Gov. Bob McDonnell spent a few minutes this morning on MSNBC touting Virginia's "good tax and regulatory climate" and chiding an "over burdensome" component of the Obama administration's education grant program.

Virginia is skipping a second go at $250 million through the Race to the Top competitive grant program rather than commit to adopting a national common set of academic standards.

McDonnell and state education officials say they believe the Standards of Learning assessments are superior. But not committing to the common standards makes the state's application significantly less competitive so they're taking a pass.

"To create criteria that they've created, to mandate us putting national standards in when we've got great, verifiable working standards that have been in for 15 years, that people know and appreciate, we just can't do it, even for a couple hundred million dollars," McDonnell said today on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

Virginia applied for $350 million in the first round, and found out it was passed over during the 2010 General Assembly session. Still, McDonnell pushed through three education reforms to open more public charter schools and virtual schools and to create college partnership lab schools.

"Oftentimes, well-meaning programs like this create too many burdens and mandates on the states and make it tough," McDonnell said, adding that he still supports the aims of the Race to the Top program, which is supposed to encourage education reforms like charter schools and merit pay.

McDonnell -- "Bob's for Jobs" on the campaign trail -- also took the opportunity to sell Virginia in case any potential business interests were tuning in over their bowls of cereal, again sounding the government interference note.

On job growth: "We are moving in the right direction but ultimately it's going to be making sure we've got the good tax and regulatory climate and making sure people know we're open for business," McDonnell said.

He said it's ultimately those "fundamentals of the business climate" -- taxes, regulations, the Right to Work law -- that will help.

"Businesses want to come places where they can expand capital, create new opportunities for people, give people access to the American dream without a lot of government interference," he said.


McDonnell appears on MSNBC, touts SOLs, job climate | Richmond Times-Dispatch