House candidate Howell signs no-tax pledge

KEYSER — Gary Howell, Republican candidate for the 49th State House District, today announced he has signed the State Taxpayer Protection Pledge, promising to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” The pledge is promoted by Americans for Tax Reform, which was founded in 1985 by Grover Norquist at the request of President Reagan.

“Promising to oppose taxes is an easy call for me,” said Howell. “The people of West Virginia are already over-taxed and over-regulated. Burdensome taxation stifles growth and smothers entrepreneurship. By reducing and cutting taxes, our economy will grow and good jobs will come to the 49th District and the rest of the state.”

Howell knows about growing a small business. For more than 19 years, he has been the owner and operator of Howell Automotive in Keyser, a leading supplier of auto parts. In 2003, Gary was named “Exporter of the Year” by the U.S. Small Business Administration. He was honored by the West Virginia Motor Sports Council in 2005 for promoting West Virginia across the country. In 2007, 2008 & 2009, he was honored with the Governors Commendation for International Market Entry, recognizing his in exporting products.

A lifelong West Virginian, Howell received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from Frostburg State University's School of

Congresswoman Capito on the Health Care Bill

West Virginia Introduces Bill to Exempt Antique Motor Vehicles From Taxes and Fees

A bill (H.B. 2775) has been introduced in the West Virginia State Legislature to provide owners of antique motor vehicles with an exemption from taxation and fees. The bill is pending in the House Roads and Transportation Committee for consideration.

* West Virginia law defines an "Antique motor vehicle" to mean any motor vehicle which is more than twenty-five years old and is owned solely as a collector's item.

* H.B. 2775 exempts antique vehicle owners from sales tax and all other taxes and fees. Under the bill, certificates of title and other required permits would be granted free of charge.

Blast from the Past: Tax Man Max

60% Taxation Rate Is Looming For Some

That is what experts warn that New York City residents will face if Obama and Congress get their way on health care deform. The rest of us do not fall too far behind.

It's time for a constitutional amendment to clarify what was done in 1913. In that year an amendment was ratified that established an income tax. This amendment was necessary because the Wilson-Gorman law establishing such a tax in the previous century was ruled unconstitutional (Wilson was William L. Wilson of West Virginia, unfortunately.) At the time, voters were promised that only 2% of the nation's wealthiest would pay and even then, not that much.

The property and income of Americans need protection under law. That means that we need a constitutional amendment to prevent Americans from sliding into the lower standards of living prevalent in the more socialized countries in Europe due to heavy tax burdens. Let us have a simple constitutional amendment that says that no individual or corporation may be taxed by the federal government more than 25% every year. This includes income, capital gains, and other taxes. The only exception would be the duration of a declared war. Anything above that amount in peacetime is theft because it is redistribution of wealth.

A cap on the percentage of taxation gives the government an incentive to boost economic growth without inflation through policies that are free market friendly. That way they get 25% of an expanding pie, not increasing percentages of a shrinking one.

Time to Roll Out a Plan of Action: the Honest Deal

10% unemployment and rising. Capital investment and purchases in decline. Yup the Democrats have done a great job since Congress took over in early 2007 of running the economy into the ground. Deficit spending and tax hikes are getting the country nowhere. Time for Republicans to roll out a plan. Here are some ideas:

CUT TAXES!:

Well, this will be a tax cut but it will probably bring more revenue than expected. Establish four numbers for income tax, zero, ten, fifteen, and twenty. Earners below a certain threshold pay zero, then ten percent, then fifteen, then twenty. No deductions allowed for any reason.

Eliminate any taxes on savings and investment. Our biggest economic problem as a nation is lack of capital even though we are the most productive country on earth. Encourage savings and investment in the United States.

This is not a tax, but here's a thought on Social Security. Stop raiding it for funds and deposit it into banks where the money paid in can collect interest. We put Bernie Madoff in jail for life for creating a failed Ponzi scheme that people had chosen to join. Who in the federal government will pay when this Ponzi scheme collapses? At the very least this fund will collect interest and help replenish the kitty while injecting real money into the economy. This is what we should have implemented rather than a bank bailout.

CUT SPENDING!:

The federal government needs to cut back its budget ten percent in real terms. There are quite a few ways to accomplish this.

How much money does the federal government waste on foolishness every year? Time to cut back on sheer waste. Any public service announcements funded by the government are a luxury. Get rid of them.

Federal grants not related to technology development or national security should be suspended for two years. No funding for art or humanities studies at all. again, this is luxury spending.

No work on new road projects for five years. Complete what we have started and maintain what we have.

Stop funding questionable groups like ACORN. That is a no brainer. Also stop funding any get out the vote efforts. If people don't know an election is coming in November of even numbered years, we might not really want them to vote anyway.

Cut off any education or welfare funds to states that distribute them to illegal aliens. Sorry, no benefits for those breaking the law. While we are at it, release states from unfunded mandate obligations while so many of them are about to break from the economic strain.

Cut off foreign aid that is not security related. Also suspend payments to the United Nations. This is a luxury we cannot afford.

Cut back the Census to a Constitutional minimum.

Of course there are thousands more ideas on cutting spending. If we stop proposing more crap and cut from what we are spending, life will be much easier and prosperity will return. Then when the economy is back on a firm basis, you can have luxuries like art and humanities grants.

OTHER POLICIES:

The United States relies upon cheap energy as an advantage in production. This offsets the labor cost advantages of third world nations when we have it. We need to make it a federal priority to increase the production of energy in this country to meet our own demand and to also make us an exporting nation when possible. Do what is necessary to get more power plants constructed. Do what is necessary to access a wide variety of energy sources, not only coal and natural gas, but also wind, solar, freshwater hydroelectric, and wave power. Get those power bills down and you will have more money available to invest and spend.

Simplify federal laws related to manufacturing. I am not saying that we should compromise the environment or work safety, but we add so many laws on a regular basis, how can industry really keep up? Every country from time to time has to evaluate laws and re-codify them. Let's make the law more understandable and more obeyable by simplifying it.

Get rid of all shares of privately owned companies. Also get the government out of the railway business. Privatize whenever and wherever possible.

Cheap power, tax cuts, and less government spending. That is how a country gains and keeps prosperity. This should be part of the Republican Plan for Resurgence. Call it the Honest Deal

County to waste more taxpayer money on Water Shortage Farce

The on going waste of taxpayer’s money on the fake water shortage continues. As our economic continues to slide deeper into the recession many people are cutting back and saving their money for the future, but for some reason government doesn’t want to do the same thing. This puts an ever increasing burden on the taxpayers when they can least afford it.

The Wednesday addition of the News Tribune reports a WVU student was paid $5,000 as a precursor to a much larger study. The PHC reported last year that “DHHR notified the county they are making available $92,000 to assist with the study.” This $92,000 of taxpayer money is just an assist as the full study is expected to cost somewhere around a quarter million dollars.

This is what the study will tell us: We will find that Piedmont gets its water from Savage River in Maryland, the Elk Garden area gets its water from Grant County, and Ridgeley and Wiley Ford are connected to Cumberland’s water supply for now. This means that many of the people of Mineral County don’t even rely on water from within the county. History will also show that even in the worst drought, the Keyser and New Creek water systems have never ran out of water. Also keep in mind that the Limestone Dam is a water reservoir for the city of Keyser that is no longer used and they can’t seem to empty it, because to much water flows into it. The Mountaintop Water Department commissioned a study which claims that their reservoir contains over 100 million gallons of water and does not drop much even in dry spells.

The study will also find that Jennings Randolph Lake has 41,000 acre feet of water in storage that is enough to supply every man, woman and child with 100 gallons a day for over 13 years if the river stopped flowing today. There is an additional 51,000 acre feet used for water quality management, so we are looking at over 27 years worth of water if it didn’t rain for the next 27 years and nobody in Mineral County uses any of that water now!

The county government is acting very strange and very anti-business on many issues. Consider that the County Commission is not actively supporting the $138 million dollar investment in the county on the Wind Project which will generate an additional $326,591 in taxes for the school system alone as reported by the News Tribune on Wednesday. I cannot understand why the county commission would not actively support the increase in funding to the school system. County Commissioner Spiggle’s wife Betty sent a letter to the Public Service Commission actively opposing the project and can be viewed on the Public Service Commissions website. Commissioner Wayne Spiggle pushed the County Commission to request making US 50 a Scenic Byway which would hinder business. Now it is the water study, which if not done correctly, can be used as a way to restrict business growth and economic growth.

It is time for the County Commission to stop wasting the taxpayer’s money on anti-business policies and water studies. If you want to spend our tax dollars on water, then we believe you should spend it on providing additional water and water safety. Connect the different water systems in the county together, so that in an emergency the separate water systems can help each other. If a chemical truck were to wreck and spill its contents into New Creek, then a connected system would allow Keyser to bring in water from Elk Garden or Piedmont. If water quality becomes and issue in Fort Ashby, then water could be supplied from Fountain or elsewhere in a connected system.

Senator Rockefeller’s Stimulus Numbers Don’t Add Up

On June 9^th, 2009 Senator Jay Rockefeller sent out an e@mail to many of his constituents. In the e@mail he explains why he voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the “Stimulus Act.” So far the Stimulus Act has done little to help the economy and has mostly been filled with waste, like “$18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site” as reported by Jeff Klein of ABC News on June 8^th. Peter Nichols of the LA Times reported that over 8,000 stimulus checks were mailed to dead people.

These are just a few of the things happen when our elected officials fail to read what they are voting on. You think they would be able to take the time to do their job right and actually read the bill. One of West Virginia’s representatives, Congresswoman Capito, actually did the right thing and voted “no” because enough time to go over the bill was not given. As the Stimulus Bill continues to fail the American people, those that voted for it are trying to cover their backside with the voters. Senator Rockefeller is no exception, but his numbers do not quite jive.

In the e@mail sent out the Senator states, “700,000 West Virginia families are receiving $300 million in tax cuts through the Making Work Pay Tax Credit.” There is a problem with that number. According to the US Census Bureau’s latest numbers, there are only 502,381 families in West Virginia.

Senator Rockefeller goes on to state in his e@mail, “88,000 West Virginians are benefitting from an additional $25 per week in unemployment compensation, the extension of the emergency unemployment compensation program, and the tax break on the first $2,400 in unemployment compensation benefits received in 2009.” According to the US Department of Labor’s, Bureau of Labor Statistics latest numbers there are only 68,543 unemployed in West Virginia.

This begs the question how can Rockefeller effectively represent the people of West Virginia if he can’t take the time to read the bills that affect us? Rockefeller voted for a bad bill without having the time to read it. He sends an e@mail trying to justify his voting for the bad bill, but portions of the information are just flat wrong. It took less than 5 minutes on the internet for one person to get the correct data, while the Senator with a full staff couldn’t get it right. Rockefeller’s e@mail states, “West Virginians deserve economic policies that will support them through these tough times.” I agree, but I also believe West Virginia deserves a representative takes the time to read bills before he votes on them and takes time to look up the correct information before making a decision for the people of West Virginia. You can’t make good decisions with bad information.

West Virginia wake up, Cap and Trade will kill our state

The New Stamp Act?

In 1763, Americans were confident and proud citizens of the British Empire. They had little complaints about a government that protected them in the most extensive war ever fought.
Then came the deluge. Britain, hurting from severe deficits, started creating and enforcing tax laws. Some of these taxes were not unreasonable, nor did they represent a major burden upon most of the people. Howeverm they represented a fundamental attempt to revolutionize the relationship between the government and the governed. Parliament sought to impose its will and its vision of government upon the people without respecting their natural rights.
Americans responded. Within two years rioters marched through the streets, burning those who defended the hated taxes in effigy. By 1775 they once again took arms, changing their country and changing the world.

The Obama/Pelosi plan to revolutionize America has come at breathtaking speed. Leftists in the Pelosi led Congress want to put GPS trackers in every American automobile. Obama wants to place heavy taxes upon electricity consumption that will hurt all Americans. Consumers will make difficult choices about whether or not to keep their home heat at a healthy level while producers, including our West Virginia coal miners will suffer. All of this comes due to a global warming theory that researchers and events have now thoroughly discredited.

The fact is that electric prices are set to rise anyway. Caps on price rises have been in place in many areas since the 1990s. All the various governments have to do is remove the intervention, allow the free market to set the price, and take no action. Instead we will see both the price hikes and the taxes raised because the current left wingers are hell bent on revolutionizing the country and refuse to think through their actions.

Even Tip O'Neill, bugbear of Reagan era Republicans, would not advocate hurting average Americans to support a crackpot theory.

What will this bring, if all these plans are allowed to come into place? Eventually we will see our country transformed into the dull lackluster hues of George Orwell's 1984. Everyone exists at a certain standard, alive, but locked in one low standard of living. The government will follow you around in your car. Will we fight? Not if they can help it, because they will seize our weapons. Once they have our weapons, they will be free to do as they please, when they please. Medieval English kings understood that a government must remain accountable when the population is armed. Why don't some of us remember that?

It's time to remember our Founding Fathers. We do not need violence, but Americans conscious of their rights of all areas and parties must come together. It is time to remind the government who its employers are. People around the country need to keep assembling and demonstrating to their representatives how troubling these plans are. In 2006 we had a dynamic and powerful economy. Look what liberal Democratic control of Congress has done to our country. They won the vote, then kicked out the reasonable and experienced committee leaders, such as Senator Byrd and Joe Lieberman. This left only the most radical and dangerous in terms of their antipathy to the vision of the Founding fathers. It also follows the model of teh French and Bolshevik Revolution. Overthrow the system, then purge the moderates. All you have left are the radicals.

And they are not done yet. Not by a long shot.

Obama's Assault on the American People Continues: Coming Soon, Higher Electric Bills Courtesy of the Won

The Obama Administration continues to compete with the Democratic Congress to see who can damage the interests of the American people more.

Last week Congressional liberals wanted to put GPS trackers into the cars of every American.

Now, in harsh economic times, Obama wants to create a tax that will force every American's electric bill higher. It is designed to curb emissions and supposedly end global warming (a theory which the coldest winter in a generation should have disproved by now!)

Amazing. Making policy in accordance of a theory with little scientific evidence to back it, a theory that current events have disproved, Obama wants to ratchet up the misery index. He wants to make it more difficult for every American to heat and cool their homes.

Isn't it tough enough out there?

America. Had enough "change" yet?

Obama's insane Marxism will harm the poor, midle class, and rich alike.

Thanks Democrats!

Orwell Could Not Have Even Come Up With This One

In 1984, George Orwell's novel about an all encompassing police state, the government follows everything. It even has a thought police that attempts to control the very ideas that each person has. Inside each house is a camera through which speech and movements can be constantly watched.

At one point, however, the hero Winston manages to get out of the city alone to meet a girl. For once, he is alone and free of the watchful eye of the government.

Several states, federal transportation officials, and Congress have conceived of a plan to follow Americans around everywhere. A congressional panel recommended that all US cars be fitted with a GPS device that counts the mileage traveled by each vehicle. The plan is to tax drivers per mile.

Okay. Take the "Fairness Doctrine," sprinkle in the looming threat to gun rights, and stir in a healthy dose of federal oversight over each and every driver's comings and goings and tell me this: if the liberal left has its way, will Americans enjoy any freedoms or privacy? Did they ever learn the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence? Do they really want to turn the United States into an Orwellian nightmare?

Republicans have been accused by their opponents of not caring about the environment, the little guy, minorities, or anything else. Believe me, folks, when the government starts caring about you, IT IS A BAD THING!

Out of all of the crazy, nauseating proposals coming out of The Worst Congress in History, this is certainly the worst one. Tax every move I make and monitor me in the meantime?

Thankfully Barack Obama slammed the door shut on this idea in the strongest possible language, but we need to remember that the Nancy Pelosi Police State still looms as a possibility until the GOP gets control of Congress back.

We can do our part now. There are viable GOP candidates in the First Congressional District. Let us encourage at least one of them to start his or her organization now to raise funds and get people in place. The United States needs a Republican Congress more than ever. We need to send a message to Communists in San Francisco that this is our country and they cannot infringe upon our rights. They are ours by the grace of God, not something the government hands out like welfare.

If need be, we will fight for them.

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Boy has the country really done well since the Democrats seized Congress. Economic contraction, the NYSE at 1/2 of what it was when the GOP ran the show. Yes we deserved to lose in 2006, but man, did we have to lose to a group of Communist incompetents.

Throw another Law on the Barbie

In the movie "The Philadelphia Experiment" the destroyer USS Eldridge is part of an experiment to make warships invisible and everything goes wrong. Well maybe Delegate Jeff Eldridge (D-Lincoln) needs to become invisible, because he has gone all wrong.

Delegate Eldridge has proposed a bill to ban the sale of Barbie. Yes, Barbie, the Mattel doll that is turning 50 years old this year. The same doll that has taught generation of young girls they could strive for more. In 1965 Mattel introduced Astronaut Barbie years before real life women were accepted into NASA's Space Program. Barbie has worn the uniform our all branches of our armed services, competed in the Olympics and been part of the corporate world. While Barbie may just be a doll in the world of the imagination she has shown lots of young girls what they could be and many have gone on to achieve more than even Barbie, because they dare believe in themselves.

Now it has not been reported if Delegate Eldridge is going base his bill off another law. One law that I did find that was similar was passed by Saudi Arabia in 2003 in which Saudi's outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that she did not conform to the ideals of Islam. Perhaps the real reason for outlawing Barbie in West Virginia is because she is shown taking career paths that are unlikely to be available in our state because of the tax and legal structure that keeps us at 50th in the states rankings?

Delegate Eldridge should be introducing legislation to improve the economic conditions in West Virginia by putting in a business friendly tax structure and revamping our legal system to attract businesses to the state. Let's create the economic opportunity for the young girls in this state to actually have the jobs that Barbie shows them are available, so they don't have to leave the state to find those careers. Instead changing West Virginia for the better, what the delegate proposes is to take away the young girls dreams of being something better because his party is unwilling to offer it to the people of this state and they don't want the people to leave to find it.

Time to cut

My brother-in-law was just notified that the job he has held for 10+years is being outsourced. He monitors computer systems to verify that ATMs across the country have enough money in them at all times. My dad, who trains sales people, is being asked to present the value of his job. Corporate executive retirements are not being replaced, their positions are being consolidated amongst current employees.

I think our recession is more a question of the chicken and the egg. Wall street continues to fall, and companies are getting ready for the coming storm by trimming excess, even the lavish AIG meeting was targeted at finding ways to cut costs. So which is it, will Obama get elected because the economy is going into recession, or is the economy going into recession because Obama is in the lead? Obama and the Democrats are standing up and saying they are about to tax people beyond the point where it hurts. Going to spread the wealth. Not everyone will get taxed of course, but when they levy taxes on big corporations, where does that money come from? Price increases on the products that you buy.

Business owners are fairly savvy when it comes to matters such as this. Many smart business owners and executives understand the need to cut will be there. They understand that Obama may be offering a $3000 tax break for hiring a new full time staff person. However, in most professions, it takes more than that to train someone just to be productive. But when businesses stop hiring, or start cutting staff, the good folks in Washington will call them greedy, after all they were being given a "huge" tax break. The result will be more people getting paid for their votes than getting paid for actually working. That's how "spreading the wealth" works. Once more than 50% of the voting public no longer pays taxes, you can raise taxes all you want. Of course that ignores the economic damage that will occur, but you are safe in Washington and passing money back to over half the people, while the media just marches to whatever drumbeat you play.

If you are in favor of taxing people making over $250,000 (or is it $200,000 after the debate?), ask yourself how you think your life will be better if these "rich" people pay more in taxes. What do you think you will gain? More money goes to Washington, do you think that will be funneled back to you? What if your boss is taxed more forcing layoffs then the money goes to help fund poverty relief in Africa (Obama's one attempted accomplishment in the Senate). You are out of a job, but a dictator in a third world country gets to add another security guard to his detail. Not to mention that many people making over $250K are very intelligent, driven people, if their jobs are cut will you find yourself competing for your job with these people who are likely more qualified and experienced and now willing to work for less?

Clear Differences between Bob Williams and Gary Howell

The taxman cometh, The people goeth

The facts are all around us if you choose to look at them. John Adams said it best,”Facts are stubborn things and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Of the Potomac Highland Counties, Mineral has the highest tax levy rate and lost 0.2% in population in the 2005 census estimate, Hampshire County which has the lowest levy rate gained 9.0%. If not for Mineral County’s proximity to Allegany County, MD it would have been worse. Mineral is the lesser of those two evils.

Migration reflects the dissatisfaction of the populous with the policies of the local government. Those that don’t like the current policies with the means leave, those that like them arrive. With that migration comes a change in influence. As Hampshire County grows in population it will pull in more voters in its senate and house districts. This obviously will increase Hampshire County’s influence in Charleston, and Mineral County’s will wane.

The counties seeing a reduction in population are saddled with an increasing burden of providing services with a reduction of tax base. The tendency is for political pressure to increase taxes, as is the case in Mineral County. This increase tax will increase the rate of migration out of the county. This migration is higher with the better educated residents as their skill set is more easily transferred draining the local economy of its highest income earners.

With the facts in evidence a clear course of action emerges for sound growth, cut the taxes. A counties budget increases should be limited to a combination of inflation and population growth. This will keep tax rates low and encourage economic growth for the benefit of all residents.

The Governor Needs an Economics Class

Recently when pressed by a reporter on whether or not to put off an increase in the state gas tax until next year, Governor Manchin stated that state Republican leaders should ask their oil company "buddies" to hold off on their collection of profits.

This demonstrates a typical lack of understanding of the economic system. In times of shortage, prices must go up or we run out of a resource. Since the Democrats will not allow us to drill our own oil, we must rely upon uncertain supplies. Recently terrorists attacked oil facilities in Nigeria, causing a temporary drop in world supplies. This will not help prices at all. Since the Democrats will not ease regulatory burdens on refinery construction and will not help with the burden of fighting myriad frivolous lawsuits, we have not constructed a new refinery in thirty years. We must rely on refineries elsewhere built with inefficient (and more pollution producing) technology. We could be the largest producer of oil on the planet and control our own destiny. Liberals fear our nation enjoying such self-sufficiency and power.

Perhaps the governor does understand this, but wants to make nice with his new buddy Barrack Obama. He can't be seen showing up his new friend who has also shown blatant ignorance on this issue. If we had only listened to George W. Bush four years ago, we would not be in this mess now.

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Michael Steele's message to the state GOP convention, much like Shelley Moore Capito's in recent months, was refreshing. How often does one hear a politician saying that their party made mistakes? Steele, current chairman of GOPAC, talked at length about accountability and teh need to get back to basics. The ideals of the Contract With America, according to Steele, were forgotten by too many in Congress. That was why we lost. Certainly you cannot say that about every Republican congressman. Capito and many others never forgot the people.

Did we ever hear the Democrats saying such things while they were "out?" No, they simply assumed that the voters had been craftily tricked or that they lacked intelligence. The difference is that conservatives have more faith in the voters. If we lost their trust, we did something wrong and we need to earn it back. That is statesmanship fit for the greatest democratic republic in history, as opposed to the occasional arrogance demonstrated by the other side.

West Virginia’s High Fuel Tax is Reducing Fuel Tax Revenue

West Virginia has one of the highest fuel taxes in the nation. That tax adds 31.5¢ to each gallon of fuel we purchase within the state and that bad tax policy, like so many others Charleston has given us, is reducing our tax revenue.

Free market forces are doing exactly what they will always do. The price-conscious consumer searches for the lowest price, and they are increasingly finding that price across state lines. With much of West Virginia’s population located along the border in cities like Weirton, Parkersburg, Huntington, Bluefield, and others, it is easy for consumers to avoid the higher priced West Virginia fuel. Sometimes the choice for consumers is extremely easy with gas stations sitting on both sides of the border within sight of each other having up to an 18¢ difference in price on the same grade of fuel — the West Virginia station being the more expensive of the two. The state’s fuel tax is the biggest cause of the price difference.

These price-conscious West Virginians are voting to fill their tanks in other states, decreasing the amount of tax the state receives. At the same time they are giving a tax boost to the states of Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky when they pay that state’s fuel tax.

West Virginia funds its entire portion of highway construction and maintenance with taxes from fuel. A major component in highway maintenance is the petroleum based product; asphalt. The state’s equipment runs on diesel fuel and gasoline. All of these items are rising in price significantly right when the state’s poor tax policy is reducing the amount of funding the Department of Highways receives.

An opportunity for West Virginia lies in these high fuel prices, and we need to seize it. We must cut our fuel taxes now and get two great benefits. The first will be to West Virginia taxpayers who will see an immediate reduction in fuel cost providing much-needed relief. That lower fuel cost will free up consumers’ money to spend in other parts of our economy, causing long overdue growth in West Virginia.

The second benefit will come when the free market brings those price-conscious West Virginia consumers back to purchase the cheaper fuel. They will now begin to pay the West Virginia fuel tax instead of the fuel tax in the other states, but something else will happen as well. Price-conscious consumers living in the bordering states will begin to shop in West Virginia for fuel. Those from Ashland, KY, Marietta, OH, Cumberland, MD and other bordering communities will cross over the border, buy fuel here and pay West Virginia taxes instead of their home states, providing greater tax revenue for West Virginia.

Now is the time for West Virginia to make a significant cut in the fuel tax to help West Virginia taxpayers and consumers increase revenue to the WVDOH and boost our state’s economy. We need to put an end to the bad tax policies in West Virginia that are destroying our economy.

Wind Farm Windfall

Recently it was reported that Grant County earns over $500,000 per year in tax receipts from its wind energy operations. That number should skyrocket along with the number of turbines now in operation there. Last night, news reports out of Washington DC glowingly described how wind energy in Pennsylvania provided power for some suburban governments that want to gain the reputation of being environmentally friendly. Maryland's lieutenant governor spoke on television about the necessity of harnessing win, despite that state's recent decision to deny construction of new farms in western Maryland.

Some reports indicate that wind may help generate up to 20% of America's electric power needs in the future. This should not indicate that wind will replace coal. America's expanding energy market requires us to think beyond oil, especially since hybrid and electric car purchases will continue to skyrocket. Our electric power grid needs all the help it can get and coal will remain the backbone of that process. However, getting in on the ground floor of wind power will be like going back in time and buying a piece of Microsoft; it is an investment that will pay dividends for years.

Tuesday May 13th we voted on whether or not to pass an excess levy to supplement the tax money we get from our schools. Wouldn't it be better to increase the property tax base? Wind farms in Mineral County will help our environment, help create jobs, and help our schools.

The winds of change are blowing in counties around us. Time for Mineral to get on board.

What Are Mineral County's Priorities?

One of the biggest follies of government at any level lies in the fact that public officials often do not balance ends and means. This is a common mistake. Voters often demand changes that government cannot afford. Every small city needs more police to enforce traffic laws and curtail the drug traffic, but very few have the means to work towards that end. In an ideal world we can always find the money to do what we want. However government, business, and individuals often have to try and separate what they want from what they need.

This means setting priorities. What is most important to the people of Mineral County? Certainly a large rural county struggles to provide police protection. With only a limited number of state troopers, the county sheriff's department has a vast responsibility to serve the court and enforce the law. Mineral County's sheriff recently requested two new deputies. The county told them that only one could be funded. This occurred despite the fact that stolen property values in Mineral County jumped 158% between 2006 and 2007 to an amount well over $200,000. Education of local children remains a strong need. Outside of the schools, the county library system provides an alternative center for children and adults alike to broaden their minds. Relatively little money exists to support this important community institution.

However the county now proposes to hire new enforcement officers for the new decrepit building ordinance. There was some community demand to create an ordinance to address unsafe and unsightly conditions on various properties, although certainly it did not receive a groundswell of popular support. A law was created utilizing community input. Currently the two humane officers will be used to investigate complaints. However the decision to hire a new officer to enforce the law is an expense our county cannot afford. It seems to anticipate an extraordinary number of complaints. Do that many people seek to inconvenience their neighbors in this county? I doubt it. The county should start with the resources it has. If the complaints rise above a certain level, then by all means hire someone else. Just wait and see if it is necessary.

We ought to all be concerned about these added expenses. Folks, it is our money they are spending. Tens of thousands of dollars for a special school levy election that failed is another example. They could have piggy-backed it on the regular elections this year. Last fall it was proposed that an extremely expensive study be undertaken to explore whether or not the county has almost run out of water. Luckily Mother Nature has undertaken in the last few months to even out her dry weather with wet. Hopefully this idea has been forgotten.

Government all too often allows its ends to outstrip its means. This usually results in important issues, such as police protection, taking a backseat to issues that should be less of a priority. I would much rather have more deputies patrolling the dangerous roads of Mineral County, deterring reckless driving. I would also love to see our library be able to expand its programs to reach more children. I just don't see how various half-collapsed barns and front porches full of odds and ends warrant such a high expenditure of the people's money. The growing problem of stolen property hurts Mineral County worse than decrepit or messy structures.

Start small and work your way up. The worst case scenario is hiring additional enforcement officers and have them collecting paychecks with nothing to do while we pay higher and higher taxes.