The More Things Change . . .

The American people have witnessed the calamitous consequences of full and unrestricted Democratic control of the Government. It has been a record of unparalleled incapacity, dishonor and disaster. In administrative management it has entailed an unceasing deficit, eked out ordinary current expenses with borrowed money, piled up the public debt, forced an adverse balance of trade, kept a perpetual menace hanging over the redemption fund, pawned American credit to alien syndicates, and reversed all the measures and results of successful Republican rule. In the broad effect of its policy it has precipitated panic, blighted industry and trade with prolonged depression, closed factories, reduced work and wages, halted enterprise and crippled American production, while stimulating foreign production for the American market. Every consideration of public safety and individual interest demands that the Government shall be rescued from the hands of those who have shown themselves incapable of conducting it without disaster at home and dishonor abroad, and shall be restored to the party which for thirty years administred it with unequalled success and prosperity.

Republican Party Platform of 1896. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Just in Time For The Fourth of July, Compulsory Health Care

You are going to buy health care and you are going to like it.

The Senate's version of health care deform includes a clause that makes it mandatory to purchase health care. Those who opt not to will face a federal fine of $1,000 per year.

I do not even pretend to be able to understand the monster that Congress and Obama is currently trying to conjure. All I know is that taxpayers will be paying for something that will eventually be worse than we can possibly imagine. The government will be shouldering a great deal more of the decision making and organizational burden currently held by the private sector. If anyone thinks that this can be run without corruption and extreme inefficiency, they should check out other federally run operations.

The worst aspect is compulsion. Advocates say that we have to buy car insurance, why not health insurance. The difference is at the end of the day you can choose to ride a horse, a bicycle, a bus, or use the feet God gave them. How do you avoid the all compassionate hand of Mother Government?

And if we ever dare to ask why, Obama answers "because I said so." The Won cannot be bothered to defend his ideas except in front of sycophants at specially arranged "town meetings."

This sets yet another ominous precedent in our path towards feel good fascism. If Republicans can only delay this monstrosity past this year we have a chance to bring this process back to an American way of thinking.

Our Vision As West Virginia Republicans Going Into 2010

Historically, the West Virginia Republican Party has succeeded best when it has effectively sold its message. A lot of factors go into that sale, including the willingness of the opposition to live up to the image that we apply to them. Republicans in 1888 controlled nothing in West Virginia. By 1896 they wrested control of the state. Why? Because they sold their message of industrial based prosperity, asserting that the state could only do more to better people's lives if it had an economy that could pay for things such as roads and schools. The Democrats, in turn, offered no pragmatic vision.

Just my opinion here, no one else's, but I suggest that we tailor our message in this coming year to fit our national mission statement: the Declaration of Independence.

Citing this document makes it very clear that we as Republicans are drawing parallels to the past, when a government pushed its authority beyond acceptable limits.

We base our message on the three basic jobs of government as cited by Jefferson and his inspiration, George Mason. Jefferson and Mason both talked about the government's role in protecting innocent life and promoting liberty, but Mason finished the phrase with "pursuit of property." These three roles of government reflected a belief in the natural rights of each individual to live their life and make choices.

I would center the message around those three roles.

Life: The Republican Party backs the right of each innocent individual to live their lives. Each human being has the right to be born into this world and make choices about their lives. They also have the responsibility to live with the consequences of those choices without a nanny state bailout.

Liberty: The Republican Party believes that a democracy can rest upon nothing less than the belief that individuals have the capacity to make choices that reflect their own personal taste and interest. The state has no right to force its citizens to conform to its idea of education, health or welfare.

The Republican Party backs a strong interpretation of the Bill of Rights for each United States citizen. The Second Amendment does not refer to hunting. It gives each citizen the right and even the obligation to defend his property, his life, and his country against all enemies.

Every citizen should have the freedom to speak his mind without fear.

Every citizen should enjoy a reasonable right to enjoy his property without fear of seizure or overregulation.

Taxation for revenue is acceptable. Taxation for social engineering is theft and a transgression on the natural right to pursue and retain property.

Governments should never "take an inventory" of the lives of individual citizens.

Information is power so we call upon the United States Census to have a constitutional limit upon what information a person is required to give. The more the government knows, the less freedom we have.

Pursuit of Happiness/Property: The American economic system is built upon the premise that every participant can make sound economic decisions. When each person pursues their opportunities, some succeed, some fail, but we all end up prosperous. The current economic problems were started in large part by government intervention into the financial sector. We must remember that twenty five years of economic prosperity came after some Democratic congressmen and Ronald Reagan pushed to deregulate and remove the weight of burdensome and unnecessary rules from many businesses.

The Republican Party is devoted to removing all reasonable obstacles in the path of people pursuing and keeping their property. Property ownership in the hands of the people creates a valuable check on the power of government.

This is not an exhaustive list and it may need to be trimmed down to essential, but more general points. Personally I believe we should stick to issues that revolve around personal and economic freedom along with limited government. We must sell ourselves as having the right plan and vision for the economy and society. West Virginia needs less government, especially at the federal level.

Only Republicans have the right ideas going into the next election. With work, we'll get our country back.

Getting to the Bottom of the AmeriCorps Scandal

If anyone doubted that the federal government rests firmly in the hands of traditional Chicago style politics, the ripening AmeriCorps scandal should erase the doubts except amongst the truest O-believers.

Just after AmeriCorps seemed to benefit from a statutory expansion of its numbers and role, Obama broke the law and fired the inspector general. Legally, inspectors general are supposed to be immune from instant firings and political retribution. This was a noble piece of legislation recently cosponsored by---Senator Barack Obama.

Apparently the mayor of Sacramento misused federal funds and Inspector General Gerald Walpin doggedly investigated. He ran into trouble because Mayor Kevin Johnson happens to be a strong supporter of---you guessed it--- Barack Obama.

Democrats in Congress wish it would die. The GOP has too little leverage to launch a major investigation without a public outcry. However it does prove that Chicago politics is alive and well. Imagine the possibilities for corruption with all of these federal funds raining down upon these big city Democratic machines. We have already seen in the Chrysler scandal how the targeted dealerships for closure were almost all GOP supporters. Now we see Obama breaking his own law to purge his own official to protect his own friend.

Meanwhile North Korea is now capable of hitting Alaska with a nuclear bomb.

Thanks Democrats. We sure do love all this change.

If you have a discussion, then uphold Republican ideals

Recently I had a long discussion on the internet after I was contacted by a fellow that disagreed with some of my assertions. Looking back I found it interesting how a discussion evolves or degrades into an argument. How can you tell who is winning or loosing? Some may say if you win an argument on the internet, well, you have accomplished nothing. The question is if you get out correct information and have honest discussion, then was it worth it? I think it is worth it, because communication is the basis for all conflict resolution.

It started out simply enough with the guy asking a simple question that was pretty easy to answer. The problem was he didn't like the answer he got, even though the answer was based on verifiable facts. See whether or not you argue or have a discussion face to face or on the internet, the most important thing is to have your facts in order. As long as your facts fit your conclusion, then you should win the discussion. But you must keep in mind that if your opponent presents you with different information, then you must honestly examine it. If it is correct, then you may need to change your conclusion to fit the new facts. You can never make the facts fit your conclusion, which is something many people like to try. This will quickly cause them to loose the argument. Founding Father John Adams said is best, "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

What I'm advocating is honesty in your discussion. Not just with your opponent, but yourself. If you can't be honest with yourself, then how can you be honest with anyone else? Don't rationalize to make the facts fit your conclusion, it will not work. If you're a Republican, then the facts should be on your side. Republicans tend to see the world how it really is and not as it should be or how we want it to be. That makes it easier for us in the end. When you have your discussion always make sure you have your facts in order. When present a point, then make sure you give the source for your opponent to check. If your opponent is unable or unwilling to do the same, then you the first indication they are arguing from a point of weakness and may not be able to back up their assertions. If you can't back up your positions with sources facts, then quit because your conclusion is wrong.

As you put forth a logical argument and your opponent can not overcome your facts a logical thinker will begin to see things anew and come to a consensus with you. If your counterpart is not a strong thinker, then they will typically switch to a personal attack. Responding with emotion is a natural response for anyone cornered whether is in an argument or a dark alley. The personal attack is the sure sign the attacker cannot refute the logical sourced facts, but does not want to admit defeat. On an internet argument, the loosing side will typically call in reinforcements. More people repeating the same incorrect information does not make them right. They rarely offer any new information, but will increase the personal attacks and usually offer some type of statement saying the winner doesn't understand. This begs the question, why would you come to their point of view because they attacked you personally when their failed argument didn't win you over?

That should be the end of it, but sometimes in rare cases people want to escalate it further rather than admit defeat. Interestingly in the recent discussion I had some of the friends of the original decenter post on the internet a note and tied in many top politicians in the state. People that had absolutely nothing to do with our discussion and were never involved. As a Republican I believe in personal responsibility and I choose to enter into the discussion. With that, any political fallout is of my own making, but when it is important I believe in stand up for what is right. Dragging in innocent bystanders does not help you win a discussion you have already last it destroys your last ounce of credibility, not to mention making enemies.

If you feel the need to have a discussion about something you believe in. Then do it with the truth and make sure you can back up your facts. Always be honest and respectful, never make personal attacks. If your presented with verifiable information the contradicts your position, then re-examine your position as it is probably wrong. Never drag in anyone else that doesn't want to be part of your discussion. Be a graceful winner, be a Republican.

The Republican Party Will Come Full Circle in the Kanawha Valley This Week

On Friday, May 22nd the chairman of the Republican Party returns to one of the origin points of its noblest crusade. This year the Grand Old Party elected a black for the first time as leader. A successful businessman from Maryland defeated after several votes a man who himself had attended segregated schools in South Carolina. In choosing Michael Steele as chair, Republicans did not embrace a new direction, but reaffirmed their roots as the party of freedom and liberty for all. Chairman Steele's visit to the Kanawha Valley this week has very symbolic overtones.

Few people remember today that the region surrounding Charleston can lay claim to being a cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. Before the Civil War, Booker T. Washington of Malden (about fifteen miles east of Charleston) lived as a slave. By 1900 he grew into the preeminent spokesman for the advancement of blacks in America.

Washington advocated a stance for the black community controversial in his time and rejected today. He witnessed the horror inflicted upon politically active blacks in the South. Washington relentlessly advocated the education of blacks in a region hostile to them advancing beyond menial labor. Ku Klux Klan terror raids bullied and often killed blacks who pushed into the political world in the 1870s and 80s. As a result, he spoke in Atlanta about separate development. Washington told the black community to embrace education and develop themselves economically in the present. When it attained a certain financial status, it could then use its clout to peacefully obtain civil and political rights. W. E. B. DuBois derided this in terms that we would today call "appeasement" but it is clear that the social and political culture of the South was very violently antagonistic to DuBois' immediate goals. Washington offered a path that families and individuals could follow in the nineteenth century without fearing for their lives.

Regardless of how modern ears regard Washington's message, his staunch advocacy of education and establishment of the Tuskeegee Institute helped to advance his cause considerably. Interestingly enough, Washington himself had engaged in political activism as a young man.

In the 1870s, while working in Kanawha Valley salt furnaces and coal mines, Washington opened his activist career as a political orator. He stumped the region speaking on behalf of the Republican Party and its candidates. This took courage considering that Kanawha County had strong Confederate sentiment during the Civil War. It would only take one ex Rebel with a grudge to have changed history. Luckily Washington remained safe as he preached support for the GOP. From this springboard he traveled to the Hampton Institute in Virginia to formally receive an education.

The ideas Washington spoke about to the Republican faithful in the Kanawha Valley in his youth will likely be similar to Steele's. First and foremost the Republican Party has always embraced expansive freedom for everyone. Washington found limits as a young man in that certain jobs were just not open for him. The GOP today seeks to expand access to opportunity while enhancing the incentives to succeed. Democrats believe that all should end up equal in the end regardless of effort or risk. Ensuring this "equality of outcome" means that freedoms and opportunities for the energetic and industrious will be diminished while handouts for others increase.

Michael Steele's visit to the Kanawha Valley this week is indeed hsitoric and symbolic. He has the opportunity here to reaffirm the traditional principles of freedom while charting a new course of action. Success is essential.

Time For the Republican Party to Get Back to Basics

The Republican Party since its birth in the 1850s has traditionally stood in some way or another for rights. At that point its rights platform emphasized the right to not be owned just because of your skin color. The Grand Old Party has always been at its best and truest when arguing a positive platform of the right of each individual to enjoy what was promised by the Declaration of Independence and enshrined by the Constitution.

Constitution? Declaration of Independence? Even now that they are terrorist manifestos, they ought to be easy sells to the American people in the upcoming elections right?

The art of selling (and it is an art despite pollsters trying to turn it into a science) requires focus. Right now the Republican Party lacks cohesive focus. Remember when we stormed back in 1994? We had a strong and deep vision that was well articulated. It was based upon the political values and economic principles that have always been Republican strong suits.

We believe in the right of individuals to choose within the law except when those choices result in direct bodily harm to another individual.

We believe that America must retain a strong role in world affairs because we realize if we do not, more unpalatable nations will rise to the fore.

We believe that when the government is knee deep in the private sector instead of an impartial referee, it leads to favoritism and corruption. The Credit Mobilier scandal of the 1870s sprang from direct government involvement in railroads. Lots of politicians stuck their hands into that cookie jar, including future President James Garfield.

Obama is gutting the Constitution and is a real threat to our natural rights. We need to focus our message on a positive alternative vision. Right now we are simply reacting and muddying the water with other issues.

Social conservatives will argue with this, but it is time to jettison gay marriage as a major issue. This is my own opinion, not Gary Howell's. This issue contradicts our general stands on limited government and individual choice. Now on the issue of extending sexual education into elementary school with the idea of teaching children in ways that contradict parental prerogatives, that is an issue of rights where Republicans stand on firm ideological ground. Honestly what are we going to do if gays want to call themselves married? Put shock collars on them? The private sector already recognizes these relationships for insurance and other purposes. This issue muddies the waters and drives away to the Democrats many victims of Obama's stealing, I mean, tax policies.

Abortion, on the other hand, is an issue we need to continue to fight. It is a human rights issue. Children have the right to live, regardless. When the Declaration of Independence says that every person has the right to life, it gets no plainer than that. That is why this is not only a social conservative issue and should not be fought as one. We can even take this one into traditionally Democratic territory. One in three babies aborted is black. That is an astounding statistic. It should be better publicized by the Republican Party.

It's very simple. We only need to get back to the ideals upon which this country was founded. We separated from Britain for economic and individual freedom. We made those ideals our law. They are based upon the right to choose. If we stand by these two founding documents and fight on issues that flow directly from them, we are always strong.

The Return of the 19th Century Media

In the 19th Century the Newspaper was your only source of news. Many towns had more than one, with names like the Barbour County Democrat, The Oakland Republican, etc. These names were not picked haphazardly, they reflected the views of the newspaper. You bought your newspaper based on its political views. That was how the media ran in the 19th Century.

Through the 20th Century that open bias went underground and was thinly veiled claim of journalistic impartiality. Although if you looked close enough you could often find the bias poking its head through. The problem was the vast majority of the press shifted to the left.

Now at the beginning of the 21st Century it has come full circle and the 19th Century media has returned with a vengeance. MSNBC could very easily change its name to DNBC (Democrat National Broadcasting Corp), or CNN changes it to DNN (Democratic News Network) because that reflects the view point they provide. They complain constantly that Fox News is Republican Network. Well, they would be right. They are providing a different point of view and reaping the financial rewards.

Our nations political views are primarily center right. With the majority of the media hard left, they do not reflect the view point most Americans want to hear. If some one wants to challenge Fox News media dominance, then the way to do that is create a second right leaning network.

In the 21st Century if you're Right, the you watch Fox News, read the internet and listen to talk radio. If you're left then you watch Broadcast news, CNN or MSNBC and read major city newspapers. Now if we could only return a 19th Century sized Federal Government.

Change, Hope . . . Harding. Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Weeks Ago?

Apologies in advance for breaking the 11th Commandment (Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican) but honesty demands that we compare Barack Obama to Warren G. Harding. We warned before the election that we were electing a Harding, meaning a machine politician with zero ideas, zero experience, and tremendous potential for problems. We got something worse.

Harding, who incidentally figured out very soon that he was unfit mentally for the presidency, actually worked with a Republican Congress to craft economic policies that ended a post World War I recession. How did this happen? The GOP had stepped in to force him to select competent men for his Cabinet. He got statesmen and individuals who had found success in the private sector in the most important positions instead of political hacks. They did well despite him. In the end he was undone by some of his old machine buddies, but he died before the scandal could break.

Obama has blundered through his first month of the presidency. The stock market gains of the Bush era are gone. While Mexico dissolves, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton goes to our former enemies to beg for hard currency to finance the Democratic Porkulus package. The United States has lost the respect that Bush worked so carefully to build for eight years. We send $900 million to the Palestinians to rebuild Gaza while Keyser STILL waits for $9 million to rebuild its water treatment facility. The kindest commentators call Obama's transition "amateur hour" while the most critical describe a "deer in the headlights look." Meanwhile the president tells us we have everything in the world to fear and hopes to goodness something happens before he loses his friendly Congress in 2010.

The only positive of the last four weeks is that Americans have lost their faith that the federal government can solve all problems. Democratic leadership has undone the myth they have tried to cultivate since the 1930s. Every day, people are understanding what conservatives have taught all along. The federal government is not the answer, but it generally is the problem. Every move Obama and his administration makes solidifies that conviction. It is time for the states and the people to step forward and take the initiative. The federal government has failed. Let us get back to state sovereignty and individual initiative.

Let's rephrase that olf campaign question from 1984. Are you better off than you were four weeks ago?

Politicians win when they put the American People First

In the 1990's the Republican Party took control of the US Senate and House when they promised to put the needs of the American people first. Unfortunately once in power they forgot that there primary job was to take care of the nation first and not the special interest groups and the American voter took away their majority in the 2006 election.

The Democrats have not learned from the mistakes of the Republican Congress and are now putting the needs of the special interest ahead of the American people and the people are not happy. Some in the Democratic party are starting to realize that. Surprisingly extreme left wing group, MoveOn.org, is warning members they are loosing the energy argument. In an e@mail to supporters they wrote, "Here's the truth:Right now, progressives are losing this argument." They don't realize they are wrong, just that they are loosing the argument. I can tell them the reason they are loosing the argument is because they are WRONG!

Last week when Congress walked out on the American people without doing anything to help with the current energy crisis. Many in congress had had enough. Republicans have been staying in Washington protesting speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's choice to ignore the plight of the average American. American Solutions held a press conference at the capital on Wednesday.

Unlike the anti-energy elites that have a stranglehold on the Democratic Party, the American people clearly understand that laws of economics still apply. If you increase the supply of any product that price will drop. Drilling for more oil is only part of the answer, but it will bring oil prices down. Ironically Paris Hilton is right on energy policy, we need to move forward on all fronts. We need to drill now, but we also need to explore alternatives such as bio-fuels, wind and solar.

The Republican Party is on the side of the American people on energy policy and for any political party being on the American peoples side is the right place to be. The Republican party should not do what is right for the party, it should do what is right for the American people. If you do what is right for the American people, then it will automatically be what is correct for the party.

The Republican party has been the party of common sense. We used common sense solutions that helped the average American. We got away from the in the 1990's drunk with power. Now we have an opportunity to return to the core values of the American people and the party. Standing firm on drilling for our own oil to bring down fuel prices and help the American people is the right side of the issue.

Ruling Party versus Majority Party

No one has any illusions as to what constitutes the "Ruling Party" in West Virginia. For seventy-five years the Democratic Party has imposed Big Government solutions on the state, correlating with its drastic decline. We dropped from six congressional representatives to three, our economic position lies near the bottom, and studies show that by not keeping up with national population growth, we have lost many hundreds of thousands of productive and intelligent people. All that took place on the Ruling Party's watch.

However they seem scared in West Virginia. A current has formed that might just shift the tide of influence in the state. Six Democratic legislative incumbents lost their seats in the primary, an almost unheard of expression of malcontent within the Democrats' own rank and file. Add that to the fact that the GOP has carried West Virginia in the past two presidential elections handily.

As far as values and principles are concerned, the national Democratic Party has abandoned West Virginia style values. How long can state Democrats support gun rights, property rights, strong national security and oppose abortion at home while supporting people like Barack Obama nationally? When does inconsistency finally get exposed as hypocrisy?

The Democrats currently dominate in registrations and they rule the state. However, as far as values are concerned, the Republican Party is the majority in the state. Through careful and effective education, the West Virginia Republican Party could effect a major shift in the next decade if national Democrats continue to march left.

Gary Howell's remarks at fundraising event

Gary Howell, candidate for the State Senate from the 14th District, addressed both Democrat and Republican attendees at a fundraiser held in Tucker County last week at the home of former Delegate Debbie Stevens. You can watch and listen to his remarks here.

An Idea For Our Schools

Last weekend, the West Virginia Republican Party's convention heard a tremendous speech from the former Minister of Labour for New Zealand. He explained how aggressive reforms geared towards expanding the free market helped to galvanize almost every sector of a formerly depressed economy.

He explained that his office tried common sense solutions. They had twenty-four programs addressing skills and employment. Only four of them actually produced results. To the minister, the solution was clear, eliminate the twenty that did not work and use some of the savings to help the productive ones. The Anglican Church leadership levied intense criticism until it found that many thousands more people gained employment after the reforms.

Common sense also found its way into education. Reforms swept away various bureaucratic boards that governed the school system. Were they replaced by gubernatorial appointees? No. Instead parents of children actually in the school campaigned to serve on a Board of Trustees that had real power to use funds available. Of course teacher unions feared tremendously the idea that parents might actually run the school. However more money made it into the classroom to benefit the children and performance indicators skyrocketed.

Perhaps the best advice this gentleman gave was to take chances, even if one risked losing the next election. A political party must make a difference while in power, or what good does it do to hold power. The next time Republicans gain ascendency nationally, on the state, or the local level, we must remember our values and put them into place. In New Zealand the liberal party eventually regained power, but found that the free market ideas worked too well to remove.

West Virginia Democrats Hurt Themselves

Back in February on Super Tuesday, Doug McKinney and West Virginia's Republican Party took a lot of criticism for the decision to go ahead with a party convention instead of the customary primary vote. The party was accused of disenfranchising voters even though much of the problems lay in a misunderstanding of how the convention worked. In reality, active Republicans as never before got to join together, listen to the candidates, and choose. Huckabee's win of West Virginia served as the headline of the day. The state met its goals of garnering attention, getting people out to participate who had never been active before, and being a player in the campaigns.

West Virginia Democrats had to wait until May to make their choice. Hillary Clinton still has a chance to win the nomination, mathematically anyway. Obviously counts upon a huge win in West Virginia to rekindle momentum. It is true that superdelegate pledges mean as much as soft verbals in college football recruiting (they can always change their mind.) Also polls show that Clinton has a better chance at winning in November than Obama. Her supporters cling to an ever shrinking margin of hope.

It did not have to be this way. Imagine if Democrats had followed the Republican example and arranged to make their selection much earlier. A lopsided West Virginia win for Clinton certainly would have shown Obama's tenuous hold on rural and union Democrats. Right now if you ranked the preference of West Virginia Democrats, Clinton would come in first, then McCain, and Obama far behind these two. This would have changed the dynamic of the Democratic campaign.

Not that we want Clinton to win the presidency, far from it. However this example reflects the wisdom of state Republicans in moving back the date upon which they chose for the presidency.

McCain Wins Nomination

As of Super Tuesday, the Republican Party received the news it had expected for some time. John McCain is the party's nominee for president.

A couple of months ago, this prospect unnerved many conservative Republicans. McCain does differ in opinion from conservatives on some issues. He, along with other Republicans in border regions, has a different idea about immigration than most. McCain's joke about being a "conservative liberal" probably did not help.

That being said, Republicans have not won elections by selecting doctrinaire nominees. Dwight D. Eisenhower campaigned on "compassionate conservatism" that sought to soften the edges of free market economics. Richard Nixon engaged in heavy handed economic controls to try and right the ship after the disastrous Johnson presidency. Neither George Bush could be called right wingers when one examines their policies. Ronald Reagan even evoked savage conservative criticism when he embarked on a peace path towards Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union.

We are conservatives, but we also reason and speak freely. This is why the media loves to pick on conservatism, because we are never unified and our debates usually happen in public. Liberals have ousted their own free thinkers, such as Joe Lieberman (you could call him the Democratic version of John McCain.) Liberals started tearing away at Angelina Jolie's statement that US troops are needed in Iraq to prevent humanitarian disasters. They cannot tolerate deviations from their increasingly left wing agenda.

John McCain is not a 100% right wing conservative, this is true. Neither was any other GOP president. We win elections because we choose and support moderate candidates who think and act on their principles instead of the party line. McCain has sacrificed a great deal for his country and he is the only candidate left that America can trust in a crisis.

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Has Mineral County run out of water yet? Just checking. It would be best to keep any other businesses from coming in just in case.

Romney shows true leadership and respect for our nation

Yesterday Romney announced he is suspending his presidential campaign. He stated, "This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters ... many of you right here in this room ... have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming president. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America,"

With the writing on the wall, a lessor man with Romney's financial means could have very easily stayed in the race and in the process damaged the chances of a win for Republican party for the upcoming general election. This, in my opinion, is a mark of true understanding and leadership.

Romney understands that after a long, tough, and emotional primary season that the party will need time to come together. By dropping out he makes that time longer and leadership is more about making the hard decisions than the easy ones. Romney, a true leader, just made a hard leadership decision. Now it is the time to move forward and do what is best for the nation, elect a Republican President.

WVRC concludes candidate recruitment drive

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lisa Peana

January 28, 2008 304-730-4599

WVRC concludes candidate recruitment drive
Club vows gains in all three branches of state government

Charleston, WV – With the filing period to run for public office concluded, Republican activists are working to make gains in all three branches of West Virginia’s government in the November General Election.

“The West Virginia Republican Club is happy that more than ninety-five Republican candidates have filed for legislative and statewide offices, thanks to the efforts of various Republicans around the state." announced Lisa Peana, President of the West Virginia Republican Club.

Over eighty Republicans filed for legislative offices. The West Virginia Republican Club also assisted state party leaders in the recruitment of candidates for high-profile state-wide races.

“Russ Weeks' entry into the gubernatorial race was a pleasant surprise for us all. Russ is a terrific candidate that brings experience, passion and understanding of the issues most important to West Virginians.

“There are many other races that we are keeping a close eye on, such as the Attorney General’s primary, where we feel that whoever wins in May will defeat Darrell McGraw in the general election, whether it is Dan Greear or Hiram Lewis.”

The club hailed Charleston attorney Beth Walker as a candidate that can win a seat on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in November.

“Beth Walker is an excellent candidate to fill the vacancy left by Larry Starcher who has been an embarrassment to the high court,” said Peana.

Peana said that she was also aware of candidacy papers making their way through the postal system for two more statewide candidates, and at least five more House of Delegates candidates.

Peana believes that the West Virginia Republican Club will be able to meet its goals of winning the Attorney General and Supreme Court races, and making substantial gains in the West Virginia Legislature.

“We look forward to mobilizing our volunteer army to assist Republican candidates across the state in both local and statewide races,” added Peana.

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Preston County Republicans Well Organized

Tuesday night I was invited to attend the Preston County executive committee meeting. It was one of the largest Republican meetings I have attended, save for a West Virginia State Republican meeting.

The first thing I noticed was these were unified Republicans. They were discussing their trip to Charleston on the 5th. While many people were representing different Presidential Candidates, the discussion was at the task at hand. The knew what needed to be done and the politics of politics were not on the agenda.

The second thing I noticed was the full slate of candidates they had organized for the ballot. There were 4 candidates for sheriff alone. It has been my experience than when several people are running for the same position, there is usually a certain amount uneasiness among those running. I could feel not tension in the air, doesn't mean it wasn't there, but it was not noticeable.

After discussion on the upcoming convention the topic of discussion turned to getting Republican candidates known and available to the public. A very good flow of ideas was given on how to do this. Everything from meet and greets to debates.

The Preston Republican's were still not done. They then turned there attention to voter registration. I'm not going to delve into the details, because some of them the other side may not have thought of, but they have a plan.

It is easy to see why Preston County has a growing Republican population. The executive committee is well organized, it is active, it takes the politics of politics out of the equation, and most importantly is listens to its voters for their ideas and needs. Good job.

Promises, Promises

Governor Joe Manchin in his State of the State Address touched on a variety of topics, most of which made different individuals and interest groups angry with him. Sometimes this is a mark of leadership. If you are not making someone mad at some point in time, you are not doing your job. The test of ideas ultimately lies in whether or not they work in the real world.

The PROMISE scholarship was born of good intentions. Enable the children of West Virginia to earn their way into college without worrying about the cost. Few will disagree with the nobility of this idea in general terms. Unfortunately the demonic law of unintended consequences took over. Grades in West Virginia high schools inflated tremendously as well intentioned teachers sought to not be the bad guys that kept their students from getting the coveted award. More students earned the money and costs leapt dramatically.

Only one Republican served on the original committee that developed the scholarship and according to this man, he was the only one that advocated for financial status of parents to be a factor. After all, does it make sense for the child of a parent with a six figure salary to get tuition paid? Most would say no, but poor taxpayers in West Virginia pay for the children of the upper middle class and wealthy to attend college. It has grown into almost a Social Security-like entitlement program. We must have some kind of income cut off for this program to ensure that the children that need help the most always can receive it.

Governor Manchin proposes that PROMISE recipients must remain in state for a certain number of years after they leave school. At this point the question is, why? West Virginia has very little opportunity outside of the government sector for college graduates. The Legislature will not pass the needed reforms repeatedly proposed by Republicans that would help stimulate private sector opportunity.

In fact the pattern often is that college graduates leave the state, build their resume in places such as Atlanta or Charlotte, then return when they have acquired the skills and experience to compete for the precious few positions available. So many more actually want to return than end up doing so, but that is the nature of our economy.

Certainly PROMISE costs a great deal and the state wants a return on its investment. Forcing graduates to serve a sentence in West Virginia might enable a few to eke out a job in their field or create something for themselves. Many will work service jobs or even live on welfare if they have a family to support. Most will ignore the edict.

It's frustrating to saythe same thing over and over when not enough people listen but here we go again. Build the conditions for a prosperous economy and it will happen.

Can pundits at least make some effort to appear objective?

During the Fox News coverage of the New Hampshire Primary last Tuesday night, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, now chairman of GOPAC, made the absurd claim that Mike Huckabee's distant-third place finish (11%) demonstrated his competitiveness, was strong, &tc. . .

What a load of crap.

Getting tripled up on by the 2nd place finisher, Governor Romney (who had 32%), does not demonstrate competitiveness--it demonstrates that Rev. Huckster is a one-hit-wonder, a one-trick-pony, whatever your analogy of choice. He might win in South Carolina, but chalk that up to identity politics--not rational, issues-based reasoning.

I know that GOPAC is Newt Gingrich's creation, and Newt is--by some reports--backing Rev. Huckster, but (and this may be a self-answering question) do pundits have no shame?

As another famous saying goes...."Don't [pee] on my leg and tell me its raining."