The Issues

Click here to learn more about Tom's plan for economic REVIVAL.

Economic Fairness

Tom will fight to ensure that all hard-working Americans are guaranteed a living wage and secure retirement. Parents should have time to spend with their families instead of having to work multiple jobs just to put food on the table. Tom will end the practice of giving tax breaks to companies that take American jobs overseas and will make sure that corporations and CEOs are held accountable for their actions. Tom's number one priority is economic REVIVAL for the 5th district.. Listen to Tom on the radio talk about what is the "most important issue" this year on WVTF radio:

Education and Job Training

There is no higher calling for government than to help its people reach their God-given potential, and there are few better ways to do that than to ensure that all our children receive a quality education. We must support our local teachers and help recruit and retain new ones. We must develop better ways of evaluating our schools to encourage a focus on knowledge and learning. Educational opportunities must begin earlier and continue later in life by prioritizing a pre-K year, affordable and accessible college education and vocational training, and the lifelong skills training required to ensure American workers remain competitive in the global economy. Listen to Tom talk about important ways to spur economic REVIVAL on WVTF:

Lobbying and Corruption

Washington is broken. When private interests give money to public officials for personal and private gain, that is corruption. Tom has refused all contributions from lobbyists and corporate PACs. His record of public service in Africa and Afghanistan has brought him face to face with corrupt regimes and he has a long record of standing up for the rights of the public, not special interests. He believes we must strengthen ethics rules and hold lobbyists and politicans accountable for corrupt deals. He will also support public financing of elections so campaigns are not controlled by special interest money. Listen to Tom talk about the importance of people-powered campaigns on WVTF:

National Security

Americans are less safe today than on September 12th because of the decisions made by this Administration and many in Congress. Tom has spent much of his career fighting for justice-based security solutions in Western Africa, Darfur, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Tom was one of the first signers of the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, which will allow peaceful and political reconcilation to take place. Tom believes that to be safer, we need to be giving our intelligence officers the resources they need, not our constitutional rights. Listen to Tom talk about the War in Iraq and how he would improve our national security on WVTF:

Health Care

Every American deserves access to a doctor, and none of our elderly should ever have to face the soul-crushing choice of whether to buy medicine for a spouse or put food on the table. Furthermore, our employers should not be burdened with healthcare costs that put them at a disadvantage to their competitors in other countries. Listen to Tom talk about the immediate need for new health care legislation on WVTF:

 

Environmental Issues

Tom has a lifelong commitment to smart and green environmental policies. He believes that the threat to our climate is one of our top national security issues, one of our top economic issues, and one of our top moral issues. Tom knows that the 5th district should be at the forefront of the energy independence and green jobs movements. Tom is fully supportive of alternative energies, investigating second-generation bio-fuels, and is committed to getting us off our addiction to oil. Listen to Tom talk about his support for alternative energies.

Oil Independence

Our national security, our climate, and our economic competitiveness demand that we achieve independence from fossil fuels during this generation. Our leaders have lacked the courage to do what is necessary to make our country safe and to encourage the "dot-com" boom of the next generation: alternative energy and efficiency technologies. Tom will ensure that the farmers, businesses, and consumers of the 5th District have the tools and the incentives to lead America through this challenge. Listen to Tom talk about his short term and long-term strategy for gas prices and energy independence on WVTF:

Farming

Tom believes that supporting Virginia agriculture is a key component in bringing economic revival to the 5th district. Our farmers have always been the backbone of a healthy Virginia economy. Whether producing second-generation biofuels or bringing locally grown produce to market, Virginia's farmers and farmland must be protected and supported. This includes assuring that small farmers, not big agribusiness, receive the benefits of subsidies. Tom will support the Local Food movement, including removing regulations that make it difficult for schools and other local institutions to buy from local farmers. Tom will shift farm subsidies to focus on small farmers who are central to the natural heritage of our counties. Tom will support second-generation bio-fuels, wind power and other forms of alternative energy production on Virginia farms. Listen to Tom talk about his support for local farmers on WVTF:

 

Supporting Our Troops and Honoring Our Veterans

In our district, more than 1,000 young men and women have joined the Army, Army Reserves, and National Guard between 2004 and 2007. 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. Our support for troops must continue when they come home. Tom was an ardent and early supporter of Sen. Webb's 21st Century GI Bill to ensure educational opportunities that our veterans deserve. He will fight for a new VA Hospital in Southside with a focus on mental health services.

Second Amendment Rights

Tom is a strong supporter of an individual's right to bear arms and will fight for clean streams and forests for Virginia's sportsmen. He believes we should protect all individual constitutional rights, without politicians picking and choosing which Amendments deserve to be taken seriously. Read the recent "Perriello Reports" about protecting the 2nd Amendment. 

Supporting Local Law Enforcement

We must invest more in local law enforcement agencies. One of the greatest successes of the 1990s was the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Policing Services (COPS) program. But funding for this program has declined from $1 billion a year for most of the late 1990s to just $5 million in fiscal year 2005. In Congress, Tom will make sure local police forces have the resources they need to enforce the law and hold criminals accountable.