The Washington Examiner
October 6, 2011
Our Right-to-Work law is one of Virginia’s foundational strengths and competitive advantages. The laws that protect workplace Freedom have made Virginia one of the best places to start or grow a business, but not everyone sees things as we do.
This is especially true in Washington. Rather than recognizing the fact that Right-to-Work laws are good for everyone, President Obama’s administration and his allies seem bent on destroying them.
As I travel around Virginia, I am constantly reminded of the importance of our freedom to work. Virginians remind me about the companies that have relocated to or expanded in Virginia since we declared that “Virginia is Open for Business!” in 1994.
Others recall those 50,000 Virginians who have left the welfare rolls to find gainful employment. I often wonder how successful our economic development and ground-breaking welfare reform efforts would have been in a less job-friendly state.
These are not abstract concepts. These are real jobs created because Virginia respects and protects our Right to Work.
Through executive fiat and the intrusive action of the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB), the Obama administration and their congressional and big labor allies are waging war on private employers under the guise of protecting workers.
They believe that more regulation and government control will protect jobs, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Businesses create jobs when entrepreneurs believe that their anticipated return on investment outweighs the risks.
Over-regulation creates uncertainty and additional risk, which in turn stifles investment and diminishes job opportunities.
The threat to Virginia’s jobs from Washington is real, and it must be checked. From the President’s job-killing monstrous health-care dictates to his gigantic $1.5 trillion tax increase proposal and Executive Orders, bureaucracy and lawsuits trying to tell Boeing where it can build a business, the opponents of our freedom to work are seriously threatening.
That is why I have created a three-part Freedom to Work agenda that will 1) help America’s businesses create jobs; 2) save taxpayers money; and 3) protect the liberty of working men and women.