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Former Board Member, Council on Virginia's Future
Former Board Member, Council on Virginia's Future
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Ed's campaign website highlights the following issues:
Virginia is blessed with fertile lands, vast natural resources and an abundance of energy. Yet, our agricultural exports have fallen from their record highs in 2014, and the cost of electricity rose by more than 30% over the last decade. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to grow and expand our agriculture industry, balance the responsible stewardship of our environment with our economic needs and make sure Virginians have access to affordable, reliable energy.
I will champion agriculture – Virginia's first industry – and redouble efforts to expand exports and open new markets for Virginia products. I will fight back against onerous federal actions, rules and regulations that limit Virginia's ability to safely utilize our bountiful natural resources. I will work with the Trump Administration and our Republican majorities in Congress to expand the production of safe, reliable and affordable energy in the Commonwealth, including the development of oil and natural gas reserves off our deep sea coast and stopping the regulatory assault on our coal sector.
From early childhood education to high school to college, Virginia needs a strong education system that gives our children every opportunity to succeed. However, not enough money makes it to the classroom, teachers are burdened by mandates and we're not adequately measuring student progress. Even worse, some children lack the opportunities they deserve and are forced into failing schools just because of their zip code. And too many of our young people are entering the workforce without the skills they need to get a good paying job. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to make sure that all students, no matter where they live, have the opportunity they deserve and that our high school and college graduates are career-ready on day one.
I will put forward student-centered policies by supporting teachers, parents and community leaders to ensure that our children develop to their full potential. We will channel more money into the classroom, reform the SOLs to give teachers more flexibility and improve how we measure student progress. I will tackle the challenge of failing schools head on and meet our constitutional responsibility to ensure that every child, in every community, has access to a high-quality, safe, public education. I will work with local educators, colleges and universities, and businesses to reform and better align our workforce development system with the demands of the marketplace of today and the future.
Too often, governments forget that they work for we the people. State government has grown too unwieldy, too impersonal and too inefficient. We have thousands of dedicated state employees who work hard every day to serve us, but they are held back by red tape. Government too often fails to provide transparent and consistent access to information that affects our daily lives. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to bring state government into the 21st century by focusing on service and savings.
I will lead a transparent, accountable, and ethical government worthy of Virginia. I will direct state agencies to find efficiencies and be more effective, eliminate waste and make it easier for Virginians to interact with their government by reducing paperwork and upgrading technology. Our state employees will be empowered to make the lives of their fellow citizens easier. We will give citizens of the Commonwealth access to the information we deserve, and empower us to hold our government accountable.
A healthy Virginia is vital for our economy to grow and prosper. We have a healthcare system that is too costly, and people have to make healthcare decisions based on bureaucracy rather than the benefit. Insurance rates under the Affordable Care Act are rising by more than 16 percent this year. It's a feeling many of us have experienced: We're anxious about getting the healthcare we know we need because we don't know how much it will cost. The cost of Virginia's healthcare safety net programs are also rising rapidly. Every dollar put into these programs is a dollar we can't spend on K-12 or higher education or other important priorities. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to get costs under control, give consumers more choices and reform our safety net programs so we can take care of those who need the most help in a cost effective manner.
I will work to reduce healthcare costs and make sure patients are in charge of healthcare decisions. I will make sure every dollar we put into the system is accountable to outcomes that will improve health and reduce bureaucratic hurdles. We will seek innovative solutions that expand access to primary healthcare services and utilize technology to make our healthcare system smarter. We will reform our safety net programs to reduce fraud and inefficiencies so we can control costs. We can make Virginia a healthier place to live, care for our neighbors in need, and strengthen our economy.
The Virginia economy is facing significant challenges. Our economic growth rate last year was two percent. That was also the first time in five years it was above one percent. Worse, in 2014, our growth was 0.2%, and we were 48th out of 50 states in economic growth. That's simply unacceptable. Our lack of economic progress has led to two budget shortfalls totaling over $2 billion, meaning smaller investments in core priorities. Our economic development programs are in disarray and badly in need of reform. The principal challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to get Virginia growing again.
With our vast natural resources, our fertile lands, our port, our people, our great public and private colleges and universities, our natural beauty and historic landmarks—and our location—Virginia should be in the top five states when it comes to economic growth. And we can be, with the right policies. I will lay out a broad, substantive plan to get our economy back on track, foster private-sector job creation, and create opportunities for all of us. These policies will be based on Constitutional principles of limited, effective government, lower taxes, fewer regulations, and less government spending and interference in the private sector. We need to be a more business friendly state and more competitive with our neighbors. The Republican Party of Virginia Creed is exactly right: “The free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice” ever devised. We need to unleash free enterprise in our Commonwealth and make it easier to open new businesses and expand existing ones.
Virginia is facing an addiction crisis. There were over 1,000 drug-related deaths in Virginia last year, and drug overdoses surpassed both motor-vehicle related fatalities and gun-related fatalities as the number one cause of unnatural death in 2013. Our mental and behavioral healthcare safety net is inadequate, falling far short of what our most vulnerable citizens deserve. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to strengthen our mental and behavioral health services and address the crisis of drug addiction that is sweeping across every community in every region of our great Commonwealth.
I will improve our mental healthcare system to ensure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive the care and treatment they deserve in the least restrictive settings possible. I will work with healthcare and law enforcement experts to develop a comprehensive solution that addresses all facets of the addiction crisis, including prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. If we do this right, we can not only save lives, but taxpayer dollars as well.
Virginians must feel safe in our homes, businesses, schools, public gathering places and on our roads and highways. Our state police force is dwindling in numbers and being stretched thin, while local law enforcement agencies are being asked to do more with less. Virginia, as history has tragically demonstrated, is also a prime target for those who want to attack America. Many Virginians are apprehensive about the relationship between communities and law enforcement. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to find the resources necessary to meet the needs of law enforcement, keep our Commonwealth safe from dangerous threats, and ensure a sense of security, fairness and trust in law enforcement.
Providing for public safety is an essential role of government. You shouldn't have to live in a gated community to have a sense of security. By supporting pro-growth and fiscally responsible economic policies, I will make sure state government can continue to invest in public safety, including funding to recruit and retain law enforcement personnel. I will coordinate efforts between the federal government, state and local law enforcement to eliminate dangerous threats. I will dedicate myself to reducing crime and improving Virginians' experiences with the criminal justice system. If we do this, we can support the brave people who selflessly serve us every day, improve trust between communities and law enforcement and, most importantly, make the Commonwealth safer.
We are proud to be home to nearly 800,000 veterans and their families. Our veterans and active duty military personnel contribute to Virginia and our nation in immeasurable ways. Our state government must serve those who have served our country, and continue to serve, with distinction and honor. But too often our veterans leave military service unable to get the education, healthcare, or job opportunities they deserve. Many cannot even find a place to live. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to provide our veterans with the services, resources and opportunities they earned in serving our nation.
As the son of two parents laid to rest in a veteran’s cemetery, I will make sure our veterans, National Guard, and active duty military personnel stationed in the Commonwealth have resources and support that are second-to-none. Virginia can and should continue to be the most military-friendly and veteran-friendly state in the nation. We will meet their healthcare needs, provide educational opportunities and make sure they have the resources they need to find a good job. In doing so, we will serve our veterans in a manner worthy of their sacrifices for our country.
Ed knows that it is time to get Virginia growing again with sweeping policy reforms that cover taxes, regulation, education, transportation, healthcare and public safety. In the months ahead, Ed will put forward a serious and substantive vision for Virginia to create jobs, raise take-home pay and help people lift themselves out of poverty.
In order to grow our economy and create better jobs, Virginia needs to modernize our tax code – and more importantly we need tax relief. Virginia ranks 33rd in the Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate Index. Virginia can and should do better.
Ed is committed to reforming and cutting taxes. Our current system is archaic and not suited to the realities of the Virginia economy.
In addition to these policy development working groups, I will pursue policies consistent with our founders' vision of government designed to check excessive federal overreach and protect individual liberty. Unfortunately today, the government is growing too big, our culture is coarsening and the timeless, conservative principles on which our nation was founded are under attack. The challenge for Virginia's next governor will be to reject federal overreach, secure and strengthen the Second Amendment, and protect innocent human life.
I will stand up for Virginia’s role in our federal system of government, and be a check on Washington when it overreaches or tries to exercise power that is rightly reserved for the states. I will protect an individual's Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, standing with our Republican-led General Assembly to defend our Second Amendment rights. I am pro-life and would work to foster a culture that respects human life. I support education and healthcare to help women avoid unplanned pregnancies, will advocate for adoption and foster care, and believe we must ensure every woman has the opportunity to choose life. By taking this approach, we can not only defend but advance our shared principles.
By Sally Voth Two Republicans running in Tuesday's election stopped by Winchester Wednesday morning to mobilize the faithful. Ed Gillespie, who is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, and Barbara Comstock, who hopes to replace U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, led a get-out-the-vote rally at Comstock's Winchester campaign office, 17 W. Boscawen St. State Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Upperville, kicked off the rally. "This is go time," she said. "You're here because you care. You're here because this community has a tremendous vested interest in sending remarkable people to the Capitol to work for us, to work for our families, to work for our finances, to work for our local governments, to work for our schools, and most of all, to work for this community. "This part of Virginia will make all the difference. We've got to turn out people from here [to vote]." Winning on Tuesday won't just make Mark Warner a former senator, Gillespie told the crowd. "Harry Reid will become the former Senate majority leader," he said to cheering. "We can turn things around. It's not too late to get this country back on track. But, it's getting later. And, that's why this election is so important." Gillespie said Warner has voted to raise taxes by about $1 trillion, and "he's not done yet." "Are we going to have higher taxes and stagnant wages, or are we going to have tax relief and higher take-home pay?" he asked. President Barack Obama is "slashing" military spending to pay for the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, Gillespie said. He said Obama and Warner have the federal government doing too many things that should be handled by local governments or the private sector, while failing in the functions it should be doing, which include providing for defense, protecting public health and safety and securing the borders. "When I become your senator we will get these priorities straight," Gillespie said. Comstock talked about her goals of raising the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000, getting the Keystone XL pipeline going and repealing the Affordable Care Act. "We've got ideas to replace Obamacare with," she said. "We have some very strong concerns about the international situation and how we have to turn it around, and we know we can." Also taking the microphone was U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., an orthopedic surgeon. "What we believe about health care is that it ought to be patients and families and doctors making medical decisions, not Washington, D.C.," he said. "I'm here because I'm so excited about the individual you're going to send to replace Frank Wolf. Frank has done an incredible job." Winchester residents Renee and Gerald Bowman attended the rally. "I thought it was very educational," Renee Bowman said. "There's a lot of truth in it, and I'm going to pray for each one of them as they go into the offices this coming year." Her husband said, "I hope and pray they vote the Bible according to God's will for the welfare of the United States." Joe Oakes, of Winchester, thought the rally was "enthusiastic." "The candidates were both very impressive," he said. "I believe in this area we're very interested in social values. Ed Gillespie and Miss Comstock, from my understanding, they're pro-life, pro-man-woman marriage, and that's good for families and good for our society, ultimately."
By Joe Beck Local Republicans packed the party's campaign headquarters Wednesday to hear pep talks from the candidates running for the U.S. Senate and for Congress in the 10th District. The mid-term election campaigns have entered their final five days, and Del. Barbara Comstock, R-McLean, admitted to the crowd that the strain could be heard in the hoarseness of her voice. Comstock is running to replace U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Vienna, who is retiring after 17 terms. The 10th District encompasses all or parts of Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Frederick and Clarke counties. The Frederick County part of the district includes Winchester, Middletown and Stephens City. Comstock told the audience that she would work to repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act and "turn around" what she described as "skyrocketing" health insurance premiums. "My opponents says the increases in premiums that so many of you have told me about, so many businesses and so many individuals, he says that was anecdotal evidence," Comstock said. "Well, you aren't anecdotes. You are my constituents. You are the people I'm going to fight for." Comstock promised she would open and maintain an office in Winchester if she wins. "We are going to be here," Comstock said. "We are not going to leave here." Independent political analysts such as Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, and Washington, D.C.-based Charles Cook and Stuart Rothenberg have listed Comstock as a slight favorite against her Democratic opponent, Fairfax County supervisor John Foust, also of McLean. Comstock urged her supporters to resist complacency and spend the next few days knocking on doors, sending emails and phone banking in an effort to turn out Republican voters. Political prognosticators have classified Ed Gillespie as an underdog in his campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. Polls have also shown Warner in the lead. But Gillespie sounded undaunted when talking about the state of his race. "We are going to surprise a lot of experts," Gillespie told the crowd. Gillespie touted his five-point economic agenda that he promised will create jobs, raise take home pay, "raise people out of poverty," limit health care costs and reduce energy prices. "We need to turn things around, and we need to have policies based on our constitutional principles of limited, effective government, and that's what I've put forward," Gillespie said. Gillespie cited a recent report from Congressional Quarterly that found Warner had voted with President Obama's agenda 97 percent of the time since 2009 as an example of why he would make a better senator. "I will not be a blank check for the president," Gillespie said. "I will be a check on him."
Let us tell you about Ed Gillespie. For the last three months or so, our focus has been on the sitting U.S. senator Mr. Gillespie is trying to unseat -- particularly his six years of service as a rubber stamp for the statist policies of an increasingly unpopular president. Now, though, it's time to speak about Ed Gillespie. We had an opportunity to chat at length with this political and public-policy lifer on a sunny Friday in mid-September -- days before the polls tightened, and nearly a month before allegations surfaced about the incumbent's foray back into messy state politics to help keep the Virginia Senate safe for what was then a de facto Democratic majority. For months, we had heard that Republicans, presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to wrest total control of Congress from the opposition, were devoid of ideas, that they were running simply as the "anti-Obama" alternative. And thus were in danger of, as the saying goes, "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." That September day, we learned that, in this political landscape, Mr. Gillespie stands out as a genuine exception to this perception -- if it actually exists. True, over a fast-paced hour, he did address the mechanics of his campaign and the monetary challenges inherent in facing a well-heeled incumbent. But mostly, he talked about ideas, his ideas for Virginia. Ideas that are thoughtful, ideas that are practical, ideas that are conservative, ideas that deserve a chance -- especially given the sitting senator's reflexive submission to ideas and initiatives antithetical to the carefully scripted presentation of himself as a "radical centrist." Ed Gillespie's program for Virginia, and for America, is skillfully titled EG2 -- "Ed Gillespie = Economic Growth." It boasts five specific planks, all worthy of discussion. 1) Replacing ObamaCare -- From the Affordable Care Act's moment of conception, Mr. Gillespie told us, he believed the measure would, if approved, "kill jobs and raise costs." Such a scenario, sadly, has come to pass; ObamaCare is, he says, "the single biggest drag on our economy." "Premiums are sky-rocketing," Mr. Gillespie adds. "People are squeezed between lost hours, rising costs, and stagnant pay." His solution: Replace ObamaCare with "a real reform plan that puts patients first and provides more affordable options," a system that "lets us keep the insurance we like and the doctors we trust, and allows businesses to grow and hire." 2) Tax and regulatory relief -- The current tax and regulatory burden, especially the highest business tax rate in the industrialized world, is "a boot on the throat of our economic recovery," Mr. Gillespie says. His solution: Reduce the corporate tax rate, simplify the tax code (thus easing the strain on families while allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money), subject all federal regulations to a cost-benefit analysis, and repeal all "outdated and unnecessarily excessive" rules and regs. 3) Unleashing American energy -- In no arena are the differences between Mr. Gillespie and Mark Warner more clear-cut. The senator has supported cap-and-trade initiatives and a carbon tax; Mr. Gillespie does not. The challenger looks at proposed EPA rule changes relative to coal production and sees nothing less than the closure of "one-third to one-half" of Virginia's coal-fired plants and a concomitant loss of livelihood to the economically embattled residents of the state's hard-pressed Southwest. What's more, all Virginia families and firms would see their bottom lines diminished by ever-increasing energy costs. His solution(s): Embrace traditional and alternative sources of energy production -- coal and natural gas as well as solar and wind -- so much the better to make America energy independent. Mr. Gillespie heartily supports the Keystone pipeline and advocates an end to the moratorium on off-shore drilling. 4) Education reform -- Top-down mandates dispensed from Washington? Mr. Gillespie's against them. And throwing more money at education, he says, is not the answer either. His solution: Innovation, competition, and choice. Mr. Gillespie says he'll work "tirelessly" to empower parents in the pursuit of their children's best educational interests. 5) Spending and the budget -- Simply stated, Mr. Gillespie would cut the former and seek to balance the latter. "Reckless" spending and a debt spiraling past $18 trillion are unsustainable. His solution(s): Push for a Balanced Budget Amendment; rein in wasteful spending. "It's time we stop spending money we just don't have," he says. Mr. Gillespie presents his five-point plan in simple, straightforward fashion and terminology. It's only when he speaks to the plight of everyday Virginians he's spoken with on the campaign trial that his passion for the race rises. "As I've campaigned," he says, "I see economic anxiety, even pain." As such, his stance on legislation, particularly that relating to the economy, will be governed by a "simple test: Will this bill ease the squeeze on hard-working Virginians or will it make it harder for them to find the jobs they need?" And if he fails that "test," he expects -- and encourages -- Virginians to "hold me accountable." "I want the same blessings of liberty for everyone that I've had," says Mr. Gillespie, grandson of an immigrant janitor. "These blessings were born here in Virginia, and I'll fight for them every damn day." Ed Gillespie deserves the opportunity to make that fight. He deserves your support on Election Day, Nov. 4.
