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Opinion: Commentary: Ending State Executions

Virginia made history last week: The Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam signed the bill that made Virginia the first state in the south and the 23rd state in the nation to end the death penalty!

Opinion: Commentary: Waste Not, Want Not

As a child of frugal parents who grew up during the Great Depression, I was always taught as long as I did not waste food or material things that I would never be without.

Opinion: Commentary: Law and Order and Justice

There is no more important function of government than ensuring public safety.

Opinion: Commentary: And They Are Off!

Inevitably someone is going to refer to the nominating contests for candidates for the Virginia statewide offices and the House of Delegates as horse races—not because of the characteristics of any of the candidates but because of the crowded field of persons who are offering themselves for public office.

Opinion: Commentary: A Progressive State if We Can Keep It

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin who when asked at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia what kind of government had been formed replied, “a republic if we can keep it!”

Opinion: Commentary: Celebrating Black History

There are ample reasons to be celebrating Black history in Virginia this month and throughout the year.

One of the meaningful traditions that has evolved in the Virginia House of Delegates over the last couple of decades has been the celebration of Black History Month by having a speech each day on the House floor about famous Black persons and their struggles and accomplishments in the Commonwealth.

Opinion: Commentary: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

I have never known a politician who has not promised better schools, quality of life and safety.

Opinion: Commentary: Electrification of Virginia Transportation

In 1998 I chaired a task force of business and community leaders to collectively document what Northern Virginia needed to do to be an “EV Ready Community.”

Opinion: Commentary: Putting Just Into Justice

Under current Virginia law a person who steals something of value less than $1,000 can be punished by up to 12 months in jail with fines up to $2,500 along with any restitution that might be owed.

Opinion: Commentary: Changing Images of Virginia

On the east side of Capitol Square near the Executive Mansion in Richmond is the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial featuring 16-year-old Barbara Johns who led the student walkout that resulted in a civil rights case before the Supreme Court as part of Brown v. Board of Education that found racially-segregated schools to be unconstitutional.

Opinion: Commentary: An Inauguration to Remember

Like most people, I will not be attending any inaugural events this year because of the pandemic restrictions and threats of civil disturbances.

Opinion: Commentary: Insurrection

Last Thursday’s one-word headline in the Richmond Times Dispatch was in such a large font that it extended across the entire width of the newspaper: INSURRECTION.

Opinion: Commentary: A Push in the Right Direction

I can remember every word of the conversation as if it took place yesterday, but it happened in 1959.

Opinion: Commentary: A Green New Deal

In accepting the Democratic nomination for president, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a “new deal” for the “forgotten man.”

Opinion: Commentary: Redistricting Underway

The Constitution requires that after the federal census every ten years there is to be a reapportionment of legislative districts based on population growth and shifts reflecting “one-man, one-vote.”

Opinion: Commentary: The Work Goes On…

Sonny Bono wrote a catchy tune reminding us that “the beat goes on…History has turned the page, uh huh.”

Opinion: Commentary: Legalizing Pot

When settlers to the Virginia colony in the seventeenth century discovered that they would not be able to walk about and pick up gold as some had been led to believe, they had to look around to find a way to make the colony economically sustainable.

Opinion: Commentary: Time for Being Thankful

Next week is the formal day set aside for thanksgiving.

Opinion: Commentary: Hail to the Chief-Elect

Tears welled up in my eyes last Saturday evening as the President-elect Joe Biden and the Vice President-elect Kamala Harris addressed their supporters and the nation for the first time after having been declared the winners of the presidential election.

Opinion: Commentary: The Results Are In!

This column is being written before election day with a schedule for publication the day after the polls close.

The Connection

All results / Stories / Delegate Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

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