I’ve been a vocal opponent of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s proposal to raise $1 billion in taxes for transportation. And after hearing him address the Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic Education (VA FREE) yesterday, I still oppose his plan. But I believe in giving the devil his due. Kaine made a more lucid case…

Fairfax County has hired Vanass Hange Brustlin Inc., a transportation and land development firm, to design two key stations in the proposed Rail-to-Dulles project. With construction expected to begin in early 2007 and end in 2012, the county wants to get this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” right. Says project manager Rick Stevens: “The Dulles Corridor is already…

Kudos to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine for backing meaningful market-based reform of Virginia’s health care system. The Commonwealth of Virginia has joined a federal initiative to stimulate effective market competition in the health care sector by giving citizens the information they need to be effective consumers. The four key measures include: Public reporting of the…

Waking up to the threat of global climate change, the giant insurance companies are re-thinking their potential exposure to storm damage along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts — even as far north as New York and New England, where hurricanes haven’t hit for a half century. They’re jacking up rates and raising deducations for houses…

In a trend that bodes well for the future of America’s core urban jurisdictions, the white people living in central cities are wealthier on average than their suburban counterparts — and the city/suburb wealth gap is actually widening. That’s the conclusion of University of Virginia scholars William H. Lucy and David L. Phillips in their…

Photovoltaic solar cells have an undeniable “cool” factor, but they’re not yet ready for prime time in Virginia. An Arlington blogger who goes by “X Curmudgeon” describes the economics of a 14-cell solar array he installed on his roof. The installation job cost him $24,000 — or $22,000 after a federal tax credit. He expects…

Parents and citizens in York County have a blog at their web site to monitor the County’s compliance with the School Board-approved changes to policy. Last year some schools were culturally cleansed of Christmas. The change in policy is to make sure that Christmas is observed as a Holiday in public schools. You can see…

Localities on the Virginia Peninsula are facing the prospect of spending millions of dollars to prevent or repair damage from storm water flooding. Floods have been with us since Biblical times, but dysfunctional human settlement patterns makes them worse. As a Daily Press editorial observes, “Nature has its way of dealing with heavy rain.” Some…

Free parking, like free lunch, is not truly free. Someone pays for it, whether they know it or not. Outside of downtown areas, the cost of parking is usually embedded in the price of real estate, and passed along in the form of higher leases, rents and prices for products and services. Donald Shoup, a…

The December 4, 2006, edition of Bacon’s Rebellion has been published. You can view it in its entirety here. Make sure you don’t miss a single issue and sign up for our free subscription. In case you’re feeling too lethargic to click the mouse and transport yourself to the Bacon’s Rebellion website directly, here are…

Lest anyone be misled that our 10:38 AM comment on Jim’s “Zipcar to Invest…” posting of 30 November was meant to suggest Zipcar should abandon its current market focus, let me be very clear: We support Zipcar’s current focus. Our 10:38 AM post suggested additional markets, not abandonment of the primary one. We believe strongly…

Reports Chuck Hagee at the Gazette Packet: Alexandria Transit Company (DASH) has partnered with nearly 40 local businesses to expedite buyers throughout the holiday season. “DASHing Through Alexandria” encourages holiday shoppers to “take the bus and leave the driving to us.” The program’s goals are to help shoppers reduce holiday stress, reduce traffic congestion, and…

In anticipation of receiving the Copley medal from Britain’s Royal Society, revered cosmologist Stephen Hawking granted a rare interview this week. He told BBC that “humans must colonize other planets.” That statement generated headlines around the planet. His arguments are sound and you can read them on http://www.cnn.com/ in a story CNN picked up from…

Sen. Walter A. Stosch, R-Henrico, a certified member of the Axis of Taxes, will face a nomination challenge in June from a seemingly credible opponent — Joseph E. Blackburn Jr., an attorney and former chair of the Henrico Republican Committee. The article by Jeff Schapiro and Tyler Whitley does little to illluminate Blackburn’s motives in…

Cayman Brac, a Caribbean island with a population of 1,822 residents, is installing a pay-as-you-go metering system, Smart Meter, that allows homeowners to monitor their electric charges real time. The goal is to equip consumers with data that will enable them to conserve energy. Reports Cayman Net News: This initiative is driven by efforts to…