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Gas prices have skyrocketed in the past week, jumping double-digits in more areas of the country — including the Mid-Atlantic. This uncharacteristically early price jump is due to several factors including a rise in crude oil prices and some refineries either closing permanently (the Hess refinery in Woodbridge, NJ) or shutting down for maintenance (such as Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ refinery in Philadelphia, PA).
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Gas prices continued to hold steady just three weeks into the new year, hovering at $3.29 on Friday, compared to the same three week period in 2012 where prices at the pump increased 10-plus cents per gallon. Friday’s national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is 2 cents less than one week ago, 6 cents more than last month and 9 cents less than one year ago.
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This past week during our first district work week of the 113th Congress, we had the opportunity to visit Danville and Blairs, and to make our first official visits in Warrenton. Many miles may separate Danville and Warrenton, but it is clear that those all across our district share a common concern with our nation’s unsustainable debt.
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As you may know, on New Year’s Day, the House of Representatives received a proposal from the United States Senate regarding the actions it wished to take to address the fiscal cliff. While I was pleased that the Senate finally offered a proposal of its own to address this crisis, I was disappointed that our colleagues in the Senate waited until the last minute and sent us a proposal that does not address our spending problem.
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This week we saw another victory for American workers and freedom in the workplace. Just days ago, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law two right to work bills, making Michigan the twenty-fourth right to work state in our nation, including Virginia. This means individual employees can join unions voluntarily, but unions cannot force membership or force the payment of dues across entire worksites. The news out of Michigan comes just 10 months after Indiana became a right to work state and is a particularly significant trend in the Midwest.
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If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve likely heard about the impending “fiscal cliff.” The so-called fiscal cliff is Washington-speak for significant tax increases and automatic spending cuts set to go into effect in 2013 if no other action is taken. As negotiations between Congress and the White House continue, it is clear that we cannot address the fiscal crisis and looming tax hikes without addressing the root of the problem – spending and debt.
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At this pivotal time in our nation’s history, we face a great challenge of putting an end to unacceptably high unemployment and getting the American people back to work. And for the future of this country, we face an even greater challenge of getting back on sustainable fiscal footing so that we may preserve the American way for our children and grandchildren.
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As every good businessman knows–including Governor Romney with whom I had been associated as a limited partner at Bain Capital Ventures–the soundness of a company and its ability to create jobs does not rest on lower taxes or tax avoidance–for the company or its senior management.
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U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced bipartisan legislation to improve and expand federal fiscal accountability. The legislation requires more standardized reporting of federal spending posted to a single website, allowing citizens and agencies to more easily identify improper payments, waste and fraud.
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Dewey G. Cornell, professor of education in the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, in Cole Hall at Bridgewater College.
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