Category: Politics
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Salvation for the Mountain Valley Pipeline?
by Steve Haner And now, from our “I’ll believe it when I see it” department, comes the expectation that passage of President Joe Biden’s new corporate tax hike and green energy incentives package will be followed by a smooth path to completion for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) for natural gas. The topic is everywhere…
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Social Theory vs. Science in K-12 Discipline in Virginia – Fraud or Just Wrong?
by James C. Sherlock American school children have in my lifetime been the subject of widespread experiments in theory disguised as breakthroughs in education. Consider the “new math” and the “reading wars” as prominent examples. Now we have social theory on school discipline created by federal civil rights lawyers piggybacking on what may or may…
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Bad News for Governor Youngkin
by James C. Sherlock The New York Post has a story by Dana Kennedy that has put Governor Youngkin in a tough spot. It recounts nasty business transactions by Carlyle Group Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman David Rubenstein. The story links Mr. Rubenstein to the trashing of two founding fathers by tour guides at Monticello and Montpelier,…
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Virginia Republican Congressmen Do It Again
Virginia’s Republican representatives in Congress have again embarrassed the Commonwealth. The House of Representatives recently approved a resolution supporting the applications of Sweden and Finland to join NATO. The vote was 394-18. Three of those 18 “no” votes were from Virginia Republicans: Morgan Griffith (9th District), Ben Cline (6th District); and Bob Good (5th District). …
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Luria’s Curious Campaign Slogan
by Kerry Dougherty I’ve seen some wacky political slogans in the past: “Be Best” was inane, “Build Back Better” was worse, especially considering the mess Joe Biden’s created in just 17 months. But the most laughable? Elaine Luria’s unofficial campaign mantra as she runs for re-election to Congress: “I don’t care if I lose.” Here’s…
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The Great Realignment, Best-State-for-Business Reprise, Housing Drags, and Youngkin Popularity
by Chris Saxman If you read one article this week make it this one from Axios – The Democratic electorate’s seismic shift. Just about every presentation I have given over the last 6 or 7 years begins with a statement or slide that says we are living in a historic political realignment and it’s global.…
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$8 Million a Year for Higher-Ed’s Non-Lobbyist Lobbyists
by James A. Bacon When Donald J. Finley retired from the Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC) earlier this year, Virginia’s higher-ed industry lost one of its most effective advocates in Richmond. As Charles Kelley with McGuire Woods Consulting tweeted at the time: “Don is the best example of a true public servant, and he’s…
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Keep Your Eye on Virginia, Mr. Youngkin
by James A. Bacon The buzz in the national media about Governor Glenn Youngkin’s national political aspirations is reaching a cicada-like crescendo. Over the weekend, Virginia’s Governor spoke to the Nebraska Republican Party at the invitation of Cornhusker Governor Pete Rickets. As the Nebraska Examiner put it, “Many conservatives see Youngkin’s win in Virginia as…
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What About That Price of Gas?!!
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There was much wailing — on this blog, in Virginia, and in the nation — as gas prices approached and then exceeded $5 per gallon recently. Governor Youngkin and President Biden used those price levels to call for suspension of gas taxes. And what was the reaction of the general populace to…
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New Fed Policy Would Hide CMS Data on Patient Safety Records of Hospitals
by James C. Sherlock One of the most disturbing commentaries I have read in a long time relating to federal efforts to improve hospital patient safety reports a major step backwards in that program. I have written here many times of the power of the hospitals over Virginia’s politics. A proposed new federal rule shows…
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The Abortion Hypocrisy of Glenn Youngkin
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin recently told a forum organized by The Family Foundation that life begins at conception. I agree with that statement. He went on to say that he wanted to “protect life.” However, he said that he would be willing to settle for a bill that prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of…
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Virtual Education in K-12 Public Schools – A False and Corrupt Narrative in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Public employee interests with personal stakes in the outcome are lying by omission in public discussions of virtual schooling in Virginia. Their message was published in Suzanne Munson’s column in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Jun 25th. The VDOE has made a commendable start with online learning through its Virtual Virginia…
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A Mean-Spirited Amendment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The 2021 General Assembly passed legislation that made students who fall into the “DACA” category (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), sometimes called the “Dreamers,” eligible for in-state tuition at Virginia institutions of higher education. To be eligible for in-state tuition regardless of citizenship or immigration status, an applying student must have: Attended…
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A Senseless Fight
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Sometimes I shake my head in dismay at the Democrats in the General Assembly. They sometimes seem so eager to score points against Governor Youngkin that they end up shooting themselves in the foot. Current case in point is Budget Amendment No. 9 sent down by the Governor. Rather than summarize it,…
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The Continuing Transformation of Virginia Politics
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Toscano, David. Bellwether: Virginia’s Political Transformation, 2006-2020. Lanham: Hamilton Books, 2022 In this book, David Toscano, whose prior work was Fighting Political Gridlock: How States Shape Our Nation and Our Lives (2021), turns his focus on Virginia. The author is a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2006-2020) from…