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Transparency Pledge’ Results Released: Candidates Asked to Pledge to ‘Openness’

Jefferson Forum
October 15, 2009

The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, the state’s leading non-partisan foundation focused at improving state and local government, released results of a survey today on Government Transparency taken by candidates running in this fall’s elections. “In an era of scarce resources, it is vital that state and local governments...

2008 Annual Report: Advancing Ideas to Public Policy — October 2009

Jefferson Forum
October 15, 2009

Turning government toward market based reforms is not an easy task and takes time and patience. Many of the policy changes debated today for confronting the serious problems faced by our state are based on the ideas first brought to the public policy form by the Thomas Jefferson Institute. Here...

Evaluating Local Government Transparency in Virginia

Jefferson Forum
October 14, 2009
We started this series writing about a study we were conducting on local government transparency in Virginia. Today we are able to report preliminary results....

One Bad Apple Shouldn’t Spoil the Bunch

Jefferson Forum
October 14, 2009
The Virginia Information Technology Authority’s handling of its ten year, $2.3 billion IT contract with Northrup Grumman should not curb Virginia’s desire to engage in Public-Private Partnerships. Commonwealth policymakers should recognize that challenges occur and focus on fixing problems, not politicizing them....

Let’s Kill the Death Tax and Sell the ABC Stores!

Jefferson Forum
September 30, 2009
Killing the death tax once and for all will create about 39,000 jobs here in Virginia and privatizing the ABC stores will enable us to pour money into our deteriorating road network. We need action on both of these proposals....

Forcing Union Payments on Taxpayer-Funded Projects

Mike Thompson
September 30, 2009

In an Executive Order few have heard about, President Obama is trying to eliminate union competition for federal construction projects. Here’s what it means for Virginia workers and companies.

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When Discussing Health Care Reform Don’t Forget Basic Supply and Demand

Jefferson Forum
September 16, 2009
If 46 million more people are added to the demand side of the health care equation without optimistic productivity gains in the administration side, we likely will see a tradeoff between quantity and quality, particularly as it relates to rationing....

Forced Union Payments on Tax Paid Projects

Jefferson Forum
September 16, 2009
The Union Bosses don’t feel totally confident that they can do away with the secret ballot in their effort to grow the union membership although the White House and congressional leaders are trying to do just that. But other things are going on quietly that will help the unions and...

Bringing Quality Schools to Virginia

Jefferson Forum
September 16, 2009
In much of Virginia students are quite successful in their public schools, but there are also significant pockets where the public school system has failed the students who attend them. The Virginia Education Association and the Virginia School Boards Association should focus on bringing quality charters into the Commonwealth to...

Bringing Quality Schools to Virginia

Christian Braunlich
September 15, 2009

With 98 percent of public schools meeting SOL standards, there are large swaths of Virginia where students are academically quite successful. But there are significant pockets – both urban and rural – where the public school systems have for years failed the educationally at-risk students who attend them, and where...