With just over 7 weeks to go until primary day (June 9), the three Democratic lieutenant governor candidates are rolling out their economic and jobs plans for Virginia. Actually, Mike Signer was first out of the box back on March 4, when he released his "New Jobs for a New Dominion" plan. Today, the other two candidates in the race followed suit.*Jody Wagner's 11-page "Economic Agenda" plan is now available. Its "key principles" are:
1. Our focus should be on creating well-paying jobs that are sustainable over the long-term;*Jon Bowerbank will release his jobs plan on Monday. Here's a press release he issued today on the subject:
2. Job creation should be focused in high-growth industries;
3. Growth should be fostered by utilizing our colleges and universities as incubators of research and development;
4. To maximize this growth, we need to ensure coordination and communication between state, regional, and local economic development authorities and organizations, as well as businesses, to fully leverage the Commonwealth’s assets; and
5. Support small businesses, which are Virginia’s economic engines, and strive to address their unique needs.
Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Jon Bowerbank will tour the Commonwealth promoting his plan to create jobs and grow Virginia's economy. The plan will be released Monday morning, April 20, and will be available at www.jb2009.com. The tour will take place from Monday, April 20, 2009 to Wednesday, April 22, 2009.Meanwhile, what's Bill Bolling's economic and jobs plan for Virginia? Let's see, well, there's the old "cut taxes on rich people and big corporations" Republican mantra. Then, there's the relatively new "drill baby drill" idiocy. Oh yeah, there's also the "reject $125 million in free money to help unemployed Virginians through hard times" plank of the Bolling platform. There's the "keep taxes as regressive as possible" concept. And, of course, let's not forget the "trash the environment, keep working people down, and rely on the same old ideologically-driven policies that got us into this mess" plan.
Each stop will emphasize a different aspect of Jon's Jobs Plan, from improving Virginia's infrastructure to investing in renewable and alternative energy solutions to fostering a positive business environment that benefits both workers and businesses to prioritizing innovation at our colleges and research centers. Unless otherwise noted, all events are open to the press and there will be a media availability at the end of each event.
Great stuff, huh? No, I didn't think so, which is why it's so important to elect one of the Democrats - Bowerbank, Signer or Wagner - as lieutenant governor this November. We simply can't afford four more years of Bill Bolling economics.
