The Issues
Environment:
I feel the most pressing environmental issue Virginia faces today revolves around her waterways. We need to work diligently with local and regional environmental organizations and citizen groups to help clean up our rivers. This process must start immediately and we must enact serious and binding legislation that opens our rivers to our natural spawning fish populations and prevents ANY harmful dumping of ANYTHING into our waterways. Click here to read a recent article from the Virginian Pilot citing the fact that 85% of the state's waterways are polluted and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation declared Virginia "a statewide water pollution crisis."
State Budget:
My primary goal will be to work with state agencies and delegates to rein-in spending without raising taxes and without cutting what I consider to be essential services; education, law enforcement, and fire/rescue. According to the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy Virginia’s budget has grown 80.5% in the past 10 years, the state’s population growth hovers around 1.3% per year. The question I ask is, “has your salary grown 80.5% in the past ten years?” The answer I always hear is a definitive "no" which means the state has no business increasing its budget at such an irresponsible and unsustainable rate. States, like families, are on fixed incomes and it’s time our government acted responsibly.
A revised forecast for the 2009-2010 Virginia State Budget is showing a $2.9 billion revenue shortfall. With part of the Federal stimulus package, Virginia could potentially receive as much as $5.8 billion in aid. While it seems like an easy choice, taking this money is not good for Virginia. We are one of the wealthier states in the nation; there are many other options we can explore, including balancing the budget. Every business and family knows that they can’t continually spend more than they have – or take loans that they will never be able to repay – and move in a positive direction. Putting our state on the Federal dole not only perpetuates the “bailout” mentality and threatens the personal responsibility philosophy of working the problem and making necessary spending cuts, it also allows the federal government to blur the lines of state’s rights.
I am a firm believer in spending only what you have, period. If revenue decreases, then so does spending. Governments are on fixed incomes; elected leaders have the responsibility to lead by responsible example. We must support those who protect us, teach us, and employ us — and, we have a responsibility to advertise the state as a tourist destination fairly and creatively.
Below is part of an article written by Karen McMahan for the August Review citing the dangers of mixing Federal and State purses:
Joseph Coletti, a fiscal policy analyst for the free-market John Locke Foundation, said in June 2008 that “any time you use onetime, or nonrecurring, funds for recurring expenses, you create problems in the next budget.”
Nick Dranias, director of the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Constitutional Government, said he believes the bailout of states by the federal government would violate the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, known as the enumerated powers doctrine.
The 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
This same argument, along with others, has been espoused by Robert A. Levy, chairman of the Cato Institute, to say that the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 is unconstitutional.
“The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to spend taxpayers’ money to redistribute wealth from one state and give it to another,” Dranias said, as the proposed federal stimulus plan would do because the federal government would be taking possession of a power reserved to the states.
In doing so, the federal government would effectively be “undermining state Sovereignty and rendering meaningless the boundaries among the states and between the states and the federal government,” Dranias said.
>> back to top of page >>
Small Business:
As a third generation small business owner I understand the challenges and rewards of running a small business. I also know the impact small businesses have on our economy; over 80% of the wealth created in our state is the result of the hard work of small businesses. I intend to communicate constantly with local small business owners to further understand their issues and what we can do to loosen or remove state imposed red tape wherever possible. Lots and lots of politicians work to ensure that big business has everything they need – our state needs someone who is working on behalf of everyone else.
>> back to top of page >>
Agriculture:
I will throw my full support behind Virginia’s agricultural endeavors, the Virginia Department of Agriculture, and all aspects of sustainable and organic farming. Local agriculture promotes everything good about our state and by nature facilitates the preservation of land. I will also do everything in my power to support organic education and programs that will help to naturally expand sustainable agriculture. I believe that helping those involved in agriculture and agri-tourism through every means at our disposal – ultimately helps everyone.
>> back to top of page >>
Education:
I am the son, the grandson, and the brother of public school teachers. My mother, grandmother, and sisters have all worked in the public school system and have great passion for the educational system. Moreover, I am the beneficiary of the time and talent of dozens of teachers and administrators who have poured themselves out so I would be prepared to step into the larger world. I believe we need to continue to work to improve teacher salaries and support and encourage the continued education of the people trusted to educate our children. In specific, I believe we need to ensure that all teachers understand differentiated education and have the skills they need to reach every child all the time. In addition, I support the state initiatives to increase the mathematics and English standards.
The biggest support we can offer our schools is by getting involved. The government cannot be the sole provider for our classrooms. We must invest our time, our talent, and our knowledge in the schools in our neighborhoods. As parents we need to be present, aware, and available to our children and their teachers. I will support community efforts to strengthen local schools – and encourage innovative teachers and administrators in their endeavors. I will also promote successful models already at work in our state to include healthy lunches and inventive approaches to a more balanced school food diet.
>> back to top of page >>
States Rights:
The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This amendment, like so many others, has been pushed passed the breaking point; the federal government has taken rights away from the states without a fight. It is time for us take a stand. It is time for the federal government to be accountable to Virginia and her 49 cousins, not the other way around. That was the goal of our country’s founders – and it needs to be ours once again.
>> back to top of page >>
Guns , Hunting, & Fishing:
I have been an avid hunter and fisherman since I was 10 years old. I am a devoted supporter of my fellow outdoorsmen and women and will do everything in my power to be sure that your rights are preserved. I am a gun owner, my father-in-law has owned a gun shop in Virginia for over 15 years, and I can assure you that I will not ever allow the right to keep and bear arms to be infringed upon.
>> back to top of page >>
The Patriot Act:
The Patriot Act is one of the worst offences against personal liberty in our lifetime, and sadly there has been little done to fight it. If I am elected this will begin to change day one. I will do everything in my power to ensure that Virginia becomes a Patriot Act Free State, and as you enter Virginia the welcome road signs should signal that the Patriot Act doesn't live here. Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely. To read more about the Patriot Act click here.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
>> back to top of page >>
