Dear Friend of TJI, One month after Lyndon B. Johnson became President came this announcement: “The editors of National Review regretfully announce that their patience with President Lyndon B. Johnson is exhausted.” Ten days in, we know how they felt. Meanwhile … 1.) Those who follow the General Assembly have often compared the number of bills flying in from the Left like fighting off the Empire from the Millennium Falcon. But conservatives might celebrate a little by the decision not to move forward on the National Popular Vote scheme which would automatically award Virginia’s Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote. In a memo to NPV’s supporters, advocates note: “Regrettably, when we did a headcount of votes likely to be cast on the Senate floor … it appeared to be one vote short.” Advocates chose not to bring it up. NPV opponents have earned the right to start a victory lap, although there are still other ways for the Left to push this through, and we caution the victors with this fellow’s words. 2.) There has been a similar pull-back by Governor Ralph Northam in the area of taxes, but not far enough: More than 100,000 Virginia employers who took Paycheck Protection loans to keep paying employees during the pandemic were told the loans would be considered grants and, in December, were told by Congress that the payroll expenses they supported would be deductible and thus not taxable. Governor Northam took a different tack, proposing to make the expenses not deductible so the state might take its six percent tax off the top. After pushback from the Thomas Jefferson Institute, he then amended his proposal to make the first $100,000 in expenses deductible. In this way, only the largest employers (the ones who kept the most people employed) would still be taxed. We appreciate the bow towards commonsense but still believe keeping people employed in a pandemic is better (and cheaper) than giving them welfare and unemployment and have urged Virginians to contact their legislators here. Senior Fellow for Tax Policy Steve Haner reports on it all here. 3.) Has your boss recently responded “OK, Boomer” to a comment you’ve made? Well … you can sue them! Hans Bader explores the legal trail, and how a still-active Virginia bill could make it worse here. 4.) It appears, however, that Chesterfield District Judge Pamela O’Berry will never get a chance to hear such a case. Although supported by the legal community and the Legislative Black Caucus, she apparently will not be re-appointed after being accused by Black activists and the Chesterfield NAACP of being “too harsh” on defendants of color. Judge O’Berry, who is Black, is presumably guilty of some form of racism in the eyes of activists on the Left. (here). 5.) Good news for Governor Northam: After ranking at the bottom of the list for weeks, Virginia now ranks 21 for percentage of Covid-19 vaccines administered (here). West Virginia, which empowered drug stores to administer the vaccine from the beginning, ranks #1. Not so good news: The White House Coronavirus State Profile Report as of January 24 (here), ranked Virginia #9 for highest number of new cases, #14 for highest test positivity, #11 for highest number of admissions per 100 beds, and #34 for highest new deaths per 100,000 residents. Local officials, meanwhile, have slammed Northam’s vaccine rollout, calling it “totally defective” (here). All in all, not a good diagnosis for the nation’s only “Doctor-Governor.” May we suggest a Chik-fil-A Manager? 6.) Increasing the use of nurse practitioners would be one way to improve health care in Virginia, and one way to do that is to permit them to practice to the full extent of their specialized training after two years of experience. Bills sponsored by Delegate Dawn Adams to provide greater flexibility (HB1737 and HB1747) are working their way through the General Assembly. Edward Timmons, of the Mercatus Institute, lays out the arguments in favor here. 7.) The shutdown of schools has been devastating on children’s education, as the progressive Virginia Mercury reported this week here. While many parents were reluctant at first to return their children to in-person learning the CDC now agrees that, with precautions in place, there is little evidence of spread from the schools (here). Biden now agrees (here). So does Fauci (here). And international studies showed the same thing three months ago (here). The teachers’ union did not get the memo. The VEA Head is resisting re-opening (here). And over at the Fairfax Education Association, president Kimberly Adams argued that schools should not re-open until both students and teachers have been vaccinated (here), nevermind that the vaccines can’t be given to children under 16 (one hopes she did not teach science as a teacher). Of course, if the impossible can’t be reached, teachers need not return. No wonder some parents have just about had it (here). 8.) Things could be worse. It could be Chicago, where the Chicago Teachers Union is threatening the 4th strike in nine years (here and here). There and in other areas with collective bargaining contracts, every provision of the re-opening of schools must be negotiated … and even for virtual learning (here). But, of course, Virginia will look like Chicago or Los Angeles soon if School Boards agree to engage in collective bargaining, permitted effective May 1 under a law passed last year. Teachers still won’t be able to strike ... although Democratic Socialist Lee Carter is working hard to make that the next step (here). 9.) Making Virginia look like California is the plan, however, for both Joe Biden and Ralph Northam, as Joel Kotkin, executive director of the Urban Reform Institute points out here. Matthew Continetti, editor of the Washington Free Beacon, echoes the point here. 10.) One way for Virginia to look like California is through energy policies. There, as Steve Haner points out, it is a “battle of the dollars” (here), and ratepayers still end up paying (here). Finally … "we will never forget them" said Ronald Reagan 35 years ago last Thursday, as he reminded a generation of children that "the future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave." We won't forget them either. Happy Sunday, Everyone. If its doing outside your window what its doing outside ours, grab a shovel and a Hot Cocoa.
Cordially, | |
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