Author: James A. Bacon
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Pencil Whipping Mass Transit
In my previous post, I objected to the Virginia state Senate voting to pump an additional $300 million into the Rail-to-Dulles heavy rail project without demanding more accountability from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the entity in charge of overseeing design and construction. Now, let’s stop to think what happens when construction is complete and the…
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Kissing the Pig — Wrapped up in a Bow
by James A. Bacon When push comes to shove, are Virginia’s Republicans fiscal conservatives first or culture warriors first? We found out yesterday when the Senate Republicans and Democrats reached agreement to pass a state budget. Republicans succeeded in batting down a $3 million Democrat-inspired provision for the state to pay for ultrasounds required of…
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Kissing the Pig
by James A. Bacon The good news for Virginians from late last week is that Republicans and Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee broke their deadlock over the state budget. The bad news is… Senate Republicans and Democrats broke their deadlock. The only way to paper over the divide between the two parties, of course,…
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A Rare Civil Dialogue
Robert Reich by James A. Bacon Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer and liberal professor/author Robert Reich squared off in a civil and thoughtful debate at the Richmond Forum last night. Neither man changed my thinking but I enjoyed the dialogue immensely. I also walked away with one powerful conviction: The contentious, sound bite-driven format of cable…
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Murals on My Mind
I love giant murals painted on the vacant walls of buildings. They add so much life to the building — and the urban area all around. My favorite is the immense picture of two humpback whales on the side of the Dominion Towers parking deck in Norfolk. But the whales will have plenty of competition…
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Selling Cars to a Generation that Venerates Apple more than Chevy
Back when the Baby Boomers were coming of age a zillion years ago, the Detroit automakers had a problem: Boomers rejected their parents’ favored American brands and embraced cars from Japan and Germany. Today, automakers of all nationalities have an even bigger problem. Members of the Millennial generation are rejecting their Boomer parents’ preference for…
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Tarheel Lawsuit Could Change VDOT Planning Practices
The proposed Monroe Bypass south of Charlotte. (Click for more legible image.) A lawsuit filed against a proposed bypass near Charlotte, N.C., could have a big impact on how road and highway projects are decided in Virginia. If a coalition of conservation groups win their case in U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, it would…
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Big Oil… Big Solar… Big Algae?
President Obama may rue the day when he touted algae-based biofuels as a long-term solution for rising energy costs. Conservatives from Newt Gingrich to Charles Krauthammer have subjected the idea to endless mockery. Google “Obama algae for fuel” and you’ll hit a treasure trove of ridicule and satire. Lucky thing for Obama that the late night comedians…
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Virginia: Best State to Make a Living
MoneyRates.com has ranked Virginia the “Best State to Make a Living” in its annual study , beating out Washington state, Texas and Illinois to snag the top spot. The ranking considers four factors: Average Income, which increased in Virginia over the past year; Cost of Living based on ACCRA Cost of Living Index, which slightly…
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Tracking Sea-Level Rise on Virginia’s Coast
by James A. Bacon Scientists Scott Hardaway and Bryan Watts, both affiliated with the College of William and Mary, have made a specialty of studying hummocks along the Chesapeake Bay coastline. Hummocks, which are stands of trees growing in patches of dry land surrounded by marsh, are a visible gauge of rising sea levels. As…
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IG of the Day: Metro Population Growth
This map, published by the Brookings Institution, shows the rate of population growth for the nation’s largest metropolitan regions in the 2000s. Click here to compare and contrast growth rates during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and to view differing rates of growth for “cities” (urban core municipalities) and “suburbs” (outlying municipalities). — JAB
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At Last… Stottlemyer Appointed to MWAA Board
Gov. Bob McDonnell has finally got his man, Todd Stottlemyer, on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board. Sadly, it took the departure of Mame Reily, a former board chair who resigned in order to battle breast cancer, to open up a seat. The governor had originally tried to appoint Stottlemyer, CEO of Northern Virginia…
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Back 2 Busing Basics
Civic entrepreneur Jim Porter has discovered a new niche in the mass transit realm — free bus rides for students and other weekend revelers. Chalk up another victory for private-sector transit.
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Virginia Government Scores an “F” for Transparency, Accountability
Virginia transparency and accountability report card. (Click for more legible image.) by James A. Bacon Virginia scores 47th out of 50 states in a ranking of transparency and accountability conducted by the State Integrity Investigation project. In case you were wondering, a score of 50 is the absolute worst. In other words, 46 other states…
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Who Will Report the News? 2012 Update
More bad news for news junkies: The press is the fastest shrinking industry in the United States. Advertising sales have halved since 2005. For every digital ad dollar earned, newspapers have lost $7 in print ads. Digital advertising is expected to surpass the combined advertising of newspapers and magazines combined. “There’s no doubt we’re going…