New e-Book Published: Special Education: What Every Parent and Lawyer Needs to Know

I wanted to let you know that I recently published an eBook on Special Education.  Education was also a critical component  in my campaign for Governor.  I will endeavor to continue to fight for quality education for all children regardless of their station in life.  Hopefully this book will help those children with disabilities obtain the quality education they deserve.

You can find the book on Smashwords by following this link:

Special Education: What Every Parent and Lawyer Needs to Know

Solar Paneling

I wanted to share that my wife, Michelle and I had solar paneling installed on our house in Falls Church Virginia this summer.  As you are aware, providing green jobs and a greener environment in the Commonwealth was a mainstay of my campaign for Governor of the Commonwealth last year.  I sincerely believe that every one of us can make a difference in helping combat global warming, no matter how small or large that individual effort might be.  Simple things make a difference, like walking to the store, riding a bike, using metro instead of using a car all the time to go where we need to.  I certainly would encourage those who can afford to do so to place solar paneling on their homes and businesses.  I would encourage people to look into different tax credits to defray some of the initial costs of putting solar paneling on a home or business.  I firmly believe that these tax incentives both at the state and federal level should be expanded so more and more individuals and businesses can put in solar paneling.  And I deeply believe that our leaders at both the state and national levels should set examples for the rest of us.  I call on President Obama to put as much solar paneling in his remaining term as possible on Federal Buildings.  And I call on the next Governor of the Commonwealth to place solar paneling on the Governor's mansion, regardless of who becomes the next Governor.

Crunch Time

Tomorrow I will begin my petition drive to get on the June ballot for the Democratic nomination for Governor.  In order for our campaign to succeed, we must obtain 10,000 valid signatures of qualified voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Under state law, we are required to get a minimum of 400 signatures from each Congressional District in the Commonwealth.

I feel passionately about the issues that I am running on, particularly with regard to the environment, creating jobs, a green economy for our Commonwealth, and the issue of reasonable gun control, both within the Commonwealth and across the nation.  I know that there are many Virginians who feel the same passion I feel about these issues.  I am the only real progressive Democrat seeking the nomination for Governor who will take on the establishment and push an activist agenda once I am elected.

I have not hidden the fact that I have a disability and am confined to a wheelchair.  My disability has never prevented me from succeeding at anything I wanted to do in life, including being a civil rights attorney for the past 19 years.  It is this experience of dealing with people's problems every day that I believe qualifies me to be your next Governor.  It is also the experience that I had growing up, overcoming my disability, and being a role model to others, that qualifies me to be your Governor.

I want to be your voice.  I need you to be my legs. I am asking each of you to sign my petition. I am asking each of you to give time to the petition drive, to circulate petitions on my behalf, and to help out with the campaign in any way you can. I am asking each of you to donate financially to my campaign.

Together, we can make Virginia a beacon for the nation once again, as Virginia has been throughout American history.

Together, we can make Virginia a leader in protecting our environment, creating jobs, and protecting our children.

Thank you so much.

Happy New Year!
Matt

ENOUGH

How many more killings will it take? How many more parents must bury their children? How many brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, wives, and husbands must be buried because of the senseless gun violence? How many more children are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Second Amendment?

In a given year, there is an average of 20 mass shootings in the United States.  The moral question before us, is how many more killings will it take for us, as a nation, to conclude that the Second Amendment does not give us carte blanche permission to kill at will? The latest example of this is the mass killing of innocent school children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newport, CT.

For far too long, our society and our leaders, both at the Federal and State levels, have turned a blind eye to the increasingly violent society we find ourselves in.  Whether it is the Virginia Tech shooting of several years ago, the Columbine shooting, or the rash of shootings we have seen in 2012: such as the mass killings at the movie theater in Colorado, the shooting that occurred at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, and the shooting in New York City right outside the Empire State Building.  Also just a few days ago, a shooting occurred at a popular mall outside Portland, Oregon in which 3 people were killed. 

I know that it not a popular stand to speak out against the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is really not an issue. The right to bear arms in this country is a Constitutional right, but even rights can be reasonably regulated.  Many in the Conservative movement believe that there should be no restrictions on the right to bear arms.  Yet, it is this very theology, this true belief on the part of Conservatives in this country, that has led to an increasing number of mass shootings. This increasingly violent behavior has struck both the well known as well as the unknown. 

As you may remember, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was severely injured by an individual who had a mental illness, and who had obtained assault weapons.  While the former Congresswoman survived, others did not in that shooting, including a Federal District Judge.

Once elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I will move with full speed to ban assault weapons of every type in the Commonwealth.  Assault weapons are the most used in mass killings.  Assault weapons are of no use in hunting. 

I am not proposing a ban on all guns.  However, I think it’s more than reasonable for the next Governor to propose regulations that would completely ban all assault weapons including the glock, which was one of the weapons used in the shooting at the elementary school in Connecticut. 

Proposing such a reasonable ban will, I am sure, cause a political uproar in the Commonwealth.  But it is the right thing to do.  As your next Governor, I will propose such a ban.

Virginia Democratic Party Chooses Primary

Virginia Democratic Party Opts for a Primary to Select Nominee for Governor in 2013

Yesterday in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia voted, with some minor opposition, to hold a Primary in June of next year to select a nominee for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General.

I am extremely happy that our party has chosen to hold a primary for these constitutional offices in the Commonwealth.  I believe that a primary is the most democratic way to choose our party slate for 2013, and I look forward to engaging in a vigorous debate with those who also will be running in the primary for the nomination for Governor of the Commonwealth.