Carly at the Movies: J. Edgar

Carl Larsen

Compared to the group of recent would-be Republican presidential candidates, the little monster depicted in Clint Eastwood’s new film, “J. Edgar,” could qualify as just another power-mad nutcase. But even though Eastwood low-balled the seedier aspects of the little guy’s life, you’ve got to give Hoover credit for collecting dirt and sweeping through Washington, D.C.,…

Ken Plum: Energy capital of the East Coast

Ken Plum

The Governor’s 2011 Conference on Energy has been announced for October 17-19 at the Richmond Convention Center. Once again the logo for the conference proclaims “Virginia: Energy Capital of the East Coast.” For a state that imports nearly 20 percent of its electricity and virtually all its petroleum products and is in the lower half…

Ken Plum: Energy capital of the East Coast

Ken Plum

The Governor’s 2011 Conference on Energy has been announced for October 17-19 at the Richmond Convention Center. Once again the logo for the conference proclaims “Virginia: Energy Capital of the East Coast.” For a state that imports nearly 20 percent of its electricity and virtually all its petroleum products and is in the lower half…

Recent financial crisis rooted in politics of creditworthiness, new UVa. study contends

AFP

A common reading of the recent subprime mortgage crisis pins the blame on bankers and loan brokers who extended mortgages to those who could not afford them, thereby inflating a housing bubble that was destined to burst. While technically correct, that reading ignores the “politics of creditworthiness” that undergirded the rise of subprime mortgages, as…

White House releases long-form birth certificate

Chris Graham

The White House today surprised reporters with the release of President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate. The release comes at the height of weeks of public posturing by real-estate mogul Donald Trump hinting that investigators hired by the reality-television star might have information to the effect that Obama wasn’t born in the United States or…

Ken Plum: Back from Richmond

Ken Plum

Anyone who has ever been several time zones away for a period of time knows the feeling of exhaustion that can come with returning home. The tired feeling that can last for a couple of days is known as “jet lag.” Even though I had only been in Richmond since early January, I have the…

Ken Plum: Redefining federalism

Ken Plum

Listening to debate on the floor of the House of Delegates these days could lead one to conclude that Virginia’s relationship with the federal government is one of the principal issues facing the Commonwealth. The debates are not unlike those that took place when Virginia considered ratifying the new Constitution and joining the Union in…

Moran: McDonnell waging ‘$1.1 billion bet’ on Virginia’s future

Chris Graham

Promises to cut federal spending on state transportation projects by the new Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives will have implications on political debates regarding transportation in Virginia. “House Republicans threatening to cut transportation exposes the dangerous flaws in Bob McDonnell’s deficit-spending transportation plan,” Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Brian Moran said Wednesday….