Virginia Still Has Number One Pro-Business Environment

This year, Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli are all running on a platform of being pro-business. And they and their supporters, including the GOP bloggers, are all attempting to paint the Democratic candidates, Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner, and Steve Shannon as radical, anti-business, extreme leftists. Yet once again, Virginia has been designated the number one pro-business state, this time from Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc.

The truth is Virginia has consistently been named one of the top places to do business under the Warner and Kaine administrations. And, I might add, Jody Wagner has been a major contributor to that success in her position, first as state treasurer, and then as Secretary of Finance in both the Warner and Kaine administrations.

Anyway you look at it, the Warner and Kaine legacies have been pro-business in a way that has let all Virginians share in the prosperity and well being. The last Republican to hold the governor's office left a very different legacy, one that nearly bankrupted the state and put our AAA Bond rating in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, here is a press release I received from the Creigh Deeds campaign, proudly announcing the number one pro-business rating:

STATEMENT FROM CREIGH DEEDS ON VIRGINIA'S #1 PRO-BUSINESS RANKING

Democratic nominee for governor Sen. Creigh Deeds issued the following statement on today's announcement that Virginia has reclaimed the top spot in an annual nationwide survey of the best states for business. Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc., a top U.S. corporate site relocation expert, evaluated states based on 33 factors, including taxes, human resources, energy costs, and economic development programs and incentives.

"Virginia's smart, businesslike approach to economic development must be a vital component of our overall efforts to create jobs and expand economic opportunity for Virginians. I have been proud to be a reliable partner with Governors Warner and Kaine in efforts to promote the Commonwealth's pro-business climate, including a focus on good schools, safe communities, an excellent quality of life, and reasonable tax and regulatory policies. That responsible, bipartisan approach is at the heart of my plan to boost Virginia's economy and put people back to work through smart, targeted investments and expanded economic opportunities."

Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2009: Rebuilding Americans’ Economic Power is an annual study that examines job retention and creation by all 50 states and the federal government. Virginia also held the top spot in the Pollina study in 2003 and 2007. The Commonwealth ranked second from 2004 to 2006 and third in 2008.

Here's a thought. When Gilmore nearly brought Virginia to ruin, from 1998 to 2001, the rest of the country was enjoying prosperity. It was his stubborn insistence on repealing the car tax even as our revenue was going down that nearly bankrupted us. It takes real talent to destroy a state economy during a time of general national prosperity.

Meanwhile, while the economies of the our nation, most of Europe and the world have been brought to its knees by the U.S. banking crisis and the meltdown of the financial markets (a product of Bush's failed policies), Virginia is managing, albeit with difficulty, to maintain a fiscally responsible environment that business leaders like Pollina still have faith in. Now, that really does take talent, skill, and ability.