I was once told that the only bad thing about being a good sport is that you have to lose to prove it. So it is with democracy; you have to have the freedom to disagree to prove that it works. This brings me to the issue of the Washington...
The labor market has been sending mixed signals over the last few months regarding its strength. For instance, initial unemployment claims—typically a signal of the overall labor market—has been trending downward and is not far from a new 35-year low. After adjusting for the size of the current population, the...
To get an idea of just how crazy the parking problem was in downtown Richmond before City Hall decided to give focused attention to the situation, consider this. In the 23-block Capitol District, dominated by city, state and federal office buildings, there was more than enough parking to handle the...
By this point – EVERY YEAR – in Virginia, the electorate decides. Whether the electorate shows up or not determines the outcome. But the decisions have been made. We’re on final approach. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their locked and upright positions. This one...
(Editor’s note: this is the continuation of the article that began in the last issue of the Jefferson Policy Journal, on October 17, 2013. This article discusses the extent of public private partnerships in Virginia’s transportation spending and the active work that is being done by the Office of Transportation...
“The ecological and economic importance of the Chesapeake Bay is well documented….And yet, nutrient pollution and sedimentation remain a critical concern.” So says Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, U.S. District Court judge in Pennsylvania. Judge Rambo, in a 99-page opinion filed on September 13, 2013, challenged and dismissed the arguments of...
Fortune magazine’s Leigh Gallagher got a large amount of publicity over the summer for her book, The End of the Suburbs: Why the American Dream is Moving. Major newspapers did articles repeating her claims, and she expounded them on various blogs and talk shows: Millennials hate the suburbs, Baby Boomers...
What a few weeks it’s been. Rejecting claims of looming cataclysm, the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) issued Climate Change Reconsidered-II on September 17. This report by 50 experts documents actual planetary temperature, climate and weather in recent decades – and the ways alarmist scientists have manipulated data,...
The Thomas Jefferson Institute asked that question of 513 candidates for local office in Virginia for whom email addresses were available, asking them to pledge to support efforts to make government more transparent for the voters. Sixty-four candidates took the pledge and signed the “2013 Government Transparency Pledge.” Michael Thompson,...
The Jefferson Journal: The Two-Edged Sword of SOL Reform
Judging from the platforms of both gubernatorial candidates, Virginia’s Standards of Learning exams may be in for a tougher time next year. But in the rush to reform, advocates are ignoring the unintended consequences of reform done badly.
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