Lt. Gov. Bolling promises to fight for JFCOM

The proposal to shut the Joint Forces Command is "a short-sighted and misguided policy, and we need to oppose it with every ounce of vigor within us," Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling said this morning.

In a double jab at President Barack Obama, Bolling said, "While we are fighting wars on two fronts, we can't be drastically slashing defense spending to pay for programs that we can't afford in the first place."
Bolling spoke to more than 150 people attending a breakfast at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center kicking off the sixth annual Virginia Black Expo.

During his 20-minute speech, Bolling said CEOs of Virginia companies have told him that "they have money, they are ready to invest and create jobs, but they're afraid to do it because of the uncertainty of policies coming out of Washington."

Citing a list of proposals and new laws promoted by Democrats, including the health insurance makeover, Bolling said: "These things do not help us create jobs."

In an interview afterward, he said Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to close JFCOM, coupled with his proposal to reduce defense contracting business by 30 percent, "could have a significant adverse impact on Virginia's economy." But Bolling said he hoped a multipronged effort by Virginia leaders "will get him to change his mind, if not in whole, at least in part."