-
America’s Growing Cultural Class Divide
Charles Murray, the most brilliant sociologist at work in the United States today, has written a fascinating essay in New Criterion about the class polarization taking root in the United States. Once upon a time, he argues, Americans of different social and economic classes mixed easily with one another. Today, they no longer do. Increasingly,…
-
Yippee, Virginia Can Borrow another Half Billion!
The Commonwealth of Virginia can issue another $467 million in debt in FY 2012 and a like amount in FY 2013 without undermining its AAA bond rating, reports Debt Capacity Advisory Committee in its latest guidance to the Governor and General Assembly. Under the committee’s guidelines, debt-service payments cannot exceed 5% of annual “blended” revenues…
-
Transportation and Race. Really, Are We Going through This Again?
by James A. Bacon Transportation has been on the back burner in the Richmond metro area for a long time, but it could resurface in a debate over the future of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA), which operates the region’s two toll roads — and things could get ugly if the debate rips the scab…
-
McDonnell’s Campaign Against Public Schools
By Peter Galuszka As much as I hold James A. Bacon Jr., my esteemed fellow blogger, in the deepest of respect, whenever he says that he regards a package of legislation as the best, it’s time to start to switch on the Google. In this case, Jim is patting Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on the…
-
Governor Bob Tackles Education Reform
by James A. Bacon Well, well, Gov. Bob McDonnell has finally found his inner radical. His legislative proposals for economic development and energy are pretty tame stuff, but the educational agenda he announced yesterday would push Virginia schools way out of their comfort zone. Indeed, I might be so bold as to suggest that this…
-
Lots on the Virginia Defense Chopping Block
By Peter Galuszka Barack Obama’s nearly $500 billion in budget cuts are certain to impact Virginia. It’s only fair, of course, that if Obama is going to join the chorus of (largely Republican and often hysterical) budget cutters, then the military should be included. After all, we haven’t even begun paying yet for the wars…
-
Resisting the Siren Call for Subsidies
by James A. Bacon Last week Gov. Bob McDonnell rolled out the 2012 energy policy and budget initiatives that he hopes to shepherd through this year’s General Assembly. The proposed measures fall far short of the governor’s lofty rhetoric of making Virginia “the energy capital of the east coast.” But that, as I shall explain…
-
Virginia’s Defense Industry Might Survive the Cutbacks
How will President Obama’s proposed defense cutbacks affect Virginia? It’s too early to say for sure but Bill Bartel with the Virginian-Pilot says there is reason to think Hampton Roads will fare well. The new strategy, he writes, cuts the Army and Marines but “puts a greater emphasis on mobile platforms such as Navy ships,…
-
The Economic Cost of Traffic Accidents
by James A. Bacon In the course of researching another article, I’ve come across some fascinating data from an American Automobile Association report from two months ago, “Crashes Vs. Congestion: What’s the Cost to Society?” While public policy seems to focus mainly on the cost of congestion, the AAA contends that the cost of vehicle…