Category: Governance
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Virginia’s State Health System Will Continue to Kill its Citizens If We Let It
by James C. Sherlock Virginians of every political stripe have grown very tired of watching the Northam administration obfuscate repeated, very public failures to carry out its role in protecting the health of its citizens since the onset of COVID. But that is an effect, not a cause, of the massive and continuing failures at…
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Democrats Propose Expanded Virginia Government Personal Information Collection, Integration and Dissemination
by James C. Sherlock There are few things the Left desires more than government access to personal data on every citizen and everything he or she does. Virginia continues down that path. Government Data Collection & Dissemination Practices Act Chapter 38 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia (§ 2.2-3800 et seq.) reads in…
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Most Virginia Public Universities Score Low in Board Accountability
by James A. Bacon Five Virginia universities score an “F” in a rating of governing board accountability and transparency released today by the Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust. They include Virginia Tech, James Madison University, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia State University and Longwood University. George Mason University set the pace for board accountability…
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Welcome to the Foxhole
by James C. Sherlock I just posted this response to a relative who asked me to read a post by a left wing professor blaming Q’Anon for the violence in the capitol. I read the article. I haven’t read enough of (name of the author) to characterize him, so I won’t. I will, however address…
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Is It Time To Dust Off the Nixon – Ford Playbook?
By DJ Rippert Mea Culpa. I’ve long thought that’s it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission So I’m going to join Jim Bacon and break the cardinal rule of Bacon’s Rebellion … sticking to topics limited to matters of Virginia public policy. Just this once. Trump Gotta Go. By all accounts President Donald Trump is…
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Important Changes in Healthcare Billing and Price Transparency
by James C. Sherlock A lot happened right before the New Year to change the rules for healthcare billing and pricing. Balance Billing In one of the events, new federal law buried in the end of year, 5,600-page $900 billion COVID-19 federal relief legislation bans balance billing to patients. “Surprise” billing for the balance due after an…
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COVID Has Exposed Massive Failures in Governance
by James C. Sherlock In a comment to my previous post, we saw a statement “most parents are happy with the education their kids are getting.” That is no longer true. Polls say overwhelmingly it is not. On a personal note, my two grandsons in Albemarle County schools, twin seniors, haven’t set foot in…
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Religious-Freedom Challenges to Northam’s Executive Orders
by Emilio Jaksetic Three churches in Virginia are suing Governor Northam over restrictions in his latest pandemic-related executive order, claiming their rights to religious freedom are being infringed. (See The Virginia Star article here.) The cases raise questions about Northam’s authority to limit, restrict or otherwise regulate religious activities in response to the pandemic. In…
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Amanda Chase: Chasing the Crazy Vote
by Kerry Dougherty At a time when many of us are railing against Gov. Ralph Northam’s arbitrary and capricious executive orders, a Republican who wants to replace him is calling on President Trump to declare martial law. Just what we need, another governor with tyrannical impulses. Not that State Sen. Amanda Chase has any chance…
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Legal Futility of Virginia’s Online Petitions
by Emilio Jaksetic Currently, online petitions are advocating the removal of the superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools and the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School. (See the petitions here and here.) Such online petitions are legally futile. Under Virginia law, removal of elected officials such as Fairfax County school board members is handled differently…
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Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Sits Idle While Constituents Suffer and Die
by James C. Sherlock I have been attempting to improve healthcare access, affordability and competition, which improves both access and affordability, in Virginia for 15 years, especially for the benefit of the poor. I have seen the Governor’s office and members of the Virginia General Assembly (especially Democrats on health care issues) continue to bow to…
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All You Need to Know
by James C. Sherlock Three consecutive stories in today’s VPAP VaNews: Matt Jones in the Daily Press. “75% of Virginia parents fear their children are falling behind in the pandemic, new poll says” Kenya Hunter in the Richmond Times Dispatch. “Virginia Education Association calls for classrooms to close across the state” Gregory Schneider in the…
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NoPlan Northam Readies Random Restrictions
By DJ Rippert Here we go again. The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting that Governor Ralph “NoPlan” Northam signaled a possible increase in COVID-19 restrictions during an interview with CNBC yesterday (Dec 7). Northam is quoted as saying, “We’re actively discussing on how to mitigate the numbers, and we’ll take further measures if we need…
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Remote Learning Takes Predictably Highest Toll on Virginia’s Most Vulnerable – There are Villains
by James C. Sherlock The most predictable (and predicted) crisis in the history of the nation’s public schools has come to pass. The education and thus future prospects of millions of poor children have been destroyed by weak governors and mayors, aggressive teachers unions and feckless boards of education who not only should have known better,…
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Individual Virginians have Political Power If They Will Use It
by James C. Sherlock We discuss here every day issues such as Virginia’s dangerous shortage of health facilities inspectors that have great consequence to the people of the Commonwealth regardless of their political affiliation. The Director of the Office of Licensure and Certification in VDH was brave to provide an unvarnished reply to my FOIA…