At Virginia Union, Deeds rolls out scholarship plan
Published: September 9, 2009
R. Creigh Deeds, Democratic nominee for governor, is in Richmond today, talking up a new proposal to help Virginians pay for their college education.
Deeds' Republican opponent, Bob McDonnell, also is in Richmond, where he will attend a luncheon fundraiser at the Richmond Marriott with Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota.
Meeting with about 60 students at historically black Virginia Union University, Deeds announced what he called the Virginia Forward Scholarship. Students who maintain B averages during high school could qualify for up to 50 percent of their tuition. In return, the students -- upon completion of their undergraduate degrees -- would have a two-year public service commitment to the state, working, for example, as police officers, firefighters or nurses.
"That's a win-win for everybody," Deeds said of his proposal.
Deeds said his program could be financed through cost savings elsewhere in government and through the sale of surplus state property. The program would cost $40 million when fully implemented, Deeds said.
Deeds, trailing McDonnell in the published polls, defended his priorities, which include pushing teacher salaries to the national average, improving rural health care and overtime for state troopers.
In pushing for such spending, Deeds has come under fire in a Republican television ad, for being irresponsible with public funds.
"I'm getting hammered a bit on TV for being a big spender," said Deeds. "I think the people of Virginia would agree with me that those priorities are right."
Deeds, chatting with reporters, was asked about McDonnell's 1989 graduate-school thesis in which the Republican made pointed criticisms about working women, homosexuals and unmarried couples and contraception.
Deeds pointed out that McDonnell's legislative career focused on such areas, and that McDonnell did so, as well, as attorney general.
The Democrat described the thesis, prepared while McDonnell was studying law and public policy at Regent University in Virginia Beach, funded by Pat Robertson, as "well thought-out, well-reasoned, passionate."
Deeds said that the paper, which McDonnell wrote at age 34, was "the product of a mature adult."
McDonnell has made no secret of his social, cultural and religious conservatism. However, McDonnell -- comporting himself as a solutions-oriented centrist -- is disavowing elements of the dissertation, including his concern that working women are detrimental to families.
Reader Reactions
I travel up the New Jersey Turnpike a lot.
NJ has a very low gasoline tax due, in large part, because of the revenue brought in by the Turnpike. Works out well for everyone as its a true expressway to Manhattan…
Based on the traffic I’ve seen between Tidewater and DC this summer, I think the toll booth should be just west of Williamsburg!!
Thanks, sclark for your timely response.
Don’t know why I could not find that.
Good to have if the NROTC Scholarship does not pan out. NROTC is a scholarship that you repay 1 year active and 1 year reserve for each year of education. Fair deal, I believe, especially as all of our citizens should serve in some capacity as a means of giving back to society.
Bholl,
Here is the link:
Proud- Okay, think for a second about tolls vs. tax.
Tolls: require lots of additional infrastructure, maintenance, and personnel. More money at the onset, more money in continuing costs. Virginia would lose federal highway funding for interstates.
People would pay to get into our state via the interstate. Over 30% of revenues go into operational costs.
Gas tax: requires NO additional infrastructure, NO additional employees, and NO additional maintenance. Near 0% additional revenue to implement. Virginia keeps its federal highway money.
Put aside the tired old “burden on the American family” “they want me to get rid of my big pickup truck” bit and think rationally for a minute. Which one of these is fiscally responsible and which one is giving lip service to the ideal, hmm?
McDonnell knows that if he says the word “tax”, his party will kick him to kingdom come. Why? Because toll booths on the interstate are a more fiscally responsible solution? I don’t think so. More likely because their ideology impairs their pragmatic judgement. His target voters would rather pay admission for the election year circus acts than admit that, in this instance, a nominal tax increase might be a better fiscal plan.
Besides, a tax by any other name… is still a tax. McDonnell is just fooling the gullible into thinking it’s not going to be a tax on THEM. There’s no free lunch, folks. Get real.
oppressed and poor people have been voting democrat forever..how much better have their lives become? are you still oppressed? why? Ask Creigh Deeds…lol
Agreed, a fuel tax would have a hundred benefits, such as encouraging the use of mass transit, more efficient automobiles, etc etc. This nation could save a ton of fuel simply by driving more economical vehicles instead of giant guzzler SUVs everywhere!
Now you lost my support. I completely disagree with burdening the american family with taxes to get people to use mass transit and drive smaller cars.
Exactly, if Virginia puts tolls on Interstate-designated roads we would lose federal funding for those roads. So although the road would keep its I-95 signage, it would be Virginia’s sole responsibility to pay for its maintenance and improvement.
I didn’t know this. Definitely paints a different picture….
Posted by ( squier13 ) on September 09, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Let’s address the elephant in the room though, this proposal is really just a workaround for raising the motor fuel tax. It’s inevitable, we should just do it instead of continuing to roll out desperate ploys like this in the road financing shell game.
Agreed, a fuel tax would have a hundred benefits, such as encouraging the use of mass transit, more efficient automobiles, etc etc. This nation could save a ton of fuel simply by driving more economical vehicles instead of giant guzzler SUVs everywhere!
ProudAmerican, no problem, I just drive I-95 a lot and thought it sounded crazy!
“I traveled south last year and never hit a toll between VA and FL. If there are a lot of toll roads in Florida, they must be on state maintained roads rather than interstate highways like I95.“
*****
Exactly, if Virginia puts tolls on Interstate-designated roads we would lose federal funding for those roads. So although the road would keep its I-95 signage, it would be Virginia’s sole responsibility to pay for its maintenance and improvement. We could call it the “Bob McDonell Memorial Turnpike” in the new transportation budget that would have to pay for it.
Great link Proud, now I know the rest of the story on tolls and where most of them are. Still against adding the tolls in VA.
But I guess we got off subject of this article by my bringing up something McDonnell wants to do as far as tolls.
What I think we need to look at is McDonnell’s plan for education and compare to Deeds. VA’s educational system to my mind is one priority that needs to be looked at and which candidate is going to do something about it. Anybody have a link to McDonnell’s plan?
One more thing, I traveled south last year and never hit a toll between VA and FL. If there are a lot of toll roads in Florida, they must be on state maintained roads rather than interstate highways like I95. Not sure, just didn’t see any during my stint through Florida.
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