The Jefferson Journal

Commentary

Mike Thompson
June 10, 2015

A new study by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy shows that Virginia is in a position to capture a substantial share of the international nuclear power market. We are in a position to offer the technology, the engineering and the expertise to build safe and environmentally friendly nuclear...

Jefferson Forum
June 10, 2015

As the global epicenter of technology innovation, Silicon Valley creates a massive amount of wealth — but the housing supply, hemmed in by geography and zoning regulations, is incredibly restricted. The resulting housing crunch is so severe that Millennials are hard pressed to live there. The median income for Millennials in the...

Christine Chmura
June 10, 2015

Taking a look at worker productivity growth could shed some light on what the Federal Reserve might do with interest rates. The faster the rate of productivity growth, the faster the Fed can let the economy grow without inflation picking up. But productivity is slow right now compared to historical...

Jefferson Forum
June 10, 2015

EPA published its new rule regulating Waters of the United States last week. Response was instantaneous and vicious. Speaker of the House Boehner spoke for many in agriculture and those who own property when he said, “The Administration’s decree to unilaterally expand federal authority is a raw and tyrannical power...

Jefferson Forum
June 10, 2015

The White House finally appears ready to announce conclusions and policy recommendations from the Pollinator Task Force it appointed a year ago. Environmentalist groups eagerly await the decision. After clamoring and campaigning for years for government action, they hope to get tough restrictions on using innovative new insecticides called neonicotinoids....

Rob Hartwell
June 10, 2015

Virginia currently imports more than 50 percent of its power needs, second only to California, and will need an additional 4,000 megawatts by 2021. Safe nuclear power has the potential not only to cut that dependency significantly, but to make Virginia a major supplier to the international market.

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Mike Thompson
May 27, 2015

Puerto Rico is in serious financial crisis, and because the island is a U.S. territory, this is a matter of concern to taxpayers in Virginia and throughout the country. As a territory, this government cannot declare bankruptcy under current Chapter 9 law, but it wants to do just that. No...

Jefferson Forum
May 27, 2015

(Editor’s note: The mass collection of phone data by the NSA is very controversial. Congress votes on the continuation of this activity this weekend. This analysis by one of the nation’s leading experts is important to our understanding of what is happening and why, in the opinion of this expert,...

Jefferson Forum
May 27, 2015

If prostitution is the “oldest profession,” farming is likely the second oldest. Humans have been farming for thousands of years and, if they want to continue to eat, they’ll be farming for thousands of years more. Young people don’t see much future in farming (unless it’s locally grown organic food),...

Bob Poole
May 27, 2015

The ongoing drama of U.S infrastructure, including highways and bridges, concerns a supposed funding gap. Hence, the endless battles over whether to increase federal and state fuel taxes. Far too little notice is given to the fact that over the last 15 years or so, global infrastructure investment funds have...