I am running to represent the people of my district. Politics can be dramatic. We’ve already had our share of drama in the 21st. I’m talking to the people in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. I am running to serve the people.
Defending our Environment
I don’t mean to be dramatic, but my hometown of Virginia Beach is literally sinking into the ocean.
Our planet’s temperature is rising, and with it so are sea levels. Those are measureable and undeniable facts. A broad consensus of experts (about 97%) attribute both to human activities like carbon emissions. It is past time to face reality by dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels and mitigating the impacts that our pollution has already caused.
Rapidly shifting away from carbon fuels means we need to talk about two key points: how do we generate enough energy to keep our economy moving, and what happens to the people who relied on those industries for family-sustaining income? I believe we can solve both by making smart investments in developing and manufacturing clean energy here in Virginia.
Communities that have a proud history of providing energy for our Commonwealth in the form of coal have been devastated by falling prices, increased automation, and low demand. Locating new manufacturing facilities in these towns for wind turbines and solar panels would be a win-win. Broad, flat swaths of land that once grew tobacco now lay bare across much of southern Virginia. They are perfect candidates for solar farms. Offshore tracts that were once targeted for oil drilling could be used to develop tidal energy technology.
These are the kind of ideas that I would love to pursue as a state Delegate in Richmond. As a member of the Sierra Club, I know that we have to act now to defend our environment. I believe we can do so while preserving, and even expanding, jobs in the energy sector.
Keeping Public Money in Public Schools
I grew up going to Virginia public schools, from Indian Lakes Elementary, Brandon Junior High (now Brandon Middle School), and Green Run High School in Virginia Beach all the way to Old Dominion University in Norfolk. My two children are in the Virginia Beach public schools right now. I know first hand how hard our educators are working, how few resources they have, and how important it is to support our public schools
If you have ever purchased a home, you know that one of the first things a realtor will tell you is to look at the public schools when deciding which neighborhoods to consider. Studies have shown that property values increase by $2 for every $1 invested in public schools.
Businesses want to hire employees that have already been trained on skills like reading, arithmetic, critical thinking, and dealing with other people from a wide range of backgrounds. Public education is the best and most cost effective way to achieve these goals.
Virginia schools are struggling right now. Our teachers pay ranks 28th even though we have the 9th strongest economy in the country. On top of that they are expected to spend their own limited pay on classroom supplies. Then they spend their nights and weekends planning lessons and grading assignments because their office hours are consumed by paperwork designed to comply with a tangled web of state and federal regulations.
Republicans in Richmond and Washington want to make it even worse. As evidenced by their support of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, they want to take your tax dollars to subsidize private schools that aren’t held to the same standards and cater to families that frankly don’t need the discount. My mantra in this campaign is clear: “Keep public money in public schools.”
With your help I can become the advocate that Virginia teachers can depend on. I will be a stone wall against all attempts to take any public money out of public schools. When the GOP tries to lower your property values because they want a tax refund for the wealthy, I will always stand beside you in opposition.
Fighting For Social Equality
Our nation began with a bold declaration that “all men are created equal,” and we must continue to strive to ensure ALL PEOPLE are given an equal opportunity for success no matter what they look like, how they worship, who they love, or where they come from.
Virginia can establish economic empowerment zones in impoverished communities. The state would subsidize rent and operations for new businesses in these zones while they get off the ground. Members of these communities will have better access to good jobs and the chance to patronize businesses that keep wealth within the community. These zones would encourage grocery stores in food deserts, barbershops that become social hubs, and other important community services.
We must also rebuild trust between police departments and the people they serve through the policy of community policing. We can not continue to treat law enforcement units as occupying military forces. Instead we need to provide them with the tools and training to more effectively serve their neighborhoods.
We must end the so-called war on drugs and for-profit prisons. We must protect access to the ballot box for all citizens. We must stop demonizing those who are not citizens - especially people who have come here as refugees fleeing war. We must defend the rights of women to earn equal wages and to make private health care decisions.
Together we can rise up and demand change. If you’ve seen the turnout for town hall meetings across the country, or the crowd at the many protest events, or simply the popular vote totals, then you know that there are more of us. Now is the time for us to stand together to achieve these goals of equality and many more.
Tom Brock for VA HD-21