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Virginia’s
voters, and they will be exceedingly few, go
the polls on Tuesday, June 14th for primaries.
Both Republicans and Democrats have contests.
If you choose the GOP primary, you will choose
party candidates for governor, lieutenant
governor and attorney general--or call it
governor and two wannabe governors.
I’ve
met five of the six candidates on numerous
occasions. I’ve heard them speak at length
in Q and A as well as their canned stump
speeches. All five are fine fellows, but I
support three for election.
Jerry
Kilgore for Governor. George Fitch could
be George Washington for all I know. He is the
one fellow I never met. But he got in the race
after Kilgore sewed up support from every
Republican from State Sen. John Chichester and
U.S. Sen. John Warner on the pro-tax, big
government, country-club corner of the
Republican big tent to former Gov. Jim Gilmore
and George Allen of the smash mouth,
grassroots corner.
If
Fitch were a serious candidate, he would have
been so a year or more ago. The only reason to
vote for Fitch is to protest Kilgore’s
campaign planks. The problem is that your vote
won’t specify your quarrel and will get lost
when the political shamans try to read your
votes like animal entrails, as messages for
the future.
Kilgore’s
campaign says transportation problems will be
solved by regional transportation authorities
with new taxing authority. Their schemes will
be put before The People in referendums. Oh
joy, to have to kill the tax vampire every
year at the polls. No, thank you. Virginians
voted against regional governments twice in
the past seven years. Don’t make us do it
again by voting against Kilgore or not showing
up in November.
Additionally,
Kilgore’s plan to cap property taxes is
wrong-headed. Property taxes are set by local
governments – who are the most responsive to
voter passion. Property taxes are a problem
the voter resolves in his city or county.
Finally,
Kilgore promises not to increase taxes except
in extraordinary circumstances. I wish I had a
definition of ‘extraordinary’. Hope it
isn’t the same ‘extraordinary’ as in the
conditions that will allow the Democrats to
filibuster in the Senate.
Kilgore
comes from a political family in the Fighting
Ninth District of Southwest Virginia. If you
want to share your concerns about his issues,
please write or call his campaign. You can get
the information at www.jerrykilgore.com.
Bill
Bolling for Lieutenant Governor. I can’t
find enough superlatives about this guy. Bill
isn’t a life long politician. He isn’t a
lawyer. I should stop there with "enough
said."
Bill
Bolling looks like ‘everyman’ in middle
age, but he has a keen mind and knows the
issues inside and out. He comes from humble
origins. He has lived the miracle of hard work
and capitalism, the healing and hope of
personal Christian faith, and the timelessness
and truth of traditional values--our
Conservative Judeo-Christian-based, Virginia
values.
Bolling
fought the needless taxes that resulted in
over a billion dollar surplus. You can trust
Bill Bolling.
Bob
McDonnell for Attorney General. He and his
wife grew up in NoVa as I did. After serving
in the active Army, he went to law school and
made Virginia Beach his home. He continued to
serve in the Reserves to retirement.
Bob
was on the wrong side of the Transportation
Tax Scam of ‘02, but has seen the error of
his decision. He won’t support tax
increases, and he voted against the sham of
‘04.
Sean
Connaughton and Steve Baril supported the Tax
hikes. They will raise your taxes again. They
are supported by the same people--big money,
big power, big government clients, including
the tax-and-spend Republicans--who supported
tax increases in ’02 and ’04.
The
same Republican state senators who raise your
taxes, take special interest money, take gifts
and make junkets with lobbyists, support
Connaughton and Baril. They, too, call
themselves Conservatives, but they aren’t.
There
isn’t much discussion of social issues. All
the candidates claim to be pro-life,
pro-family, pro-Second Amendment, etc. –
name your Conservative litmus test. Bolling
spoke out against benefits, like scholarships,
for illegal (as in NOT legal) immigrants in
Virginia. McDonnell spoke about the growing
gang and meth-amphetamine drug problems.
Please
vote for Kilgore, Bolling and McDonnell on
June 14th. Come celebrate Flag Day and the
Army’s birthday patriotically. The Army,
founded in 1775, preceded and enabled the
Nation. "This We’ll Defend."
--
June 6, 2005
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