Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:

Recently, you asked Young Democrats President Jon Ward and I to write platform pieces about the current Governor’s race. We were told to give an account for why our candidate was the best choice. Certainly through all the Political Science courses that Mr. Ward and I have taken, he understands, as I do, that the best way to present your point is to give a compare and contrast, and that’s exactly what I did.

Mr. Ward mentions that I wrote an “eight-page tirade bashing” Creigh Deeds on “every issue besides higher-education.” The strong language here is noted, but not necessary. First of all, mentioning the length of the paper is intriguing. Should I be chastised for providing the readers with comprehensive information?

While Mr. Ward chose to focus solely on education, I chose to cover several topics I felt were important to the students of VCU. While there was nothing wrong with his article, he seems to be offended that mine exceeded his in length and in detail.

And as far as the content, his claims are as off base as they are divisive. Of the “eight-page tirade” that Mr. Ward claims exists, a vast majority of the piece focused on Bob McDonnell’s plans for moving Virginia forward and to provide a thriving economy for the citizens of the commonwealth, and specifically, college-aged students.

While it is true that I pointed out the differences in the two’s plans for Virginia, I stated nothing that is untrue. When I said that Deeds had not formulated a transportation plan until recently, it was true. It’s not just me, it’s an opinion shared by many people, including those in the Democratic Party.

For example, on October 14 the Loudon Independent stated that of the two plans, “McDonnell certainly deserves more credit.” They also state that McDonnell’s plan is not “dead on arrival” as folks in the Deeds camp would like you to believe.

Then, when referring to Deeds’ plan, they call it “non-existent.” And they are right. It took Deeds until September 23 (just barely a month before the election) to articulate in detail what his transportation plan would entail. Even after this editorial written by Deeds was published, many people were left scratching their heads.

Now, I’d like to focus on some claims Mr. Ward made in his response letter this week. First, he says that my statement that Deeds’ transportation plan would raise the gas tax by 20 cents is not true. However, he follows it up with no rebuttal. He claims that my statement is “baseless”, but where is the basis of his response?

There was none. On October 11, the Washington Post said that there was “little detail to analyze in Deeds’ plan” but they said one option worth looking at was increasing the gas tax “which Deeds’ has supported in the past.”

Mr. Ward himself defends Deeds’ transportation plan by stating that Deeds’ would “create a bi-partisan, multi-regional transportation commission that would address the growing needs of our entire 21stcentury population.” While the rhetoric is impressive, let’s break down what he said.

Essentially, Ward is defending Deeds by saying that Deeds’ transportation plan is to create a commission to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, people will still have to suffer through a subpar transportation system while Deeds’ tries to figure out what he’s going to do.

Deeds himself, on July 20, said, “I’m not going to tie myself to any specific plan to fund transportation.” McDonnell, on the other hand, already has a plan. Ward attempts to mock McDonnell’s plan to privatize ABC stores. In reality, most states already have privatized ABC stores. And this idea is not new. In fact, it was initially proposed by a Democrat that VCU students may recognize: Doug Wilder.

Also, Ward wants you to believe that McDonnell wants to ruin our environment by utilizing offshore drilling to help create revenue and jobs in many fields. This is simply not true. Does McDonnell support offshore drilling? Yes. Is it “destroying our beautiful coastline”, as Mr. Ward suggests? Absolutely not.

What Ward failed to mention is that the refineries would be at least 50 miles off the coast of Virginia. The last time I checked, not too many people swim that far out. Ward also fails to mention the “green jobs” that McDonnell is advocating for. He has a comprehensive energy plan that includes wind, solar, tide, nuclear and offshore drilling.

Mr. Ward then attempts to distort my statements on Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. First of all, I made no mention of Mark Warner whatsoever. It’s no surprise that Ward would bring him up since Warner is a popular figure in Virginia politics, and at the moment, Tim Kaine is not. Might I remind Mr. Ward of Tim Kaine’s promises to Southside Virginia in 2005 to “bring a new economy” to the region.

Since Mr. Ward and I hail from the same area, I know that he is well aware of what that “new economy” is: nothing. Unemployment rates in that area have become one the highest in the nation in the past 4 years, under Tim Kaine. Ward wants you to believe that the down economy in Virginia is simply a reflection of a broader picture and that’s a decent explanation.

However, the economy began to tank in the southern part of the state far sooner than in the rest of the country. All the while, Tim Kaine sat back and did nothing. Perhaps if Kaine wasn’t spending so much time in the past year at his other job, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee; he would have more time to help the citizens of this great commonwealth in a time of need.

As I said before, unemployment rates in this state hit a 17 year high this year. Virginia has suffered from having a part-time Governor in Kaine, and now Creigh Deeds praises him. We need a real change and a real leader to bring it, and that’s Bob McDonnell.

I must admit I admire Ward. He fights hard for his beliefs and it surely hasn’t been easy for him this year. Most Democrats I have talked to have been very disappointed in Deeds and his campaign and I can’t say I blame them. Ward, however, has been very active the entire way and for that he is to be commended.

While we differ vastly in our beliefs and ideas for solutions, the thing I believe we share in common is our desire to actively participate in the political system. Hopefully through our debates other students will decide to become informed, engaged and involved in our society and strive to improve it for the better.

After all, talk is cheap. I encourage everyone reading this to become involved in the community. Whether it is through politics, volunteering to help the environment or inner city school children, I hope you will participate. Our country can only benefit, and you will feel all the happier because as one of my heroes used to say, “Nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.”

Sincerely,

Lee Vogler