The Gate Test

A few years ago I had the opportunity to hear a speech by Chuck Kinder of the States Auditors Office. During his speech he spoke about the “Gate test.” Basically the test is, if you want to see how your government and economy is doing, you open the gate and see which way the people go.

As a nation, the US is doing quite well on the gate test. In fact they don’t even bother to use the gate on the southern border to get into the nation, any hole in the fence will do. This is a direct reflection on the economic opportunity available in the US. It is people’s nature to want to go where they have greater opportunity to make a better life for themselves and for a large portion of the world that place is the US. The grade for the gate test can be found in the census data. In 1950 the US population was 150 million persons and last year the US population passed the 300 million mark. In a little less than 60 years the nation has doubled. The US has earned stellar grade in the gate test.

West Virginia on the other hand has failed the gate test. In 1950 the population of West Virginia was 2 million. In 1950 we made up 1.3% of the US population. Today there are about 1.8 million West Virginians, 200,000 less than there were in 1950. That number is deceiving. On the surface it appears to be a loss of only 200,000, but today West Virginia only makes up 0.6% of the US population. If West Virginia maintained 1.3% of the US population as we did in 1950, then today there would be around 3.9 million of us. That means in less than 60 years 2.1 million “would be” West Virginian’s went missing. West Virginia’s gates are open and over half left for better economic opportunity elsewhere. That goes far beyond a failing grade.

The loss of population is more than just numbers. We all have family and friends that have had to leave to find opportunity for a better life elsewhere, breaking up the extended family structure that is a corner stone of Appalachian life. The states power in Washington has been cut in half as we only send 3 people to the US House of Representatives every two years, where in 1950 we sent 6. The burden of taxes has increased on all of us and the load is spread over fewer and fewer people. We are all feeling the effects.

We have two options as I see it. The first is to expand the West Virginia government to build a wall like the former East Germany and close the gate to prevent the people from leaving for better economic opportunity. History tells us how that will turn out. The East German government collapsed and Germany reunified. Now with Virginia being ranked at the top in economic opportunity, some may consider reunification a good thing for West Virginia.

I prefer the second option; let’s make the changes necessary to bring economic opportunity back to West Virginia. We need to make our side of the gate more attractive than the other side of the gate. Russell Sobel and his group have developed a blueprint to make that happen if we choose to make the changes. It is human nature to resist change, because change is uncomfortable and there is a fear of the unknown. I once heard insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We must overcome that fear and make the changes or we will continue to get the same result.

Over the gate to West Virginia hangs a sign that reads “Open for Business,” but when you are going through the gate for better opportunity you only see the blank backside. It is time for a change.

Will Wakim Run?

That's a good question. Chris Wakim may have suffered a disappointing result in his first shot at the United States Congress, but a 2008 run may be the best choice for the state Republican Party.

Why, one might ask. He lost by a margin of about 65-35. Numbers can deceive, however. By all accounts, Republican voters lost confidence in their Congress in the midterm elections. Few people acknowledge this fact, but choosing to stay home is just another form of voting. Unfortunately Chris Wakim suffered from the malaise afflicting the GOP nationwide.

Look at 2008. Next year looks to be different, especially if the Democrats run You Know Who. It does not take a village to figure out that conservatives could potentially swamp the polls to keep their worst nightmare from becoming reality. Nancy Pelosi was a Johnny come lately horror for conservatives. Hillary Clinton is considered only slightly less palatable as a national leader than the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Chris Wakim will benefit from a very strong turnout of conservatives in West Virginia determined to keep the state out of the "Hillary" column.

Why Wakim? He has established himself as a known quantity among state Republicans and now can broaden that base. Wakim continues to work hard for the state party and that means something to the faithful. To be frank, he also has a great issue brewing in the northern panhandle custom made for him. Like many other West Virginians, Wakim comes from a family of recent immigrants. Like many of us, his family came here legally and became citizens the right way. Through hard work, obedience to the law, and determination, they became strong productive citizens. That story resonates with so many West Virginians tired of illegal aliens draining our resources.

If Wakim takes his positive program to the people again in 2008, it will pose a serious challenge to Representative Mollohan. If anyone doubts his ability to win a race after losing before, all they need do is look at the example of State Senator Sypolt of the 14th district. Or look at Ronald Reagan who lost the 1976 primary to an uninspiring incumbent, but won the presidency in the very next election.

Running a new candidate in the 1st district means starting over from scratch. Chris Wakim is the strongest candidate for 2008.

Zoning Is a Class Issue

Proponents of zoning often try to sell the idea of community planning as a concept that benefits everyone. However a recent article by Forbes.com writer Matt Woolsey demonstrates that average people stand to lose when local governments embrace more restrictive practices.

According to Woolsey, Texas shows the strongest economic growth for suburban areas. More importantly "as a result, these areas have some of the most affordable homes in the nation since there is plenty of supply to meet demand." This means that the average family will have less problems purchasing for themselves a piece of the American dream.

Conversely metropolitan Boston has some of the highest housing costs in the United States. Woolsey cites a Brooking Institute study that shows that communities with growth exclusion policies tend to have sharply higher housing costs. This forces those looking for affordable housing to seek out ever more remote areas, creating more of the very sprawl that planners wanted to avoid.

This hits close to home because Mineral County has the potential to catch some of metropolitan D. C.'s growth. If economic development comes, we need growth that will ensure that the children of families that have been here for sometimes hundreds of years will have the opportunity to stay home. Zoning helps to cement a status quo from which only the most elite will benefit. If the county develops and also zones while continuing to drive away manufacturing jobs, this means that it will grow into a more and more exclusive area for upper middle class and rich professionals.

Growth ought to benefit as many of Mineral County's families as possible. This study makes clear that zoning produces higher housing costs by restricting the choice available to buyers. Mineral County families for the most part pay too high a cost already. Zoning under any name will lessen the chance for the average person to get a job while forcing up the cost of living because it pares down choices and opportunities.

Governor Mitt Romney To Participate In West Virginia Republican Convention

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President announced that the campaign will participate in the West Virginia State Republican Convention on February 5, 2008. Governor Romney's Political Director, Carl Forti, released the following statement on the campaign's commitment to West Virginia:

"The Romney for President campaign is proud to announce our intention to participate in the West Virginia State Republican Convention. We are committed to the state and have been encouraged by the Governor's energized and growing number of supporters. Our campaign has an organization, and a number of volunteers, who are working very hard to communicate Governor Romney's message of conservative change. His message of strengthening the American military, economy and family is resonating across the country, and it's time to bring that message to West Virginia. The Romney campaign looks forward to the state Republican convention in February."

Governor Romney visited West Virginia in March when he addressed the Kanawha County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. He also campaigned for Republican candidates in West Virginia in October 2006.

What Did He Say?

Isn't it sad when a former president has descended to the level of Rosie O'Donnell?

Jimmy Carter at one point had a fairly strong reputation among not only liberals, but also moderates. Not in 1981, mind you, when he exited office as one of the least effective presidents ever, but later. Throughout the 1980s he led causes such as "Habitat For Humanity" and endeavored to promote peace around the world. Sure he seemed misguided in some of his efforts, but even some conservatives gave him credit for having his heart in the right place.

How times have changed. The election of George W. Bush either threw a bolt loose in his gourd, or maybe it unleashed the real character of the man already there. All the world knows Hugo Chavez for what he is, a brutal dictator in Venezuela. Democracies shy away from him; dictators cuddle up to him. Only Jimmy Carter would certify one of his "elections" as valid. He did so in an effort to embarass Condoleeza Rice who criticized Chavez for election violations that would have made Don Chafin blush.

Recently Carter condemned the United States and Israel for not treating Fatah and Hamas as equals. Say what? In the emerging Palestinian state two factions exist. The Fatah Party comes closest to committing to democracy and peaceful engagement with Israel. Hamas makes its political statements by sending suicide bombers into places where Israeli teenagers congregate. Of course you encourage the peacemakers and try to discourage those bent on killing Jewish kids and destroying Israel.

Either Carter is confused in his mind, or once again he wants to try to embarass President Bush. Whatever his true intentions, the former President has lost most of his credibility. Now, like O'Donnell, people just wait for the next crazy thing to pop out of his mouth.

Commencing Chaos

John Leo of Rudolph Giuliani's Manhattan Institute recently wrote an article about UCLA's graduation problems. Apparently every ethnic group and its uncle plus different gay groups have their own graduation ceremonies, all paid for by the university. This seems like typical California lunacy but take note. Local companies in the Potomac Highlands have already started requiring their employees to learn Spanish. To some, ethnic pluralism means not just respecting differences, but also having the right to have government and other services provided to them in their own language.

Lets look at two nations from around a century ago. Both contained large numbers of ethnic groups with different cultures than the dominant one. The first nation, we'll call it country A, required its groups to assimilate into society, at least to the point of learning the language and functioning in the dominant culture. Country B recognized each of its fifteen major ethnic groups as a unique and viable culture.

The vast majority of country A's ethnic peoples learned to speak the dominant language, but they still retained some of the aspects of their original culture. The groups grew patriotic to the point where they took pride in fighting for it when the time came. Country B saw its ethnic groups demand more and more concessions. When it went to war many of its ethnic peoples turned against it despite the extreme concessions and toleration shown them. That country no longer exists.

Country A is the United States but we have not learned from the positive policies used a century ago. In that case ethnic groups strengthened our nation for a new century of prosperity. Country B, Austria-Hungary, was torn apart because the ethnic groups within it did not assimilate to the dominant culture.

Now Austria-Hungary's fate is not necessarily ours. Many other differences exist that separate the two systems. However it does demonstrate that maintaining strong separation of cultures leads to severe problems. We need to return to the policy of not coddling those that do not speak English. It is not fair to native born citizens, nor is it fair to those that came here and worked hard to learn how to livehere. The more incentive they have to learn how to speak and function in the United States, the faster they will learn.

Coming to America (legally) ought to be the start of opportunities for them and us to benefit each other, but by the standards of this country not the one they just left. It should not be the commencement of cultural chaos.