Cheers From the Oleszek Campaign

I'm running for the State Senate because Fairfax needs someone in Richmond who has a better plan, can work with more members of General Assembly than just the few who have his same conservative views, and can give Governor Kaine an ally he can work with. 

My opponent is one of, if not the most, conservative member of the State Senate.  Ken Cuccinelli is an extremist who does not even get along with members of his own party.  He has introduced bills to preserve fetal tissues from abortion, voted against a bill to ban cockfighting and has taken a pledge to never increase taxes under any circumstances (although he broke this pledge to vote for the horrible transportation proposal).

[UPDATE from Pitin]:Please join us for the Janet Oleszek for Senate Campaign Kickoff and 60th Birthday Celebration

The Ponds Community Center
9837 Burke Pond Lane, Burke, 22015

Friday, March 23rd, 7:00pm

Please consider donating $1 to Janet's campaign for each of her 60 years.

Please go to www.JanetforFairfax.com to RSVP or buy tickets.

Happy Birthday Janet!
I have to tell you, next to raising my two sons, Mark and Eric, serving on the Fairfax County School Board has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  But after spending 30 years having an impact on public education - from being heavily involved in the PTA at all of my son's schools to earning a Master's Degree in Special Education - the School Board was just the next logical step.  I was eager to have a lasting impact, and one of my proudest accomplishments was to bring all day kindergarten to Fairfax County.  After three years as a member of the Fairfax School Board, I have been able to be a strong force for change and improvement in the school system, and take great pride in my service to public education, something which I believe so strongly in.

But while I've working so hard at the Fairfax government center, our representation in Richmond has done nothing but fail the people of the 37th district since a special election was held in 2002.  From transportation to health care to education, the incumbent has made it known that his rigid, right-wing ideology will always come before common sense solutions. 

My goal is to work as hard as I can for all the people in the 37th District.  Let me be specific by outlining just a few topics that highlight this theme. 

TRANSPORTATION: We must find a permanent funding stream for transportation that meets our local needs, and focuses on mass transit. The current plan is inadequate in size and takes money away from schools and public safety. The transportation crisis should be solved with real revenue, not a raid on core government services.

EDUCATION-We need "Fair Funding for Fairfax Schools". Right now, we receive only 25 cents back for every tax dollar we send to Richmond for education. I call this yearly local budget shortfall the "Cuccinelli Tax" because it originated from legislators who are too busy dealing with social issues to pay attention to our local needs.

LOCAL CONTROL (or "Mother May I")- Virginia is unique in that local governments can not do anything without permission from the General Assembly. Most states do the opposite- where local governments can do anything that isn't prohibited by the state. I will join the push to end Richmond control over what happens here in Fairfax County.

MIMINUM WAGE-  First, many people in our 37th District are having a hard time making ends meet.  That is why I'm for raising the minimum wage.  After a decade, isn't it time to go beyond $5.15 an hour?  There is no reason why someone who works 40 hours a week to provide for their family should live below the poverty line.  My opponent was one of only seven Senators to oppose this proposal.  He opposes raising the minimum wage!  It's time for a change in Richmond!

HEALTH-  Let me focus on one aspect of this huge topic: stem cell research.  Virginia needs to be a leader in stem cell research because it holds the promise of helping so many people who are suffering with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases as well as those who are paralyzed or suffering from other serious health issues.  Scores of national Republicans favor stem cell research, including Nancy Reagan.  But where is my opponent on this issue?  He opposes stem cell research.  It's time for a change in Richmond!

I know that there are families in the 37th who are facing rising health care costs, and have no idea how they would pay for an emergency if one were to occur.  Small businesses are not offering adequate heath insurance only because they can't afford it.  Your State Legislators should not have access to better health insurance than most of their constituents, and allowing them to buy into the Virginia state employee health care system is an excellent start to making health care more affordable in the Commonwealth.

What drives my opponent:  the "culture wars"-the urge to classify people as good or evil based on emotional issues such as abortion or stem cell research.  I believe child-bearing is something best left to decisions made by a woman and her doctor.

As my oldest son told me when I said I was running for the Virginia Senate, "We have to stop being afraid to solve our problems."  All of us working together can bring this idea to life.  We may not be able to resolve all our problems, but we can make a good start on many of them if all of us-young and old, Democrats and, yes, Republicans-work together for the benefit of all Virginians.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, if you have any questions about my campaign, post them here and I'll check through out the day, or feel free to e-mail me at info[at]JanetforFairfax[dot]com.

-Janet

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