"Taxes are what we pay for civilized society." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Today is the deadline for filing your 2012 federal income tax returns (unless you get an extension). The IRS website has these Free File options for the do-it-yourself folks out there. The Virginia return is not due until May 1st. If you … Continue reading Tax filing day
This has to be one of the best videos making the rounds that I've seen in a long time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3KyvlMJefR4
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. The topic was the public hearing held Tuesday evening as a part of the Norfolk City Council meeting. I wasn't able to physically be there - because of my teaching schedule this semester - but I rushed home to watch the live stream.(Entire video below.) … Continue reading ICYMI: Where was the civic engagement?
The American Association of University Women (AAAU) has published a set of statistics on the subject of the gender gap in pay in this country. The figure for Virginia (pdf) is 78 cents on the dollar. That's $0.78 earned by a woman while a man earned a dollar. For doing the same work. The most … Continue reading AAAU publishes gender gap statistics by state
I'm not sure what the rush is to sign an agreement to build a hotel-conference center in Norfolk. I mean - it's not as if we haven't already waited ten years for other things to happen, most notably for the market to improve. Tomorrow, Council will hold a public hearing, followed by a vote on … Continue reading Slow down, Norfolk
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. One of the many things on my mind of late is why people behave the way they do. I've come to the conclusion that at least some of that behavior is rooted in the lack of ethics, a personal code that tells us what is … Continue reading Finding that elusive line
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I was perusing my blog for earlier posts, I ran across this one I wrote five years ago. Truth be told, not much has happened in the interim, except the country has elected a black … Continue reading MLK Jr: 45 years later
Two op-eds, reprinted in The Virginian-Pilot, crossed into the territory of the ridiculous. NY Times columnist Ross Douthat put the blame for the deterioration of traditional marriage on the increase in support for marriage equality. If you didn't get that impression by reading the piece, then Douthat himself made it abundantly clear in this followup … Continue reading Ridiculous
The General Assembly is back in session today, taking up bills that have recommendations from Governor Bob McDonnell. The list of bills can be found here. The budget bill, for example, contains 52 amendments. Some of the bill amendments have gotten significant play, like this one that provides that insurers offering policies through the health … Continue reading GA back in session today
The Washington Post has an extensive article on the relationship between Star Scientific and current governor Bob McDonnell. Almost as a sidebar, the Post has an article on the same company and its relationship to AG/gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli. Both articles were reprinted in today's Virginian-Pilot. The Cuccinelli article points out that he failed - … Continue reading Cuccinelli and Star Scientific
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 