Job #1 in Virginia must be getting our economy moving again and restoring and advancing our prosperity. I am a small businesswoman, attorney, and former senior aide to Congressman Frank Wolf, where I worked on issues vital to our community such as tax relief for Virginia families, federal employees and health care issues, transportation, telework and business issues. I have lived and juggled the work-family balance, not only as a working Mom, but also as a Mom at home with young children with the challenge of stretching one income. I have worked in the public and private sector and managed and led various offices and efforts. I am committed to being a strong advocate who will fight to protect our job friendly environment in Northern Virginia. I will be a champion for Virginia's 21st century economy.
With leaders in Washington intent on letting current federal tax cuts expire, as well as imposing billions in additional energy and health care taxes that will hit our area particularly hard, it is more important than ever to have Virginia leaders who will protect our hardworking taxpayers and not add to an increasing tax burden imposed from Washington. The proposed federal health care tax alone would hit more than 69,000 Virginia taxpayers, including 41,000 small businesses. A large and disproportionate share of those Virginians hit will be in our district. Virginia must remain job friendly by keeping our taxes low, our regulation low, our unionization rate low and rewarding work, savings, and investment and keeping our strong commitment to our right to work law in order to help families, help the economy and create jobs.
I will introduce legislation to give small businesses a 10% state tax cut to help them retain and create new jobs. When it comes to our economy, it is not left or right - it’s about moving forward. Tax increases during a recession simply would not move our state forward - just ask states like Michigan or California that have already tried that and are among those states with the highest unemployment. Our state government needs to do what Virginia’s families and businesses are doing - in tough economic times, we have to re-set spending priorities and tighten our belts and learn to do more with less.
I will also work with other members of our legislature, on a bipartisan basis, to identify budget cuts so that we can reprioritize our state spending with a focus on revitalizing our economy and investing in our state’s transportation and education infrastructure. We can revisit the recommendations made by the 2002 Wilder Commission, headed up by former Governor Wilder, for state budget cuts that were never implemented.
I am also committed to protecting Virginia’s right-to-work status. I have been a leader in fighting the misguided, job killing “card check” legislation which would strip workers of their right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union and force contracts on workers without a vote. Virginia is ranked 48th in the country in private sector union membership and had nearly double the US national average economic growth (GDP) in 2008 and an unemployment at 7.1% (May 2009) as compared to the US at 9.4%.
Highly partisan big labor bosses are spending millions in Virginia in order to expand the role of unions in our workplaces and change Virginia’s job friendly climate. It is more important than ever to have a leader in Richmond who will stand up for our businesses, job creators, entrepreneurs and small business owners and workers and fight for our region’s economic interests. I will continue the extensive work that our former Delegate Vince Callahan did to make Virginia a job friendly state.