Dear Friends and Virginians:
A few things are certain in life. Death, taxes and UVA losing to Duke in the ACC men’s basketball final. (No, I’m not bitter).
Another one is well-funded interests getting their way in the Virginia General Assembly.
A mere decade ago, our battle was with Dominion Power who sought to avoid customer refunds through the deceptively-named “rate freeze” bill (ed. note: today’s corollary would be bills for “fair elections”).
The “rate freeze” fight later morphed into the perennial struggle to ban Dominion — a public monopoly — from making donations to the same Virginia lawmakers who decided its profits. Year after year, I filed the bill. And year after year, the GA defeated it. (Thank you Danica Roem for carrying on the struggle!)
Flash forward to 2026.
The economy of Fairfax County is in a genteel decline. The Federal government is contracting. There is a major office vacancy problem. Small businesses are being hit by higher taxes and regulatory burdens, e.g. European-style “paid sick leave” laws. There is no open space for data centers to fill the revenue gap.
The answer: a Casino in Tysons!
There’s a longer discussion needed about Tysons, which has languished for years despite the Silver Line extension. (I vividly remember going to shake hands at the METRO in 2023 — and there was nobody there). It is not the high-tech Mecca that it was a generation ago, when MicroStrategy and other tech companies were hiring everyone in sight.
I respect the fact that the bill sponsors, who are friends, are trying to jump-start the Tysons economy and create employment — but is this really what we need? Shouldn’t we be relying on new ideas — not old vices — to create jobs in Fairfax?
The problem, of course, is that the casinos have the ability to donate unlimited sums to Virginia lawmakers, thanks to our lack of campaign finance laws. Whether it’s a Republican majority or Democratic majority, it doesn’t matter. You can give whatever you want. And, yes, that makes a difference in the types of legislation that gets passed.
In the end, the impression is that money is speaking.
And it usually gets its way.
JCP Notes: OK, my appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court on the “direct payment” law (Section 25.1-247.1) was unsuccessful. Didn’t even get a written decision. Landowner rights are not a priority right now, which is ironic considering that they are specifically adopted into Article I, Section 11 of the Virginia Constitution, as well as the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Stay tuned ….
Sharon and I had a wonderful trip to Montana this past week with Thomas and Ida and friends. Great to be out West.
Peace,
Chap