Focus on sting of gas prices, property taxes

By Garren Shipley -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER - Taking the sting out of gas prices and property taxes is the latest battleground in the 10th Congressional District race.

The campaigns of Republican incumbent Frank Wolf and Democratic challenger Judy Feder traded barbs over both issues Thursday.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee officials got the ball rolling when they chided Wolf for a vote Wednesday against H.R. 3221.

The bill would, among other things, allow homeowners who don't itemize their income tax deductions to take a $500 credit for property taxes.

"Representative Wolf talks a lot about lowering taxes but Wolf's actions speak louder than his words for nearly 30 million American homeowners," wrote Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the committee in an e-mail to reporters.

Feder's campaign said their candidate would have voted for the bill.

"Judy Feder supports tax relief for homeowners," campaign manager Luke McFarland said. "It's up to Frank Wolf to explain why he opposes tax relief for homeowners."

...

"Judy definitely thinks we need to end the dependence of foreign oil," he said. The best way to make that happen is by reining in oil speculators, apply pressure to producing nations to get more oil flowing, and promote conservation at home.

...

"Judy's an evidence-based kind of woman," McFarland said. Many Republicans and Democrats alike agree that the U.S. is "not going to drill our way out of the problem solely.

"I think we all agree that if there was a broad package that included renewable and conservation, yeah, you could be open to exploration," he said.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner's position on exploration is a good image of what Feder thinks of the issue - exploration is OK, but development of off-shore natural gas rather than crude oil would be a safer and easier way to proceed.

Election Day is Nov. 4

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