Dear Friend of TJI,
“Here's Williams' roadmap out of poverty: Complete high school; get a job, any kind of a job; get married before having children; and be a law-abiding citizen. Among both black and white Americans so described, the poverty rate is in the single digits.” So said economist Walter Williams, who died Tuesday shortly after teaching his last class. Williams was a self-described radical troublemaker; author of multiple books including Up From the Projects, The State Against Blacks and eight others, along with 150 scholarly articles. His weekly column was carried by 140 newspapers, and served as occasional substitute host for Rush Limbaugh. Born into poverty, he was a soldier in Korea, a cabdriver, husband, father, George Mason University professor for 40 years, and never hesitated to educate the next generation, as this remembrance from Young America’s Foundation recalls here. In the coming battles over socialism, free economies and “institutional racism”, his is a voice that will be sorely missed now, more than ever. Dr. Walter Williams, RIP.
Meanwhile …
1.) In Alexandria, school superintendent Gregory Hutchins yanked one of his two children from public school and placed her at Catholic high school Bishop Ireton, describing the decision as “very personal.” Indeed, it is, and we do not begrudge the Hutchins family that right. But not every father pulls down a $236,000 salary and can afford the same decision for his child. Delegate David Bulova, however, would begrudge low-income parents that same choice, introducing legislation to repeal the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit (here) that has provided private school choices to more than 4500 low-income children in Virginia. For wealthy elites, it’s do as they say, not as they do.
2.) Caving to demands from the teachers’ unions (wait ‘till you see the demands after they get collective bargaining in May), most school systems closed to in-class instruction, while private schools – smaller and with more flexibility in re-purposing classrooms – mostly remain open. But the public school closures have had a devastating impact on instruction. In Fairfax, “Historically low-performing students are seeing an explosion of C’s, D’s and F’s this semester,” according to an internal school system report, similar results are elsewhere and the pandemic is driving an equity gap in American education ( here). Delegate Michael Webert has a better idea: If a public school does not offer in-classroom instruction, give the parents that share of the state funding so they can find an alternative to save their child ( here).
3.) Other legislation is being introduced in anticipation of the January General Assembly session, and environmentalists are eagerly awaiting the promised bill to have Virginia join the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) – a carbon tax and rationing scheme on motor fuels in Virginia. Steve Haner, Jefferson Institute Senior Fellow for Tax Policy, uses TCI advocates’ own numbers to show why this $9 Billion fuel tax should be getting your attention here.
4.) TCI is not dissimilar from the past year’s Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) which, to meet its goals, would require covering land 20 times the size of Manhattan with solar panels and increases consumer rates nearly $70 a month. The Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition is calling for repeal, offering an informative video here. And some rural communities are already having second thoughts (here).
5.) VCEA isn’t the only law with consequences not properly considered. Steve Haner reports (here) that less than two years after Medicaid was expanded enrollment is now 1.5 million Virginians – and if growth continues at just half the current rate, another $1.1 billion will be required from taxpayer funds. Enrollment is nearly 100,000 higher than projected. For the record, the Thomas Jefferson Institute told ya so (here).
6.) The issue of the Virginia Parole Board’s cover-up … er, sorry … “redacted reports” continues to percolate. The Daily Progress has a superb editorial recapitulating the issues here, as does the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star here. The Virginia Mercury shows how the Governor’s office forced redactions in the Inspector General’s report here. All of which is important to know as Senators Mark Obenshain and David Suetterlein re-introduce bills (here and here) taking another stab at forcing transparency in the Northam Administration. The Daily News Record reports on those efforts here. Democrat leadership spent much of the summer bleating about transparency in criminal justice, yet killed both bills. They now have another chance to prove they mean what they say.
7.) From Stephen Moore’s Unleash Prosperity Hotline #173: “You would think that the blue state governors might eventually LEARN from the red state governors. The unemployment rate is a full 2 to 2.5 percentage points lower in red states than blue states – and that is mostly because governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida are keeping things open while governors like Gavin Newsom of California keep shutting everything down. The jobless problem in America today is primarily a blue state phenomenon.” You can subscribe to Steve’s newsletter by clicking here.
8.) Despite the best efforts of some members of the Left, the Virginia Constitutional Amendment creating a bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission passed. Now the hard work begins, and the most important step is for good people to become a citizen member. Applications are being accepted until December 28. You can find the application form by clicking here. Lobbyists, anyone who has been a lobbyist in the last five years, or anyone who has ever held or sought partisan public office or political party office, or worked for the United States Congress or the Virginia General Assembly are ineligible. It's ideal for the man or woman with strongly held principles who may have been prohibited from political activity by the "Hatch Act" or in the military. More information can be found on the legislative services website here. As attorney Hans Bader has pointed out ( here), the failure of those from the Center Right to be involved in other states' commissions has often left the Left in charge.
Happy Sunday, Everyone.
Tomorrow, take a moment to remember. | |
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