Virginia’s GOP targets government spending, a key driver of state’s economy

[alp227]

Source: Wash. Post

As he campaigns for his old Senate seat, George Allen is hammering a theme that has served Virginia Republicans well in recent elections: He wants to lower taxes and reduce government spending.

(...)

It is the kind of message that has helped Virginia Republicans capture the governor’s mansion, three congressional seats and control of the legislature in the past three elections.

But Virginia’s recent political behavior is at odds with its heavy economic reliance on federal spending. No state has a higher share of its economy fueled by federal procurement. And Virginia is second, behind Alaska, in the per-capita flow of federal money to its borders. Altogether, federal spending accounted for 38 percent of the Old Dominion’s economic activity in 2009, according to a report by Federal Funds Information for States.

(...)

The state is home to more than two dozen military installations, huge federal agencies, prosperous clusters of civilian contractors that depend on federal procurement money, and a host of shipbuilders and other defense firms.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/virginias-gop-targets-government-spending-a-key-driver-of-states-economy/2011/11/14/gIQA4y4ywN_singlePage.html

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Hmm, maybe something that Mitch McConnell said about a one-term president may be the motivation in this political climate.

[ZenaD]

1. "Government spending" is defined as welfare to lazy brown people and slutty single moms

It doesn't compute to Republicans working in the public sector or those who depend on one or more fed'l programs for their survival (Medicare, Tricare, Social Security etc.) that cuts to spending might affect them. If we just cut 'those people' off everything will be dandy!