Friday, October 10, 2008

What's next?

First the economy was collapsing because of high gas prices, now no one is able to pay their mortgage and we are under threat of a worldwide recession and outright depression in the states.

At times like these I like to turn off my TV and look around. What will you see if you try this? Contrary to the talking heads spin, gas stations are not just open, they are packed with customers. I had to wait in line, car idling just to get to the gas pump. I chanced a look back at hwy 220 to see a steady line of cars in both directions. I saw no one walking, and no one on a bike. Perhaps they were sacrificing in other ways, skipping meals or wearing the same clothes for several days. I walked inside the station and everyone was neatly dressed in clean clothes, no one was outside begging change. The store had full shelves with multiple choices of anything I could want from coffee, pop, bottled water, energy drinks and so on. Several people added to their lunches a bag of chips, and not one, but two types of drinks. Not the most economical choice (a fountain drink) but a bottled drink which is more convenient when you eat as you drive.

Surely these well to do neighbors of mine must be simply indulging. Since the news sounds like the majority of Americans are facing foreclosure it must mean that I need to go see all of the houses in disarray. I drive through the neighborhoods which all look the same. There are a few more houses for sale, but I don't see any that have been boarded up or taped off. Nor do I see displaced people roaming the streets with shopping carts waiting for someone to take them to exchange an Obama vote for a pack of cigarettes. Perhaps this is an indication of the upscale area in which we live. When I moved here Keyser was not known for it's abnormal portion of success, but I contend that we must be the most affluential area in the country right now. I have approximately 2000 clients, I have friends and family in at least 12 states across the country and I don't know anyone in foreclosure. I asked a prominent realtor about the influx of foreclosures that he must be dealing with, he laughed and said, "come to think of it, I don't know of any". So I asked a realtor from Pittsburgh, none for her either.

So I will ask you, how many people do you know that are facing foreclosure? Have you made significant cuts to your own lifestyle? Sure people are slowing down in paying bills and getting behind, but do they still pay $3 per day for coffee and soda? Do they still buy powerball tickets? How many people live like we are in a major recession or on the brink of financial disaster? Last weeks homecoming game was packed with people and the concession lines were 10 people long while I was there. And all of that occurred before the major bailout bill was finalized. I am anxious to see who the next wave of major corporations that we must "bail out" will be. Will it be the banks again, or insurance companies, or professional sports teams, or amusement parks.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Beth Walker releases new commercial

Don't Count On Hollywood to Get Anything Right About West Virginia

The Ernie Davis story is coming out soon on the big screen and West Virginians will not be pleased.

Movie makers wanted to portray the Syracuse star from the 1960s breaking racial barriers and overcoming intolerance. The trouble is that West Virginia University fans are used as a prop in that story. In the movie they hurl racial epithets and garbage at Davis while he plays in Morgantown. The trouble is that the scene never happened, according to Syracuse's starting quarterback that year, Dick Easterly. Players from both teams agree that West Virginia fans never mistreated Davis.

West Virginia had its share of racial problems in that time, but no more than the rest of the nation. In fact, school desegregation under Governor Cecil Underwood never saw the violence or protests registered in other areas. Will Hollywood make a movie about that?

We'll see Hollywood stars lying about movies being banned in West Virginia because of intolerence, but never see anyone discussing how WVU fans embraced one of the first black quarterbacks in college football that became a bona fide star. We'll never see the story about how Charles Minimah rose from his teenage years in the Nigerian Army to be the GOP nominee for Secretary of State.

The inaccuracies did not just insult us, but also Davis's coach and teammates. Tensions were portrayed among players and coaches that simply did not exist. The filmmakers insult the memory of a gifted athlete and class human being by failing to get his story straight.

West Virginia has plenty of problems and it does not need ignorant Hollywood writers to pile on.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

What if there is a tie?

There are few battle ground states that are going to decide the Presidential Election, but there is the possibility of an Electoral College tie. If that happens, then the presidental election falls to the US House of Representatives and the vice presidental election to the Senate.

The only time in US History that a tie occurred was the election of 1824. John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson tied in the Electoral College. Both candidates were members of the Democratic-Republican Party. February 9th, 1825 the House elected John Quincy Adams to the Presidency. The fight in the House led a split in the Democratic-Republican Party. The result was the formation of the current Democratic Party led by Andrew Jackson and the National Republican Party led by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay.

But what if there was a tie today? If Obama wins Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico and Iowa but loses Virginia, New Hampshire, Florida and Ohio to McCain, both candidates would have 269 electoral votes.

The House is currently controlled by the Democrat Party and that leads most to believe that the house would vote for Obama, but the constitution forces each state vote as a delegation. Each state only gets one vote. 27 state of delegations that are Democrat majority, 21 are Republican and 2 state are equal.

But there is a catch. Some states will have voters support one parties candidate, while the congressional delegation is a majority of the other candidates party. West Virginia while most likely be one of those states. The polls show McCain the likely winner in WV, but Rahall and Mollohan will be able to out vote Capito to give the state to Obama. It will be a political blood bath. Mollohan and Rahall will be under termendous pressure from the Democratic Party to case their votes for Obama, while the people of West Virginia will be pushing them to vote for McCain. There choices could very well decide the outcome of the 2010 WV Congressional Elections for both.

It gets better. The Senate picks the Vice President. The Senate is near evenly split and Joe Liberman caucases with the Democrats, but is supporting McCain-Palin. The Senate could very easily pick Palin as the Vice President and if they do and the House has not decided, then she would be come president until the House decides. President Bush could be succeded by President Palin, only to be succeded by President Obama shortly after. It is possible that we end up with Obama as President and Palin as Vice President. If the House and Senate don't decide by Jan. 20th, 2008, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi becomes President until a decision is made.

Hold on it could be a wild ride.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

If West Virginia's Obama Voters REALLY Want Change . . .

Sure they are a minority, but they will make up perhaps 40% of West Virginia's voters in this coming election. Obama voters have latched onto a candidate who has promised nothing substantial beyond "change." Yet those same voters will:

Vote to re-elect a Commissioner of Agriculture who has held the office since the days of Lyndon Johnson. Gus Douglass is not a bad guy. However J. Michael Teets has fresh ideas that will invigorate our agricultural sector and take advantage of emerging market opportunities in the "field."

Vote to return Joe Manchin for four more years as governor. Again, Joe Manchin is not a bad guy. He has not done a bad job, nor has he really made an impact on changing the political culture of the state. Russ Weeks promises to attack the culture of cronyism and corruption that strangles state government, but Obama voters will not choose his kind of change.

Vote to bring back Darrel McGraw for another term. McGraw launches frivolous lawsuits and distributes much of the money to political allies who in turn throw him major fundraisers. I guess we should not change that either.

Vote for Natalie Tennant instead of Charles Minimah for Secretary of State. Betty Ireland has been changing our state's political culture and Minimah has committed himself to continuing her fight. Minimah is outside of the traditional old boy network, also.

Vote for Democrats running in state legislative races. Now there is a vote for change. The same party has been pulling the same shenanigans for over seventy-five years. Definitely continue to vote for these guys if you seriously want change. Oh, by the way, while in charge, Democratic rule of West Virginia has seen our state plummet in population, economic indicators, and congressional representation. Thanks Ruling Party!

Obama liberals are entitled to vote for what they think is change (even though it is really for Chicago machine politics sporting a Cheshire cat grin.) However, they ought to at least be consistent. If they really want change, beneath that presidential box vote a straight Republican ticket. Now the GOP in West Virginia really is change we need.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Potomac Highlands Dinner a Sucess

The Potomac Highlands Republican Club held its annual Reagan-Eisenhower Dinner in Moorefield this past Saturday night. With the top Republican candidates in the state present and Shelley Moore Capito giving the key-note speech well over one hundred attended.

Congresswoman Capito address the group.
WV Supreme Court Candidate Beth Walker speaks with Attorney General candidate Dan Greear and Agriculture Commissioner candidate Mike Teets.

Dan Greear and Senate candidate Gary Howell

State Party Chair Dr. Doug McKinney

State Senator Clark Barnes was the nights Master of Ceremonies to the right are Tom Collins Representing John McCain and State Senator Dave Sypolt.
Dr. Harry Boggs talks with PHRC President and Hostess Christy Barnett.