Search results for: “amazon”
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Complex Digital Sales Tax Worthy of Veto
By Steve Haner Pick any member of the General Assembly at random, stop them in the grocery store for a chat, and quiz them about the digital sales tax they approved a week ago Saturday. It will quickly become clear that most had no idea what they were voting for when they approved it.
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“Enacting Racial Change by Design”
by James A. Bacon The backlash against Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in higher-ed and the corporate world may be gathering momentum across the country, but the University of Virginia is rolling out a new DEI initiative oblivious to the shift in the national mood. UVA’s College of Arts & Sciences has launched a program this…
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At Last, Something Bold from Youngkin
by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin has always fought for lower taxes, but his proposals — one-time rebates, tinkering with tax schedules — never captured the imagination. Speaking before the House and Senate Finance Committees today, he rolled out two initiatives that you don’t need a tax preparer to understand. Proposal #1: a 12%…
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Fairfax School Board Chair Takes Oath of Office on Stack of Porn
by Kerry Dougherty Ah, December. That marvelous holiday month, when Jews and Christians celebrate joyous holidays. Of course it’s also the season when those who loathe religion spring into action. This is their moment too. This year’s crop of religion haters is especially ugly. According to the New York Post, Harvard University officials — who…
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The Plain Truth about Climate Change in Virginia
by Nelson Fegley Climate change is real. Major climate fluctuations have occurred over hundreds of thousands of years, and the future will be similar. The changes are both anthropogenic (human caused) and due to natural causes. The magnitude of natural changes in temperatures and sea levels have far exceed those from anthropogenic causes. It is…
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Never Again
by James C. Sherlock At 78, I have been all over the world often and for long periods of time. I felt myself reasonably immune to cultural surprises. But I had never seen anything like this. It was the Maghrib prayer time about 5 p.m. on Saturday. On the southeast corner of 12th and Pennsylvania…
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State Elections This Fall: What to Watch
by David J. Toscano (This column was first published in Fights of Our Lives!) Halloween is right around the corner and many Americans are considering whether skeletons and hobgoglins should adorn their homes and how their children will dress for this spookiest of holidays. But other scary events are also upon us, in the form…
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The Benefits of School Choice and the Risks in the November Elections
from Liberty Unyielding The debate over school choice has tended to focus on whether students learn more as a result. But learning improvements from school choice are probably smaller than improvements in other dimensions, such as civic participation, law abidingness, and family stability later in life. Jason Bedrick of The Heritage Foundation notes that “School-choice…
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Thunder in the Pulpits
by Michael Giere “But this was not always so. In fact, for much of our history, it has been just the opposite. Godly men and women who were fearless, bold, strong, and savvy have been central to the American experience.” There has never been anything in history like the US Constitution, signed on September 17,…
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Winsome Earle-Sears Makes the Case in Roanoke
by Scott Dreyer On a late summer Thursday evening at the Vinton War Memorial Senior Center, the Roanoke County GOP met for a fundraiser barbecue dinner to support Sen. David Suetterlein’s fall campaign and to fire up the room full of party faithful. Following the meal, several people on the ballot this fall introduced themselves…
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A Small Victory – So Far – for Common Sense and Flood Mitigation in Virginia Beach
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes things work. Perhaps they will this time. There was a time in Virginia Beach when a partnership between a developer and a church to build new houses would have breezed through the Planning Commission and the City Council. That kind of open season on clearing and building on Virginia Beach’s…
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Fear and Loathing in Loudoun
by Ian Prior For several years, parents in Loudoun County, Virginia have been clamoring for accountability, transparency, higher standards, and safety in their schools. They haven’t been getting it, and that’s why new leadership is needed. The brunt of the parents’ grievances has been largely directed toward the Loudoun County School Board, which has been…
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How Did VCU Miss the Red Flags?
by Jon Baliles The unravelling saga of a failed development proposal downtown a block from City Hall that was supposed to rise out of the ashes of the failed Navy Hill project is still smoldering. The failed deal has come with a price tag of about $80 million so far (and growing) for VCU Health.…
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Restoring Sales Tax Holiday is Not Tax Relief
by Steve Haner Virginia’s Democratic legislators are convinced that citizens are happy to pay taxes for state services and will rebel at the polls if taxes are cut when there are “unmet vital needs.” That is why they have so far resisted any and all proposals from Governor Glenn Youngkin and Republican legislators to split…
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RVA History: Quintessential Preservationist
by Jon Baliles Historic preservation is important for many reasons, like helping us better understand our past and how to improve it for future generations. One great advocate of preserving Richmond’s history to convey stories forward was Mary Winfield Scott, who passed away in 1983, but whose legacy lives on in neighborhoods across Richmond, and…