Sarah Palin in Roanoke Today!!

Sarah wowed them in Roanoke today. We got there and were greeted by a huge line of over 1000 people. Many people camped out overnight.....how many liberals would draw that kind of fan enthusiasm? The first lady in line had waited there since 8 am on Saturday morning!

When we got our 2 books signed, we were taken by Sarah's warmth and charm...and how she connects to people....amazing.

I was glad to see her youngest son Trig with her...and her mom and dad as well!

Politico.com had some great video coverage here:

http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0911/palins_roanoke_visit.html

School Choice Support Widespread in Virginia

The Family Foundation today joined several other organizations in releasing a survey conducted on behalf of the Friedman Foundation showing widespread support for a variety of school choice proposals. The survey, conducted in October, shows that while Virginians support public schools, they also support education freedom and choice.

The survey results found broad support among Democrats, Republicans and Independents for tax-credit scholarship programs and school vouchers. Democrats indicate support for tax-credit scholarships (64%) and school vouchers (53%). They are more likely to favor rather than oppose these policies by +43 percentage points and +15 percentage points, respectively.

Interestingly, while the survey found that 62% of Virginians believe the public school system is “good” or “excellent,” when given the choice between sending their child to a public school or an alternative (private, charter or homeschooling) 54% said they would choose the alternative. Among parents with children currently attending a public school, 40% would keep their children there while 39% would choose an alternative. Currently, 90% of Virginia’s school children attend public schools.

Another interesting note from the survey found that younger Virginians, those just out of school or in parenting years, are more supportive of education choice than older Virginians. In other words, those closest to the public schools are less likely to want their kids to attend them.

Not surprisingly, 65% of those surveyed also drastically underestimated how much Virginia spends to educate public school children. While 28% believed the cost to be between $3001 and $6000 and 19% believed it to be less than $3000, the actual 2007 school year figure was nearly $12,000 per student. It’s no wonder that polls show Virginians support more funding for public education when two-thirds underestimate it by two or three times the actual number.

Clearly Virginians want education freedom. The issue of school choice is not a public vs. private debate, it is simply about the best opportunity for every child and parents’ rights to make that choice.

As I told our Gala audience last month, while charter schools are certainly a widely supported idea and Virginia’s charter school law needs changing, we can’t stop there. Virginia’s kids deserve the best education possible – public or private or home or charter – and they deserve it now. It’s time for the education establishment to stop being obstructionists and instead join the fight for education freedom in Virginia.

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Great pictures from Roanoke 40 Days for Life event

Many people recently stood for life on Peters Creed Road, outside of the Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic.

This was part of the 40 days for life campaign locally and nationally.

Check out this great slide show from the Roanoke event, on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znDg_x2AkfU

Thanks to all who stood for life!

http://www.40daysforlife.com/roanoke/

Cause and effect

Obama 08 = McDonnell 09, Bolling 09, Cuccinelli 09, Cleaveland 09, Griffith 09, Elswick 09, Flora 09, Altizer 09, Johnson 09 and many, many others.

It's a great day to be a Virginia Republican!! Join us!!

http://www.roanokerepublicans.com/

My choices for Tuesday, Nov 3 election

Fellow Virginians,

I urge you to vote this Tuesday for the following candidates:

- Bob McDonnell for Governor

- Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor

- Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General

http://www.bobmcdonnell.com/ for Governor

http://www.billbolling.com/ for Lieutenant Governor

http://www.cuccinelli.com/ for Attorney General

I have personally known these gentlemen for many years. They are each good public servants and they will make you proud to be a Virginian.

Check out the Family Foundation voter guides on these 3 statewide races at this location...compares all candidates on issues that are important to the family.

http://www.tffaction.org/images/VA_State_Final.pdf

For House of Delegates, 17th District - Bill Cleaveland

http://billcleaveland.com/

Family Foundation has published a voter guide comparing the 17th HOD candidates... http://www.tffaction.org/images/HD_17_Final.pdf

Bill has strong conservative values for this seat, replacing Republican William Fralin. His opponent, Gwen Mason, is a pro-abortion liberal on Roanoke City Council.

For House of Delegates, 8th District - Morgan Griffith

http://www.delegatemorgangriffith.com/

Morgan has been a strong leader for all of SW Virginia. His position as Majority Leader helps this area a lot. People would be nuts to support his opponent, Radford teacher Carter Turner. Turner has no experience in elected office, a poor trade for the House Majority Leader position!! Morgan scored a top rating of 100% in the Family Foundation report card, that ranks all delgates and senators on their votes that support the families of Virginia.

http://www.tffaction.org/images/Report_Card_Final.pdf

For House of Delegates, 11th District - Troy Bird

http://www.troybirdfordelegate.com/

Troy has the conservative values we need in the 11th house district. His opponent, Onzlee Ware, has a poor rating of 20 on the Family Foundation report card.

http://www.tffaction.org/images/Report_Card_Final.pdf

Local races:

Board of Supervisors, Vinton -- Mike Altizer http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/Departments/BoardOfSupervisors/BoardMembers/aMichaelWAltizer.htm

School Board, Vinton -- Jason Peters

Board of Supervisors, Hollins -- Richard Florahttp://www.roanokecountyva.gov/Departments/BoardOfSupervisors/BoardMembers/dRichardFlora.htm

Board of Supervisors, Windsor Hills -- Ed Elswick http://www.edelswick.com/

Sheriff, Roanoke City -- Octavia Johnson http://www.octaviajohnson.com/

Revenue Commissioner, Roanoke City - Douglas Walker http://douglaswalker2009.com/

Steve Shannon's Deceptive Campaign for Attorney General

Steve Shannon's Deceptive Campaign for Attorney General

By NRVNews

Steve Shannon, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General, is conducting a very deceptive campaign. He is trying to convince voters he is a conservative. He is also strongly implying the job of the Attorney General is to prosecute criminals. The truth is very different. Shannon’s record reveals he is definitely not a conservative. He voted to put the Marriage Amendment on the ballot, then actively campaigned against it. This constitutional amendment, approved by Virginia voters, requires marriage only to be between one man and one woman – not between two men or two women. Shannon’s opponent in the Attorney General race, Ken Cuccinelli, campaigned for the Marriage Amendment. Shannon voted against requiring public schools to involve parents in their childrens' decisions to participate in after-school activities. He would be an Attorney General who opposed commonsense parental rights. Shannon voted against a bill that protects from discrimination a public school student’s voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint on a subject permitted by the school. This candidate for Attorney General voted against religious freedom. Shannon supports state funding of abortions. Shannon opposed protecting private home owners – especially those who are middle class and poor – from governmental abuse of eminent domain laws that permit local and state governments to take private property. Ken Cuccinelli, Shannon’s Republican opponent, took the opposite positions on these issues. Shannon’s portrayal of the Attorney General’s responsibility is false, and he knows it. It is not only or primarily the prosecution of criminals. At the web site for the Virginia Attorney General, we read: “The Office of the Attorney General is the Commonwealth's law firm. Its clients are the Virginia state government and the state agencies, boards and commissions that compose that government. “The full time staff includes a chief deputy attorney general, six deputy attorneys general and about 150 assistant attorneys general, 40 additional full time lawyers appointed as special counsel to particular agencies, and 140 legal assistants, legal secretaries and other professional support staff. The Office of the Attorney General is structured very much like a private law firm, with sections devoted to legal specialties.” Note in the previous paragraph: “The Office of the Attorney General is structured very much like a private law firm, with sections devoted to legal specialties. “ It is appropriately not structured like a prosecutor’s office. A long list of the duties and powers of this office is posted, showing prosecution of criminals is not the only or even the major duty of the Attorney General. And prosecutions are almost always handled by staff members. Mark Earley and Bill Mims are two of Virginia’s recent, excellent Attorney Generals who had no previous experience as prosecutors. Furthermore, the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is not endorsing Shannon. It is endorsing Ken Cuccinelli. Shannon is a typical liberal candidate for public office in Virginia – deceptively trying to hide the fact that he is a liberal.

BOLLING HANDILY WINS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S DEBATE

Wagner's support for higher taxes, record of fiscal mismanagement and dishonest, negative campaign is exposed-

-Bolling clearly outlines record of accomplishment and New Ideas for a Better Virginia-

SALEM - Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling handily defeated Jody Wagner in the Lieutenant Governor's debate tonight at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. The debate was sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association, moderated by WSLS reporter Jay Warren and broadcast live on the WSLS website.

Throughout the debate, Bolling clearly outlined his record of accomplishment during his 18-years of public service and his plans to create new jobs, grow the economy, restore fiscal management to state government and provide solutions to the education, energy, transportation, public safety and health care challenges facing Virginia.

Many times appearing flustered, Wagner was repeatedly put on the defensive for her consistent and habitual support for higher taxes, including her proposal to increase of the gas tax, her record of fiscal mismanagement as Secretary of Finance, which has caused over $7B is budget shortfalls and the loss of more than 2,000 state jobs, her lack of positive ideas and plans to solve the challenges facing Virginian and her dishonest, negative personal campaign attacks on Bolling.

Throughout the debate Bolling connected Wagner to her running mate Creigh Deeds plans to raise taxes and his dishonest, negative personal attacks.

Wagner has embraced Creigh Deeds' plans to raise taxes on Virginia families and business, including higher job-killing gas taxes, even in a bad economy. Additionally, Wagner has supported every major tax increase during her eight years in state government, including increasing the sales tax by 20%, imposing higher taxes on small businesses and seniors and higher taxes on home and car sales.

When discussing their respective records, Bolling summed up the differences between himself and Wagner best when he said, "She has worked for people who have accomplished things. She has accomplished very little."

As a State Senator and Lieutenant Governor, Bolling has a long record of accomplishment. Some highlights include:

• Kids First legislation to crack down on dead beat parents
• Establishing the children's health insurance program in Virginia, which is currently covering over 100,000 low-income children
• Expanding the Governor's Economic Opportunity Fund to make incentives available to small businesses in economically depressed regions of Virginia
• Eliminating hundreds of unnecessary and redundant regulations as chairman of the Regulatory & Government Reform Task Force
• Providing the first state funding to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is cracking down on internet sexual predators
• Streamlining the regulatory process to position Virginia as the nation's leader in advancing wind and solar projects

As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling promoted numerous initiatives that focused on important health care issues. Through his Steptember program, Ending Cervical Cancer In Our Lifetime initiative, Helping Virginians Breath Easier campaign, and the Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: Your Heart Is In Your Hands program, Lieutenant Governor Bolling has helped focus public attention on important health care issues like obesity, cervical cancer, asthma and cardiovascular health.

Bolling also clearly outlined his innovative and plans to create jobs, grow the economy and restore fiscal responsibility to state government and address the education, energy, transportation, health care and public safety challenges facing Virginia.

The Manassas News & Messenger called Bolling's proposals "comprehensive and extensive plans to deal with transportation, education, public safety and more".

Earlier today, The News & Messenger joined the Arlington Sun Gazette as the second Northern Virginia newspaper to endorse Lieutenant Governor Bolling.

Bolling has also been endorsed a long list of other organizations including National Federation of Independent Business/ Virginia, Virginia Association of Realtors PAC, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation's Virginia AgPAC, Virginia Credit Union League, Associated Builders and Contractors, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, National Rifle Association - Political Victory Fund, Fraternal Order of Police and Police Benevolent Association.