McDonnell for governor: Because Bob’s for jobs, seriously

With less than a month to go before the first election held since Barack Obama’s historic victory last November, many young voters are wondering: Who should I vote for? And it’s a logical question because gubernatorial races are typically not as publicized as a presidential election. On one hand, you have an economically savvy former attorney general who has a clear vision of how to boost Virginia’s economy and bolster a faltering transportation situation that has only worsened in the past few years under Gov./DNC Chairman Tim Kaine. On the other hand, you have a state senator with little in the way of legislative achievements and one of the most baffling and incoherent transportation plans I’ve ever seen. To put it plainly, when it comes to helping college age students by creating jobs and improving the economy, Bob McDonnell gets it, and Creigh Deeds doesn’t.

On the issue of spending: At a time when leaders in Washington are spending more money than most of us can imagine, even during a recession, Bob McDonnell understands that the solution to fixing the economy is not to just toss a lot of money in the air and hope it lands in the right places. McDonnell believes in a limited government that will keep taxes low, so people can keep the money they worked hard to earn. In the 14 years McDonnell spent in the Virginia House of Delegates, he voted more than 50 times to cut taxes, resulting in more than $2 billion in tax cuts for residents of Virginia.

His opponent, however, has a track record of the opposite approach and doesn’t appear to have had a change of heart. In fact, according to the Washington Post, “R.CREIGH DEEDS, the Democrat running for governor in Virginia, has now unequivocally committed himself to support higher taxes to rescue the state’s sclerotic road system.”

McDonnell, on the other hand, has been very efficient at running an effective office on a trimmed budget. As Attorney General, he cut his office’s budget by 15% to streamline how government works. As Governor, I have no doubt that McDonnell will stretch every penny of the state’s budget to give us an effective government that will not break our wallet.

On the issue of jobs and the economy: many of you all might have heard the slogan “Bob’s for jobs” or seen the bumper sticker around Richmond in the past several months. Bob McDonnell recognized early on (I’ve been working for the campaign for more than a year now) that the main issue facing Virginians today is the economy.

As a result of that, McDonnell made the main focus of his campaign the economy as well. He has been endorsed by several major business groups in the state such as the National Federation of Independent Business, Associated Builders and Contractors, Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, among many others. McDonnell received a 91 percent rating from Virginia’s small business owners as a result of his efforts over the years to help Virginia’s economy grow.

He plans to have a more direct approach for helping job creation by appointing candidate for Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as a jobs creation officer to specifically focus on creating jobs, particularly in areas that have been affected the most. Also, McDonnell will provide a $1,000 tax credit per job to businesses that create 50 new jobs or 25 new jobs in economically distressed areas.

McDonnell also has some ideas that are a little outside the box from the typical political jargon we hear each campaign season. He plans on privatizing the ABC stores, which will provide the state with an additional $500 million each year to spend in other areas such as transportation and education, and in turn, providing more jobs.

On the issue of transportation: With many VCU students traveling home, sometimes frequently, to areas like Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, I’m sure you can appreciate what I’m about to say. Virginia has a huge transportation problem. The roads are in bad shape in many areas, traffic is a headache to say the least, and to top it off, the state recently shut down many of the rest stops on the interstate. McDonnell set a bold vision for transportation early in his campaign and has gone around the state for months articulating it to the public.

He will take a percentage of sales tax collected in Northern Virginia and place it in a regional transportation account so the money spent in northern Virginia will go toward bettering the roads there.

Also, he supports Hot Lanes, a monorail that extends to Dulles, widening of I-66 and tele-work tax credits. College students might also be interested to know that McDonnell plans to build a high-speed rail from D.C. to Richmond into Hampton Roads. This would be a great form of affordable transportation, especially for students, many of whom do not have a car on campus. It would also lower the amount of vehicles on the road, lessening traffic and the carbon monoxide output in the environment. McDonnell’s support of offshore drilling would not only help with lowering energy costs and creating jobs, but he also plans to take a percentage of the revenue from it and allocate it to helping fund these new transportation developments.

Deeds, on the other hand, had not even formulated a transportation plan until recently and it leaves plenty to be desired. The main basis of his plan is to raise taxes on Virginians to fund it, including a 20 cent increase on the gas tax. To explain, look at the cost of gas per gallon right now. It’s roughly $2.25 a gallon. Under a Gov. Deeds, it automatically jumps to $2.45.

On the issue of education: Bob McDonnell, like President Obama and many others, supports charter schools and school vouchers. Education is very important to McDonnell as he would implement a 4 percent average increase in education funding in the classroom, as well as awarding 100,000 additional four-year and community college degrees over the next 15 years. As a father of five with his children’s ages ranging from 17-28, Bob McDonnell understands what people our age are going through. His daughter Cailin graduated from VCU as a graduate student just two years ago. Not only will he help with reforming and improving our education system, he will improve the economy so we all have jobs available once we graduate.

Overall the theme of last year’s election was “change” and I believe this year’s should be no different. Many of you may not realize this, but for the past eight years, Democrats have been in power in Virginia; first under Mark Warner, and currently under Kaine. In March of this year, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported via the Labor Department that unemployment in Virginia had reached a 17-year high.

In September, Kaine announced that Virginia has a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. This is the type of leadership that Democrats have brought us, and the type of leadership Deeds promises to continue. As Virginians we cannot afford another four years like the last four have brought us. I do believe it is time for a change, and a change that only Bob McDonnell can bring.

If you want a governor who will come through on his promises (he followed through on all seven he made while running for attorney general) and move Virginia forward with a modern, growing economy; then Bob McDonnell should be your man for governor. This election is not about being a Democrat or a Republican. Ask Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET and a prominent Democrat contributor, who has adamantly endorsed and supported Bob McDonnell. This election is about who is right for Virginia and who can turn this economy around. It is about who has a clear, positive vision for the future and how to improve it for all of us, and who doesn’t. What we all need to realize is that we don’t have to settle for less anymore.

If you’re a Democrat, there is nothing wrong with voting for a Republican if they are the better person for the job, and vice-versa. It is time for a change. Virginia can do better, should do better, and if we elect Bob McDonnell as our next governor, we will do better.