Author: James A. Bacon
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Flying the Flag for a Friend
by Kerry Dougherty On the morning of the Fourth of July, on a leafy side street in Trenton, N.J., a tall, gray-haired man with a mustache will open his front door, step outside and solemnly hang an American flag. He’ll pause for a minute, ponder the Stars and Stripes, and then he’ll whisper, “This is…
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Who Rules America in 2020?
by James A. Bacon One of my college textbooks back in the early 1970s was a book by G. William Domhoff, “Who Rules America?” He argued, as best I can remember, that a corporate elite wielded power through its influence over government as well its control of cultural institutions such as think tanks, foundations, academic…
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Why Is COVID-19 Trending Down in Virginia?
by James A. Bacon As the COVID-19 virus continues to recede in Virginia, I’ve abandoned my day-to-day coverage of the numbers, but I think it’s still worthwhile to post periodic updates. The good news for Virginia as seen in the chart above, taken from the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard, is that the number…
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Unbiased Research on Race Becoming Taboo
by Hans Bader It is now dangerous for an academic to conduct or even discuss research that shows an absence of racial bias in the criminal justice system. An Asian-American college official was forced to resign his position after discussing such research, as The College Fix reports in the article, “Scholar forced to resign over…
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Tragedy on Interstate 95
Southbound traffic on Interstate 95 near the Thornsburg exit was disrupted yesterday when several pigs wandered into traffic. Several of the animals were injured. It is heartening to hear that numerous motorists stopped to render aid to the suffering creatures. It’s one thing to see deer roadkill. Deer are a menace to society. Pigs are…
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Evictions as the New “Monuments to White Supremacy”
by James A. Bacon The City of Richmond took down the statue of Stonewall Jackson yesterday in the hope, in Mayor Levar Stoney’s words, of protecting the public and starting the healing process. But across town enraged demonstrators were one step ahead of the Mayor, having switched the focus of their wrath from Civil War…
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First Cops. Now Firefighters.
by Kerry Dougherty I’ve had enough. Chances are you have too. Enough of lawlessness. Enough of destruction of property. Enough of despicable disrespect for law enforcement. It’s time to send a message to those bent on mayhem that there are some lines they may not cross. Interfering with firefighters trying to save lives IS that…
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The Kraken Cannot Be Appeased
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney informed City Council today that he would use his emergency powers to remove multiple monuments in the city, including Confederate statues. Failure to remove the monuments, it seems, presents a threat to public safety. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, and protestors attempt to take down Confederate statues themselves, or…
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Virginia Joins the Wind Power Club
Well, well, Virginia finally has an offshore wind turbine industry. The last 253-foot blade was attached Friday to a turbine and pylon off Virginia Beach. At a cost of $300 million, the two turbines owned by Dominion Energy will provide some of the world’s most expensive electricity, but they do pave the way for a…
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Students Gaining Bargaining Power with Colleges
by James A. Bacon In a properly functioning marketplace, consumers exert power through their ability to comparison shop and bargain with sellers. One of the main limits to this consumer power is something economists call “information asymmetry.” Information asymmetry occurs when sellers of a good or service possess more information than buyers, and it typically…
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Statues for Me But Not for Thee
A new law goes into effect today giving power to local governments to remove monuments and memorials for war veterans, making good on Governor Ralph Northam’s promise to use the process of law to rid the commonwealth of Confederate monuments. Numerous local governments across the state have indicated that they will use their new authority…
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Catholic Schools: Boldly Putting Kids First
by Kerry Dougherty Any parent of a kid with disabilities will tell you, more than anything else in the world, their child just wants to fit in. Not easy when you’re a little different. My son doesn’t mind if I tell you he has severe learning disabilities. He’s worked hard his whole life to overcome…
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Chickahominy Power: Another Cynical Hijacking of “Environmental Justice”
by James A. Bacon For many years we have heard how in our unjust capitalist system investment capital bypasses poor, minority neighborhoods. Under-investment means fewer jobs and economic opportunities for African-American workers and small businesses. The goal of much public policy, from government-subsidized urban redevelopment to tax-exempt enterprise zones, is to stimulate more investment in…
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Sweet Briar Thrives Amidst Coronavirus Epidemic
by James A. Bacon I’ve long admired Meredith Woo, president of Sweet Briar College, who salvaged the troubled liberal arts college three or four years back by radically restructuring its business model. Hacking out administrative costs, reorganizing the curriculum, and clarifying its mission, she slashed the cost of attendance by 32%. She then built on…
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COVID-19 Update: Mixed Signals on Viral Spread
Here are three COVID-19 trends in Virginia worth watching: The seven-day moving average of the test-positive rate ticked upwards yesterday for the first time in more than a month; Hospital utilization by COVID-19 patients dipped to the lowest point since the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association began tracking the data in early April; and It…