Summer is over, the pools are closed. Break out your hoodies and long pants, pour yourself a little moonshine, and settle down for a digest of today’s news.

VA Beach Gets It Right

At least in theory. City planners have revealed a map that shows proposed future light rail stations and plans for higher density development around those stations. There are nine stations on the map; the rail would go all the way to the oceanfront, rather than stopping at the convention center. The areas targeted for development are already commercial areas, for the most part. But all the stores, malls, and restaurants in VA Beach were, of course, developed for the car culture. They are islands surrounded by fast flowing roads. To fix this, the city will need to modify the course it has been on for sixty years, of building wider roads and ever-larger parking lots, and instead start planning to build some medium and high density housing near those rail stops, and connecting the housing, shopping and rail points with comfortable, usable sidewalks.

I lived in Arlington, VA for five years in a townhome about two blocks from the Virginia Square Metro stop. There was a Farm Fresh grocery store about a block away. I could get just about anywhere I wanted to by bike or by train, and shops and restaurants were in easy walking distance. (If you’re wondering why I left the D.C. area, it’s because we wanted to be near the beach, not because I was fleeing traffic or crowding). The house I lived in, which had been built in 1938, doubled in value in the time I lived in it, appreciating much faster than homes that were further away from the train line. The location, in easy walking distance to the train and amenities, was a key factor for homebuyers, and our historic neighborhood benefited greatly from proximity to the subway.

Arlington was a medium to low density suburb until the subway was built, then it slowly began adding homes, apartments and commercial sites within walking distance of the metro stops. Over the next two decades, the corridor along the metro line was transformed from a collection of sprawling used car lots, to a place where residents could walk to top stores and restaurants. I’m not suggesting that increased property values for homeowners who live near rail stops is the best justification for pushing ahead with local light rail. I’m just sayin’, there’s a lot of potential upside to this plan. It worked in Arlington, and despite the undercurrent of grouching and temerity from sectors of the population in VA Beach, the same thing can happen here.

A bump in the road to shutter JFCOM

No wonder Thelma Drake is particularly disappointed about the pending closure of JFCOM: during her term in Congress she won a pile of money to build up Jifcom’s administrative facilities. In 2007, the government appropriated about $15 million to construct a new headquarters for the command, and construction began in 2009. If Defense Secretary Gates gets his way and the command is shuttered, no one knows what will become of this expensive new facility.

Celebrate “America’s love affair of traveling by car”

Anyone familiar with this column may recall that I believe the automobilization of America to be one of the biggest affronts on culture, health and the environment in the last century, but I’m a reasonable man and I’m willing to admit an exception here and there. The Blue Ridge Parkway, begun in 1935, turns 75 years old this year. A series of events near the parkway will celebrate this monument to America’s love affair with the car. There is no question that the parkway is a great way to experience some remarkable views. My only advice to people who drive it: bring a picnic; get out of your car; walk around. Make sure you smell it, touch it, and feel it while you’re there.

McDonnell still wants booze in the 7-11

When I first heard of Governor McDonnell’s plan to privatize liquor sales in Virginia, it seemed like a straight-up good idea to me. I came from a state where the government does not vend alcohol, and it has always struck me as authoritarian that the Commonwealth operates the entire liquor trade. Unlike the governor, however, I am willing to admit when I am wrong, and that certainly seems to be the case here. The state alcohol business brings in over $250 million a year. Privatization is expected to bring in $500 million, but only in the first year. After that, the earnings for the state drop considerably, putting this much-needed source of revenue at risk. McDonnell proposes making up the difference by imposing additional fees and taxes on alcohol consumption. When you look at this proposal in terms of finances, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense, even if you, like me, agree that it’s a little creepy to buy Jack Daniels from a state employee. I think I’m going to try to learn to live with that sense of creepiness.

In the spirit of lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness, I would like to offer an alternative suggestion. But first, a musical interlude…

Moonshiner
I’ve been a moonshiner for many long years
I spend all of my money on whiskey and beer
I’ll go down to some holler and set up my still
I’ll sell you a gallon for a two dollar bill.

I’ll eat when I’m hungry and I’ll drink when I’m dry
If whiskey don’t kill me Lord I’ll live ’til I die.
God bless them moonshiners they’re all friends of mine
Their breath is a sweet as the dew on the vine.

I’ll go down in some grocery and I’ll drink with my friends
No women to bother me or see what I spend
God bless them pretty women I wish one was mine
For their breath is more sweeter than even moonshine.

God bless that pretty woman I wish she was mine
For her breath is more sweeter than even moonshine.

That’s the lyrics to a classic bluegrass song (one of my favorite renditions is by semi-local band Town Mountain). Of course, distilling your own liquor at home is illegal. But should it be? You can brew beer at home, or make wine… If Ol’ Bob is lookin’ to make a change to the likker laws here in Virginny, why not throw a bone to the moonshiners?

Here’s a well-done video from Reason.tv arguing that it’s time to make moonshining legal in the U.S.

Volunteerism and disappointment

Bikefree.org is Paul Lebelle and Adam Burkowske, two guys from Maryland who committed to riding across America, from Baltimore to San Diego, to raise enough money to donate 1,000 bicycles to kids of military families. They got all the way to Portland, Oregon, and then yesterday, after 3500 miles of riding, Paul’s bike was stolen. If you’re inspired by these guys and their mission, go give them a few dollars to help them along.