Op-Ed

By Grafton deButts One of the greatest threats to America’s economic recovery and future growth is currently being debated in Congress. The PRO Act, a bill which seeks to undermine workers’ rights to privacy and free association, would create a one-size-fits-all rewrite of labor laws in 50 states, hurting workers across the United States, including…

By Charles Houston I called actor Eddie Murphy. “Eddie, this is Charlie Houston in Virginia. How’re you doing, guy?” “Do I know you?” he answered. “Not yet, but I want your help,” I said. Eddie was unsure but polite. “How can I help you?” “Well, Eddie, we want to move to Beverly Hills near you…

By Charles Houston  My Op-Eds have almost always been about protecting western Loudoun County, often taking a circuitous route to make my points. What if all the columns were distilled to their land-use essence? Have I been right?  2017 May: A survey says 69 percent of Loudoun citizens think that too much growth, and too…

By Charles Houston “What are you going to serve them?” Robert Rood asked his wife. “Barbecue. Collard greens. Black eyed peas. Pecan pie from Mom’s,” Byne answered. “They served us a Lyonnaise salad, consommé, lamb chops in cognac, leeks …There’s no way I’m trying to match that. Let’s eat outside. You go set the table.”…

By Joe Lafiandra With the passage of the $1.9 trillion dollar stimulus and the current $28 trillion national debt, don’t you think it would be important to really understand how much a trillion dollars is and why it is important to understand what these numbers mean?  A trillion dollars is a lot of money by…

By Charles Houston Marvin Gaye’s lyrics are apt for Loudoun:  “Hey, mercy, mercy me, oh Hey, things ain’t what they used to be What about this overcrowded land? How much more abuse from man can she stand.” Another of his hits was “What’s Going On,” in which he sang: “I’ll tell you, what’s going on.”…

By Joe LaFiandra The events in Texas last month show how vulnerable the electric power grid is. At one point over two million homes were without power. The cause was a relatively rare ice storm that knocked out at least 20 percent of the state’s generating power. The main reason for this loss of power…

 By John P. Flannery Whatever one thinks of capital punishment, there must be general agreement that the state should never execute an innocent man or woman. Our criminal justice is so badly broken, no one should be sentenced to death. I’ve argued in and out of court to abolish capital punishment.   Many have fought…

By Joe LaFiandra The new president has implemented a series of progressive executive orders. Other actions are in the wings, including asking Congress to enact an increased minimum wage of $15 an hour, from the $7.25 (in Virginia) an hour presently in effect. What I am going to present in this article are the consequences…

By Charles Houston ZOC – pronounced “zock” – is the County’s new Zoning Ordinance Committee, which is charged with helping to write a new zoning ordinance for the county. It’s important to you and I’ll explain why. Zoning Matters Zoning is generally a vague concept for people. They might be totally unaware of Loudoun’s 1,025-page…