George Allen for United States Senate
It was great to see such a tremendous response to our “Ask George Allen” page, thank you for your questions! I’m sorry I can’t get to every one of them, but please keep them coming by submitting them here: I’ll try to answer as many as I can in the coming weeks! Click on the link below to see my answers to this week’s questions.
A-Team: Thank you for all the great questions this week for “Ask George Allen.” If you would like to ask a question for the next “Ask George Allen” email, remember to submit it here. This week Michael asked whether George Allen would support zero-based budgeting in the U.S. Senate. To hear George Allen’s answer click on the video below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 6, 2011
Chairman Kaine Do You Think “The Economy Is Improving?”
Henrico, VA – Just days after President Obama admitted that Americans weren’t “better off” than they were on the day he took office, his current Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, contradicted him, saying, “anyone can see the economy is improving.” (CNS News, 10/5/11)
This poses a dilemma for former Chairman Tim Kaine? Does he agree – like many Americans do – with President Obama when he says we aren’t better off than we were four years ago, or does he side with his successor at the DNC and believe the “economy is improving”? Let’s lay out some facts and help him decide.
Reasons to side with President Obama and admit that Americans aren’t “better off” …
Reasons to side with current DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and continue telling Americans we’re on the right track …
“It’s clear to anyone outside of Washington that the Obama-Kaine agenda has failed and our economy is not improving, but Chairman Kaine and his Washington allies will say whatever it takes to escape responsibility and continue pushing the same failed policies,” said Bill Riggs, Allen campaign spokesman. “The fact is, Americans have seen 31 consecutive months of unemployment above 8%, 1.7 million jobs lost since the first failed stimulus, and Chairman Kaine is pushing for the same failed policies that we already know don’t work. Does Chairman Kaine really believe the economy is improving?”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 21, 2011
Statement in Response to Chairman Kaine’s Support for the $1.5 Trillion Tax Hike
Henrico, VA – The George Allen for U.S. Senate Campaign released the following statement in response to Chairman Kaine’s support for President Obama’s $1.5 trillion tax hike:
“It’s disappointing but not surprising that Chairman Kaine would side with President Obama’s efforts to push through a $1.5 trillion tax increase on American families and businesses. Mr. Kaine is offering support for what could be one of the largest tax increases in American history, which would have a chilling effect on an already struggling economy. We need job creation, not tax increases. Chairman Kaine’s announcement today is another indicator that he is more interested in championing the President’s failed agenda and policies than advocating and fighting for the families and businesses of Virginia.” – Bill Riggs, Allen Campaign Spokesman
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The American people should not be punished with a $1.5 trillion tax increase to pay for this Administration’s record-setting deficits and second round of stimulus spending. These are the same recycled tax hikes that President Obama has been pushing since he was elected and they will put a heavy, wet blanket on an economy that is already struggling with over 9% unemployment and weak job growth. The best way to increase revenues is with new jobs, not higher taxes. If more spending and bigger government helped create jobs, our economy would be booming.
My Blueprint for America’s Comeback is a comprehensive pro-growth plan for jobs that includes major tax reform to help businesses invest, expand and hire, not burden them with increased costs. America needs comprehensive tax reform, not a piecemeal approach that only adds to an already monstrous tax code, while hindering job creation and increasing economic uncertainty. By instituting a simpler and fairer tax code, unleashing our plentiful energy resources, and reining in Washington’s wasteful spending – American businesses can create millions of new jobs, which will increase revenues, without raising taxes.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 19, 2011
Will Chairman Kaine Stand With Washington or Virginia?
Henrico, VA – Today, President Obama officially unveiled his $1.5 trillion tax increase in what’s being described as more of a plan for shoring up his base, than a serious proposal that has any chance of passing.
It was President Obama who said in 2009, “You don’t raise taxes during a recession.” But today’s official announcement is a dramatic reversal from back then. Even the The New York Times wrote that the details of the plan, “underscore a strategic White House shift away from the pursuit of compromise toward a more partisan confrontation.” (New York Times, 9/19/11)
The question for Tim Kaine, President Obama’s hand-picked former DNC Chairman, is will he continue to stand with the President as he calls for an astounding $1.5 trillion in higher taxes which would adversely impact job creation in a stagnant and struggling economy?
“As governor, Chairman Kaine proposed $4 billion in tax hikes while the State lost 100,000 jobs, so it’s clear he has a record of wanting to raise taxes in a weak economy,” said Bill Riggs, Allen campaign spokesman. “The families and businesses of Virginia deserve to know if this time will be the same, and if Chairman Kaine will support President Obama’s partisan call to raise taxes $1.5 trillion, doing even more damage to our struggling economy. George Allen is the only candidate in this race with a comprehensive pro-growth plan that helps businesses create jobs and reinvigorates the economy without raising taxes.”
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After Washington has spent trillions over the past few years claiming massive government spending was the way to fix the economy, here’s another story about diminishing opportunities in America. Don’t our children deserve the same chance at the American Dream? We can’t let Washington’s counterproductive policies stand in the way of our obligation to pass on the best opportunities to our children & grandchildren.
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Going nowhere: Economy struggles to find footing
By PAUL WISEMAN and DAVID K. RANDALL
The Associated Press
August 3, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shoppers won’t shop. Companies won’t hire. The government won’t spend on economic stimulus – it’s cutting instead. And the Federal Reserve is reluctant to do anything more.
Without much to invigorate growth, the economy may be in danger of slipping into a stupor like the one Japan has failed to shake off for more than a decade. And Wall Street is spooked.
The Dow Jones industrial average Wednesday barely broke an eight-day losing streak, finishing up about 30 points. A nine-day losing streak would have been the Dow’s first since February 1978.
Even with the gain, the Dow has fallen 828 points, or 6.5 percent, over the past nine trading days. Investors didn’t even pause to celebrate the resolution over the weekend of a dangerous debt standoff in Washington.
Stunned by news last week that the economy barely grew in the first half of 2011, economists are lowering their forecasts for the full year and recalculating the odds that the economy will slide back into recession.
Kurt Karl, chief U.S. economist at Swiss Re, has cut his 2011 forecast for growth this year to 1.8 percent from 2.6 percent. And he has bumped up the likelihood of another recession to 20 percent from 15 percent.
“The last week has made it much more likely that corporate profit estimates will be revised lower,” said Nick Kalivas, a vice president of financial research at MF Global.
The stocks that have fallen the furthest have been those of companies that fare best in economic expansions. Industrial companies like Caterpillar and Boeing, energy companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and retailers like Amazon and Coach have all fallen by more than the broader stock market.
Investors have pushed government bond yields to their lowest level of the year. The 10-year Treasury note now yields 2.6 percent. Bond yields typically fall when the economy is weak because nervous investors view bonds as a safe place to park their money, and there’s less chance that inflation will erode their value.
The economy started sputtering early in the year. Economists at first thought the slowdown would be temporary, the result of a short-term rise in gasoline prices and an earthquake in Japan that disrupted shipments of auto parts and electronics.
But the weakness persisted. And it worsened as a political fight over debt and deficits raised the risk that the U.S. government would not be able to pay all its bills.
“It now seems fairly clear that those shocks have done a lot more damage than we expected,” says Leo Abruzzese, global forecasting director for the Economist Intelligence Unit. “They seem to have had a devastating effect on confidence.”
After the government reported that the economy grew at an annual pace of 0.4 percent in the first quarter and 1.3 percent in the second, Abruzzese is cutting his estimate for 2011 growth from 2.4 percent to less than 2 percent.
A-Team: The Washington debt deal fails to address our serious fiscal problems, but Tim Kaine is more concerned it doesn’t include massive job-crushing tax hikes. If Washington’s new “super” committee fails to agree, expect even more cuts to defense, putting the safety of our troops at risk & hurting VA jobs. Sounds like Tim Kaine would be Senator for his big spending Washington allies, but what about VA families?
After months of pushing our economy to the brink, Washington has yet again failed to deliver a long-term solution to our debt crisis. This 11th hour deal fails to address the country’s serious fiscal problems, has no concrete balanced budget amendment and punts the tough decisions to yet another commission, while adding nearly a trillion dollars more to our nation’s debt as they deliberate.
No doubt as we’ve witnessed time and time again – including the last several weeks – Senate Democrats will use this new commission to continue their push for job-killing tax increases as the answer to our country’s problems. And if they fail to reach an agreement, significant cuts will be made to defense spending, risking our troop’s safety and seriously threatening Virginia jobs. Meanwhile, American job opportunities are diminishing, our economy is on a downward spiral and Americans are paying high fuel prices that are hurting already strained family budgets.
We need to bring accountability to Washington by changing who controls the U.S. Senate so we can finally pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, block job-killing tax hikes and unleash our American energy resources for jobs, lower prices, competitiveness and raising billions in revenues without raising taxes. We can’t allow Washington to force our children to shoulder the burdens of their continued failures.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 1, 2011
George Allen Statement on Washington’s Debt Ceiling Deal
Henrico, VA – George Allen issued the following statement on Washington’s debt ceiling deal:
“After months of pushing our economy to the brink, Washington has yet again failed to deliver a long-term solution to our debt crisis. This 11th hour deal fails to address the country’s serious fiscal problems, has no concrete Balanced Budget Amendment, and punts the tough decisions to yet another commission while adding nearly a trillion dollars more to our nation’s debt as they deliberate.
“No doubt as we’ve witnessed time and time again – including the last several weeks – Senate Democrats will use this new commission to continue their push for job-killing tax increases as the answer to our country’s problems. And if they fail to reach an agreement, significant cuts will be made to defense spending, risking our troop’s safety and seriously threatening Virginia jobs. Meanwhile, American job opportunities are diminishing, our economy is on a downward spiral, and Americans are paying high fuel prices that are hurting already strained family budgets.
“We need to bring accountability to Washington by changing who controls the U.S. Senate so we can finally pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, block job-killing tax hikes and unleash our American energy resources for jobs, lower prices, competitiveness and raising billions in revenues without raising taxes. We can’t allow Washington to force our children to shoulder the burdens of their continued failures.”
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