Adam Smith is smiling. He never did like Tiger Riders, always believed in that invisible hand. Since 1973 – when I started paying careful attention (and when our Household made decisions to cut non-renewable energy consumption at the Household scale) – every time there has been a jump in fuel prices or lines at the…

In the comments section following WHAT ARE THEY THINKING Groveton gives the League of Tiger Riders some things to think about. In this post we have taken several of Groveton’s key observations and re-sequenced them to put the Tiger Rider issue in the spotlight. Lets start with Groveton saying: “I agree with EMR about the…

Following the “WHAT ARE THEY THINKING” post At 11:58 AM, Groveton commented… “The problems currently facing the United States will, sometime within in the next 20 years, precipitate a crisis. Today’s WaPo has a story by David Hilzenrath under the headline “Mortgages With No Money Down Still Available: Fannie, Freddie Programs Fly in Face of…

The WaPo headline says it all: “Va. High Court Revives Dulles Toll Road Suit: Proposed Metro Extension Hits Another Snag” Well actually the headline writer is not a lawyer. What happened is that the Supreme Court of Virginia refused to grant a request by the toll transfer proponents to have the suit thrown out. Same…

While vast majority of the correspondence we receive is informative and supportive, on line we hear primarily from the League of Tiger Riders. Their activities were profiled in our last column “Riding the Tiger.” One has to wonder: “What are they thinking?” On the other hand, it should not be surprising that we do not…

Well, Wonkish Ones, I am departing today on the uniquely American hajj — the mandatory, once-in-a-lifetime trip with a 10-year-old to Disney World. I will be gone all next week. I may or may not have wireless Internet access, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay in touch. But never fear, Ed…

Do not expect much help on Mobility and Access from the presumptive Donkey Clan presidential nominee based on today’s action. Eric M. Weiss has the story in WaPo today: “Road Plus Rally Equals Snarls” Obama Event at (Nissan) Pavilion Promises Epic Back-Ups.” You would not expect Sen Obama himself to understand the self-inflicted Mobility and…

The fracas over Virginia Commonwealth University’s contracts with Philip Morris USA isn’t going away. Anti-tobacco activists who track Philip Morris’ every move won’t let it. Blogs around the country have picked up on the front-page New York Times article that highlighted controversial restrictions on academic freedom contained in the agreements. Like it or not, VCU…

Let me say up front that the Aptera totally rocks. The super fuel-efficient vehicle is so awesomely cool — the hybrid gas-electric vehicle gets up to 300 miles per gallon — that it makes me proud to be an American. (Detroit, watch out, the company that designed the vehicle is based… where else… in Carlsbad,…

Virginia’s Department of Corrections has dreamed up a clever way to solve its financial problems: Take in 300 prisoners from Wyoming, charging roughly $85 per prisoner per day, while keeping state prisoners housed in local jail and paying only $14 per day. Pocket the profit of $71 per prisoner per day. Three hundred prisoners adds…

At last! Dominion Virginia Power is moving ahead with a pilot program for one of the potentially most effective electricity-conservation strategies available. The power company will test demand-response technology in 2,000 homes in Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia this summer, deploying small, programmable communicating thermostats (PCTs) and intelligent load-control switches in approximately 2,000 homes.…

In one of the coolest parts of his new book, “Who’s Your City?”, creative-class guru Richard Florida argues that regions, like people, can have personalities. He identifies five standard personality types — openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion (sociability), agreeableness and neuroticism — and, based upon 600,000 survey responses from individuals around the country, plots the…

VCU and its President Eugene Trani are coming off very badly in a public relations disaster that is largely to their making. In a recent front page article, The New York Times asked reasonable questions about taking money from Philip Morris USA under provisions that appear to violate even VCU’s rules in terms of research…

The June 2, 2008, edition of the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine is now available for viewing. You can read it in all of its original splendiferous glory here, and you can sign up for a free subscription here. Or, you can simply read the current sampling of column here: Personalities and Prosperity Ever wonder why New…

Sen. John C,. Watkins (R-Chesterfield) said a mouthful when he stated re the upcoming special session on transport: “I don’t think anyone has put something out there that solves the problem.” John, my friend – and all politicians are my friends – no one can put something out there if you are looking for facility…