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Attacking climate action is bad policy, even worse politics
By Christopher Leyen A recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that we will see as much sea level rise in just the next three decades that we’ve experienced in the last century. In Hampton Roads, which is already seeing the fastest rate of sea level rise on the East Coast, an […]
Want to help those impacted by inflation? Pass a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit in Virginia.
By Addison Hunter Families across Virginia are facing the highest inflation rates in 40 years. Prices have increased across the board: Over the past year, a gallon of milk increased in cost by 26 cents, and gas went up by 83 cents per gallon. All the while, the cost of rent and energy bills have […]
If General Assembly doesn’t act, home care agencies could be hit hard
By Tim Hanold The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally shifted our perception of health care and upended its delivery. While there was a necessary focus on hospital capability, too often services in the home failed to receive the critical attention it deserved. As hospitals reached capacity, home health agencies met the demand as the most cost effective […]
‘We the people’ are in dangerous territory
By Jay Bookman The state of our union is precarious. It is precarious not because of some outside threat – outside threats we can still handle. It is precarious because we have forgotten our way, because we find ourselves increasingly seduced by a perverted, stunted and selfish notion of freedom. It is precarious because some […]
Waste Management’s ‘bait-and-switch’ sustainability continues to harm communities
By Charles Mullis and Mary Finley-Brook We need to rethink waste. The waste sector is booming and market forecasts are bullish even as landfills are getting bigger. Runaway waste flows profit already-too-wealthy investors; for example, Bill Gates is a leading shareholder of both Waste Management and its major competitor, Republic. Meanwhile landfill operators continue a […]
How the Ukraine invasion could affect you: Higher food, gas prices, risk of recession
By William Hauk Americans may be tempted to view the war in Ukraine as an unfortunate, but far away, crisis. As an economist, I know the world is too connected for the U.S. to go unaffected. On Feb. 22, 2022, President Joe Biden warned Americans that a Russian invasion of Ukraine – and U.S. efforts […]
Hold the line. Our future depends on it.
By Kate West As a climate advocate in Virginia, the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin was a disappointment of immeasurable proportions. For me and so many of my fellow Virginians, it was tragic that someone with some extreme policy positions is now at the helm of our state after years of great progress. Based on […]
Remember that living in a divided America is nothing new
By Janice Ellis We are the United States of America. At least, that is who we have always claimed to be. But are we? Have we ever been? Considering where we are today, and the state of our public discourse, it begs the questions. The brazen and hateful divisions playing out in almost every aspect […]
Governor’s schools bill is bad policy and in bad faith
By Akshay Deverakonda and Carrie Kahwajy A new bill seeks to deprive local school boards of the tools needed to achieve diversity at governor’s schools throughout the commonwealth. This regressive bill, which has passed Virginia’s House of Delegates and is now in the Senate, must be defeated. The bill defines “proxy discrimination” broadly when it […]
Air and water board bills hurt businesses and communities
By Freeda Cathcart SB 657 and HB 1261 are air and water pollution bills that appear to have been crafted to help the Mountain Valley Pipeline, after the State Air Pollution Control Board denied the MVP Southgate permit for the Lambert Air Compressor Station. MVP’s lobbyists have misled legislators to try to remove the “power” […]
What ‘second look’ legislation means to incarcerated individuals in Virginia
By Quadaire Patterson Right now, as an incarcerated person in Virginia, I do not have a lot of options when it comes to obtaining any form of relief from a lengthy prison sentence – and it’s definitely not based on my own willingness to rehabilitate. Incarcerated people are housed for years and years with little […]
Whether up in smoke or down the toilet, missing presidential records are a serious concern
By Shannon Bow O’Brien We may never get to the bottom of whether Donald Trump flushed documents down a White House toilet. “Fake story,” says the former president. “100 percent accurate,” retorts a reporter. But even without having to unclog plumbing in search of missing papers, national archivists have their work cut out trying to […]