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Deeds vs. McDonnell on the issues, part 1: Economic plan
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Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds (left) and Republican Bob McDonnell (right) before a debate
Politics are becoming more volatile then ever. Many Americans go to the voting booths uninformed of many of their candidate's views on issues. They rely more on party name then any other factor. With the Virginia gubernatorial election coming up in just over a week, and with Loudoun County playing a crucial role in deciding its outcome, it is important to know exactly where each candidate stands on the issues without the spin. We will now examine each candidate's economic plan.
In the current recession, perhaps the most important aspect of any candidate's campaign platform is their economic plan. There are many similarities between the candidates here, who both cast themselves as "job creation" leaders. In particular, both Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds support doubling the amount of funding available through the Governor's Opportunity Fund, enticing businesses that create more jobs and raise greater local and state tax revenue. Both candidates support preserving over 400,000 acres of land for natural parks, as well as striving to push Virginia as a leader in clean energy. Both candidates also put great emphasis on furthering education and job training to prepare Virginia's youth to be productive members of the work force. Both McDonnell and Deeds also seek to provide tax-credits for businesses that bring jobs into Virginia. Both men see the way to bettering Virginia's economy as pushing the tourism and hospitality industries.
However, the candidates differ in many respects. McDonnell's campaign provides a much more specific outline of their plans for the Governor's office, while Deed's campaign is more focused on the message. McDonnell plans to privatize ABC liquor stores, as well as taking numerous steps to streamline the process of applying to start a new business, such as providing all forms online in a single location. McDonnell would also like to make improvements to the NASA flight center at Wallops Island to make it the premier commercial space flight center, attracting many tourists as well as bringing in high tech jobs. He is a staunch proponent for free-enterprise, and has vowed to fight the Federal Estate Tax (loathingly referred to as the "Death Tax") as well as proposed "Card Check" legislation at all levels.
Creigh Deeds has no such plan to privatize ABC. He has stated a commitment to also streamlining the processes needed by small businesses to start up, though his campaign gives no specific information on how he plans to do this. Deeds plans to start a "Rural Business Fund to help small businesses in economically distressed communities"; McDonnell has plans to create numerous resources, such as a task force to ensure cooperation between agencies, but has not committed to any other monetary support specifically for the region. Deeds, who has been the recipient of large amounts of money from labor, favors "Card-Check" legislation, though it should be mentioned that apart from applying some political pressure and influence, neither man can do anything at the federal level about this law.
As the race continues to heat up and become more and more contentious, it is important to separate the negativity from the issues at hand. Leading up to election day, we will examine the issues and do our best to provide you with more in-depth, no-spin coverage.
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