Decision 2007: John J. Welch III (R)

2007 General Assembly Election Interview Questionnaire
HearSay with Cathy Lewis ~ WHRV 89.5FM

21st District
John J. Welch III (R)
http://www.johnwelch.com/

Why do you want to be a member of the Virginia General Assembly?

Together, the people of the 21st District and I have worked together to make Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family. Together we successfully eliminated the regressive food tax, created Abraham's Law and established a prescription drug assistance program. I have led the effort to enforce the laws dealing with illegal aliens. When the people said we need transportation improvements, I said those who use the roads should pay for the roads and this bold statement generated progress statewide. This Team approach is working well and I would like to say Thank you for the opportunity to serve and together we will continue to accomplish great things.

What is the most pressing issue facing Virginians today? Facing the region?

We must confront the issue of illegal aliens committing crimes. The Federal Government continues to fail to enforce immigration law, and that impacts all of us – health care costs, education, Prisons, etc. But when someone commits a crime, and he isn't in the country legally, citizens are outraged, and we lost two young girls because the aliens status was never checked during his many arrests.

Citizens are looking to us to lessen the incentives for illegal aliens, and to ensure that when they commit a crime, they are deported. Illegal aliens who commit crimes are also a major cause for increased Gang violence which goes hand in hand.
The recently enacted Abusive Driver Fees have generated intense criticism from citizens and lawmakers alike. Where do you stand on the laws and, if you oppose them, how would you replace the transportation funds they were designed to generate?

I plan to carry legislation that will reinsert out of state drivers which Governor Kaine removed from the bill, Therefore the law of Virginia will pertain to everyone equally. However, this law pertains to less than 2.5% of all licensed drivers. It does not punish reasonable drivers who commit traffic infractions but does punish those who commit crimes such as Vehicular manslaughter, DUI or multiple convictions of aggressive driving. Therefore, to reiterate more than 97.5% of all drivers have nothing to fear but the misleading political deceit.

What is your view on The Hampton Roads Transportation Authority formed earlier this year?

I'm not a big fan, but it was the only way. I proposed more statewide funding, and we passed $2.5 billion in new statewide transportation spending plus a true lock box to protect the people's money. A very important function of the Authority is to protect the triple A bond rating of the Commonwealth which allows us to borrow money at very low rates. The Authority makes sure our transportation dollars don't go to other parts of the state (Lock Box), but we must be vigilant to make sure it continues to run in the sunshine in a citizen-friendly, open-government way.