If you expand the Washington Metro system in Northern Virginia, you expand the number of trains that run. If you expand the number of trains, you hire more transit workers. If you hire more workers, you facilitate the growth of the Amalgamated Transit Union, local 689, and entrust the functioning of the Northern Virginia economy…

The House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee decided to defer action on land use legislation championed by House Speaker William J. Howell and other Republicans in favor of studying the proposals. “You’re talking about drastic changes,” said Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, the committee chairman. According to Chelyen Davis with the Free Lance-Star, Ingram said he’d…

The Family Foundation sent a letter to the No Voters to ask for their definition of marriage. Something I blogged about. If marriage isn’t one man and one woman then say what you want and be honest to the voters. Here is the letter: September 25, 2006 Dear Claire: Very soon, Virginians will have to…

As Doug Koelemay observed in today’s column about the Tofflers’ new book, “Revolutionary Wealth,” different institutions evolve at different rates. If cutting-edge businesses are charging ahead at 100 miles per hour, labor unions are trotting along at 30 m.p.h. and government is trudging behind at 20 m.p.h. (Schools, political institutions and the law are even…

Two weeks ago I wrote a column (“The Dog that Didn’t Bark“) about Philip Shucet’s rethinking of the politics of transportation. While emphasizing that he hadn’t given up his long-term goal of increasing taxes by some $1 billion a year, the former VDOT commissioner had concluded that it might make more sense for now to…

The latest blogs to be added to the Bacon’s Rebellion blog roll: Barticles, an exceptionally erudite blog maintained by Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Barton Hinkle. Coalition for Hanover’s Future, blog maintained by a coalition of citizens representing several organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving the land, history, and environment of Hanover County. Southwest by Southeast, the…

The House of Delegates has unveiled a dramatic package of land use reforms, and I’ve been so busy publishing the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine this morning that I haven’t had time to get to it. I will endeavor to do so this afternoon. In the meantime, I would plug a worthy legislative package submitted by Del.…

The Sept. 25, 2006, edition of Bacon’s Rebellion has been published. You can view it here. Not only can you read this week’s punditry and profundity, you can peruse our archives. Why not subscribe, and get the e-zine sent directly to your in-box? Today’s columns include: The Swedish SolutionIf congestion pricing works in Sweden, why…

What the legislators are missing, or not, is this paragraph in bills for Hampton Roads Regional Governments: “To the extent funds are made available to the Authority to do so, to employ employees, agents, advisors, and consultants, including WITHOUT LIMITATION, attorneys, financial advisors, engineers, and technical advisors, and, the provision of any other law to…

Sen. John Chichester, R-Northumberland, has been eerily quiet the past few months. While the House of Delegates has unveiled one new transportation initiative after another, the powerful chairman of the Senate finance committee has said very little. But in a column published today in the Free Lance-Star, he has finally laid out his thinking. The…

Last night I watched “The New World,” about the founding of the Jamestown colony. Although the movie focused mainly upon the interaction of the English and the Indians, the movie played out upon a backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay and James River. The pacing of the movie was insufferably slow, but the photography was stunning.…

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine voiced strong support for the application of information technology to solve Virginia’s transportation problems. Meeting with Northern Virginia congressmen and business leaders yesterday, he said, “We’re all committed to the notion that part of the answer to some our transportation challenges is going to be more effective use of technology.” Reports…

The House of Delegates leadership has announced a legislative package that would dedicate $50 million a year in state funds over 10 years in order to qualify for matching federal funds to upgrade METRO service to Northern Virginia. According to a press release from the Speaker of the House, the package would dedicate the first…

It was big headlines in the Mainstream Media when a coalition of twenty-some Northern Virginia business groups endorsed more taxes for transportation, but no news at all when 19 environmental/ conservation organizations sent an open letter to state lawmakers outlining their consensus position. Because you didn’t see them anywhere else, I’m summarizing the key recommendations…

The High School student from Waynesboro could make a t-shirt with these images of Confederate veterans and the Battle Flag. It would be interesting to see if this is provocative speech. Tolerance means tolerating things you don’t like seeing or hearing. It means controlling yourself. If schools can’t teach that individual self-control, then what do…