What I Will Do In Washington

As we wind into the final days of this campaign, I am grateful to have had the chance to tell you about some of my priorities for the fifth district. I'd like to conclude by summing up what I will fight for in Washington if you entrust me with the sacred duty to be your next representative.

1. Bringing good jobs to Virginia and shoring up our lending institutions. Jobs and economic relief will be my number one priority in Congress. In July, I launched a seven-point plan for economic revival that focuses on support for small businesses, infrastructure, and workforce development. Southside has lost over 10,000 jobs in the past ten years. We are in an economic crisis that earmarks, while helpful, won't be able to solve alone. Virginians want a hand up, not a handout, and that's what I will fight for in Washington.

We must also do the tough work to shore up our banks and lending institutions. We need protections for homeowners, accountability in the market, and not allow greedy investors to play poker with our retirement savings. My first step would be to clean up the corruption in Washington—on both sides of the aisle—that got us into this mess.

2. Achieving energy independence within a generation. Like winning the race to the moon, America must commit to energy independence in a generation. Three steps are: (1) Reward companies and consumers who invest in energy efficiency in their factories, automobiles, and homes. (2) Shift subsidies from Big Oil to alternative energies; and (3) Support interim measures such as increased drilling and tax rebates to families to survive winter heating bills.

As your representative, I will put the fifth district at the forefront of the new energy economy in developing second-generation biofuels. We have the soil, we have the capital, and we have the research universities. Most of all, we have the people with the drive and ingenuity to make it happen. All we need is a partner on the federal level to support them with the right incentives and investments.

3. Correcting our course in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a national security consultant who has been on the ground in Afghanistan, I know that our military has performed admirably in everything they have been asked to do. But our politicians haven't provided them with a strategy for victory. I have a three-point plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly and a four-point plan for Afghanistan to defeat the growing threat of the Taliban there.

There is no duty more sacred for an elected official than ensuring our troops are provided with a strategy for victory, protected in battle, and supported as veterans. We need to move beyond the partisan bickering in Washington and promote a real strategy for these two conflicts that will put America's national security interests first.

There are many other national priorities that the next Congress and President need to address, including healthcare, protecting Social Security, and providing a quality education to our children. Washington is clearly broken—if you want to change it, you have to change the leaders you send there.

Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia's Fifth District. You can find out more about his campaign at www.PerrielloForCongress.com or by visiting one of our eight district offices in: Appomattox, Bedford, Charlottesville, Danville, Farmville, Martinsville, Moneta, and South Hill.