All results / Stories / Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum, State Delegate (D-36)
Reston Column: Don't Tread on Me
Commentary
For a short time when I was in college I sold Fuller brushes and home cleaning products door to door to make money to pay my bills.
Column: Kids Count
Officials at all levels of government need to demonstrate that we know how much kids count!
An index of key indicators in four domains measures what children need most in order to thrive: (1) economic well-being, (2) education, (3) health and (4) family and community.
Commentary
Science Goes on Trial in Virginia
Not since the Scopes trial in Tennessee in 1925 has science been on trial as it has been in Virginia over the last few years. The Scopes trial was of course about Darwin’s theory of evolution. That trial concluded more than 85 years ago, but the debate goes on with fundamentalists who prefer the teaching of creationism over evolution in public schools. No amount of scientific evidence will convince those who read the Bible literally as to how humankind came to be on this earth. Likewise, in Virginia today there are those who deny that human behavior is jeopardizing God’s creation through climate change.
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.
Column: History Repeating Itself
This week I complete teaching a six-week course for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University on "highlights of Virginia’s history." I have been meeting with more than 80 students at the JoAnne Rose Gallery in Reston.
Commentary
Where Is the Outrage?
Aaron Alexis exercised his constitutional right to bear arms when he carried his shotgun and pistols to work with him at the Washington Navy Yard where he proceeded to shoot 12 other people before the police shot him in what the Washington Post termed a “rampage.” The pattern is becoming all too familiar: You get ticked off at someone or something; you get yourself a really big gun that a lot of people are spending a lot of money and time to ensure you can purchase as easily as possible; you vent your anger by shooting a lot of people; and you get put out of your misery when the police shoot you. If it sounds like a familiar story line, it’s because you’ve heard it many times—Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Tucson, Aurora, Newtown, and now the Washington Navy Yard to name just a few of the sprees in recent years.
Column: All Aboard!
The buzzards are circling again! They see a struggling Phase II of the Dulles Metrorail Silver Line and are ready to swoop in to clean the bones of the project.
Column: Legislative Resolutions
Legislation that is proposed for consideration by the General Assembly is called a bill. A bill that has passed the House of Delegates and the Senate and has been signed by the Governor in identical form becomes a law on July 1 after the adjournment of the legislative session and is included in the Code of Virginia. To know what the laws of the Commonwealth are, go to the Code at http://leg1.state.va.us/000/src.htm. Bills that will be voted on at the legislative session beginning on Jan. 9 can be reviewed at the same website.
Opinion: Commentary: Principle Above Partisanship
Virginia lost two of its finest citizens last week: former United States Senator John Warner who died at age 94 and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates Dick Hobson who died at 89 years old.
Column: Our Civic Duty
Commentary
A basic tenet of all levels of civic education is that citizens should vote. We are told of the importance of voting in social studies classes, scouting, and in community groups. Yet, a surprisingly large number of people never learn the lesson. Voter participation in the United States is abysmal when compared to other countries, and Virginia is one of the worst among the states.
Column: Get on Board, Virginia
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) dropped a provision last week from its procurement documents for construction of Phase 2 of the Silver Line that would have rewarded bonus points to bidders who included a project labor agreement (PLA) in their proposals.
Column: Soulless Ant Colony
That is what a reporter for Norfolk’s Virginian Pilot called Reston in a column recently.
Opinion: Commentary: Words Have Meanings
Words have meanings defined in the dictionary that can take on other meaning within the context in which they are being used.
Column: Making the Grade
At a time when quality reviews and accountability measures result in more activities being given a letter grade, it is appropriate that legislative sessions receive the same treatment. At the risk of seeming to cop-out, I give the session an "I" for incomplete because we have not yet completed the basic requirement of passing a biennium budget in the even-numbered years. We are back in Richmond in special session now to meet that requirement. Taking the budget out of the equation, I would give the session a "B"—a higher grade than I would have given sessions in recent years. Some important work got done. Growing out of the recent tragedy of Senator Deed’s family and with lingering memories of Virginia Tech, mental health laws were strengthened. Legislation extends the time a person can be held involuntarily under a temporary detention order from 48 to 72 hours. The state will maintain a "real time" online registry of available psychiatric beds in public and private hospitals. Emergency custody orders will be extended from six to 12 hours with the state assuming responsibility to find a bed for a patient after eight hours. A four-year study will be undertaken to determine what other reforms are needed.
Column: Happy Fourth!
Our federal holiday the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, is known for fireworks, parades, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions and of course retail sales.