Kaine: ‘All of the above’ on energy

AFP

The black-white debate on energy production between Republicans and Democrats generally speaking comes down to the merits of oil production vs. clean energy. It doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition, though. “We need to use every domestic source that we have. But I think we ought to be preparing for a long-term shift toward…

Kaine: Deficits do matter

AFP

Tim Kaine didn’t run for governor in 2005 promising to cut the state budget to the bone, but that’s pretty much what he had to do as the state faced down the recession a year into his term. The key lesson that he learned: You can’t do across-the-board cuts. “Everything isn’t worth everything else,” said…

Kaine addresses economic issues

AFP

Tim Kaine has been taking some heat from political rival George Allen over his support for the economic-stimulus package that President Barack Obama championed as a cornerstone to an economic recovery. Funny thing, to the Democrat Kaine – the stimulus package that the Republican Allen has criticized played a key role in the decision of…

Robert Hurt: American solutions for job creation

Robert Hurt

The recent December unemployment report provides welcome news that more jobs were created last month at a time when so many are struggling. And while signifying a step in the right direction nationally, the simple fact remains that there are still too many in Central and Southside Virginia out of work, and there is still…

Chris Graham: Time to move forward

AFP

Remember when Waynesboro was the economic engine of this part of the Valley? Your first instinct might be to say that it still is. Look at the West End. Every chain retail store and restaurant known to American man has set up shop out there. Which is great – really, it is. It’s just that…

McDonnell announces 1,350 jobs in Chesterfield, Dinwiddie

AFP

Gov. Bob McDonnell and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced the company’s plans to open two fulfillment centers in Virginia, investing a total of $135 million. The company will invest $85 million and create more than 1,000 jobs in Chesterfield County, and invest $50 million in Dinwiddie County, creating more than 350 jobs. “This project…

Moran: ‘We owe’ Iraq veterans

AFP

Jim Moran was a critic of the Iraq war when being a critic of the Iraq war was not only not cool, but was considered by more than a few to be treasonous. The Virginia Democratic congressman spoke Thursday on the day that the U.S. officially declared the end to the military action that began…

GOP leaders call out Kaine on health-care reform

Chris Graham

Fifth District Congressman Robert Hurt joined a pair of Virginia state legislators Thursday in an effort to paint Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine as a loyal Barack Obama ally. “The president’s health-care law has produced devastating effects for Fifth District Virginians and all Americans since passage. It has expanded the size of the federal government,…

Joseph Meyer: Small-business owners and Main Street–don’t forget about us

AFP

With voting in the Republican primaries around the corner and with unemployment still high, it has become evident that 2012 will be a big year for small-business owners. Both as a voting block and as the economic engine of America, small businesses will have a lot to say and a lot of power in the…