More Letters to the Editor: Paper Should Endorse Creigh Deeds

Paper Should Endorse Creigh Deeds
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Your endorsement of Bob McDonnell is way off base. His economic platform is grossly inferior to Creigh Deeds. McDonnell's is a "me too" deception that would apply only to businesses with more than 24 employees. No others could possibly qualify; more than a 5 percent increase in the number of employees in a business is extremely unlikely during the term of a governor.

Deeds quite properly does not presume to say how large a tax credit he would propose, since the total would be very large and would be hard on revenues.

McDonnell must know that his proposal would be cheap and would apply, as a practical matter, to only very large businesses with well more than the 500 employees -- which defines the largest qualifying as "small." Consequently you should withdraw your endorsement and give it to Deeds.

Mark W. Levi.
Mechanicsville.

Mike has been taught great family values by his father (a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy) and his mother (an ex-school teacher).

Mike has used his management skills and experience for Atlanta Bread, Krispy Crème, and Chick-fil-A to mentor young people in Virginia Jaycees and Tuckahoe Jaycees.

He comes with great endorsements from Eric Cantor, Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli.

Jeff Sheaffer.
Richmond.

When Deeds claims he does not plan to raise taxes to implement his policies, how can a Virginia citizen believe him? President Obama believes in raising taxes to achieve a goal -- and based on Deeds' propensity to follow Obama, he shares the same beliefs.

For example, part of Deeds' "Virginia Forward" college scholarship plan, claims it will pay 50 percent of a student's college tuition, if the student maintains at least a B average in high school and commits to two years of public service after college graduation. As a current middle-class, Cosby High School student with an A average looking at colleges and skyrocketing tuitions, I'm tempted to see this plan as golden. But where does the money that Deeds plans to give me come from?

Deeds has not found an innovative way to create new revenues. His plan is to use revenues from selling state surplus land and redirecting state debt collection to a Scholars Trust Fund. These are funds that are already earmarked for uses within the state, being allocated through the general fund, or used for other special projects.

As Obama rallies around Deeds in this campaign, analyze the reality of his policies instead of believing money grows on trees.

Allison Weber
Moseley.

McDonnell is known for his staunch opinions on health care due to the fact that he sees no need to adjust in any way, even going as far as to say that "people are generally satisfied with the doctor-patient relationship under our current system." Although McDonnell supports tax cuts to give money back to the people, he does not believe in insuring those who do not deserve or need it, and supports no mandated health care system, he clearly does not understand the hardships Americans other than those that are in perfect health go through.

I have a brother with severe cerebral palsy and have seen my family struggle with poor funds on a daily basis. This happened until we were able to receive Medicaid, therefore government help with health insurance proved beneficial for my family.

Deeds does not present any sort of plan for health care, but proves his flexibility in adjusting the present system by showing openness to providing coverage to those in need. Overall, it is not the fact that Virginia is struggling as a state, it is more a matter of a lack of bipartisan cooperation.

Chelsea Carey.
Chesterfield.

As our delegate in Vienna, Steve Shannon always prioritized policies over politics -- often irritating those on the far left. Any argument with him to steer toward popular political prescription was a waste of time, to my amusement. Shannon will no doubt serve all four years as attorney general, utilizing his experiences as a successful prosecutor and legislator, and as a father, husband, friend, and neighbor.

Contrast Cuccinelli, who remains bizarrely consumed with politically charged statements, such as implying the selective enforcement of undesirable laws, disagreeing with basic climate change data, and erroneously claiming to have single-handedly led gubernatorial and legislative actions during a recent special session of the General Assembly. This rings of selfish political advancement and is nowhere close to keeping our families safe.

Meanwhile Shannon advocates for public safety through bipartisanship to enact new laws, enforce current laws, and ensure victim's rights -- especially when involving children. Steve is the only one offering a consensus-building approach with the Assembly and the next governor to protect our families, our businesses, and our environment in the commonwealth.

Bill Felmlee
Vienna.

To protect his image, McDonnell talks about the respect he has toward his wife and other working women, but he fails to support this statement when it comes time to vote. McDonnell didn't vote to allow victims of rape to receive an abortion and, during one of the gubernatorial debates, McDonnell didn't deny that he voted against women receiving equal pay in the work place.

As a Cosby High School student and a female, I don't want women's liberties to stop at just being allowed to vote. We should be paid and treated equally, too. Unfortunately, I am still under the age of 18 and cannot vote. If I could vote, my vote would probably go to Creigh Deeds because I know I could trust him to protect women's equality.

Susanne Rhodes.
Midlothian.

Early during his term, Bolling initiated his "100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia" that was designed to help state leaders find realistic and workable solutions to the many challenges facing Virginia. Bolling used a series of town hall "Idearaisers" to engage community, business, and political leaders as well as regular citizens from around the state. These Idearaisers were well attended and generated thoughtful discussions. The strategies developed through this program now form the basis of the "New Ideas For A Better Virginia," that Bolling is talking about during his re-election campaign. His extensive travel and discussions throughout Virginia as part of this effort give him a unique background to help lead the jobs for Virginia effort.

Bolling has been one of the hardest working lieutenant governors ever, personally attending 219 of 281 key government meetings during his term and meeting with citizens across the commonwealth. He did well with a Democratic governor -- he will really make a difference working with a Republican governor. Bolling deserves our vote.

Bill Flanagan.
Colonial Heights.

Times-Dispatch endorsed Lee Ware for House of Delegates in the 65th District; however, you blatantly ignored mentioning his independent opponent, Gary Reinhardt.

While Reinhardt may be a newcomer to politics and is not affiliated with a party, he is an impressive candidate. He has been campaigning tirelessly the old fashioned way -- by knocking on doors, introducing himself, and shaking hands. Ware has not taken his opposition seriously and while he has made an appearance at a few very visible public events, he is obviously taking this election for granted.

All voters in the 65th District would do well to listen to what Reinhardt has to say. He's a refreshing, intelligent change from the status quo. It's about time we voted out those overly confident and complacent incumbents and pumped some new, independent, and intellectual blood into our General Assembly.

Debra Markel.
Powhatan.

A decision that stands out the most is Deeds' belief that his pro-choice attitude should not be overlooked and says that: "I trust the women of Virginia." Why should support be given to a candidate who wants to allow the killing of an innocent baby?

In 2006, Deeds voted in support of the marriage amendment. He then changed his mind, which led to his campaigning against it later that year. Despite that, Deeds has made it clear that he supports same-sex marriage.

The best candidate for Virginia is Bob McDonnell, especially on the topics of gay marriage and abortion. McDonnell is pro-life, stating that "marriage is between a man and a women." He has the right views on abortion, which led to the introduction of a bill that would ban late-term abortion and require parental consent. The fact that McDonnell's main ideas for Virginia are to "strengthen families" proves he is the best choice and he is what we need to lead Virginia.

Christopher K. Gupta.
Moseley.

The treasurer must be someone who can be trusted, can receive and accurately account for public funds, and will treat citizens even-handedly and with respect.

Vote for good government. Vote for Tammy Alexander!

Anne J. Atkinson.
Petersburg.

To improve our current economic status we need a pro-business leader who will continue our current regiment of making Virginia pro-business. Deeds' plan includes giving tax credits to businesses that create new jobs. His plan includes making Virginia a strong environment for green energy jobs. He also plans to double the Governor's Opportunity Fund and put $10 million more into job training, which can improve trainee experience tenfold.

Deeds plans to put highly qualified teachers in every classroom by raising teacher salaries to the national average. His plan also consists of providing loan forgiveness for teachers who commit to work in hard-to-staff schools across the commonwealth, which in turn will decrease drop-out rates and raise graduation rates dramatically.

To improve Virginia's crumbling transportation systems, Deeds plans to place more money in basic road maintenance. His plan to utilize railway systems and road expansion projects will staggeringly decrease the commute times in highly congested areas such as Northern Virginia.

Virginia needs a governor whose plan can and will utilize all of our resources. Deeds is a worthy candidate for governor and his plan will boost our states socio-economic status to new heights.

Drew Austin.
Chesterfield.