Author: James A. Bacon
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IG of the Day: Federal Contract Jobs
More than one in ten Virginians working in the Commonwealth is a private sector employee working under federal contract, according to data published by the Mercatus Center. That’s the highest percentage of any state in the country… by far. The comparable figure for Maryland is only 7.7%. Add government jobs to federally funded private jobs,…
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The Zimmerman Telegram
Chris Zimmerman’s message upon leaving the Arlington County Board for Smart Growth America: Smart Growth is good for economic development, and other localities can benefit by Arlington’s example.
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Parks, Recreation and Racial Bean Counting
bv James A. Bacon Virginia’s recreational assets include 33,610 picnic tables, 5,740 miles of hiking trails, 2,671 basketball courts and 695 outdoor pools. Walking for pleasure is the favorite outdoor recreational activity of Virginians, followed by visiting historic sites and visiting natural areas and nature preserves. Those are among the fascinating tidbits of information contained…
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About those Henrico School Disparities…
by James A. Bacon It now seems to be the received wisdom that high turn-out by African-Americans in the East End of Henrico County was the decisive factor that won approval for the 4% meals tax. African-Americans bore a slew of grievances regarding the under-performance of East End schools and racial disparities in the disciplining…
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Uneven Jobs Performance for Virginia Metros
Whatever the cause of Virginia’s sputtering job-creation performance, the problem can’t be blamed entirely upon sequestration. Bureau of Labor Statistics data accessible on Governing magazine’s website displays job growth between July 2012 and July 2013: The Washington metro area, the perennial leader in job creation, did fall to the middle of the pack — 164th strongest growth…
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Who Watches the Watchdog?
by Stephen D. Haner The Virginia Public Access Board of Directors is out with its five-point ethics reform proposal and it underwhelms. During my term on that board it became quite clear that the group would never advocate any change that created angst for the General Assembly members or the lobbyists who to seek to…
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Investors Take their Licks from Toll Road Projects
by James A. Bacon Private investors have pumped about $27 billion into toll-road deals in the United States since 2003, estimates the Wall Street Journal in an article today. Many of them have gone bust. The root problem: Not enough drivers. During the go-go years of the 2000s when traffic counts were soaring and real estate…
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Brace Yourself for the Internet of Things
by James A. Bacon The “Internet of Things” is one of the hottest buzz words in the global technology sector today. The phrase refers to a phenomenon, the mass proliferation of Internet-connected devices, that is as world-altering as the invention of the personal computer and the rise of the World Wide Web. Economy and society…
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Virginia Congestion-Rating Methodology in the Works
by James A. Bacon In 2012 the General Assembly passed a bill sponsored by Del. James L. LeMunyon, R-Chantilly, that called for rating significant transportation projects on their ability to reduce congestion. The idea promptly disappeared into the labyrinth of Virginia’s transportation bureaucracy. At the time, the issue seemed academic — the commonwealth was fast…
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Smart Cities around the World Are Saving Money Now. How about Your Home Town?
by James A. Bacon Suggested reading for every elected official, senior administrator and department head in Virginia government: “Smart Cities Readiness Guide” published by the Smart Cities Council. This easy-to-read document walks government practitioners (and interested citizens) through the process of using sensor, communications and analytic technologies to collect, communicate and crunch data. Proven smart…
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The Electoral Implications of Smart Growth
by James A. Bacon Marc Tracy conducts an interesting thought experiment in the New Republic: Would increasing the height restrictions on Washington, D.C.’s buildings turn Virginia back into a red state? His logic runs like this: The District of Columbia is running out of developable land under current height restrictions, which is driving up real…
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A Southern Oasis of Low Crime
Virginia has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, according to 2012 FBI crime data, as plotted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. That applies to both violent and non-violent crime. The Old Dominion is a real outlier compared to other Southern states. Maybe this is…
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Woman on the Spot: Jacqueline Cunningham
by James A. Bacon President Barack Obama threw the health insurance industry for a loop yesterday when he declared that insurers can extend by a year those policies that they had canceled for failing to meet the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Here in Virginia that puts an obscure government official — Commissioner of…
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Simplify the School Funding Formula
by Chris Braunlich George Allen and Standards of Learning reform. Jim Gilmore and car tax reduction. Bob McDonnell and transportation reform. That’s what we remember. So what does Governor-elect McAuliffe want to be remembered for when he walks out of the office? How about reforming K-12 education through “Weighted Student Funding?” This is a concept…
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Yes, Virginia, There Are Alternatives to Obamacare
by James A. Bacon The Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare) is arguably the worst legislative train wreck foisted upon the United States in the country’s 237-year history — ranking right up there in the scale of self-inflicted disasters with the invasion of Iraq for non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction. So far, it looks like Obamacare,…