Author: James A. Bacon
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A Military Man Ponders COVID-19
by James C. Sherlock We can’t click our heels like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz to avoid the consequences of COVID-19. We have to do the hard work of reducing the spread and working intelligently with what we have. Two military axioms apply directly: Surprise attacks are come-as-you-are events. Operational plans seldom survive the…
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Coronavirus: New Rules of Non-Engagement
by Kerry Dougherty On Wednesday morning I did something I almost never do as a professional blogger: I put on pantyhose. Too much information? Sorry. Trying to lighten the mood a little. The occasion that demanded such finery was the annual Virginia Beach Mayor’s “State of the City” address, an event loaded with Chamber of…
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Governor Northam, Close the Schools
by Hans Bader Coronavirus is spreading rapidly. If the number of people with the disease continues to grow exponentially, it will overwhelm the healthcare system within a month. Hospitals will be so packed with patients that hospitals will run out of ventilators needed to keep seriously ill patients alive, and intensive care units will be…
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About that High Emergency Preparedness Rating…
by James A. Bacon It is entirely appropriate during a crisis like the COVID-19 epidemic for elected officials to urge calm. Panic often leads to counter-productive behavior. At the same time, it is important not to instill a sense of false confidence, which could engender complacency. Finding the right balance is difficult. Governor Ralph Northam…
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Are Hospitals Prepared for the COVID-19 Contagion?
by James A. Bacon In my previous post, I laid out the case that Virginia potentially faces a severe shortage of hospital capacity should the COVID-19 pandemic spread in the Old Dominion at the geometric rate of increase as seen in other countries. I estimated that the Richmond region’s acute-care hospitals have only 1,400 un-utilized…
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Does Virginia Have Enough Hospital Beds?
by James A. Bacon Now that the COVID-19 virus has arrived in Virginia, key institutions are reacting. Several universities are extending their spring breaks; others are shifting to online classes. Event organizers are cancelling their events, from book fairs to health fairs. Major employers are telling employees to work remotely. Jails are suspending visitations to…
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Amazon to Create 1,500 Jobs in Hampton Roads
by James A. Bacon Amazon has announced the launch of two state-of-the-art operations facilities in Hampton Roads that will create 1,500 jobs. One is a multi-story robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk, creating 1,000 jobs, and the other a 650,000-square-foot processing center in Chesapeake, creating 500 jobs. Both operations are scheduled to open in 2021. Since…
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COVID-19 as Boost to Telework, Distance Learning
by James A. Bacon The COVID-19 virus may change our lives in ways we can only begin to imagine. Believe it or not, some of them might even be positive. Consider the impact of today’s stories upon Virginia’s higher-ed and transportation systems. A boost to distance learning. The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and James…
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Virginia’s Vengeful Politicians
by Kerry Dougherty Terry McAuliffe is a terrific politician. If you’ve met the former Virginia governor you know what I mean. He’s smooth. He oozes charm. Like many skilled politicians, underneath that affable exterior lurks a ruthless operator with an elephantine memory. Just ask LaBravia Jenkins, the well-respected commonwealth’s attorney for the City of Fredericksburg.…
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Bring the World’s Best Hospitals to Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Virginia does not host a single one of the world’s best hospitals.[1] But America does. Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have been ranked at the top of such ratings for as long as I can remember. Neither of them are here in the Commonwealth, I believe Virginia could change that. Mayo…
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National, State and Local COVID-19 Response Readiness
by James C. Sherlock I spent a lot of time at the national level working in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) on policy, training, exercises, communications and after-action analysis of operations including Katrina. I offer this essay as a primer with a goal to bolster citizens’ faith in that system as it relates to…
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Yanking Drivers’ License Over Unpaid Court Costs Is Inhumane
by Kerry Daugherty Many years ago, OK, 11 to be exact, I foolishly zipped along Rt. 58 through Emporia. Yep, the speeding capital of the Old Dominion. I saw the flashing lights in my rearview, heard the screaming sirens and prayed that the cop was chasing one of the cars ahead of me. He wasn’t.…
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To Fight COVID-19 in Virginia, Give Public More Data
by James A. Bacon The COVID-19 virus has escaped containment, and it has reached Virginia. Authorities have identified two documented cases of the COVID-19 virus: one a U.S. Marine stationed at Ft. Belvoir who apparently was infected during an overseas business trip, and the other a Fairfax County man in his 80s who picked up…
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Virginia Has No Campaign Contribution Limits — And It Shows
by James C. Sherlock Did anyone notice the reporting last year that Virginia’s 2019 state election drew unprecedented amounts of special interest money from out of state, most of it targeted to turn the state blue? It worked. Federal laws regulate the use of money in federal elections. The states implement and enforce campaign finance…
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How Hospitals Exercise Political Clout
by James C. Sherlock Virginia’s hospitals and health systems have for decades gotten everything they have sought from the state government, both the constitutional officers and the General Assembly. Readers of this space have been provided the details of some of their successes that are counter to the public good. But what is the source…