West Virginia, in land area, is one of the smallest states in the union. Yet, it has a fairly large number of counties, 55.
Most states with large areas of sparse population have fewer counties. California, much larger than West Virginia in both geographic and population size, has 57 counties. West Virginia, however, formed nearly all of its counties before railroads started extending into every nook and cranny of the state seeking to extract timber and coal. The ridges and hills, valleys and hollows, dictated that local government be granted a relatively small space in underpopulated areas.
Two counties, Mineral and Grant, cleaved off of their mother counties (Hampshire and Hardy respectively.) They feared that returning Confederates would seize local government and tyrannize these Union supporting and Republican dominated areas.
So let's do a fun exercise. Let's get the number of West Virginia counties down to 30, while trying to not do anything outrageous. This includes imposing unnecessary travel burdens to the county seat, gerrymandering one politically dominant area into another, creating megacounties, etc.
Here are the counties which we will eliminate, as well as where we will put them and why:
Fold Hancock and Brooke counties into Ohio.
Rationale: All of these counties are tied to the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. They have similar problems and possibilities.
Fold Wetzel and Tyler into Marshall:
Rationale: All Ohio River counties with similar terrain. Marshall gets to keep the name because he was more historically prominent.
Pleasants, Ritchie, and Doddridge combine to form a single county.
Rationale: Again, similarities of terrain, population. Pick a name from West Virginia history (not Byrd) to adorn this county. None of the three names stands out as more important than the other.
Fold Wirt into Wood
Rationale: No brainer. Wirt is part of Parkersburg's metropolitian area
Taylor should join Marion County.
Rationale: Two counties are connected by US 250. While Taylor and Harrison are connected by a better highway, (US 50) Harrison already has two decent sized cities.
Tucker and Preston counties unite
Rationale: This creates a county of monstrous geographical size (for West Virginia, anyway) but neither county has a large population. A legislative district straddles the two counties anyway. Plus, they have similar interests in timber, extractive industries, and tourism.
Fold Gilmer into Lewis County, Calhoun into Roane
Rationale: A number of counties in the middle of the state have small size, sparse population, but sit astride important highways. This grouping reduces the number of counties as much as possible while keeping the US 33 counties together. A vice president and senator normally deserves to keep the county name over a Virginia judge, but Calhoun was a strident defender of slavery. Gilmer versus Lewis? Pick 'em.
Combine Braxton and Clay
Rationale: Interstate 79 corridor. Clay, a secretary of state, gets the nod.
Combine Monroe, Summers, and Mercer
Rationale: Again, similar area with similar terrain and issues. Monroe is a president, but George Summers was a prominent western Virginian.
Partition Mingo County
Rationale: First thought was getting rid of Wyoming County through partitioning by its neighbors. But looking at its terrain and roads, it's hard to make sensible choices out of where to put what parts of the county. Mingo may be the only county eliminated in part because of its inability to sensibly govern itself. Like Poland in the 1700s, government lapsed into constant turmoil. Wayne, Logan, Wyoming, and McDowell could share the spoils.
Some counties escape the process. Morgan County exists between two gigantic walls that keep it from sensibly combining with Berkeley or Hampshire. Yes, Jefferson sticks out at the end of the state from Berkeley. But Berkeley is staunchly Republican and Jefferson is smaller, but just as staunchly Democratic. Not really fair to fold Jefferson into GOP rule like that, especially since it still grows.
So this is just a proposal made half in fun and half in real consideration of what could be done. County consolidation likely will never happen. Too many traditions, vested interests, and county jobs at stake, even though it makes more sense for the taxpayer.
Showing posts with label West Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Virginia. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
West Virginia: The Happiest State In the Union
Last week, the National Journal ran the latest in a series of pieces from a number of different outlets listing the Mountain State as the most depressed, least happy, generally completely bummed out state in America.
Some of this comes from the general problems West Virginia shares with many areas. Unemployment, uncertainty about the future, a federal government contriving night and day to zap productive coal mines and farms from existence.
But others come from cultural misunderstandings. Lifestyle choices, such as eating, drinking, and smoking, have little to do with actual happiness. Yet physical health is factored into "happiness" analysis. It is just as likely, if not more so, that West Virginians and others are not as hung up on obesity as those who live in the suburbs and write for National Journal. West Virginians have a healthier and more realistic appraisal of body image and a lot of other things.
Cultural differences matter. Appraising happiness in every state by the same criteria is a basic flaw in every such study. Like when Vermont researchers concluded Texans are the least happy because they swear a lot in social media. More often, the Texan is unhappy if he is not swearing.
Anyway, some reasons why West Virginia is the happiest state.
Centennial Golden Trout
The streets are not paved with gold. You can't even dig it out of the ground. But you can catch a real live slice of gold, or several other tasty species of fish, from most of the state's beautiful streams.
Make a Joyful Noise . . .
Almost every town of any size has a festival between March and November. Pictured here is some joyful noise being made at the Augusta festival in Elkins. One can also get joyful food, joyfully noisy parades, joyful boat races, joyful buckwheat cakes, and joyful crafts at one or more of these fun community get togethers.
. . . and, of course, patriotic
West Virginia has the largest small town 4th of July celebration in the world centered in Ripley. It stands to reason that the Mountain State loves America. It sends more men and women per capita into the U. S. armed forces than any other state.
Safe
West Virginia's near nationally low levels of property and violent crime co exist with near nationally high levels of gun ownership. Hmmmmmm.
Foooooooooooood!
West Virginia usually tops out lists of least healthy eaters, most overweight people. That is not indicative of happiness outside of narrow classes of people who fret about their weight. No study has been done, but West Virginians have a different ideal of body image and physical attractiveness than those who make up these studies. Mountain State women tend to prefer bigger men and men prefer curvier women.
Look at the culture. Cultural influences of West Virginia come from the American frontier, as well as German and Italian peasants. Without stacks of cash lying about to pay for more refined diversions, most people entertained themselves and others with food. Frontier people, Germans, and Italians know, if nothing else, how to turn a little into a lot. Those cultural ideals of entertainment and hospitality have come down to the 21st century.
And, finally, West Virginia makes some of the best victuals around. Charleston and its suburbs are a breakfast mecca, sporting Tudor's and Shoney's. Northern West Virginia and Keyser's Italian fare rivals any city in the nation for taste and beats nearly all for affordability.
This is why country people don't always eat right or look like stick figures.
The boys of fall (and winter, spring, and summer!)
Everything from pee wee football and T ball to major college football at two ends of the state. Winning makes us happy. Even in losses, we can be proud of their hard work and effort.
Water, water, everywhere . . .
Most people love to be on the water. Fishing, swimming, sitting on a boat, running a jet ski way too fast. Everyone loves something a little different about the water. In West Virginia, unless you want salt water, you're in luck. Rushing shallow rivers, placid lakes, rivers long and deep enough for afternoon cruises, the Mountain State can make any fresh water aficionado happy!
History class is open
No one claims to like history class, but most people love history in some way. West Virginia has historical sites that are entertaining and informative. Above is Harpers Ferry, set in the drop dead beautiful confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Everything in town, except automobiles, electric, and the US 340 bridge, looks like it did in 1859 when John Brown launched his raid. The state also has museums, cultural centers, replicas of forts built over 200 years ago and more.
And this
Inside and out, one of the most beautiful buildings you will ever see, Forget the shenanigans that happen inside of it for a moment and consider just what a marvel it is.
And finally this little guy
He is wondering why anyone would think that a state that he represents would be the most bummed out.
Some of this comes from the general problems West Virginia shares with many areas. Unemployment, uncertainty about the future, a federal government contriving night and day to zap productive coal mines and farms from existence.
But others come from cultural misunderstandings. Lifestyle choices, such as eating, drinking, and smoking, have little to do with actual happiness. Yet physical health is factored into "happiness" analysis. It is just as likely, if not more so, that West Virginians and others are not as hung up on obesity as those who live in the suburbs and write for National Journal. West Virginians have a healthier and more realistic appraisal of body image and a lot of other things.
Cultural differences matter. Appraising happiness in every state by the same criteria is a basic flaw in every such study. Like when Vermont researchers concluded Texans are the least happy because they swear a lot in social media. More often, the Texan is unhappy if he is not swearing.
Anyway, some reasons why West Virginia is the happiest state.
Centennial Golden Trout
The streets are not paved with gold. You can't even dig it out of the ground. But you can catch a real live slice of gold, or several other tasty species of fish, from most of the state's beautiful streams.
Make a Joyful Noise . . .
Almost every town of any size has a festival between March and November. Pictured here is some joyful noise being made at the Augusta festival in Elkins. One can also get joyful food, joyfully noisy parades, joyful boat races, joyful buckwheat cakes, and joyful crafts at one or more of these fun community get togethers.
. . . and, of course, patriotic
West Virginia has the largest small town 4th of July celebration in the world centered in Ripley. It stands to reason that the Mountain State loves America. It sends more men and women per capita into the U. S. armed forces than any other state.
Safe
West Virginia's near nationally low levels of property and violent crime co exist with near nationally high levels of gun ownership. Hmmmmmm.
Foooooooooooood!
West Virginia usually tops out lists of least healthy eaters, most overweight people. That is not indicative of happiness outside of narrow classes of people who fret about their weight. No study has been done, but West Virginians have a different ideal of body image and physical attractiveness than those who make up these studies. Mountain State women tend to prefer bigger men and men prefer curvier women.
Look at the culture. Cultural influences of West Virginia come from the American frontier, as well as German and Italian peasants. Without stacks of cash lying about to pay for more refined diversions, most people entertained themselves and others with food. Frontier people, Germans, and Italians know, if nothing else, how to turn a little into a lot. Those cultural ideals of entertainment and hospitality have come down to the 21st century.
And, finally, West Virginia makes some of the best victuals around. Charleston and its suburbs are a breakfast mecca, sporting Tudor's and Shoney's. Northern West Virginia and Keyser's Italian fare rivals any city in the nation for taste and beats nearly all for affordability.
This is why country people don't always eat right or look like stick figures.
The boys of fall (and winter, spring, and summer!)
Everything from pee wee football and T ball to major college football at two ends of the state. Winning makes us happy. Even in losses, we can be proud of their hard work and effort.
Water, water, everywhere . . .
Most people love to be on the water. Fishing, swimming, sitting on a boat, running a jet ski way too fast. Everyone loves something a little different about the water. In West Virginia, unless you want salt water, you're in luck. Rushing shallow rivers, placid lakes, rivers long and deep enough for afternoon cruises, the Mountain State can make any fresh water aficionado happy!
History class is open
No one claims to like history class, but most people love history in some way. West Virginia has historical sites that are entertaining and informative. Above is Harpers Ferry, set in the drop dead beautiful confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Everything in town, except automobiles, electric, and the US 340 bridge, looks like it did in 1859 when John Brown launched his raid. The state also has museums, cultural centers, replicas of forts built over 200 years ago and more.
And this
Inside and out, one of the most beautiful buildings you will ever see, Forget the shenanigans that happen inside of it for a moment and consider just what a marvel it is.
And finally this little guy
He is wondering why anyone would think that a state that he represents would be the most bummed out.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
West Va. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio: Symbols of Division
http://www.wvva.com/story/24400444/2014/01/08/transcript-of-gov-tomblins-state-of-the-state-address
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/nyregion/complete-text-of-bill-de-blasios-inauguration-speech.html?_r=0
Above are links to the State of the State Address of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City. Read the two addresses. They seem to come from men of different countries, cultures, and traditions. Hard to believe that these come from men of the same political party in similar roles, in the same country.
Governor Tomblin proudly touted a record of avoiding tax increases, holding the line on spending, and building up a near $1 billion rainy day fund. He noted the soon to be developed factories in the state that would create coal and natural gas by products. Tomblin promised to hold schools accountable and promised modest raises for teachers. Shout outs to veterans and the Boy Scouts of America punctuated his relatively short talk that was built around gardening metaphors.
Bill de Blasio comes from the wing of the Democratic Party that thinks the EPA had better monitor one's gardening. He praises Sandinistas, not fiscal conservatism. He fights to gobble up more wealth from the most heavily taxed producers in the nation. He picks fights with horse drawn carriages instead of teacher unions wary of school ratings.
Governor Tomblin is a relic. He is a Democrat, there is no doubt of that. Tomblin approved the federally encouraged expansion of Medicaid. This is expected to hit the budget hard, but his administration plans to make cuts in other areas to face the shortfall. Regulations and tort problems still bedevil development, but Tomblin's wing of the state party understands that social programs need a productive private sector to function.
He also comes from the old school. The Mingo County politics of his youth functioned a lot like the old Tammany and Daley metropolitan machines. They directly rewarded those who supported them, usually illegally. But they also understood the common man. They knew he needed cheap food, cheap energy, decent housing, and a decent job. And that a good economy could make that happen. Old time Democrats had a lot of flaws, but they believed in their country and in many institutions, like the Boy Scouts, that helped to make it great. Tomblin is not corrupt, but he does still embrace a pragmatic approach. Cato in 2011 gave him the same rating as the GOP governor of Virginia for fiscal responsibility.
Contrasts between Tomblin and de Blasio illustrate how much the national Democratic Party has changed. It moved in the direction of federal control over not only state and business, but also individual life decisions. They rely on bureaucrats, lawyers, and businesses that benefit from the Byzantine system of regulations and controls. They have an idea of the way it ought to be, and that way leads to the regimentation of the daily lives of everyone along certain lines. To keep us from self-inflicted wounds, or what they would perceive to be wounds.
Has the Republican Party changed? Certainly. It abandoned unquestioning support of big business. It now has a robust discussion within its ranks about pot legalization and gay marriage. It has embraced more tightly than so-called liberals the basic philosophy of the Earl Warren Court that it once hated and feared (conservative publications have made a cottage industry out of reporting police abuses.) The party of small government in the past seven years has worked to make itself more consistent. And on almost every issue it has moved more toward the freedom of the individual rather than diminishing liberty.
Looking at the addresses of the two Democrats, considering the drift of both parties, it is clear that a broad divide exists in the United States. We are a house divided again between liberty and control. We have two cultures that have no common foundation, and, at risk of being overly repetitive, these divides even exist within the Democratic Party itself!
Even in West Virginia, Democrats like Tomblin are a dying breed. Moderate and pragmatic Democratic voters abandon the party for independence or the GOP. Tearing oneself away from family and community traditions is hard, but so is stomaching what national Democrats have done to jobs and industry in the state. Eventually a left wing rump will remain after the defections are over. It will be more loud and shrill, but less effective in influencing the state.
Perhaps the disastrous Obamacare rollout will enable what is left of the Democratic moderates to regain control. Or it may drive them to more extreme dreams of control. Only time will tell
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/nyregion/complete-text-of-bill-de-blasios-inauguration-speech.html?_r=0
Above are links to the State of the State Address of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City. Read the two addresses. They seem to come from men of different countries, cultures, and traditions. Hard to believe that these come from men of the same political party in similar roles, in the same country.
Governor Tomblin proudly touted a record of avoiding tax increases, holding the line on spending, and building up a near $1 billion rainy day fund. He noted the soon to be developed factories in the state that would create coal and natural gas by products. Tomblin promised to hold schools accountable and promised modest raises for teachers. Shout outs to veterans and the Boy Scouts of America punctuated his relatively short talk that was built around gardening metaphors.
Bill de Blasio comes from the wing of the Democratic Party that thinks the EPA had better monitor one's gardening. He praises Sandinistas, not fiscal conservatism. He fights to gobble up more wealth from the most heavily taxed producers in the nation. He picks fights with horse drawn carriages instead of teacher unions wary of school ratings.
Governor Tomblin is a relic. He is a Democrat, there is no doubt of that. Tomblin approved the federally encouraged expansion of Medicaid. This is expected to hit the budget hard, but his administration plans to make cuts in other areas to face the shortfall. Regulations and tort problems still bedevil development, but Tomblin's wing of the state party understands that social programs need a productive private sector to function.
He also comes from the old school. The Mingo County politics of his youth functioned a lot like the old Tammany and Daley metropolitan machines. They directly rewarded those who supported them, usually illegally. But they also understood the common man. They knew he needed cheap food, cheap energy, decent housing, and a decent job. And that a good economy could make that happen. Old time Democrats had a lot of flaws, but they believed in their country and in many institutions, like the Boy Scouts, that helped to make it great. Tomblin is not corrupt, but he does still embrace a pragmatic approach. Cato in 2011 gave him the same rating as the GOP governor of Virginia for fiscal responsibility.
Contrasts between Tomblin and de Blasio illustrate how much the national Democratic Party has changed. It moved in the direction of federal control over not only state and business, but also individual life decisions. They rely on bureaucrats, lawyers, and businesses that benefit from the Byzantine system of regulations and controls. They have an idea of the way it ought to be, and that way leads to the regimentation of the daily lives of everyone along certain lines. To keep us from self-inflicted wounds, or what they would perceive to be wounds.
Has the Republican Party changed? Certainly. It abandoned unquestioning support of big business. It now has a robust discussion within its ranks about pot legalization and gay marriage. It has embraced more tightly than so-called liberals the basic philosophy of the Earl Warren Court that it once hated and feared (conservative publications have made a cottage industry out of reporting police abuses.) The party of small government in the past seven years has worked to make itself more consistent. And on almost every issue it has moved more toward the freedom of the individual rather than diminishing liberty.
Looking at the addresses of the two Democrats, considering the drift of both parties, it is clear that a broad divide exists in the United States. We are a house divided again between liberty and control. We have two cultures that have no common foundation, and, at risk of being overly repetitive, these divides even exist within the Democratic Party itself!
Even in West Virginia, Democrats like Tomblin are a dying breed. Moderate and pragmatic Democratic voters abandon the party for independence or the GOP. Tearing oneself away from family and community traditions is hard, but so is stomaching what national Democrats have done to jobs and industry in the state. Eventually a left wing rump will remain after the defections are over. It will be more loud and shrill, but less effective in influencing the state.
Perhaps the disastrous Obamacare rollout will enable what is left of the Democratic moderates to regain control. Or it may drive them to more extreme dreams of control. Only time will tell
Thursday, December 12, 2013
West Virginia's Sole Obamacare Provider Has 1/20th Expected Participation Rate
Is Obamacare collapsing? West Virginia may be a part of its demise.
The state's Democratically dominated executive and legislative branches enthusiastically signed on for the Obamacare exchange plan. Only one provider, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, is available.
West Virginia Metro News reports that only 1,200 of the expected 20-25,000 participants have been registered. They also have concerns that not enough healthy and young people are interested in the program.
Obamacare's success hinges on young people paying out more and using less care. Many have chosen to take the tax penalty rather than pay for insurance they do not think they will need.
Some conservatives fear that Obamacare collapse was not only predictable, but planned. They believe that the ultimate goal is a nationalized health care system with mediocre care for the masses and high quality only available for those who can pay in cash. It is unlikely, however, that voters will trust the same people who bungled Obamacare to make further drastic changes.
House Republicans have offered to meet with the president to discuss solutions, according to The Hill. The White House has, thus far, brushed them off.
The state's Democratically dominated executive and legislative branches enthusiastically signed on for the Obamacare exchange plan. Only one provider, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, is available.
West Virginia Metro News reports that only 1,200 of the expected 20-25,000 participants have been registered. They also have concerns that not enough healthy and young people are interested in the program.
Obamacare's success hinges on young people paying out more and using less care. Many have chosen to take the tax penalty rather than pay for insurance they do not think they will need.
Some conservatives fear that Obamacare collapse was not only predictable, but planned. They believe that the ultimate goal is a nationalized health care system with mediocre care for the masses and high quality only available for those who can pay in cash. It is unlikely, however, that voters will trust the same people who bungled Obamacare to make further drastic changes.
House Republicans have offered to meet with the president to discuss solutions, according to The Hill. The White House has, thus far, brushed them off.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Maryland's Mini Secession Movement: Freedom, Dollars, and Common Sense
Across the country, secession movements have served as the face of frustration for rural residents. States dominated by urban and suburban elites continue to rile countryside conservatives. In an increasing number of states, counties have considered secession as the answer.
Active movements have sprouted in Northern California, Colorado, Michigan, and now Maryland.
According to Fox News, many of the complaints are the same. Residents chafe under onerous restrictions on land that hurt farmers. They also oppose gun control laws backed by suburbanites.
Some Marylanders already made the decision to secede as individuals. Most prominently, former Maryland state senator and Republican Party chair Alex Mooney crossed the Potomac from Frederick County to Charles Town, West Virginia. His run for Congress puts a face on the long trend of Maryland counties losing opportunities to competition south of the Potomac.
A study of West Virginia and bordering Maryland counties using numbers from the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns data shows Mountain State counties faring better even with poorer infrastructure.
For example, Maryland's Allegany County, centered around Cumberland, had 1,847 private sector business establishments employing 25,136 in 2000. By 2011, 1,647 employed 24,485. Neighboring Mineral County saw some jumps. In 2000, 480 establishments employed exactly 5,000 workers. Eleven years later, the number of businesses dropped to 452, but the number of workers shot up to 6,445.
The numbers from Mineral County are still stagnant in many ways. That area however, unlike Allegany, does not benefit from an interstate or any other four lane highway bisecting it.
Differences also emerge between Washington County, Maryland (surrounding Hagerstown), and Berkeley County, West Virginia. Between 2000 and 2011, Washington County lost almost 3,000 workers while Berkeley added over a thousand. Between 1990 and 2010, Washington County's population increased by around 25 percent while Berkeley's shot up by a little over 40 percent.
Washington County should benefit from the intersection of Interstates 70 and 81, two of the most traveled in the Eastern United States. While Berkeley County has an excellent transportation infrastructure as well as Interstate 81, it is more beneficial to local travel.
Speculation that Marylanders may be seeking better opportunities and a way of life across the border would be tough to prove without further study. The Mercatus Center's Freedom In the Fifty States Study shows little difference between West Virginia's overall rank of 44 and Maryland's of 42. The study applauds West Virginia's ranking of ninth on personal freedoms, while Maryland hovers near the bottom among the least free societies in the United States.
Individuals abandoning their native states in search of better economic and social opportunities has helped to define the history of the nation. But the 21st century wrinkle of seeking out areas friendlier to beliefs about government and freedom are playing out in interesting and unpredictable ways.
At any rate the Potomac Valley counties of West Virginia, despite handicaps from inferior infrastructure and a system unfriendly to business, outperform their Maryland counterparts.
Less freedom, fewer opportunities. No wonder western Marylanders have given up on Annapolis. Time for those in Charleston to wake up and take advantage.
Active movements have sprouted in Northern California, Colorado, Michigan, and now Maryland.
According to Fox News, many of the complaints are the same. Residents chafe under onerous restrictions on land that hurt farmers. They also oppose gun control laws backed by suburbanites.
Some Marylanders already made the decision to secede as individuals. Most prominently, former Maryland state senator and Republican Party chair Alex Mooney crossed the Potomac from Frederick County to Charles Town, West Virginia. His run for Congress puts a face on the long trend of Maryland counties losing opportunities to competition south of the Potomac.
A study of West Virginia and bordering Maryland counties using numbers from the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns data shows Mountain State counties faring better even with poorer infrastructure.
For example, Maryland's Allegany County, centered around Cumberland, had 1,847 private sector business establishments employing 25,136 in 2000. By 2011, 1,647 employed 24,485. Neighboring Mineral County saw some jumps. In 2000, 480 establishments employed exactly 5,000 workers. Eleven years later, the number of businesses dropped to 452, but the number of workers shot up to 6,445.
The numbers from Mineral County are still stagnant in many ways. That area however, unlike Allegany, does not benefit from an interstate or any other four lane highway bisecting it.
Differences also emerge between Washington County, Maryland (surrounding Hagerstown), and Berkeley County, West Virginia. Between 2000 and 2011, Washington County lost almost 3,000 workers while Berkeley added over a thousand. Between 1990 and 2010, Washington County's population increased by around 25 percent while Berkeley's shot up by a little over 40 percent.
Washington County should benefit from the intersection of Interstates 70 and 81, two of the most traveled in the Eastern United States. While Berkeley County has an excellent transportation infrastructure as well as Interstate 81, it is more beneficial to local travel.
Speculation that Marylanders may be seeking better opportunities and a way of life across the border would be tough to prove without further study. The Mercatus Center's Freedom In the Fifty States Study shows little difference between West Virginia's overall rank of 44 and Maryland's of 42. The study applauds West Virginia's ranking of ninth on personal freedoms, while Maryland hovers near the bottom among the least free societies in the United States.
Individuals abandoning their native states in search of better economic and social opportunities has helped to define the history of the nation. But the 21st century wrinkle of seeking out areas friendlier to beliefs about government and freedom are playing out in interesting and unpredictable ways.
At any rate the Potomac Valley counties of West Virginia, despite handicaps from inferior infrastructure and a system unfriendly to business, outperform their Maryland counterparts.
Less freedom, fewer opportunities. No wonder western Marylanders have given up on Annapolis. Time for those in Charleston to wake up and take advantage.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Was West Virginia a Victim of the Free Market?
And now a rare first person commentary!
I have wrestled with the idea of the "robber baron" theory of West Virginia economic development since I was in college. Historians such as John Alexander Williams taught for decades that a once pristine and functional society fell victim to greedy and rapacious seizers of land and resources. They squeezed the land and people dry of wealth, then abandoned the state for greener pastures in the 20th century. This left the state with little to show for the sacrifices made.
Taking another look at this time is vital. Historians and the books they write almost uniformly blame the free market for all the evils that took place. This mainly comes from the fact that many of them fail to see that a truly competitive free market defended by rule of law is not synonymous with doing business. Many of the abuses done by business and described by historians are the opposite of the free market.
Williams grafted a colonial-periphery theory from studies of the Third World. In his explanation, West Virginia was a "colony" of New York based business interests. They recruited and used a comprador class of local lawyers and other professionals to advance their interests and to get the people behind them. This theory, advanced by many, portrays a naïve population duped, used, and left behind. They made little intellectual contribution, so they bear little responsibility.
Others, such as West Virginia University's Ron Lewis, have described more moderate ideas that do not reduce either the businessmen nor the state's people to caricatures. Lewis' works focus as much on the environmental sacrifices as well as the social and economic ones.
One cannot argue away the fact that West Virginia's environment was drastically changed by industrialization. Lewis in Transformation of the Appalachian Countryside describes how practices of getting timber to market caused eroded hillsides, made vast areas more vulnerable to both floods and fire, and annihilated river life. He also points out that the clear cutting actually worked to the economic detriment of the logging companies because the land could not renew its forests quickly.
So there was environmental sacrifice on the same lines as the rest of a country untutored in best practices. Interestingly, the example of West Virginia and other Appalachian states (clear cutting removed almost all of the virgin forest in the region) showed the resiliency of the environment instead of the fragility. Forests and streams rebounded fairly quickly.
And the environmental impact did not start with the Industrial Revolution, either. Traveling writer Anne Royall described the stripping of forests around the Kanawha Valley salt works in the first decade of the 19th century. She talked about the ugly, stump ridden hillsides and the black smoke hanging in the air. Before the salt industry, Indians and frontier farmers used rather wasteful methods to remove trees, farm a plot until the land wore out, then move on.
The crux of the economic argument discussed by historians (but rebutted by economists such as Russ Sobel) is that wealth was "stolen" from West Virginia.
Did greed and hatred for humanity cause businessmen to swindle the people from their land, then force them into unhealthy jobs that paid nothing? And did the state get nothing in return?
The record is mixed. Some focus on the amount of money paid to landowners for their property. Owners received a pittance compared to the value of resources removed. In many cases, this is true. The true market value of land isolated from centers of transportation and unsuitable for farming was very low. Company agents looking for coal lands offered market value. Some recognized the eagerness in the eyes of the agents and negotiated for more. Others savored the idea of getting more cash than they had likely ever seen in their lives for what they thought was worth very little and took the offer without question or counterproposal.
But other owners refused to sell. Companies then brought in the lawyers. Land claims in the mountains of what was once Virginia were a tangled mess. People established claims with boundaries marked by trees or moss covered rocks, laid out in paces. Different land offices granted the same land to separate people. Residents lived on the land they thought was theirs. Companies in Philadelphia, New York, and elsewhere bought competing claims.
So naturally many cases ended up in court. With no clear ownership of the land established, judges had to fall back on legal principle. Here is yet another example where government meddling in the private sector creates social problems. Before the Industrial Revolution, courts in Western Virginia used natural rights and common law principles. The rights of the individual were more important than those of collective society. With all else equal, a court would usually use the maxim "possession is 9/10 of the law." The person living on the land, all else being equal, gets to keep the land.
After industrialism took hold, courts moved to a collectivist social justice approach. The maxim now was to advance the common good. In any era, the common good is usually defined by entities trying to take resources from the less powerful individual for some other purpose. Collectivism was on the side of big business. So instead of advising the companies to make better offers or go elsewhere, courts ruled in favor of the companies "for the common good."
The common good was also supposedly advanced by a law allowing railroads to be built without permission on private land if the owners did not notice the construction of the rail line.
Common good arguments are just as nefarious when done in favor of modern causes as they were when done to advance crony capitalist interests. Every time used, the common good argument hurts the common individual man. They are rarely appropriate in a free society, even if the common good is advanced.
And the common good did advance. It could have advanced just as far, if not farther, had the rights of individuals remained respected. But advance, it did. Railroads connected most towns and county seats. Mind you, sometimes the county seats were moved by force to the rail lines in some cases. But it happened.
Satellite industries grew up around timber and coal extraction. Paper mills, coke ovens, glassware, and other products were churned out of towns and cities across the state. Trains and river traffic carried products to domestic markets and port cities. The free public school system advanced farther and faster after the Civil War than nearly anywhere else south of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers.
At the time of the industrial revolution, dredged rivers, expanding rail networks, and establishment of free schools were all marks of progress. West Virginia got those and a government weather station.
The argument that naïve or greedy natives sold out to big city interests falls flat. Henry Gassaway Davis of Piedmont was a mover in politics and business, not one who was moved. Elkins, who politically advised presidents and would-be presidents, chose to move to the state. Johnson Camden did sell out his oil and gas interests to John Rockefeller in a Godfather-like "offer you can't refuse." But that was under pressure of riches or ruin and was the aberration instead of the rule.
Employment of the people also created a mixed result. Abuses did happen, particularly in the southern counties. Some companies took advantage of the isolation, using debt and low wages to create near serfdom style conditions in company towns. The company owned the houses, stores, schools, and even churches. Running afoul of the company meant a blacklisting from almost any job in the region.
Again, government and business worked too closely in unison in these areas. Many sheriff's deputies worked double duty as law enforcement and company guards. Law enforcement broke up the free association of union organizers and workers while also intimidating journalists. The stifling hand of government allied with business perpetuated these abuses. It is a sin of business, but not one of the free market.
On the other hand, those now working for cash money had more access to the benefits of industrialism. Historians bemoan the move from self-sufficiency to the market economy. But they do not consider the price of items compared to the value of the time spent in making them oneself. Factory made clothes could be bought for cash earned in less time than it took mom or grandma to make homespun. Food was cheaper when considered in this way. People also had access to medicine, newspapers, and other products rarely seen in some areas prior to the coming of industrialization. Standards of living rose for most people.
Of course the downside lay in the fact that a cash paying job provided less security. What happened to people laid off, too old, or too injured to work was a real social problem.
Overall, it is hard to see how one could find that business as a collective whole abused or stole from the state and people of West Virginia. Then, as before and later, individual malefactors took advantage of people and the laxity of the laws. But they do as much or more harm now by lobbying to use the power of government to eliminate competitors, or infringe on the rights of the people.
Revisiting the interpretation of industrial history in West Virginia is necessary. The perceived sins of the past are used against those trying to develop for the future. We have all been raised to wrongly blame the free market system when many of the real problems stemmed from government help. Except for the environmental destruction, which a more educated society and legal system has addressed adequately, the free market ideal is just not responsible
The lesson of West Virginia's past is not that the free market failed, it is that the failure to maintain a free market hurt the people.
I have wrestled with the idea of the "robber baron" theory of West Virginia economic development since I was in college. Historians such as John Alexander Williams taught for decades that a once pristine and functional society fell victim to greedy and rapacious seizers of land and resources. They squeezed the land and people dry of wealth, then abandoned the state for greener pastures in the 20th century. This left the state with little to show for the sacrifices made.
Taking another look at this time is vital. Historians and the books they write almost uniformly blame the free market for all the evils that took place. This mainly comes from the fact that many of them fail to see that a truly competitive free market defended by rule of law is not synonymous with doing business. Many of the abuses done by business and described by historians are the opposite of the free market.
Williams grafted a colonial-periphery theory from studies of the Third World. In his explanation, West Virginia was a "colony" of New York based business interests. They recruited and used a comprador class of local lawyers and other professionals to advance their interests and to get the people behind them. This theory, advanced by many, portrays a naïve population duped, used, and left behind. They made little intellectual contribution, so they bear little responsibility.
Others, such as West Virginia University's Ron Lewis, have described more moderate ideas that do not reduce either the businessmen nor the state's people to caricatures. Lewis' works focus as much on the environmental sacrifices as well as the social and economic ones.
One cannot argue away the fact that West Virginia's environment was drastically changed by industrialization. Lewis in Transformation of the Appalachian Countryside describes how practices of getting timber to market caused eroded hillsides, made vast areas more vulnerable to both floods and fire, and annihilated river life. He also points out that the clear cutting actually worked to the economic detriment of the logging companies because the land could not renew its forests quickly.
So there was environmental sacrifice on the same lines as the rest of a country untutored in best practices. Interestingly, the example of West Virginia and other Appalachian states (clear cutting removed almost all of the virgin forest in the region) showed the resiliency of the environment instead of the fragility. Forests and streams rebounded fairly quickly.
And the environmental impact did not start with the Industrial Revolution, either. Traveling writer Anne Royall described the stripping of forests around the Kanawha Valley salt works in the first decade of the 19th century. She talked about the ugly, stump ridden hillsides and the black smoke hanging in the air. Before the salt industry, Indians and frontier farmers used rather wasteful methods to remove trees, farm a plot until the land wore out, then move on.
The crux of the economic argument discussed by historians (but rebutted by economists such as Russ Sobel) is that wealth was "stolen" from West Virginia.
Did greed and hatred for humanity cause businessmen to swindle the people from their land, then force them into unhealthy jobs that paid nothing? And did the state get nothing in return?
The record is mixed. Some focus on the amount of money paid to landowners for their property. Owners received a pittance compared to the value of resources removed. In many cases, this is true. The true market value of land isolated from centers of transportation and unsuitable for farming was very low. Company agents looking for coal lands offered market value. Some recognized the eagerness in the eyes of the agents and negotiated for more. Others savored the idea of getting more cash than they had likely ever seen in their lives for what they thought was worth very little and took the offer without question or counterproposal.
But other owners refused to sell. Companies then brought in the lawyers. Land claims in the mountains of what was once Virginia were a tangled mess. People established claims with boundaries marked by trees or moss covered rocks, laid out in paces. Different land offices granted the same land to separate people. Residents lived on the land they thought was theirs. Companies in Philadelphia, New York, and elsewhere bought competing claims.
So naturally many cases ended up in court. With no clear ownership of the land established, judges had to fall back on legal principle. Here is yet another example where government meddling in the private sector creates social problems. Before the Industrial Revolution, courts in Western Virginia used natural rights and common law principles. The rights of the individual were more important than those of collective society. With all else equal, a court would usually use the maxim "possession is 9/10 of the law." The person living on the land, all else being equal, gets to keep the land.
After industrialism took hold, courts moved to a collectivist social justice approach. The maxim now was to advance the common good. In any era, the common good is usually defined by entities trying to take resources from the less powerful individual for some other purpose. Collectivism was on the side of big business. So instead of advising the companies to make better offers or go elsewhere, courts ruled in favor of the companies "for the common good."
The common good was also supposedly advanced by a law allowing railroads to be built without permission on private land if the owners did not notice the construction of the rail line.
Common good arguments are just as nefarious when done in favor of modern causes as they were when done to advance crony capitalist interests. Every time used, the common good argument hurts the common individual man. They are rarely appropriate in a free society, even if the common good is advanced.
And the common good did advance. It could have advanced just as far, if not farther, had the rights of individuals remained respected. But advance, it did. Railroads connected most towns and county seats. Mind you, sometimes the county seats were moved by force to the rail lines in some cases. But it happened.
Satellite industries grew up around timber and coal extraction. Paper mills, coke ovens, glassware, and other products were churned out of towns and cities across the state. Trains and river traffic carried products to domestic markets and port cities. The free public school system advanced farther and faster after the Civil War than nearly anywhere else south of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers.
At the time of the industrial revolution, dredged rivers, expanding rail networks, and establishment of free schools were all marks of progress. West Virginia got those and a government weather station.
The argument that naïve or greedy natives sold out to big city interests falls flat. Henry Gassaway Davis of Piedmont was a mover in politics and business, not one who was moved. Elkins, who politically advised presidents and would-be presidents, chose to move to the state. Johnson Camden did sell out his oil and gas interests to John Rockefeller in a Godfather-like "offer you can't refuse." But that was under pressure of riches or ruin and was the aberration instead of the rule.
Employment of the people also created a mixed result. Abuses did happen, particularly in the southern counties. Some companies took advantage of the isolation, using debt and low wages to create near serfdom style conditions in company towns. The company owned the houses, stores, schools, and even churches. Running afoul of the company meant a blacklisting from almost any job in the region.
Again, government and business worked too closely in unison in these areas. Many sheriff's deputies worked double duty as law enforcement and company guards. Law enforcement broke up the free association of union organizers and workers while also intimidating journalists. The stifling hand of government allied with business perpetuated these abuses. It is a sin of business, but not one of the free market.
On the other hand, those now working for cash money had more access to the benefits of industrialism. Historians bemoan the move from self-sufficiency to the market economy. But they do not consider the price of items compared to the value of the time spent in making them oneself. Factory made clothes could be bought for cash earned in less time than it took mom or grandma to make homespun. Food was cheaper when considered in this way. People also had access to medicine, newspapers, and other products rarely seen in some areas prior to the coming of industrialization. Standards of living rose for most people.
Of course the downside lay in the fact that a cash paying job provided less security. What happened to people laid off, too old, or too injured to work was a real social problem.
Overall, it is hard to see how one could find that business as a collective whole abused or stole from the state and people of West Virginia. Then, as before and later, individual malefactors took advantage of people and the laxity of the laws. But they do as much or more harm now by lobbying to use the power of government to eliminate competitors, or infringe on the rights of the people.
Revisiting the interpretation of industrial history in West Virginia is necessary. The perceived sins of the past are used against those trying to develop for the future. We have all been raised to wrongly blame the free market system when many of the real problems stemmed from government help. Except for the environmental destruction, which a more educated society and legal system has addressed adequately, the free market ideal is just not responsible
The lesson of West Virginia's past is not that the free market failed, it is that the failure to maintain a free market hurt the people.
Friday, September 17, 2010
History Day, Courtesy of the Detroit News
Three titans: From left, Edison, Ford and Firestone.
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison -- a friendship of giants
By Patricia Zacharias / The Detroit News
August 7, 1996
Henry Ford shouts in the ear of his friend, Thomas Edison, who was hard of hearing.
As a young man on his father's farm in Dearborn, Henry Ford had followed Thomas Edison's career.
Henry took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company, which later became Detroit Edison, and soon worked his way up to chief engineer.
In 1896, Ford and Alex Dow attended a company-sponsored convention in Manhattan Beach, New York. Edison was the guest of honor at the evening's banquet. Alex Dow pointed out Ford to Edison, telling him "There's a young fellow who has made a gas car." Edison asked young Henry Ford a host of questions and when the interview was over, Edison emphasized his satisfaction by banging his fist down on the table. "Young man," he said, "that's the thing! You have it! Your car is self contained and carries its own power plant."
Years later, Ford, reflecting on their first meeting, said in a newspaper interview, "That bang on the table was worth worlds to me. No man up to then had given me any encouragement. I had hoped that I was headed right. Sometimes I knew that I was, sometimes I only wondered, but here, all at once and out of a clear sky, the greatest inventive genius in the world had given me complete approval. The man who knew most about electricity in the world had said that for the purpose, my gas motor was better than any electric motor could be."
Ford never forgot those words of encouragement. After that initial meeting, Ford was always very close to Edison. When Ford became a wealthy industrialist, he cooperated with Edison in technical and scientific projects. He convinced Edison to devote significant research to finding a substitute for rubber.
Together with John Burroughs, naturalist Luther Burbank, Harvey Firestone and occasionally, President Harding, Ford and Edison participated in a series of camping trips. A major source of fun for Ford and Edison was building dams on small streams and examining old mills for a calculation of the power output.
Edison, left, and Ford on one of their camping trips.
"They think in terms of power," Firestone wrote. After his first experience with the Nature Club, President Harding joined the group whenever he could.
En route to a new campsite on a rainy day, the Lincoln touring car carrying Harding, Ford, Edison, Firestone and naturalist Luther Burbank bogged down in deep mud on a back road in West Virginia. Ford's chauffeur went for help and returned with a farmer driving an ancient Model T. After the Lincoln was yanked from the mire, Ford was the first to shake the farmer's hand.
"I guess you don't know me but I'm Henry Ford. I made the car you're driving."
A 1921 camping trip. From left, seated: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, President Warren G. Harding, Harvey S. Firestone and George Christian. The man standing is unidentified.
Firestone chimed in, "I'm the man who made those tires." Then he introduced two of the campers: "Meet the man who invented the electric light -- and the President of the United States."
Luther Burbank was the last to shake hands. "I guess you don't know me either?" he asked.
"No," said the farmer, "but if you're the same kind of liar as these other darn fools, I wouldn't be surprised if you said you was Santa Claus."
The vagabond camping trips ended following the death of President Harding.
Edison, on the advice of his doctors, left his home in Menlo Park, N.J., for the warmer climate of Fort Myers, Fla. As would be expected of a man with 1,097 patented inventions, Edison outfitted the home with all kinds of novelties. There was an intercom system which he mischievously used to startle guests, and lights in the closet that blinked on automatically whenever the doors were opened. Edison also had the kitchen built in another building instead of the main house because he didn't like to smell food cooking.
Edison out front of his winter home in Fort Myers, Fla.
Ford was a regular visitor. In 1916, when the seven-bedroom home next door became available, Ford bought it. A wooden fence separated the two estates, but the gate always stood open and became known as the "friendship gate." When Edison's doctors ordered him into a wheelchair in the last years of his life, Ford, still brisk and active, bought one too so they could race around the grounds together.
In October 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the light bulb, Ford established the Edison Institute, which now operates Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
Even the rainy weather that October couldn't put a damper on the festivities. Crowds lined 30 miles of Detroit streets to cheer Edison, President Hoover and 500 nationally and internationally known guests as they drove to the museum.
The ceremonies featured the re-enactment of the invention of the first successful incandescent bulb in the original Menlo Park laboratory, which had been moved by Henry Ford with other significant buildings to the Village.
Ford had brought in seven railroad cars of New Jersey soil to place around the buildings for complete accuracy. He even tried to get an old elm tree that stood near the door of the lab, but had to settle for a cutting of the old tree planted in the same spot.
Edison signs his name in cement at the dedication ceremonies at Greenfield Village.
Edison was pleased with Ford's efforts, remarking that Ford got everything 99-9/10ths perfect. The inaccuracy, he told Ford, was that "our floor was never this clean."
Ford and Edison's assistant, Francis Jehl, who was with Edison when he developed his successful incandescent lamp, helped in the re-enactment.
Nationwide, people turned on their electric lights in honor of the historic event.
Later in the banquet hall, Edison stood up to speak, his snow-white hair disheveled, his hands and voice a bit shaky.
"I would be embarrassed at the honors that are being heaped upon me this unforgettable night were it not for the fact that in honoring me, you are also honoring that vast army of thinkers and workers of the past. If I have helped spur men to greater effort, if our work has widened the horizon of thousands of men and given a measure of happiness in the world, I am content."
His last words were for Henry Ford.
"I can only say that in the fullest meaning of the term, he is my friend."
Bibliographic Note: Edison As I Know Him, by Henry Ford; Edison, Inventing the Century, by Neil Baldwin; Detroit's Coming of Age, by Don Lochbiler and the clip and photo files of The Detroit News.
(This story was compiled using clip and photo files of The Detroit News.)
From The Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=105#ixzz0znWlFaR1
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison -- a friendship of giants
By Patricia Zacharias / The Detroit News
August 7, 1996
Henry Ford shouts in the ear of his friend, Thomas Edison, who was hard of hearing.
As a young man on his father's farm in Dearborn, Henry Ford had followed Thomas Edison's career.
Henry took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company, which later became Detroit Edison, and soon worked his way up to chief engineer.
In 1896, Ford and Alex Dow attended a company-sponsored convention in Manhattan Beach, New York. Edison was the guest of honor at the evening's banquet. Alex Dow pointed out Ford to Edison, telling him "There's a young fellow who has made a gas car." Edison asked young Henry Ford a host of questions and when the interview was over, Edison emphasized his satisfaction by banging his fist down on the table. "Young man," he said, "that's the thing! You have it! Your car is self contained and carries its own power plant."
Years later, Ford, reflecting on their first meeting, said in a newspaper interview, "That bang on the table was worth worlds to me. No man up to then had given me any encouragement. I had hoped that I was headed right. Sometimes I knew that I was, sometimes I only wondered, but here, all at once and out of a clear sky, the greatest inventive genius in the world had given me complete approval. The man who knew most about electricity in the world had said that for the purpose, my gas motor was better than any electric motor could be."
Ford never forgot those words of encouragement. After that initial meeting, Ford was always very close to Edison. When Ford became a wealthy industrialist, he cooperated with Edison in technical and scientific projects. He convinced Edison to devote significant research to finding a substitute for rubber.
Together with John Burroughs, naturalist Luther Burbank, Harvey Firestone and occasionally, President Harding, Ford and Edison participated in a series of camping trips. A major source of fun for Ford and Edison was building dams on small streams and examining old mills for a calculation of the power output.
Edison, left, and Ford on one of their camping trips.
"They think in terms of power," Firestone wrote. After his first experience with the Nature Club, President Harding joined the group whenever he could.
En route to a new campsite on a rainy day, the Lincoln touring car carrying Harding, Ford, Edison, Firestone and naturalist Luther Burbank bogged down in deep mud on a back road in West Virginia. Ford's chauffeur went for help and returned with a farmer driving an ancient Model T. After the Lincoln was yanked from the mire, Ford was the first to shake the farmer's hand.
"I guess you don't know me but I'm Henry Ford. I made the car you're driving."
A 1921 camping trip. From left, seated: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, President Warren G. Harding, Harvey S. Firestone and George Christian. The man standing is unidentified.
Firestone chimed in, "I'm the man who made those tires." Then he introduced two of the campers: "Meet the man who invented the electric light -- and the President of the United States."
Luther Burbank was the last to shake hands. "I guess you don't know me either?" he asked.
"No," said the farmer, "but if you're the same kind of liar as these other darn fools, I wouldn't be surprised if you said you was Santa Claus."
The vagabond camping trips ended following the death of President Harding.
Edison, on the advice of his doctors, left his home in Menlo Park, N.J., for the warmer climate of Fort Myers, Fla. As would be expected of a man with 1,097 patented inventions, Edison outfitted the home with all kinds of novelties. There was an intercom system which he mischievously used to startle guests, and lights in the closet that blinked on automatically whenever the doors were opened. Edison also had the kitchen built in another building instead of the main house because he didn't like to smell food cooking.
Edison out front of his winter home in Fort Myers, Fla.
Ford was a regular visitor. In 1916, when the seven-bedroom home next door became available, Ford bought it. A wooden fence separated the two estates, but the gate always stood open and became known as the "friendship gate." When Edison's doctors ordered him into a wheelchair in the last years of his life, Ford, still brisk and active, bought one too so they could race around the grounds together.
In October 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the light bulb, Ford established the Edison Institute, which now operates Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
Even the rainy weather that October couldn't put a damper on the festivities. Crowds lined 30 miles of Detroit streets to cheer Edison, President Hoover and 500 nationally and internationally known guests as they drove to the museum.
The ceremonies featured the re-enactment of the invention of the first successful incandescent bulb in the original Menlo Park laboratory, which had been moved by Henry Ford with other significant buildings to the Village.
Ford had brought in seven railroad cars of New Jersey soil to place around the buildings for complete accuracy. He even tried to get an old elm tree that stood near the door of the lab, but had to settle for a cutting of the old tree planted in the same spot.
Edison signs his name in cement at the dedication ceremonies at Greenfield Village.
Edison was pleased with Ford's efforts, remarking that Ford got everything 99-9/10ths perfect. The inaccuracy, he told Ford, was that "our floor was never this clean."
Ford and Edison's assistant, Francis Jehl, who was with Edison when he developed his successful incandescent lamp, helped in the re-enactment.
Nationwide, people turned on their electric lights in honor of the historic event.
Later in the banquet hall, Edison stood up to speak, his snow-white hair disheveled, his hands and voice a bit shaky.
"I would be embarrassed at the honors that are being heaped upon me this unforgettable night were it not for the fact that in honoring me, you are also honoring that vast army of thinkers and workers of the past. If I have helped spur men to greater effort, if our work has widened the horizon of thousands of men and given a measure of happiness in the world, I am content."
His last words were for Henry Ford.
"I can only say that in the fullest meaning of the term, he is my friend."
Bibliographic Note: Edison As I Know Him, by Henry Ford; Edison, Inventing the Century, by Neil Baldwin; Detroit's Coming of Age, by Don Lochbiler and the clip and photo files of The Detroit News.
(This story was compiled using clip and photo files of The Detroit News.)
From The Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=105#ixzz0znWlFaR1
Friday, July 17, 2009
Unemployment Rates by County in West Virginia, Not Seasonally Adjusted
| Area | May 2008 | May 2009 | Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|
United States | 5.2 | 9.1 | 3.9 |
West Virginia | 4.2 | 8.5 | 4.3 |
Barbour County, WV | 4.7 | 9.5 | 4.8 |
Berkeley County, WV | 4.7 | 9.4 | 4.7 |
Boone County, WV | 4.0 | 9.7 | 5.7 |
Braxton County, WV | 4.4 | 8.3 | 3.9 |
Brooke County, WV | 5.4 | 12.4 | 7.0 |
Cabell County, WV | 3.8 | 7.2 | 3.4 |
Calhoun County, WV | 5.6 | 14.2 | 8.6 |
Clay County, WV | 5.5 | 11.5 | 6.0 |
Doddridge County, WV | 4.5 | 8.0 | 3.5 |
Fayette County, WV | 4.3 | 9.7 | 5.4 |
Gilmer County, WV | 3.5 | 7.8 | 4.3 |
Grant County, WV | 4.6 | 8.9 | 4.3 |
Greenbrier County, WV | 4.7 | 10.1 | 5.4 |
Hampshire County, WV | 3.8 | 8.4 | 4.6 |
Hancock County, WV | 5.4 | 12.4 | 7.0 |
Hardy County, WV | 4.1 | 9.8 | 5.7 |
Harrison County, WV | 3.7 | 6.9 | 3.2 |
Jackson County, WV | 4.8 | 13.2 | 8.4 |
Jefferson County, WV | 3.7 | 7.4 | 3.7 |
Kanawha County, WV | 3.5 | 6.9 | 3.4 |
Lewis County, WV | 3.9 | 8.0 | 4.1 |
Lincoln County, WV | 4.7 | 10.8 | 6.1 |
Logan County, WV | 4.1 | 8.7 | 4.6 |
Marion County, WV | 3.5 | 6.0 | 2.5 |
Marshall County, WV | 4.5 | 9.3 | 4.8 |
Mason County, WV | 6.7 | 13.0 | 6.3 |
McDowell County, WV | 5.8 | 13.0 | 7.2 |
Mercer County, WV | 3.8 | 7.0 | 3.2 |
Mineral County, WV | 4.2 | 7.3 | 3.1 |
Mingo County, WV | 4.1 | 10.4 | 6.3 |
Monongalia County, WV | 2.7 | 4.7 | 2.0 |
Monroe County, WV | 4.2 | 7.7 | 3.5 |
Morgan County, WV | 5.4 | 9.4 | 4.0 |
Nicholas County, WV | 4.4 | 9.0 | 4.6 |
Ohio County, WV | 4.0 | 8.4 | 4.4 |
Pendleton County, WV | 4.2 | 7.9 | 3.7 |
Pleasants County, WV | 5.1 | 9.8 | 4.7 |
Pocahontas County, WV | 9.7 | 17.2 | 7.5 |
Preston County, WV | 3.5 | 7.7 | 4.2 |
Putnam County, WV | 3.3 | 7.0 | 3.7 |
Raleigh County, WV | 3.9 | 8.2 | 4.3 |
Randolph County, WV | 5.6 | 10.4 | 4.8 |
Ritchie County, WV | 5.1 | 9.8 | 4.7 |
Roane County, WV | 6.0 | 13.2 | 7.2 |
Summers County, WV | 4.5 | 8.2 | 3.7 |
Taylor County, WV | 4.2 | 7.9 | 3.7 |
Tucker County, WV | 6.0 | 12.5 | 6.5 |
Tyler County, WV | 5.3 | 10.4 | 5.1 |
Upshur County, WV | 4.2 | 8.2 | 4.0 |
Wayne County, WV | 4.7 | 8.2 | 3.5 |
Webster County, WV | 6.0 | 11.7 | 5.7 |
Wetzel County, WV | 6.1 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
Wirt County, WV | 5.9 | 14.0 | 8.1 |
Wood County, WV | 4.6 | 9.5 | 4.9 |
Wyoming County, WV | 4.6 | 12.0 | 7.4 |
NOTE: Rates shown are a percentage of the labor force. Data refer to place of residence. State and county data for both the current and prior year are subject to revision early in the following calendar year.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
WV GOP Chairman McKinney: Democrats’ “Cap And Tax” Hurts West Virginian Families And Workers
WV GOP Chairman McKinney: Democrats’ “Cap And Tax” Hurts West Virginian Families And Workers
For Immediate Release Contact: Doug McKinney, M.D.
“As a lifelong West Virginian, I am extremely concerned about the impact of the Democrats’ national energy tax on our state. President Obama and Congressional Democrats’ ‘cap-and-trade’ plan is a large energy tax that will increase costs for the average American household by more than $1200, and endanger 10,000 to 25,000 jobs in energy production, an industry important to West Virginia. During a time of economic uncertainty, President Obama should not increase taxes on hard-working Americans.
“Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress are out of touch. The American people want energy independence and a cleaner environment without a national energy tax. Today, concerned citizens will deliver candles to the West Virginia Democratic Party and ask them to take action by urging their Democratic Members of Congress to vote against ‘cap and tax.’”
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Obama's Quest to Raise Your Electric Bills Marches On
Last week Obama's anti-energy policies took a new turn for the worse as the federal government sought to weigh down West Virginia coal companies, miners, and the families that depend on their paychecks with additional rules on permits.
It's no secret. Obama has stated repeatedly that he wants the price of electric to rise. He promised additional taxes. Adding structural costs accomplishes the same goal without as much bad publicity. In a time when people struggle to simply keep their service turned on, the president callously demands that we needlessly sacrifice more. It's like asking a person to starve themselves at a low price buffet.
Certainly we should remove obstacles in the path of windmills and other alternative forms of energy. They form part of a cornucopia of energy sources both new and traditional. America needs cheap and plentiful energy to power our economy. Unfortunately Obama thinks otherwise.
Shelley Moore Capito has expressed grave concern, not only due to the impending rise in costs, but also the effect on thousands of working West Virginians. West Virginia's second district Republican congresswoman has shown more concern for these families than Obama or the Democratic congressional leadership. To be fair, Senator Byrd has also led attacks on these anti-Mountain State policies.
Of course over 60% of West Virginians could have predicted this result.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Rainy Day Fund Should Not Be Taken Literally
West Virginia's unemployment compensation fund has taken a stronger hit this year than anyone anticipated. Predictably, the knee jerk reaction of Democrats is to raise taxes. Of course the taxes will hit hardest the small businesses who employ most of the people in the state. Increased costs mean that these businesses will have to lay off more workers, thus increasing the strain on the fund.
Republicans argue that since we have reached unexpectedly tough times, that instead of crippling our small business community, we ought to remove some money from the Rainy Day Fund. Doing this reduces strain on the economy while meeting the obligations of the state.
Critics contend that the Rainy Day Fund is for severe times and natural disaster cleanup.
It may not be metaphorically raining hard in West Virginia yet, but creating burdens that will result in huge job losses across the state is a bad idea. We cannot predict the course of the economy. We also do not know how many businesses are working on a razor thin margin.
Let's give businesses and workers in West Virginia a break. Don't tax even more jobs out of existence.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
CNBC Rates West Virginia Three Spots Lower in 2008
Open for business? Not according to CNBC.
In the past year, West Virginia has dropped from 44th to 47th in the nation in terms of having a business friendly environment. While we rate very well in the cost of doing business, we rank 49th in technology and innovation and 50th in terms of business friendliness.
Surely that is part and parcel of being in a traditionally neglected Appalachia, right? Not necessarily. Our neighboring states rate far better than we do. Virginia ranks 2nd, falling from number one last year. Ohio, usually cited as an underachieving state, rates 30th. Pennsylvania has a rating of 23rd and Maryland 36th. Even Kentucky earned a rating of 35th. Kentucky pulling ahead of Maryland is a surprise on the surface, but the left-liberal stranglehold on our northern neighbor cannot be helping it much.
These numbers desperately scream for a change. In this situation, change is not a platitude. Republican nominee for governor Russ Weeks and most GOP candidates for the legislature agree that West Virginia requires structural changes in the way it approaches the business sector. It is not just the law. We need to help transform people's basic attitudes about business. There is a mistrust there that goes back generations and this must be addressed. We also have people who prefer to keep West Virginia as it is because they see no need for economic development. They have their fortunes made and do not worry too much about the rest of us.
We must address this issue or continue to fall farther behind. Here is a link to the article from CNBC.
Monday, June 30, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Magnitude 2.3 Earthquake- WEST VIRGINIA
Periodically I look at the USGS Earthquake website. Being from the east coast where earthquakes are rare, it holds a certain fascination. I know from my school days that the Appalachians were formed my two continental plates colliding eons ago, and violent earthquakes forced them up.
The Appalachians still rumble to life once and awhile and Union, WV was hit with a 2.3 Quake.
The Appalachians still rumble to life once and awhile and Union, WV was hit with a 2.3 Quake.
Earthquake Details
| Magnitude | 2.3 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 37.605°N, 80.488°W |
| Depth | 2.8 km (1.7 miles) (poorly constrained) |
| Region | WEST VIRGINIA |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 2.3 km (1.4 miles); depth +/- 4.5 km (2.8 miles) |
| Parameters | Nst= 4, Nph= 8, Dmin=27.6 km, Rmss=0.08 sec, Gp=248°, M-type="Nuttli" surface wave magnitude (MLg), Version=A |
| Source | |
| Event ID | semc0129b |
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
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.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Mortgage Bailout...Again
What it means for most Americans, nothing good. I especially like the last paragraph where the negative effects are mentioned.
Who stands in the way of such an effort?
Investors in mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. If homeowners are going to pay less on their mortgages than originally planned, then somebody is going to lose money. These aren't just fat cats on Wall Street—although many such firms have invested in these securities—they're also pension funds for teachers, firemen, and police, as well as mutual funds whose clients include all sorts of individual investors. They probably even include homeowners who are facing the prospect of higher payments on their adjustable-rate mortgages.
Investors in mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. If homeowners are going to pay less on their mortgages than originally planned, then somebody is going to lose money. These aren't just fat cats on Wall Street—although many such firms have invested in these securities—they're also pension funds for teachers, firemen, and police, as well as mutual funds whose clients include all sorts of individual investors. They probably even include homeowners who are facing the prospect of higher payments on their adjustable-rate mortgages.
So what is the answer? Not a seven year freeze on interest rates as some Democrats are calling for, the answer is a return to Conservative Politics and less government interference with the economy. No matter how you slice it, the people who are facing losing their houses, chose their mortgage plan. If they were mislead or lied to when they got their mortgage, the mortgage company has Errors and Omissions insurance and the mortgage company should be held liable for any problems their associates caused. But that's not the case, the problem is that the people bought too much house. There is no accountability with this plan. Next the government will have to address the complaints of investors (like pension plans, mutual fund holders, etc) who will be negatively affected by this plan, and so on and so forth.
Next, remember that the economy is a cycle. Ups and downs are a simple fact of life and help to balance everything; such as money, people, resources, etc. Home prices are ridiculously high in some areas, that's an OPPORTUNITY for young people and people looking for a fresh start to relocate to an area (like Mineral County) and build a life for themselves and their family. Isn't that how this country started? The poor and/or ambitious moved across the pond to start a life for themselves and their families? What happens to our area when our tax dollars are used to subsidize the lives of our urban counterparts? Without subsidies for housing and transportation, our area would look much more attractive than it does. We have a lower cost of living, you can buy a home with some land for less than it costs to rent a 1 bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a building in DC. Without subsidies and programs like the mortgage bailout how many people might move to the lower cost areas, start businesses, use services, pay taxes, and boost our numbers? In a democracy, numbers count for a lot.
Perhaps Mineral County and for that matter WV, should change the slogan to "Build Your Life" and focus on passing the message to people 25-40 years old who are starting to have kids and looking for a place to raise their kids that they can call home. You know a nice house on a 1/2 acre or so, white picket fence, dog and a chance to be a pillar of the community and have an active role in their kids lives. There are plenty of those people out there. One problem is the "Math" problem. When I graduated from college and moved to WV, I made less from a dollar point than most if not all of my classmates. Within a year I owned a 3 BR home on a corner lot, a 4 unit apartment building (for sale in Shinnston, WV if anyone is interested), two cars, and a boat. I was also a board member for Big Brothers/Big Sisters attending black tie "Make A Wish" dinners. When I compared my lifestyle to that of my Columbus and New York counterparts, I greatly preferred my lifestyle and had more toys and financial freedom than many of my friends. But I made $10,000-$20,000 per year less than they did. If I had compared job offers from a pure dollar point of view, I would have never come to WV, but I saw the opportunity.
I feel that WV's greatest asset is that people can build their lives here, and build a place that their family can call home. When I need to get my fix for Big City living, I drive 2 1/2 hours to DC. Halfway through the first night when people are walking on the sidewalk 10 feet away from where I am sleeping, I remember why I love living in WV so much...there's room to grow.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Cleaning Up
Last Thursday's meeting of the Mineral County Clean Up Committee showed major differences between the two sides over the proposed future ordinance.
The basic difference lies in the scope of the law to be written. Gary Howell and others have argued over a period of months for a tightly written and strictly defined law. The ideal law for the Howell side restricts the power of government. If a structure or the condition of a property affects the health and safety of neighbors then the county ought to have the authority to act. Just having a property that someone deems as "junky" should not be a basis for government action.
The law must respect the basic rights of property owners. It must not encourage using the government for the purposes of harassment. Substantial penalties for noncompliance, up to $100 per day, have been suggested. This penalty could violate the US Constitutional prohibition on excessive fines. It certainly would prevent most honest citizens from using a natural right of appeal when they might have a legitimate issue with enforcement. Any major fine ought not be assessed until the entire appeals process has been exhausted. Protections for the disabled, poor and elderly must be specifically included.
The opposing side calls for a broadly based law that assigns more power to the county government. Additional powers come from the construct of the law that leaves such terms as "overgrown vegetation" undefined. Without strict guidelines, such issues become very subjective depending upon the attitude of investigators and the Enforcement Board. Committee member Kolin Jan even suggested that when the appearance of a property offended a businessman from outside the region, that he ought to be able to file a complaint against the owner, citing an "adverse effect" on economic development. How many of us have properties that would meet the aesthetic standard of a big city businessman?
Another issue lies in the well-known fact that politicians do not always act in accordance with ethical standards or even the law itself. Members of the committee denied that reasonable and honest public officials would ever abuse this law. And they would not. Mineral County's current officials are honest and trustworthy people, but they will not always be in office. The history of West Virginia demonstrates that all too often, elected officials do not follow the law. West Virginia elected officials have been known to take bribes, misappropriate federal and state funds, commit voter fraud, intimidate witnesses, one even bit a citizen in the nose. With this record, citizens are wise to prevent much power from falling into government hands.
The cold fact is that those that want broad powers and sweeping language in this ordinance could win unless the public speaks. Citizens concerned about their rights need to inform committee members such as Gary Howell that they want their rights protected. Additionally, they need to let the county commission know how they feel. This government body will have final say over the creation of the law. I know a lot of folks are worried about this, they need to speak loudly and often between now and teh next meeting. Make your voice heard.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Bring Back Insane Assylums As Soon As Possible
There are a lot of sick people out there. A lot. Just today the following headlines have appeared on the Fox News website.
Details Emerge in WVa Torture CaseGirl, 6, Hanged to Death Was Sexually Assaulted
Woman Attacked With Sword in Argument Over Puppy
That is just the tip of the iceberg. Sick and brutal crimes happen every day with increasing frequency. Our problem as a nation is that the criminal justice system can only punish these people after they commit crimes. Some crimes reflect a condition of addiction, others represent a cry for help. Many times, even the most brutal acts occur after the offender has repeatedly told people that they were sick and needed help.
Thirty years ago mental health advocates succeeded in transforming America's mental care system. Decades ago the mentally ill were sent to long term care hospitals such as those in Weston and Spencer. Often times care was below standards and treatment was spotty. On the other hand a large number of people received some kind of medical attention and were off the streets.
Advocates opened up the hospitals on the assumption that better medication and part time facilities could treat the mentally ill better. States more than willingly unloaded themselves of the burden of maintaining hospitals. Instead of leading to a better life for the mentally ill, these changes made their lives more hellish.
Sure states no longer maintain as many costly hospitals, but too many of the mentally ill wind up in jail. They know what they did was wrong so they do not qualify as criminally insane. Yet they are mentally ill according to the definitions of psychologists. We have seen an explosion of jail construction to house these people.
Not only do we incarcerate more mentally ill, we also see more of them simply wandering the streets. They lack a firm grasp on how to live a normal life, so their only option lies in wandering from shelter to shelter or living in a box. All too often many turn to lives of drug addiction and/or violence.
The mental health experiment has failed miserably. We must work to rebuild state hospitals so that we can get addicts, psychopaths, pedophiles, and other people dangerous to themselves or others off the streets and into facilities where they at least have a chance to change. This is not a foot in the door to socialized medicine, it only returns to an earlier mode of dealing with a major problem in society. Enough is enough. Get mentally ill people off the streets before they can rape children or murder for drug money.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Shutting the Door on Illegal Immigration.
Before World War I a boat arrived in the United States carrying my grandmother, her parents, and several siblings. They hailed from southern Italy which at that time was a land of landowning aristocrats, peasants, criminal bandits, and very little opportunity. My great-grandfather took his family to Barbour County where he started at the bottom laboring as a coal miner.
Like immigrants that come here legally, he worked his way up. Eventually he saved his money and operated a general store and then a coal mine. The family lived in a comfortable brick home beside the current Alderson-Broaddus baseball field. Although proud of their heritage, my ancestors had no doubt what their identity was. I remember my grandmother telling me repeatedly that her father forbade his children to speak Italian. “You are Americans now,” he’d say, “speaking a foreign language around Americans is impolite.” As a result they worked hard and mastered American language and culture.
My grandmother went on to work for many years at Du Pont in Charleston. One aunt went on to teach high school, another uncle for a time was the winningnest high school football coach in Michigan history until his records were eclipsed by his son. Her brothers served their country with distinction in the military. This one story proves that when immigrants respect the law and respect their new country that they can move forward and the country as a whole benefits.
My ancestors faced expectations when they came to this country. The government and society expected that they would obey the law, educate their children, and conform to the language and customs of the United States. Because of these high expectations, they and other Italian immigrants assimilated quickly and within a generation became citizens that could produce and even lead in their new homes.
Contrast that to the current dominant immigrant group. Those that come to our country legally and respect the law ought to be welcome. Their faith in capitalism and America keeps our country rejuvenated. Embracing the American way will speed their ability to contribute and succeed. However the allowing of illegal aliens into America helps to develop a dangerous underclass. These men and women learn and teach how to skirt the law as a way of life. Businesses such as poultry plants force native English speakers to learn Spanish instead of vice versa. Encouraging them to act as parasites on social services they do not pay taxes into saps the strength of our nation and leaves citizens with less. Down the road we will be paying for this with higher taxes and exploding crime rates.
Our state legislature, Governor Manchin, and our local governments need to take a strong stand. Support the hard working legal immigrants that will help strengthen our society, but deny illegal aliens the means to work, live, or sustain themselves here. Illegal immigrants continue to come because market conditions encourage it. They get health care, education, and public housing with few questions asked. Shutting down the market and slamming the door will do more good than a hundred foot high wall. If the federal government lacks the will, then at the very least West Virginia should cease to be a place where breaking the law is rewarded.
Like immigrants that come here legally, he worked his way up. Eventually he saved his money and operated a general store and then a coal mine. The family lived in a comfortable brick home beside the current Alderson-Broaddus baseball field. Although proud of their heritage, my ancestors had no doubt what their identity was. I remember my grandmother telling me repeatedly that her father forbade his children to speak Italian. “You are Americans now,” he’d say, “speaking a foreign language around Americans is impolite.” As a result they worked hard and mastered American language and culture.
My grandmother went on to work for many years at Du Pont in Charleston. One aunt went on to teach high school, another uncle for a time was the winningnest high school football coach in Michigan history until his records were eclipsed by his son. Her brothers served their country with distinction in the military. This one story proves that when immigrants respect the law and respect their new country that they can move forward and the country as a whole benefits.
My ancestors faced expectations when they came to this country. The government and society expected that they would obey the law, educate their children, and conform to the language and customs of the United States. Because of these high expectations, they and other Italian immigrants assimilated quickly and within a generation became citizens that could produce and even lead in their new homes.
Contrast that to the current dominant immigrant group. Those that come to our country legally and respect the law ought to be welcome. Their faith in capitalism and America keeps our country rejuvenated. Embracing the American way will speed their ability to contribute and succeed. However the allowing of illegal aliens into America helps to develop a dangerous underclass. These men and women learn and teach how to skirt the law as a way of life. Businesses such as poultry plants force native English speakers to learn Spanish instead of vice versa. Encouraging them to act as parasites on social services they do not pay taxes into saps the strength of our nation and leaves citizens with less. Down the road we will be paying for this with higher taxes and exploding crime rates.
Our state legislature, Governor Manchin, and our local governments need to take a strong stand. Support the hard working legal immigrants that will help strengthen our society, but deny illegal aliens the means to work, live, or sustain themselves here. Illegal immigrants continue to come because market conditions encourage it. They get health care, education, and public housing with few questions asked. Shutting down the market and slamming the door will do more good than a hundred foot high wall. If the federal government lacks the will, then at the very least West Virginia should cease to be a place where breaking the law is rewarded.
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