A. Barton Hinkle is senior editorial writer and a columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Liberals Can't Decide if Trump Is an Autocrat or Anarchist
The president has a complicated take on big government, based on grievances not philosophy.
A. Barton Hinkle
Latest from A. Barton Hinkle
The Solutions Are Sitting Around a Campfire, Not In Congress
Everything's going to be more or less ok.
Don't Strangle AirBnb; Cut Its Competitors Some Slack!
If there is an unjustified asymmetry between bed and breakfasts and Airbnb rentals, why not relax regulations on the former?
Virginia's 2017 Governor's Race Will Make Trump-Clinton Look Dull
Virginia chooses a governor in 2017.
Is it Religious Liberty or Discrimination? Yes.
State-level attempts at religious liberty laws pose difficult questions.
Glimmers of Light in the Toxic Smug
Gestures and good will count in a climate of fear and ridicule.
Trust the Media? Yes—And No
The biggest problem with media coverage is not with the stories that get reported but the ones that don't.
A Food Fight Over Virginia Liquor Laws
It's time for Virginia's restrictive regulation of alcohol sales to go.
Governors Don't Transform Economies—for Good or Ill
They can formulate better policies, but they can't cure economic malaise.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Does Gun Rights a Favor
Some of his measures have had the unintended consequence of strengthening gun rights
Nice Little Company Ya Got There. Shame if Anything Happened to It.
Donald Trump puts the squeeze on companies looking to outsource.
A Virginia Legislator's Progressive War on Porn
Bob Marshall wants to treat pornography as a public health crisis.
Should the Government Track Your Movements?
A battle over license-plate readers is brewing in Virginia.
The Defenseless American Corporation
You are not at the mercy of corporations. Corporations are at the mercy of you
The War on Free Speech Escalates
Assaults on freedom of speech in Europe and the United States.
Trump and McAuliffe Share a Lot
They both see politics as just another side of business.
Anti-Smoking Paternalism Infantilizes Adults
The anti-tobacco crusade says it wants to reduce smoking, but it's also interested in increasing revenue, a competing interest.
The Fake Epidemic of Fake News
The outrage over fake news is based on fake news about fake news.
Trump Is Not My President, and Clinton Is Not Our Secretary
Something like titles of nobility.
The Tide Turns on Legalizing Pot in Virginia
Seven more states legalize marijuana for recreational or medical use.
On Transgender Students, Do the Right Thing in the Right Way
Don't make excuses for even more unchecked executive power.
Does the First Amendment Cover Books, Movies or Netflix?
Not as clear cut to regulators as it may be to the rest of us.
Separation of Church and State
Protecting America From Religious Zealots
Conservatives are looking in the wrong place.
Pipeline Brings a Property Rights Fight to Virginia
Property owner wants to prevent natural-gas surveyors from coming onto her land.
Spending Other People's Money Makes Trump a Perfect Fit for Washington
Staring into the abyss.
The NCAA and the ACC Oppose Discrimination, Sometimes
Say they are opposed to all forms of discrimination but that's not exactly true.
Obama's Anti-Profit Crusade Targets Colleges
The administration imposed a death penalty on ITT technical colleges, which had not been convicted of any wrongdoing.
The Basket Case for Smaller Government
Has the possibility of a Trump presidency caused progressives to reflect on the wisdom of an all-powerful State?
Government's Obamacare Failures Spur Calls for More Government Meddling
From the public option to stiffer penalties, Obamacare supporters won't admit government is the problem.
Don't Give Public Funds to the Washington Redskins
The NFL team should not receive taxpayer support.
For Republicans, a Vote for Trump Is a Wasted Vote
Not voting for a conservative at all.
Licensing Rules Hold Back Hair Braiders and the Economy
Sixteen states require hair braiders to get cosmetology licenses, which cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and require at least 1,000 hours of training.
Supreme Court Appointments a Big Deal Because Government Constantly Overstepping Bounds
If the other branches of government stayed within their constitutional limits, the Supreme Court wouldn't be as prominent.
To Speed Economic Recovery, Release the Brakes
Government gets in the way of healthy economic activity.
UFC: One Man's Brutal Spectacle Is Another's Eden
People have a right to do what they want with their own bodies.
The Double Standard on Low-Wage Work
Democrats love unpaid interns. Republicans more likely to pay them.
Supreme Court Delivers Bitter Pill on Religious Liberty
Court refuses to hear case about Washington laws that allows pharmacists all kinds of exemptions, except ones that are matters of conscience.
