Dear Friend of TJI, Regarding those who opposed him politically, Ronald Reagan once said "We don't have enemies, we have opponents." On the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with whom conservatives can find very little policy to agree upon, there is value in admiring her tenaciousness in support of her ideas, her courage in fighting decades of cancer ... and her friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Their friendship sparked media stories about it (here), and their mutual love of opera inspired an original opera honoring the two (here). Perhaps the best epitaph for Justice Ginsburg is the one she offered for Scalia (here). Aleha ha-shalom. Meanwhile ... 1.) Today is Day 34 of the Special Session originally called by Governor Northam to address Virginia's $2.7 billion budget shortfall, and General Assembly solutions are nowhere to be seen. House Democrats have, however, collected approximately $3,000 each in hotel and meal reimbursements, even though they are conducting business from their homes (Republicans turned it down). Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw says "Information on scheduling from (the House) has not been very forthcoming." House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn claims "I have absolutely no idea what (Saslaw) is referring to." The "special session" is now expected to last longer than the regular session in January. And the beat goes on ... 2.) It's not the only dispute between the House and the Senate. Like young pups excited just to have attention, the House Freshmen led the way in passing unwise bills to remove police immunity (making them personally liable) and requiring businesses and charities (but not the state because it was too expensive) to provide paid quarantine time off. The Senate reminded the House that there are limits, spread some newspapers on the floor, and killed both bills with overwhelmingly bipartisan votes. 3.) But games are afoot to keep the Left in control. A Virginia constitutional amendment on the ballot this November would eliminate the ability of politicians to jerry-rig and gerrymander district lines by creating an independent commission to draw them, rather than trusting politicians themselves. Originally passed in 2019 on a bi-partisan basis, when 2020 came and the Democrats were in charge a large number switched their vote, now opposing a reform they had supported for years because they stood to benefit from the status quo. Democrats across Virginia are now campaigning hard to kill the independent redistricting commission by defeating the amendment, adding a "No" vote to their sample ballots and writing op-ed pieces. Republican Delegate Jason Miyares has formed a PAC to support the amendment and resources can be found on the Conservatives for Redistricting Reform website here, and on the website of One Virginia 2021here. If the amendment fails at the ballot box, Democrats will be drawing district lines to build their numbers. If you like what is happening when the Left controls the House 55-45, you'll love it when they draw themselves 70 seats. 4.) In his post on Bacon's Rebellion, the Thomas Institute's Senior Fellow, Steve Haner, points out that the General Assembly may have found a way to finance unpaid electricity bills. To see how they will be paid for, click here. Or you can just look in a mirror. 5.) The American Legislative Exchange Council, in its latest data-rich Rich States, Poor States report (here) notes that Virginia has dropped five points in the rankings since Ralph Northam entered the Governor's Mansion (here). This does not include the effects of actions taken this year by Richmond's New Progressive Majority. Las Vegas bookmakers are no doubt ready to take bets on how far the drop will be next year. 6.) The news media has exclusively blamed the California wildfires on "climate change" and acted as though Donald Trump had personally wandered the woods with matches and gasoline. Leave it to the openly Left ProPublica to report the major reason: Lousy forest management "when the science is so clear and has been for years." (here) At Reason, Sam Ritzik points out that while controlled, prescribed burns can stop wildfires from spreading, they are effectively blocked by rules like the Clean Air Act (here), and Ronald Bailey looks at the long-term effects of fire suppression (Native Americans used fire suppression) here. At our sister organization, the California Policy Center, Edward Ring looks at more factors, including the role of firefighter unions (here). The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, examined a real life example of how red-tape blocked a California town's plans for fire management (here). The town has now burned to the ground. 7.) Jim Bacon reports in Bacon's Rebellion on a missive from UVA alum Bert Ellis making the rounds (here) in which Ellis notes obscenities (photo included on post) on the door of a public Lawn Room door. The student within noted to Ellis "This institution was founded by a degenerate who owned and raped his slaves and then stole this property to build this institution for rich white people with slave labor." The University chooses not to act on the obscenities. Ellis, CEO of Ellis Capital has acted, cutting off future support for the school and encouraging other alumni to act similarly. We ask: Why did this woman stay four years at a University she finds so horrible?" 9.) The first presidential debate is on September 29. And on September 30, in the interests of educating and informing the Thomas Jefferson Institute's friends about public policy and issues of the day, we're offering an evening program with John McLaughlin, Donald Trump's pollster. Learn the state of the campaign and public opinion! The event is free and you can register by clicking here. 10.) "Pandemic Pods" have grown in use, as parents seek to put together their own educational program for their children. Gerard Robinson, former Virginia Secretary of Education is co-host of a podcast sponsored by our sister organization in Massachusetts, the Pioneer Institute. This week's topic was "Microschooling and the future of K-12 Education" and featured the creation of flexible learning environments known as microschools. Often described as the "reinvention of the one-room school house," microschools combine homeschooling, online education, smaller class sizes, mixed age-level groupings, flipped classrooms, and personalized learning. For an engaging listen, click here. Finally ... the race for President is on, but we already know who will win. It will be the campaign that hires the firm that made the commercial for ... this guy. Happy Sunday, Everyone. We're on vacation next week, so no Sunday Summary.
In the meantime, the turnout for early voting has been huge. Don't wait. Get out and vote. Now! Cordially, Chris Braunlich President
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