End Federal Control of Our Schools, Close the U.S. Department of Education
While the U.S. Department of Education is only a small fraction of total education spending – accounting for less than 10 percent of education spending in the United States (9 percent in Virginia) – it has a huge impact on how states and localities spend their own money on schools, on how teachers are educated […]
Senator Surovell: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would have no impact on hurricanes or hurricane preparedness — to say otherwise is pure politics.
Was Senator Scott Surovell’s recent article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, “Helene sends a message: Virginia must rejoin RGGI,” an honest misunderstanding about hurricanes and about how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) works (or doesn’t work) or was it a blatant use of a serious weather tragedy to score political points against a popular Governor — […]
WMATA Needs Anthony Williams
In today’s Washington Times, Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10, Retired) and Thomas Jefferson Institute President Derrick Max discuss Metro’s importance to the region, its near billion dollar deficits, its growing burden on local and state budgets, and the need for an empowered CFO to get Metro on solid financial footing. They also reject any discussion of a […]
The Trade Policies of Both Candidates are Bad for Virginia
One issue that is not getting enough attention in this election, especially for its impact on Virginia, is the growing “anti-trade” mentality of both major parties. In Tuesday’s debate, former President Donald Trump stated, “other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world, and the tariff […]
Governor Youngkin Keeping Elections Secure
Renowned playwright Tom Stoppard famously wrote, “It’s not the voting that’s democracy; it’s the counting.” His point is both pithy and insightful — without fair and accurate counting of votes, we can’t be sure every voter’s voice is heard. Transparency and election integrity is key to a truly democratic system. One need only ask “voters” in Venezuela’s recent sham […]
The ‘Black Jobs’ Narrative Harms the Black Community
While most of the post-debate news coverage is still rightly focused on the mental acuity (or lack thereof) of President Biden, the use of the term “Black jobs” by former President Trump in the context of low-income, unskilled jobs that will be impacted by our open southern border, bothers me almost as much. This type of […]
Hurricanes and Climate Hysteria
The first hurricane of 2024, Hurricane Beyrl, is now in the books. Beryl reminded us that hurricanes are a powerful force of nature – a force that causes much fear and anxiety. The stronger and more destructive the hurricane, the deeper it becomes ingrained in our collective consciousness. Katrina, Andrew, Sandy, Harvey – hurricane names that will forever […]
The Stealth Tax Increase that Remains in the Virginia Budget
While there has been much celebration at the passage of a new $188 billion biennial budget for Virginia, this deal would not have been possible had there not been close to $1.06 billion in higher-than-expected tax revenue ($1.2 billion by the end of the year) to cover the massive spending increases sought by the Democrats in the General Assembly. This […]
Convenience Stores Will Continue to Flourish Without Skill Games
In today’s Roanoke Times, Thomas Jefferson Institute President Derrick Max rebutted the false claim that convenience stores will have to close if Governor Youngkin doesn’t approve the expansion of skill games into convenience stores across the Commonwealth. Max wrote (links added below are not in printed version): While all retail outlets experienced a decline during COVID-19, unlike […]
The Thomas Jefferson Institute Applauds Governor Youngkin’s Actions on its Veto Recommendations
Monday was not just the near total solar eclipse in Virginia, but also the deadline for Governor Youngkin to act on the budget and the remaining bills on his desk. As our Steve Haner wrote in, Governor’s Budget Compromise Eclipses Fears of Stalemate, we are generally positive about the approximately 230 budget amendments Governor Youngkin made. The […]