It’s time to break out the tin-foil hats, folks. Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) is at it again.

The controversial state legislator, who has made more than his share of headlines for his out-of-the-mainstream stands on issues such as abortion and gay rights, is proposing that the state should study the feasibility of adopting its own form of currency in case the U.S. dollar collapses as a result of a major breakdown of the Federal Reserve System.

Really? Virginia printing its own money? Last time we did that, Jefferson Davis was our president.

It would be a laughing matter, except that it also carries a price tag. According to the bill, the cost of this study "shall not exceed $22,560." That’s in U.S. dollars, one would assume. Granted, $22,000 is chump change out of an $85 billion budget. But is that any reason to throw it away?

Del. Marshall’s post-apocalyptic fears aside, there’s no reason to believe that the full faith and credit of the U.S. government will suddenly disappear tomorrow. Maybe that money would be better spent on a study of why legislators waste their time nurturing crackpot theories instead of working for the public good.