Washington, D.C., has the greatest extremes of wealth and poverty of almost any place in the United States. Yet, ironically, both extremes — the rich and the poor — vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, observes David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and now a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The same…

Funny how old associations come up. About two weeks ago, I was up near Tysons Corner for an appointment. I was early so I dropped by the Borders across the street. As I was waiting for the cashier with my CD of bluesman John Lee Hooker, I noticed one of those stand-up photo advertisements. The…

Bacon’s Rebellion has been a huge part of my life for the past six years. But it’s time for a break, as I explain in “Passing the Baton.” While I will continue to participate in Virginia’s public policy dialog in the blog, I just don’t have the energy right now to keep up the time-consuming…

For my e-zine swan song, I figured I might as well go way out on a limb and divine the future of regional and community media. So, here goes… Newspaper profitability is imploding. Here is the latest round-up, as summarized in “Who Will Report the News?“: Media General’s Virginia newspaper group, which includes the Richmond…

All good things must pass…. even rebels need to take a break. This is the last edition of the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine under my editorial direction for the foreseeable future. While it’s possible that I may turn over the e-zine to “new management” — I am exploring the idea with some long-time friends of the…

One of the more fascinating things about Richmond politics is that it combines roughness with dysfunction to such a degree that it becomes a form of art. The two strands are on full display here, where not just average folks, but a passel of school board members go at it in the comments section. Comment…

Via RVANews comes a copy of the contract for the Patrick Henry Charter School. It contains margin notes from school board member Carol Wolf, some of which are quite interesting. The story is that board member Keith West will try to revised and resubmit the contract to the board. However, his chances of success are…

Virginia doesn’t have the worst public school system in the country — we’re fair to middlin’ as measured by spending per pupil and educational outcomes — but it is arguably the most resistant to change. The latest evidence is a rejection of a charter for the Patrick Henry charter school earlier this week by the…

Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to graze the coast of Virginia this weekend on its northward path, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has declared a state of emergency. In a follow-up message, Attorney General Bob McDonnell issued a warning that the Virginia Post-Disaster Anti-Price Gouging Statute is now activated. And what does that act do?…

As we sink into the La-Z-Boy recliner, watch the cable TV news about Hurricane Gustav, pop open another beer and pat our fat, comfortable bellies, it is appropriate to pause and consider the condition of the working man and woman in Virginia and the United States on this Labor Day. We’ve heard a lot of…

Tom Vanderbilt has written what looks to be a fascinating book, “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us),” that examines the human interaction with streets, roads and highways. Remember, transportation systems are more than sluices of bedrock, asphalt and steel. They are designed for use by human beings.…

News from the Times-Dispatch: The GRTC Transit System in Richmond has begin equipping buses on its longer express routes with Wi-Fi service. Riders can use their transit time to respond to e-mails or do other work, says spokeswoman Kathy Shaw Clary. “It’s spreading more. It’s still pretty new.” It’s part of a national movement to…

How much profit is it appropriate for a not-for-profit hospital to make? In a quasi-market economy, even not-for-profits need to make some profit — not only to ensure their long-term financial viability but to invest in expansions, renovations, new services and the like. But how much profit? One percent of revenue? Two percent? The Roanoke…

If you’ve ever wondered about runaway health care costs, maybe you shouldn’t blame the government. Blame non-profit, monopolistic health care organizations. Such as Carilion Health System in Roanoke. In a scathing Wall Street Journal story on the front page this morning, Carilion, the only name in the game in Roanoke, was taken apart for excessive…

The liberal intelligentsia of the United States appears to be in agreement that white prejudice against African-American political candidates remains a potent force in American politics. “Call me crazy, but isn’t it possible, just possible, that Obama’s lead is being inhibited by the fact that he is, you know, black?” wrote John Heilemann in New…