Every morning I get up and go to work.
I don’t blog for a living.
I don’t work for a politician.
I don’t work for a political party.
I get up at 4:45 a.m., try to get a workout in, check the overnight emails and articles, and then work all day…just like so many of you. And, when I get time, I blog (often too much according to the Bearing Drift ombudsman). It all ends about 11 p.m. at night when I check email one last time.
Why do I mention this? Because I think I work hard and I try hard to keep this web site informative and lively.
I mention it because I want you to know that I am just an average voter who looks and thinks about government and campaigns in the same context that you do: Do I have enough money to pay my bills? Have I saved sufficiently for education and retirement? When my parents and in-laws get older, will I be able to take care of them? Do I have enough money to fix my house this weekend or do some gardening?
These are all earnings questions. And they’re all practical questions.
And, yes…I think I’m overtaxed.
I think a $400 property tax bill every year to pay for a vehicle I already purchased is excessive.
I think working until mid-May just to start earning income so I can take care of the above is ridiculous.
I think that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and many other government entitlements, while noble in theory, are incredibly inefficient and wasteful.
I think that our own statewide organizations, such as the Virginia Department of Transportation, need to be audited to find out where there is waste.
So, where am I going with this?
Well, as a practical person, I think actions say a lot about a person.
Specifically, when I see that one gubernatorial candidate has voted over 50 times to cut taxes in his career and another candidate voted for the largest tax increase in Virginia history, wanted to impose a 120% increase in the gas tax during a recession, voted for higher cigraette taxes, et al., I think it’s pretty clear to me as to who I can count on to keep my taxes low.
When I see one lieutenant gubernatorial candidate was so off with her state revenue projections that it generated a billion dollar budget deficit, despite repeated warnings from the other lieutenant governor candidate, it’s pretty clear to me who has a better understanding of the state’s financial picture.
When I see one attorney general candidate who’s voting track record has tacked further and further to the left with every re-election and the other’s remain consistently pro-taxpayer, pro-business, and pro-family, it’s pretty clear to me who I can count on to effectively run one of the state’s largest law firms.
I don’t need a pledge. I don’t need a promise.
I need actions. I need history. I need performance.
Of course, you all know what I am writing about.
Today, the Washington Times questioned why Bob McDonnell would not sign a “no tax” pledge.
Well, perhaps it’s because he doesn’t need to. Perhaps it’s because he gets a ton of these pledges and he doesn’t see the purpose.
Frankly, I don’t care.
What I know as a voter is that McDonnell keeps his word.
He made seven campaign promises as an attorney general candidate and he kept all seven.
In every podcast I have done with him, he has advocated for lower taxes and more government efficiency.
Every time I have spoken with him, he has advocated for more jobs and creating the conditions for economic success.
His policies clearly have families and taxpayers in mind when he talks about keeping the internet safe, maintaining Virginia as “Right to Work” state, expanding energy production, or injecting a little competition in the realm of education.
And, yes, he says that he is not going to raise taxes. Period.
So, I take him at his word.
Perhaps the Washington Times should go back to concentrating about DC and leave those of us in Virginia to worry about Virginia. Conservatives need to be backing each other up right now and talking about our positive vision for the future of this great Commonwealth…not seeking to cut down those who would best serve us.
Then again, it seems sometimes that what conservatives are best at is tearing each other apart. While liberals laugh all the way to the governor’s mansion.
