Dear Friends, Virginians, citizens of Fairfax:
When I was a fourth grader, we learned that Virginia was the "mother of Presidents." The list of Virginia-born Presidents -- Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al -- is noteworthy but largely confined to a bygone era.
With the political re-ascension of Virginia in the 21st century, we have a new moniker: "Virginia, the Mother of State of the Union Responders."
This Wednesday, our Governor Bob McDonnell in responding to President Obama became the third Virginian in the past five years to give the SOTU response. He thus joined Governor Tim Kaine (2006) and U.S. Senator Jim Webb (2007), who each responded to President Bush.
I'm proud of our new Governor for earning this honor. Although I've never met a U.S. President, I know all three SOTU responders very well. I fondly recall battling our current Governor on the House floor and at the Franklin Street gym (the Gov likes to recall his touchdown against the 1971 TC Williams Titans -- but can't remember my steal from him in the 2003 House of Delegates hoops classic).
Now that the national attention is over, it's time for the Governor to be about business...
We have a lot of issues in Richmond that need attention now:
1. The $4 billion budget deficit. The outgoing Governor proposed $2 billion in cuts and a $2 billion income tax increase to cure this problem. The income tax increase will not happen. So where are the additional cuts coming from? So far, we've had no direction from the new Governor.
2. The anti-Fairfax "LCI Freeze." The outgoing Governor proposed suspending a state formula which distributes education money because it might benefit northern Virginia. What is the position of our new Governor, the self-described "middle-class kid from Fairfax County"? So far, no clear response.
3. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. The #1 priority is creating and sustaining jobs in this state. So far, the Governor has proposed a $50 million "Virginia stimulus plan" which invests in niche industries but lacks any broad-based job creation potential. Wine tastings will not bring this economy back.
Right now, we have a disconnect between fiscally conservative talk from the new Governor, while he proposes new deficit spending for government programs that are not core functions.
The Governor is popular right now. That's great. But the window for making decisions is narrowing. The legislature is only in session for 60 days and that time is now one-quarter gone. The Governor needs to take some stands -- even if it means making some folks mad.
It's not a Democrat or Republican issue. It's about leadership. Because years from now, nobody remembers who made the SOTU response.
JCP Notes: Thank you to my friends at American Legion Post 180 in Vienna who hosted our town meeting last week with Delegate Keam. We had a nice crowd of 80-100 people. Next Saturday, February 6, we will host our next Town Hall meeting with Delegate Bulova at Fairfax City Hall. Stay tuned for details.
You can reach us in Richmond at (804) 698-7534 or kathy@fairfaxsenator.com.
Let us know how we can represent you better.
Sincerely,
Chap Petersen
