Let me tell you about a place called Lebanon, Virginia. Lebanon's in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. Lebanon's like a lot of small towns in America. It's seen the industries that sustained it downsized, outsourced or shut down. Some folks look at
towns like Lebanon and say, "Tough luck. In the global economy, you've lost." But we believed that we couldn't, and shouldn't, give up on our small towns and expect the rest of the state to prosper. And that's what brought me to Lebanon to announce that
we were going to bring over 300 high-tech jobs -- jobs that paid twice the county average. One student told a reporter that before this, he always thought that he'd have to move away to raise his family and find a good job. Now, I just heard
from this young man, a junior at Virginia Tech. His older brother just moved back home to Lebanon because there was an information technology job open for him that was just too good to pass up. That's a story worth rewriting all across America.
Gilmore opposed helping Tultex, despite Assembly's support
RHETORIC: Warner: "In Southside, even when the legislature wanted to provide extra economic benefits [to displaced Tultex workers], [Gilmore] wouldn't..."
Gilmore: "That's a mischaracterization of what I did with the Tultex people in Southside."
REALITY: The legislation would have paid for health insurance for the unemployed workers, including 3,300 Tultex Corp. employees in Henry County who lost their jobs when the giant sweatshirt maker declared bankruptcy. Gilmore said he had no choice but
to veto the assembly's plan, describing it as a "health care benefit entitlement, but only for displaced textile workers in the Martinsville area." [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/20/00]
Taking their cue from Gov. Gilmore, Republicans kept legislation to
help unemployed textile workers bottled up in committee. The bill had bipartisan support before Gilmore weighed in. [One legislator] said. "There's only one person who is diametrically opposed to this, and he's the governor." [AP, 2/12/00]
No employment discrimination based on sexual orientation
In 2005, Governor Warner supported and signed legislation to allow insurers and businesses to provide health insurance coverage to the life partners of unmarried employees. Governor Warner also added sexual orientation to the state government's
existing prohibitions on employment discrimination.
Source: Campaign website, www.markwarner2008.com, "Issues"
Mar 9, 2008
Increase minimum wage; support homeless job training
Supports the following principles regarding the poor.
Provide tax incentives for companies to hire and train homeless people who want to work.
Increase the minimum wage.
Provide homeless families with apartment
vouchers they can use to supplement the cost of an apartment.
Implement enterprise zones in communities with high unemployment.
Support programs that give incentives for employers to hire and train welfare recipients.
Source: 1996 Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Jul 2, 1996
