Jerry Kilgore seems to be obsessed with taxes. Review Kilgore's statements on the issues, and while some of them appear to be practical, the overall message collapses when you look at what he has to say about Tim Kaine. As hundreds of Republican politicians have attempted to do over the years, Kilgore's strategy is to pin Kaine as a tax-hiker. Will this desperate and deliberate scare tactic work? Will it terrorize Virginia voters about the tax policy of our current Lieutenant Governor who has actually been a large part of the return to balanced budgets, fiscal discipline, and the healthy economy of the past few years?
While Jerry Kilgore can argue that cutting taxes and limiting government are the answers to every problem Virginia faces, we know that this is simply not the case. No doubt, keeping taxes low is a goal we all share, but as Tim Kaine and other responsible public officials know, the promotion of economic development and bringing high paying jobs into Virginia are what really leads to higher revenues and create substantially less of a tax burden on our citizens.
The question about Jerry Kilgore is this: Wouldn't the policies he espouses simply result in ballooning budget deficits once again, just after we've gotten ourselves out of that mess under the strong leadership of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine?
Given that Kilgore models himself after President Bush ? the man whose enormous tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest Americans flipped the country's fiscal situation from large projected budget surpluses into the largest budget deficit in U.S. history ? it is hard to feel reassured that this won't happen, once again, right here in Virginia.
Lt. Governor Tim Kaine is determined not to let this happen and with Kaine at the helm, we will not return to an era of fiscal irresponsibility. That's because Tim Kaine understands what it takes to manage a large budget ? and a large economy ? like Virginia's. While mayor of Richmond, Kaine cut property taxes, and as Lt. Governor he worked hard, along with Governor Warner, to balance the budget when the rest of the country was still running a deficit ? all with the best interests of the public in mind! Broadly speaking, Kaine believes that taxes should be kept down to protect low to middle income citizens and small businesses, but understands that large businesses also need to be provided incentives to expand job growth in Virginia. Kaine knows that tax cuts are meaningless without job growth and economic development and that they must be used for an overall purpose, not merely as unnecessary and unaffordable gifts to Virginia?s wealthiest citizens at the expense of the overall economy.
The bottom line is that Jerry Kilgore?s characterizations of Tim Kaine as a tax-raising liberal are completely unwarranted and unjustified. Just ask yourself, did Governor Warner and Lt. Governor Kaine bleed you dry with taxes? Hasn?t the Virginia economy recovered under their skillful leadership, even in the face of the recession, a burst tech bubble, and the events of 9/11?
Isn?t this the kind of leadership you would like for another four years, or do we want to risk our Great State of Virginia as she enters her 400th year of existence by electing an inexperienced, partisan Jerry Kilgore whose only priority is repeating the same policies that got us into so much trouble in the first place.
As a Virginian, I feel better with what works, and what's worked over the past four years has been the leadership of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
-- Written by Daniel Fleischmann
Where is Tim Kaine's statement of concern about CAFTA? Who will Tim Kaine represent as Governor? The people of Honduras or the people of Virginia?
Where is Tim Kaine's statement of concern about the outsourcing of jobs to China? How much income is Tim Kaine receiving from his law firm from it's outsourcing activities in China?
What the heck do you mean by "gentrification?" If you mean improve economic opportunities, make more jobs and make the schools work better in Richmond, yes.
Sounds like a clumsy attempt to use this week's conservative framing code word (and to misuse the real definition of the word)...
As for the other accusations you make about Tim's law firm, a component of his job as mayor was to recuse himself from firm operations. Whatever business developed in his absence drew from the talents and hard work of other members of the firm.
Of course, if you really want to support Jerry, this is not exactly a point that works well to Kilgores advantage. It's kind of like the pot calling the fine leaded crystal black.
Regardless, none of this--or your earlier points--are at all relevant to the points in the article--or to the work of a governor. The point is that the Republican party is the party of "Cut Taxes and Borrow" and that despite claims to the contrary, Democratic administrations = economic growth. Increasingly, I hear more and more small businesses crying for the fiscal responsibility--and stupified that the Republicans just don't get it! I suppose that since you can't argue with that, Janet, you decide to bring up irrellevancies.
Tim Kaine is in fact a closet Elitist.
Here are 3 more questions:
1. Isn't Tim Kaine primarily responsible for the gentrification of African Americans out of Richmond, which began during his tenure as Mayor?
2. Didn't Tim Kaine and his law firm greatly benefit financially from Tim's gentrification of Richmond when Tim was Mayor?
3. Isn't Tim Kaine primarily responsible for the ongoing gentrification of the middle class out of his own neighborhood?
Regarding Congressman Moran, for the truth about that Chamber of Commerce Republican visit goodbyejim.com