The Jefferson Journal
Commentary
The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy today released a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategies showing strong support in all areas of the state for a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. By a 68 to 22 percent margin, Virginia voters support a work requirement for those receiving...
If Governor Ralph Northam is looking for a place to build legislative consensus, here’s one place to start: Support for pre-k programs aimed at better preparing at-risk four-year-olds for kindergarten and beyond. True, conservatives remain skeptical about building massive universal government-run pre-k programs, as should liberals: In a “universal” program,...
The recent debate over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline has highlighted the growing divide in Virginia over how to approach our Commonwealth’s energy needs. While reasonable people can debate the most prudent energy mix (natural gas vs. coal vs. oil vs. nuclear vs. renewables), there can be...
How transparent and accountable should Economic Development Authorities be to the public?That’s the fundamental issue raised by Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, who submitted a bill that would require local government approval for all EDA grants and budgets. That bill was defeated by one vote in the Senate’s local government committee,...
(Editor’s note: This is a follow up to the article on this “frog story” in our last issue here.) On Jan. 22, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear and decide whether the U. S. Department of Interior (DOI) and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have boundless...
Controversies over the performance of relatively new express toll lane (ETL) projects are still simmering on both coasts, with Seattle and northern Virginia as cases in point. In the first, the year-old ETLs on congested I-405 face possible legislative termination for not quite meeting promised performance improvements. And just about...
A new study by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy shows that the overall finances of Virginia hospitals have substantially improved between the numbers published in 2016 (for FY 2015) and those in December 2017 (for FY 2016). The study may be found by clicking here. Using numbers posted...
The following position paper was published by Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust, a sponsor of the Bacon’s Rebellion blog. ISSUE: Performance-based (also known as outcomes-based) Funding for Virginia’s Public Colleges and Universities. PROBLEM: Until a little over a decade ago, nearly all state funding for higher education was...
A recent article on the forthcoming White House infrastructure plan quoted an Administration spokeswoman as saying it would address “rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.” That frequent characterization is misleading, as pointed out in an excellent new report from the RAND Corporation, “Not Everything Is Broken: The Future of U.S. Transportation...
Editor’s note: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced it will accept the Louisiana ESA frog case for briefing, argument and decision. “The essentially boundless authority granted the federal government by the Fifth Circuit [U.S. Court of Appeals] to control local land and water use under the guise of species...