The Jefferson Journal

Commentary

Jefferson Forum
December 3, 2014

It’s been said that when it comes to good ideas in education, there are no Republican or Democratic ideas. The same could be said for dumb ideas in education, including one born in the George W. Bush Administration and vigorously defended in the Barack Obama Administration.The idea? That, after a...

Jefferson Forum
December 3, 2014

Cosmological theorists posit the existence of an infinitude of alternate universes. In one of those universes, perhaps there is one with a Henrico County School System that collects data showing that African-American students are more likely to suffer from violence and disrupted classes in school rather than data showing that...

Christine Chmura
December 3, 2014

The importance of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, knowledge in our labor market is talked about a lot. Jobs requiring that knowledge in STEM fields often pay much more than the average job. Many STEM jobs, such as computer programmers and operators, also are growing much faster than...

Jefferson Forum
December 3, 2014

(This article was written before Thanksgiving.) Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to celebrate family and this wonderful country. While you are enjoying turkey and football, think about folks who really have reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in his new Waste Book 2012 Report points out the...

Jefferson Forum
December 3, 2014

Some years ago, Anthony Downs of the Brookings Institution postulated that adding capacity to a congested highway leads to a “triple convergence” of responses: some drivers shift from other roads, some drivers shift from other times of day, and some commuters shift from other modes. The predictable result is that...

Rob Hartwell
December 3, 2014

A new study shows how technology can help America’s energy industry meet new environmental reuirements, save millions of dollars and help clean our environment. Authored by businessman and environmentalist Robert Hartwell, it details several new technologies, many of which are already working on a smaller scale.

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Jefferson Forum
November 13, 2014

The political class is all excited (or agitated, as the case may be) by the Republican takeover of Congress in Washington, D.C., but life continues as usual here in the boondocks. The pocketbook issues that propelled the Republicans to power nationally dominate politics at the state and local level as...

Jefferson Forum
November 13, 2014

U.S. Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Tom Coburn, M.D., has just released his “Waste Book 2012” report. It is 131 pages demonstrating waste of your taxpayer money by federal agencies and departments. Coburn identifies 100 projects – many of them from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – costing over...

Jefferson Forum
November 13, 2014

At the annual meeting of the International Bridge, Tunnel, & Turnpike Association (IBTTA) in Austin last month, Ed Regan of CDM Smith gave a dazzling presentation on the potential future of tolling in the United States. Scanning the country and extrapolating recent trends, he predicted a bright future for networks...

Jefferson Forum
November 13, 2014

The midterm elections underscore how much Americans value energy, job and economic revival – and how much they want less Washington control of their lives, livelihoods, and dreams for their children and grandchildren. If ever there was a time to end the ban on oil exports, it’s now. With U.S....