Vance has been touting a big jobs plan since November 2011 with the promise to release it by January 1st.  I waited patiently.  I asked for it in early January.  They said it’s coming.  I waited.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Vance and have coffee 2 or 3 times between December and February.  I spoke to Vance about “the plan” and the great work contained in it.  He told me about his meetings with 15 of the 17 county managers in the district, and he was working hard to speak with the last two.  He told me about all the hard work that was going into discovering exactly what each county needed to create jobs – specialized training, infrastructure, advertising, marketing, beefing up EDC, and activity.  I asked to see it and at first he said it wasn’t ready yet. Then in later meetings he said, “I’m not going to share with anyone unless I get ‘hired for the job.’”  I was puzzled and asked why wouldn’t you share it with everyone, if it will help?  I asked why don’t you distribute it?  He said no, not until he is elected.  I found that to be a rather selfish position to take for a man positioning himself as selfless and benevolent.  I asked if he would share it with who ever the nominee was for the district?  He said no, he would just go back to his businesses and keep the plan.

In the conference call on Monday, 5/14/12, I asked him if the jobs plan was done.  He said gruffly, “yes.”  I asked if he was ever going to release it, since this plan is the foundation of his whole campaign.  He said again gruffly, “yes, I’ll release it.”

Well here it is below, as well as the older plan.  But this new plan is nearly the same as the outline of a plan he released in September (maybe earlier than that).  Where’s the plan??  This was released yesterday, 5/17/12, by the Asheville Citizen-Times as a press release of an unveiling of Vance’s jobs plan.  It’s no plan, it’s a shorter, less detailed outline of old outline he has had on his website since the beginning of the campaign.  I’ll ask again, where’s the plan?  Why did he tell me on the conference call, in front of many witnesses, it was done and that he would release it??  Is this the kind of run-around candidate you want “representing” you in Washington?

They only reason I want to see the jobs plan before we “hire” him, is because of the bad taste I still have in my mouth over Obamacare.  Remember when Nancy Pelosi said “We have to pass it to know what’s in it.”  Well, I’m not so trusting of politicians after that.  I’m not willing to take anyone’s word for it. Show me first.  As the old adage goes, “Burn me once, shame on you.  Burn me twice, shame on me.”

[plan source: http://www.vancenc.com/issues_01.html]

[press release Asheville Citizen-Times http://blogs2.citizen-times.com/politics/2012/05/17/patterson-unveils-jobs-plan/ ]

=============================== released as “unveiled” jobs plan, 5/17/12, below Continue reading →