Dear Friend of TJI, Meanwhile … 1.) Jefferson Institute Senior Fellow Steve Haner shouts “Surprise!” noting that he first wave of Virginia’s carbon taxes under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) came in at twice the estimates -- $43.6 million – in Bacon’s Rebellion here. He notes “It is hardly the first tax on your electric bill to pay for someone else’s ceiling insulation, efficient windows, and LED lightbulbs, and it won’t be the last one.” Now that the money is “in the state’s hot little hands,” (says a state official) the concern on the Left is how it can be spent, reports the progressive Virginia Mercury here. 2.) F. Vincent Vernuccio, the Jefferson Institute’s Visiting Fellow, talks about the price of Virginia’s new collective bargaining law in The Washington Post here, concluding “Unlimited collective bargaining comes with a price tag Virginia can’t afford.” At VirginiaWorks, where he serves as a Senior Fellow, Vernuccio lists “The 10 frequently asked questions from local leaders on Virginia’s public sector collective bargaining law here. 3.) In the ongoing saga of Virginia’s Parole Board Scandal, emails show that the former parole board chair (now rewarded by the current General Assembly with a judgeship) turned off email notifications to murder victim Gwendolyn "Angel" Thomas' grandmother (here). Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Phil Ferguson says “neither the rules nor the laws were followed.” (here) And the Roanoke Times editorially asks “Why are Democrats so complacent about the Parole Board?” (here) 4.) Bias against Asian American has been rightly criticized, but over at Bacon’s Rebellion, James Sherlock asks the question: “How About Criticizing Anti-Asian Rhetoric in Virginia?” (here) pointing to the Virginia Secretary of Education whose negative rhetoric is largely aimed at the Asian-American community. So, too, says law professor Ilya Somin, are new policies at Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, as he reports on the policies and a new lawsuit against them here. 5.) At the forthcoming Election Integrity Summit in Harrisonburg, the Thomas Jefferson Institute is pleased to be sponsoring the remarks of J. Christian Adams, President of The Public Interest Legal Foundation, founded in 2012 to foster election integrity. We anticipate a lively discussion and solid solutions to the challenges of ensuring every legal vote counts. 6.) Two week ago, we noted the dust-up over Dr. Seuss Enterprises withdrawing six of his books, predicting that it was just the beginning. Shakespeare has now been cancelled (here). Bill Maher will never be confused as a member of the "vast right wing conspiracy," but even he's fed up and had it with "cancel culture." (here) 7.) Turning to federal policy, the PRO Act (which passed the House on a party-line vote without a single hearing) would eliminate Virginia’s Right To Work laws, force a great many independent contractors into employee relationships and erode employees’ civil and property rights. Americans for Prosperity's Akash Chougoule outlines the case in The Hill here. In Virginia, attention is focused on Senator Mark Warner in an effort to remind him of his past position in favor of Right To Work laws when he was asking for votes, and you can send him that message by clicking here. 8.) Stopping the PRO Act (and the equally insidious H.R.1) will depend on the deliberative powers of the filibuster, which Democrats are threatening to repeal. Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell played dirty: He read Democrats’ own words back to them. And he made clear that a “scorched earth Senate” was not a preferable alternative (here). Kimberly Strassel describes what that would look like in The Wall Street Journal here. 9.) Will the $1.9 trillion “American Recovery Act” work? Over at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Strain suggests three metrics to watch here. He also offers the observation that Joe Biden’s proposed tax hike would not spare the middle class here. And over at Bacon’s Rebellion, Jim Bacon observes some real-life interaction suggesting the relief bill could have precisely the opposite effect here. 10.) AEI again: Director of Education Policy Studies Rick Hess discusses “social media’s performative, poisonous impact on education” here, and suggests a Twitter diet. We suggest that “poisonous impact” can be applied to a dozen other aspects of living. 11.) And for a discussion in more than 280 characters, register for our April 13 presentation with Lynne Cheney on her recent book The Virginia Dynasty: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation, with Dr. James Ceaser of the University of Virginia, winner of the 2015 Bradley Prize (“the conservative Nobel”). Free. Register here. Finally … We take the next two weeks off from this Summary as the Paschal season approaches its conclusion, but pause to note the forthcoming National Vietnam Veterans Day. Those of a certain age will recall a time when returning military personnel were not celebrated … indeed, were spat upon or forgotten and told not to wear the uniform of their nation in public. On March 29, a reminder that its never too late to say thank you. Happy Sunday, Everyone. See you in two weeks … | | Support the work of The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy | | | | | | |
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