Tag: Guest contributors
-
Senator Lucas’ “Big Gamble”
by Kayla Owen Virginia state Senator and Chair of the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Louise Lucas, is known for her love of casinos, skill games, and other gambling enterprises. Her greatest political gamble may be unfolding before our eyes this week. When Virginia’s biennial 2024-2026 budget was signed on May 13, 2024, just…
-
Marriage Promotes ‘White Supremacy,’ George Mason Professor Says
by Jerome Woehrle “Marriage fundamentalism” promotes “white supremacy,” according to a professor at Virginia’s largest university. “Marriage fundamentalism, like structural racism, is a key structuring element of White heteropatriarchal supremacy,” wrote George Mason University Professor Bethany Letiecq in the Journal of Marriage and Family. “Marriage fundamentalism can be understood as an ideological and cultural phenomenon,…
-
EPA Told CVOW Wake Has Air Quality Impacts
By David Wojick In formal comments, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess the adverse impact of the giant Virginia offshore wind project on air and water quality. The issue is far-reaching because all big offshore wind facilities could have these adverse effects.
-
An American Opportunity Story, from Missouri to Virginia
by Dan Stoddard Though some of today’s political leaders and commentators may try to tell us that the American Dream is dead – or was always a myth – they are wrong. America is still the Land of Opportunity. Throughout the country there are countless examples of women and men of humble beginnings who have…
-
Why Is Anne Holton Claiming the Length of Virginia’s School Closures Didn’t Matter? (Part 2)
(Editors’ note” Part 1 of this series ran yesterday on Bacon’s Rebellion.) by Vernon Taylor (a pseudonym) Let’s take a look at Anne Holton’s claims about Virginia’s prolonged school closures and learning loss, which were made at a Dec. 12, 2023, meeting of the Virginia Board of Education, of which she is a member. …
-
Why Is Anne Holton Claiming the Length of Virginia’s School Closures Didn’t Matter? (Part 1)
by Vernon Taylor (a pseudonym) The Virginia Board of Education meeting on December 12th, 2023 had a rare moment of must-see TV (22:50 – 29:27). In an attempt to gaslight parents, students and educators everywhere as she ignored the preponderance of data from COVID-era and post-pandemic studies, Board Member Anne Holton proposed an amendment striking…
-
Metro is at the Precipice. Declare Bankruptcy.
By Derrick Max Tuesday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) warned that without substantially greater subsidies from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, they would be facing a $750 million annual shortfall that would require draconian cuts in services, including closing 10 stations, cutting 67 bus lines, and laying off 2,000 employees. They would also freeze…
-
Poor Test Results No Problem If You Ignore Them
By Nancy Almasi There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had a real and persistent impact on our children’s education. Learning loss continues to be the subject of daily news reports, with SAT and ACT test scores at an all-time low. Overall, math and reading scores on standardized tests are at…
-
The Facts of the Matter
“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” — Daniel Patrick Moynihan: Dear President Ryan, Provost Baucom, and the Board of Visitors, The former New York senator’s famous quotation perfectly describes the October 8 statement posted by the “Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA” on its Instagram…
-
Voters Will Decide Virginia’s Future Direction
by Derrick Max In two weeks, the people of Virginia will decide on two competing visions for the future of Virginia. Will they elect a General Assembly favoring Governor Glenn Youngkin’s more freedom-oriented policy vision, or will they elect a General Assembly returning the Commonwealth to the statist policy vision of former governors Terry McAuliffe…
-
Local Government Unions Raise Your Taxes
By Chris Braunlich Subscribers to Netflix will soon see rate increases because of the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA Hollywood strikes. Buyers of new and used cars will, as a result of the United Auto Workers strike, see prices go up as supply dwindles and costs rise. The current spate of labor actions – involving more than…
-
Virginia Conservatives Need Political Infrastructure
By Chris Braunlich Governor Glenn Youngkin can take satisfaction from passage of the long-delayed Virginia budget. As my colleague Steve Haner points out, during his term of office Youngkin’s fight to increase the standard deduction will save the average Virginia couple up to $1,265 over three years, provide $900 in tax rebates, and eliminate the…
-
Don’t Get Too Fired Up About UVa’s FIRE Ranking
by Allan Stam The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) recently gave the University of Virginia a 6th-place ranking in a national survey assessing the state of free speech on college campuses. Provost Ian Baucom cited the recognition during Wednesday’s Board of Visitors meeting, noting that it was the highest ranking the university had ever…
-
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…
-
Paid In Full, State Needs to Give Us Our Change
By Barbara Hollingsworth Imagine a merchant refusing to hand over the change when a customer paid with a $20 bill for a $17.50 item. Virginians would be irate if a restaurant, bar, grocery store, or other private establishment decided to keep the change because the business might “need” the extra money in the future. Yet…