Southern Politics in State and Nation

In his classic 1949 study, Southern Politics in State and Nation, V. O. Key characterized the Byrd organization as an oligarchy in which power was maintained by a remarkably small portion of the electorate. Fewer people voted in Virginia than in any other southern state, with only 10 or 12 percent of adults casting votes during the heyday of the Byrd Organization. This meant that the organization needed the support of only 5 to 7 percent of the voting-age population to control party nominations, which nearly guaranteed election in most districts in most elections. “By contrast,” Key memorably wrote, “Mississippi is a hotbed of democracy.”

Education in Virginia

VIRGINIA

The public schools enroll 1,274,000 students: 52% White, 23% African American, 13% Latino, and 6% Asian, with 40% living in poverty, and 8% learning English. The State spends $10,960 per pupil. (Most recent NCES data)

STATE CONSTITUTION

“That free government rests, as does all progress, upon the broadest possible diffusion of knowledge, and that the Commonwealth should avail itself of those talents which nature has sown so liberally among its people by assuring the opportunity for their fullest development by an effective system of education throughout the Commonwealth.” Va. Const. art. I, § 15.

“The General Assembly shall provide for a system of free public elementary and secondary schools for all children of school age throughout the Commonwealth, and shall seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained.” Va. Const. art. VIII, § 1.

“Standards of quality for the several school divisions shall be determined and prescribed from time to time by the Board of Education, subject to revision only by the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall determine the manner in which funds are to be provided for the cost of maintaining an educational program meeting the prescribed standards of quality, and shall provide for the apportionment of the cost of such program between the Commonwealth and the local units of government comprising such school divisions. Each unit of local government shall provide its portion of such cost by local taxes or from other available funds.” Va. Const. art. VIII, § 2.

MAJOR CASES

In 1994, in Scott v. Commonwealth, the Virginia Supreme Court declared education a fundamental right under the State constitution, but also held that the constitution does not require equal per-pupil funding or equal programs in school districts across the state. The Court concluded that “Section 2 addresses the two essential elements of quality education: standards and funding. By the terms of § 2, the General Assembly is empowered to make the final decision about both standards of quality and funding.

Rural Virginia.

Welcome to my Land

Things are getting a bit tense in the Commonwealth, y'all.

The swift expansion of local pro-gun organizing in Virginia has also attracted the attention of national anti-government militias and white supremacist groups, who have “glommed on to” the grassroots movement, hoping to use it as a potential flashpoint that could lead to civil war and social breakdown, according to an analyst at the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors extremist groups.

Some observers worry these tensions may come to a head on 20 January, when a lobby day against gun control at Virginia’s state capitol is expected to attract thousands of people, including members of anti-government groups from other states. Local residents are concerned the day could turn violent, like the 2017 Unite the Right rally in nearby Charlottesville, Virginia.

Extreme weather and Virginia

Below is a table of tornadoes that have been spawned by extreme weather events and the location of the tornadoes. I was here for many of the Virginia events, and was on front quad during Hugo.

20 Meters

Look, I'm not trying to be dramatic. But even if nothing out of the ordinary happened, in 60 years, we will see dramatic flooding of the Atlantic seaboard.

Now imagine one good hurricane with landfall and storm surge of 30 feet.
http://geology.com/s...ashington.shtml

Oi.

National gas prices broke the three-dollar barrier this week, with average prices in Virginia holding just below that. Across the Commonwealth, price increases have been most extreme, over $0.50 increase per gallon in the last year, in Roanoke and the Newport News / Virginia Beach areas, but all areas are now just below three dollars a gallon, with Charlottesville and Richmond, traditionally the highest priced places to purchase gas in Virginia, holding below the three-dollar barrier.

I haven't purchased meat in a goodly while, and I was nearly rocked out of my seat to find that ground beef is coming in nearly $4 a pound for chuck. I mean, really?

Brother can you spare a ride?

While the price at the pump continues to fall as a nationwide average, the reality in my little area of southwestern Virginia is that we are feeling the pain of gas shortages. It's not as bad here (yet) as it is in West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee and the Carolinas, but given that my fair piece of the commonwealth resides at the crossroads of all these places, it certainly makes me wonder how David and I will be able to count on commuting. The shortage has hit hardest in Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and the Carolinas, including the Charlotte area and the mountain towns to the west. For days it has closed civic offices, cut short workdays and even canceled community college classes. Getting to work is not a small deal in the best of times for those of us in rural locations. And with the tidal wave of unemployment running around, David and I are lucky to have jobs. So perhaps it's time I asked my neighbor-down-the-road about carpooling, and asked a neighbor-up-the-road about meeting the bus after school. One thing is certain: if we are going to make it through this crisis, it's going to be because we have gotten more creative and pulled together as people. Now let's see if the government can be as flexible and committed to a solution.