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Cuccinelli Warms Up CPAC

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli warmed up the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference today ahead of much anticipated speeches by Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

In his speech, Cuccinelli laid out five aspirations if he is elected Governor.

First, we need to simplify our tax code in a fair way that will increase our competitiveness in a global economy. We’ve heard the word “fair” a lot in the last year, so let me tell you what “fair” means to me. It means getting rid of the special interest breaks that the well-connected have piled into our tax code. It means lower rates for ordinary, hard working, middle class Virginians and businesses so THEY can decide what to do with their own money – it is their own money after all. Sometimes government forgets that little fact.

Second, I will work from day one to streamline regulations and work to eliminate harmful and punitive government interference in the marketplace. Our nation has always been successful when
entrepreneurs are able to invest and create jobs. When government limits that opportunity or places unnecessary burdens on our small businesses our economy becomes stagnant. As Governor, I want to
clear the way for those who expand our free market system so they can get about the business of doing business.

As Attorney General, I have been a staunch opponent of federal overreach and a defender of Virginia’s right to work laws, and I will continue to do so as Governor. Right to work states have more job creation and income growth. And do you know what else right to work states have? They have more freedom. Conservatives need to remind America that not only do more regulations equal less jobs,
but more regulation equals less freedom.

The third thing I’ll do as Governor is work to reign in government spending. Every year it seems that politicians talk about attacking waste, fraud, and abuse and wanting to make government work more like a business. But how many of them have actually done it? Well, I have – to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, and that’s just as Attorney General. As Governor, I’ll bring the same hard-nosed approach to controlling Virginia’s budget and keeping it in balance.

Fourth, a quality education is the surest way to bring opportunity to every Virginian and I believe it is unacceptable for any child to receive a meager education because of where they live. No child should be forced to remain in a failing school – it condemns that child to mediocrity or worse. We need to give parents the flexibility and the tools they need to make the best educational choices for their 4 children. We must work to keep a college education affordable for the middle class while also strengthening our workforce development programs for those who have other aspirations or are in economic transition.

And fifth, becoming Virginia’s Governor allows someone the great honor of serving in the same office as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, but it also comes with great responsibility. The Governor of Virginia must be willing to speak for all those citizens who do not have a voice. As Governor I want to continue my efforts to protect our most vulnerable citizens at every stage of life and to crack down on predators who stalk our children online. I want to continue my efforts to stop human trafficking that forces too many women and children into sexual servitude. For most of my adult life I have been an advocate for the mentally ill – people who, through no fault of their own, cannot care for themselves – and as Governor I want to make it a priority for our state to become a leader in addressing this difficult issue. I also want to continue to be a mighty voice for those who have been falsely convicted of a crime but remain in prison because no one is willing to argue their innocence. And how many times have I seen my fellow tough-on-crime conservatives be not merely willing, but excited, to lock up every convict and throw away the key? If we really believe that no one is beyond redemption, we need to stop throwing away that key! Conservatives should lead in changing the culture of corrections in America. To me, serving as an advocate for those without a voice in our society would be among the greatest honors I could have as Governor.

Watch the full speech here: