Labor productivity is one of the key determinants of material prosperity in any society. On this Labor Day, Americans can take some satisfaction in the fact that they have the most productive workforce in the world, according to the U.N. International Labour Organisation. According to the U.N. report, “Key Indicators of the Labor Market,” the…

There once was a time when Virginia celebrated heroes of the Civil War like Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and JEB Stuart. Virginia has, by and large, moved beyond its nostalgia for the Lost Cause, rightfully honoring heroes of the American Revolution, such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, and the Civil Rights era, such…

In the aftermath of the official state report dissecting the Virginia Tech massacre, bereaved parents of killing victims are calling for the resignation of Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. I can fully understand Gwaltney’s grief and desire for accountability. But there was one person — and one person only — who bears responsibility for…

The NV Daily’s Garren Shipley has the full story this morning on allegations that Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman was leaking grand jury information about Senate candidate Mark Tate to the press: Charlie Jackson, a former reporter for Leesburg Today, wrote that Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman not only leaked information to him…

Something big may be brewing in Loudoun County. Here’s the tease from the Northern Virginia Daily: The prosecutor who began the investigation of former Republican state Senate candidate Mark D. Tate leaked grand jury information to the media and was actively pushing negative stories about Tate, a former reporter on the story said under oath…

The Republican leadership of the General Assembly has proposed a number of measures to deal with the growing problem of illegal immigration in Virginia. According to a press release from the House Speaker’s office, the key measures would: Mandate that all local sheriffs, upon a lawful arrest for a crime, confirm that person’s legal presence…

More than 21,000 of the 215,769 individuals housed in local jails in the last fiscal year could not prove their U.S. citizenship, reports Tim McGlone with the Virginian-Pilot, quoting details in a Virginia State Crime Commission report released Tuesday. If it’s any consolation, few of these guys are hardened murderers or drug dealers — most…

It’s indeed a sad day when a judge can rule that (as reported by the Washington Post): “nothing in the state or federal constitution blocks the General Assembly from setting up a regional “political subdivision” for the purpose of taxation. And the regional authority’s members are not required to be elected directly by the people,…

I’ll be on WRVA tomorrow morning to discuss Doug Wilder’s commitment to work on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. I can’t recall Wilder ever coming out this early to say he’ll work on anyone’s behalf, though it still puts him months behind Tim Kaine. And say what you like about hizzoner — the…

How serious is Virginia about preparing itself for the globally competitive knowledge economy? Serious enough to jack up state support for K-12 education year after year with no accountability, but not serious enough to repeal the Kings Dominion law. As Joe Rogalsky at Examiner.com reminds us in an end-of-summer piece: Virginia is the only state…

Last month I was a guest at the Colonial Area Republican Men’s Association (CARMA) lunch in Williamsburg. A fellow handed out a table of Virginia State-Local Tax Burden Compared to the U.S. Average (1970-2007) – from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. I don’t recall if he made a pitch that the numbers…

From bands to bombs, let us change the focus again. One of my favorite parts of BRIDGES will be Chapter 14, “What Did I Tell You? Anatomy of Opportunities Lost.” The chapter will include reference to many opportunities taken such as preserving the future of the Adirondacks but will focus on opportunities lost. It will…

Thad Williamson and I tackle the thorny issue of what to do about Richmond’s public schools in our latest “Agree to Disagree” columns.

Now for something a little lighter… Scott Miller and the Commonwealth is one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever to emerge from Virginia. It’s a darn shame that Miller, the talented composer, lead vocalist and lead guitar, ever moved to Tennessee. The Old Dominion would be justified to claim Miller just for his…

Michael Barone offers a somewhat different take on Michael Vick, dogfighting and Virginia history: It’s astonishing and saddening that a man would risk his $130 million football contract to engage in such behavior, which seems barbaric to almost all of us. Where did he even get the idea of doing this? I got an answer,…