Author: Dick Hall-Sizemore
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The Fog of Political Campaigns
by Dick Hall-Sizemore During the campaign season, I often get so frustrated with the pronouncements of candidates that I wish I could publicly pose questions that they would have to answer. The most recent example comes from a story in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch about the highly competitive House race in the Petersburg area. The incumbent,…
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Data to Ponder
According to the websites of the State Compensation Board and the Department of Corrections, the starting salary for a correctional officer or deputy sheriff is $44,100. Based on information submitted to the Department of Education by local school divisions, the starting salary for teachers in 34 school divisions in school year 2022-2023 was lower than…
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Which Party?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore I was at the Virginia State Fair this morning. The state Republican Party has this “booth.” It is a good idea. I don’t know if the Democrats have one because I did not walk around the whole area. The Republicans have a good location—right next to the main Commonwealth Pavilion, where there…
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DOE Response to Average Teacher Salary Issues
by Dick Hall-Sizemore My article on average teacher salaries must have struck a nerve. This morning I received an answer to my inquiry from the Department of Education (DOE). In short, DOE disavows any responsibility for the accuracy of the data in the report it submitted to the General Assembly. The Office of Communications declares,…
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Doesn’t Anyone Read These Things To See If They Make Sense?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore In preparing my recent article on tax cuts, I was going to include a section on the need for increases in teacher salaries. In researching the issue, I discovered that the Department of Education (DOE) submits to the General Assembly a survey of teacher salaries in Virginia. I was delighted because that…
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Whose Water Is It?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There are some issues that seem to be baked into public policy and, because they affect sensitive and important areas, tend to lead to controversies periodically. Many years ago, one of the hottest controversies was the “inter-basin transfer of water.” Because Virginia is a “riparian rights” state, folks who live next to…
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A Case Against Further Tax Cuts
by Dick Hall-Sizemore After more than a decade of state budget revenue shortfalls and concomitant budget cuts, one would think there would be smiles all round at the news of revenues coming in substantially above the projections, resulting in a healthy general fund surplus. Incongruously, that was not the case. Republicans seemed to be outraged…
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Transparency? Hah!
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Maybe it was the weirdness of amending the biennial budget after Year 2 of the biennium had started. Maybe all the money they had to spend made them dizzy. Maybe they were in a hurry because many of them were in the middle of re-election campaigns. Whatever the reason, the General Assembly…
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How They Spent That Money
By Dick Hall-Sizemore Steve Haner and I unofficially tag-team on the state budget. Fittingly, he covers the revenues (taxes) and I cover the spending. Regarding the revenues available for spending, it is notable what was missing from the presentations by the Governor and Secretary of Finance in their appearances before the money committees last month.…
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Another List of Best Colleges
Inspired by the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of colleges, everyone is getting into the game, each with its own criteria. The Wall Street Journal has just released its list of “Best 400 Colleges in America.” Its rankings are based on student experiences, social mobility, and salary impact. Its greatest emphasis was on the…
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“School’s Closed Today! It’s the Law”
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Now that two of my grandchildren are in public school, rather than being home-schooled, I am more attuned to what is going on in public school. Last Friday, I was in Northern Virginia visiting them because they were off from school. Although I was happy to get the extra time with them,…
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“Let Me Talk to My Sales Manager to See What We Can Do”
by Dick Hall-Sizemore George Will had a fascinating column recently whose thesis is counter to the dominant opinion on Bacon’s Rebellion about the cost of higher education. Will cites recent research that concludes, “Students are paying less for college than they did 15 years ago.” What is going on, although he does not use this…
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All Hat, No Cattle
by Dick Hall-Sizemore In Texas, the phrase, “all hat, no cattle” refers to someone who is all talk with little substance. Governor Glenn Youngkin is in the running for one of those hats. The latest “Team Youngkin” fund-raising scare e-mail deals with fentanyl. It starts off by recounting the number of fatal overdoses in Virginia…
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Be Careful of What You Wish For
by Dick Hall-Sizemore For those on this blog who advocate the election of judges in Virginia, The Washington Post today has an article that should give you second thoughts. Courts cannot be isolated completely from partisanship, but it should be distressing for anyone, regardless of one’s partisan leanings, that a state supreme court, such as…
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Psst, the War’s Over
by Dick Hall-Sizemore I saw this motorcycle in Lexington a few days ago. Apparently, the owner missed the news that the war is over and his side lost. If he goes downtown, they should be able to bring him up to date. (It is hard to see in this picture, but Main Street was lined…