Tag: Dick Hall-Sizemore
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Recidivism: The Rest of the Story, Part 2–Explanations for Increase
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A previous post discussed how Virginia’s most recent recidivism rate was an increase over the prior year’s rate. The Department of Corrections (DOC) offers two major possible explanations for the increases in recidivism: more technical violators and more “jail-only” offenders. Technical violators. A recidivist who is a technical violator is someone who has…
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Recidivism: The Rest of the Story, Part 1 — How Large Is It?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Recently, Governor Northam issued a press release applauding the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) most recent recidivism rate of 23.9% and noting it was one of the lowest in the country. All that is true and is highly commendable, but, as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now, for the rest of the story.”…
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Another Bit of Nonsense in the Cost of Health Care
by Dick Hall-Sizemore I just had an experience that illustrates the bewildering complexity of the finances of the American health care system. Yesterday, I had a colonoscopy. I’m a veteran of this procedure, having had several because there is a history of colon cancer in my family. (No polyps this time, by the way.) The…
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Agriculture in Great Falls?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Well, it seems as if rich folks in leftist-leaning Albemarle are not the only rich folks availing themselves of real estate tax breaks. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that Glenn Youngkin and his wife have saved 95% of their real estate taxes on their horse “farm” in Great Falls, the posh area…
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Constitutionality of Vaccination Mandate
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There has been much opposition expressed on this blog regarding UVa, and, by extension, other higher education institutions, requiring students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID as a requirement for attending class in the fall. The policy has been said to be, among other things, unconstitutional. Not surprisingly, a judge has…
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A Genuine Free Lunch
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Some people commenting on my recent post regrading the G3 Program for community colleges challenged my characterization of it as being a free community college education for some people. They contended that it really was not free; the student may not have to pay tuition, but the money for the program came…
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Even With a New Name, Community College Can Be Free
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Lost in the discussion of last year’s General Assembly actions and the current discussion of renaming community colleges is the restoration of funding for Governor Northam’s “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” (G3) program. This program will provide a free community college education for low-and middle-income students enrolled in “high demand”…
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On the Renaming of Community Colleges
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A school task force has recommended that John Tyler Community College be renamed Brightpoint Community College. I can understand getting rid of the John Tyler name. He was a slaveholder and a member of the Confederate Congress. He also happened to be a former president of the United States, but only because…
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What Goes Up Stays Up
By Dick Hall-Sizemore One of the explanations for the increase in the cost of new housing recently has been the surge in the costs of raw materials. Builders have been forced to pass those increased costs on to buyers. Indeed, prices of materials, such as lumber, did increase significantly this last year, reaching a high…
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Psst! We Have Some Beds for You
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Something just does not seem right about this. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that the state has temporarily halted admissions to its mental health hospitals. In addition to being overcrowded, on Friday, Central State Hospital in Petersburg had more patients than beds, the hospitals have lost a significant number of staff and…
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What’s Youngkin Afraid Of?
By Dick Hall-Sizemore Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee for governor has declined to participate in what has become a traditional kick-off for gubernatorial candidates, a debate at the annual meeting of the Virginia Bar Association. His reason — the moderator gave $250 in 2010 to a Haitian disaster relief fund run by the Clinton Foundation.…
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A Warning for Democrats
By Dick Hall-Sizemore Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist, has written a couple of pieces that provide the best synopsis and analysis of the current controversy over teaching race and racial history that I have seen. (The columns can be found here and here.) He starts off with a perceptive comment on the current…
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Print Me a House
By Dick Hall-Sizemore For someone who stays away from housing issues, I now have my second one in two days. Yesterday, I expressed dismay at the price tag on new “affordable” homes. Today’s topic is 3D printed homes. As strange as that may sound, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported yesterday that work has begun in Richmond…
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Sticker Shock
By Dick Hall-Sizemore I will be the first to admit that public housing policy is beyond my area of expertise. But, I am often amazed and befuddled at the cost of what is supposedly “affordable” housing. Creighton Court is a traditional public housing complex in Richmond. The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has decided to…
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School Board Fails on First Amendment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Loudoun County School Board has gone too far by disciplining a teacher for speaking in opposition to a proposed Board policy. Tanner Cross, a physical education teacher, appeared before the Board at a meeting in May in opposition to a proposed policy regarding LGBTQ students. One of the provisions of the…