A Valentine's Day Poem

The Poem is at the bottom, it's about our government's true love...taxation.

In case there are still doubters, I am NOT a fan of our tax system. Not that I don't think that we all need to do our part to support the government, I am not against paying my portion. The problem is that no one knows what their portion is or even should be. If you make more, you pay more. OK, but how much more? No one knows. I bet you don't even know how much you will pay to the government this year. Even if you are savvy enough to look at your income tax filings each year and figure approximately how much they will pay in taxes in the future, that is only half the story. There are still many hidden taxes that the government collects like sales tax, and gasoline tax, and tax on your insurance premium, and B and O tax, the list goes on and on. These hidden taxes are so common that we don't even pay attention to them any more.

This is the perfect scenario for a politician looking to raise taxes. If you don't know what you pay now, and don't know what you are paying in the future, how can you know or object to an increase. Even better, by hiding the tax in the cost of our everyday purchases, the government gets to blame private enterprise for the increased cost. If not directly as with oil companies, then indirectly by simply taxing items like bread and milk and even insurance. Make it a percentage sales tax and the income from taxes goes up with inflation. I can see it now, income taxes rise, so the insurance companies I represent raise rates to offset the increased cost of their payroll and sure enough I will have a line out my door demanding to know why the price of insurance went up even though my clients weren't in an accident of any kind. As the middle man, my payroll and other expenses go up disproportionate to the increase in my income and now my clients are paying more and I am making less.

Imagine if the government acted like a private enterprise. Let's say that they took the annual budget, divided that amount by the number of people ages 18 and up in our country and sent all of us a bill for the same amount...payable in mid-April. How difficult would it be for our government to pass a tax increase or to increase spending if you knew that your annual tax bill was going to be 10% higher this year? If my customers behavior is any indication, there would be marches on Washington demanding to speak to congress about why their bill went up this year. I know that it is unfair to make everyone pay regardless of whether or not they made any money...then again I took a net loss last year in my business, but still managed to pay several hundred dollars in B and O income taxes to the City of Keyser. How does that work? My income is negative but my income tax is positive? It wouldn't so the government uses my gross income instead of net income.

I know that is an extreme example, but it leads to one of the fairest solutions available, the FAIR Tax. If you haven't read about it, you should. Then again, it would make it almost impossible for the government to raise taxes in the future and politicians would end up holding each other accountable for the projects that they earmark to their friends.

As promised....the poem. I did not write this it was sent to me

Tax his land,Tax his wage,and Tax his bed in which he lays.

Tax his tractor,Tax his mule,Teach him taxes are the rule.

Tax his cow;Tax his goat,Tax his pants,Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,Tax his shirts,Tax his work,and Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,Tax his drink,and Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his booze,Tax his beers,If he cries,Tax his tears.

Tax his bills,Tax his gas,Tax his notes,and Tax his cash.

Tax him good and let him know

That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers,Tax him more;Tax him until he's good and sore.

Tax his coffin,Tax his grave,and Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,'Taxes drove me to my doom!'

And when he's gone,We won't relax,We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!

Six Year Term

I just finished watching the always anti-climactic State of the Union speech. It’s basically the end of the road for President Bush. And there is a looming recession. Then I thought, when else in my conscious, adult life have I seen a two term President end his term. Perhaps showing my youth, the only one that happened was President Clinton. There was a looming recession back then as well. The stock market slow down after the tech bubble burst was the major theme and focus for my Business Finance curriculum in college. Granted both of these happened in consecutive order. But combine this issue with the growing length of a campaign for the white house. Let’s face it, the 2008 election really began when the party nominations for the 2004 election were announced.

Is it possible that one issue we are seeing is that everyone is seeking a two-term role in the White House? The first term is guided by re-election concerns, the second term is guided by cleaning up the first term so that a strong legacy can be left. Why not one 6 year term. You get elected, then you seek to fulfill your mandate. No re-election worries, just outright pursuit of the policies and beliefs that you truly subscribe to.

How do we display judgment on our elected President? At each election of Congress, we either make his/her job easier or more difficult by providing him/her with co-operative co-workers, or congressional enemies.

It isn’t often that I subscribe to such a dramatic change from what the founding fathers established. After all, they established a union that consistently sees peaceful power shifts even after 230+ years of existence. Then again, I also don’t subscribe to the belief that our current generations are more intelligent than our ancestors. But it is hard to believe that they could have foreseen elections where the winner would spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to get elected to a job that pays a fraction of that sticker price.

Barney, Mr. Rogers and Charles Manson

So you want your kids to watch a wholesome television show that may help shape their lives. Something that can help instill values like respect, courtesy, and personal responsibility. Growing up you were a big fan of Mr. Rogers, the trolley, Mr. McFeely, King Friday and the rest of the Neighborhood of Make Believe.

Unfortunately Mr. Rogers has passed away and you're not a big fan of the purple dinosaur, so the next obvious choice for someone to instill proper values in your kids is Charles Manson! Well to me that seems to be the current attitude among some Republicans around the nation. These so called Suicide Voters, seem to be following a similar logic.

They may have been a Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, or Mitt Romney supporter and now they are saying they will vote for Barack Hussein Obama or Hillary Clinton over John McCain. Even political commentators like Anne Coulter have made the same statement. While there is large emotional attachment that develops between a supporter and their candidate, at some point logic must begin to take hold.

McCain may not be our first choice, but he is no Clinton or Obama. Just as Barney is no Charles Manson. We now have to ask ourselves do we really want to vote for a Obama-Manson ticket or do we want to stay the Republican course and vote for the McCain-Barney ticket?

What Got Lost In the Convention Furor

A lot has been said and written about the West Virginia presidential nominating convention good, bad, and ugly. Some expressed pleasant surprise, others complete dismay. Thanks ought to go out to the team that made it happen. They received a thankless assignment and achieved their goals. They made money, got the state party some attention, and made the West Virginia GOP a real factor on the most important primary day. Beneath the big picture some sore feelings emerged, but at this point it looks as though reconciliation is likely.

The big question no one asked is why did John McCain do so poorly in West Virginia? Those who did not attend might reason that the more evangelical candidate, Mike Huckabee, had the inside track in a heavily Protestant state. Not true. The power of public speaking played a large role here.

Some performed well. Mitt Romney gave a flawless delivery both at his morning breakfast with supporters and later on the floor. He gave a great speech that few Republicans could possibly disagree. Romney has a strong presence in person and one can understand why his supporters back him with such passion.

Others did not. Ron Paul gave a somewhat rambling address. Just when he made a strong point about values that libertarians and Republicans share, he would haul out an extremist comment or historical errors. Historical errors are forgivable. Romney claimed that John Adams wrote the Constitution when Adams was actually serving abroad. That's fine because Romney did not base his policy plans on those errors. Paul asserted that Congress passed laws forbidding "entangling alliances." That actually came from Washington's Farewell Address and many historians believe that he only meant that for the temporary period in which the US would be vulnerable to foreign intrigues. Paul then blundered by forgetting that the United States Navy, not privateers, defeated the Barbary Pirates. His reference to being a Baptist seemed forced.

McCain's guest speaker, former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer, looked like a great singer who kept hitting false notes. He seemed congenial and had I been a Louisianan I would have enjoyed his speech. Roemer proclaimed that LSU was the greatest college football team in the nation and implied that he'd rather have been in New Orleans than Charleston. Later he made a small joke about Presbyterians while mentioning the different denominations that helped Hurricane Katrina victims. In doing so he omitted the West Virginia National Guard who played a very important role. A delegate behind me asked if he was trying to get people to vote against McCain.

Mike Huckabee spoke extremely well. Coming from a poor small town background in an impoverished mountain state, he knew how to speak to West Virginia Republicans. Contrary to Democrat claims, many current West Virginia GOPers came from poor and difficult backgrounds. Huckabee joked about Lava soap, a product often used to get dirt or grease off the hands. He claimed that it was not until he was about twenty that he understood that a shower was not supposed to hurt. Huckabee was warm and endearing and swayed many delegates to at least see him as a vice presidential possibility.

In many ways the convention proved a success. For me personally it was a fascinating experience. As a student of the history of politics, this was a rare opportunity to witness how our candidates were chosen before the era of primaries. Hopefully the hard feelings that emerged during the convention will pass quickly so we can get to the business of getting our state behind the next president

Romney shows true leadership and respect for our nation

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

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

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

No Convention Deal, come on...

The Romney camp was outflanked by a misuse of the rules. Or I guess we could call it the Washington interpretation of the rules, or just darn good strategy. How I know? Several people asked me for directions to room 105, where McCain supporters journeyed to and then returned from convinced to vote for Huckabee. Granted Huckabee's supporters could have simply convinced the McCain people to reconsider their positions and been overwhelmingly persuasive to 95% of McCain followers in just about an hour. However, I happened to be standing next to a McCain supporter who had refuted efforts at a conversion to Mitt Romney even quoting that his integrity would be open to question if he switched his vote for political reasons, when he was approached by one of McCain's people and told to vote for Huckabee. That settled it, the fix was implemented, and so the vote went. I have left out names, but would be happy to provide them if denials continue.

What bothers me is not the "deal". Rules allowed for such a deal, and a well timed lunch hour gave the needed break to provide organization from each side. Not to mention, that I am not sure that WV votes even matter as far as this race is concerned. What bothers me is the willingness of the Republican Party leadership to entangle themselves in a nationally publicized mess. McCain and Huckabee are denying involvement in the proceedings...executive privilege already? The leadership from the McCain-Huckabee team gets to take credit for the deal when the time is right and McCain gets the nod and can reward their courageous action. The rest of us are left looking just as bad as the democrats we bash for voter fraud and corruption from Charleston to Washington. Let's be honest, do we republicans actually want to distinguish ourselves, or do we want to keep playing the valiant underdog in each campaign? We are a conservative state, but can't get local and state Republicans elected!? I know the arguments of old school democrats that live conservative but vote democrat, but I have lived here for several years and NEVER heard a republican stand up and advocate their platform in a meaningful way.

The Republican Party is not going to out-maneuver the Democrats in WV. It's not in our blood and is contrary to the message that was on the large banner at the convention.


We advocate less government then design a convention that is so laden with political bureaucracy that we were set up from the start. The well timed lunch was announced as a time to trade horses. At the very least the McCain people could have hidden their intent a little better and wait until McCain was out of the race to dump into the Huckabee camp. But that would have left the second vote up to the delegates and that is something we can't have. So a backroom (room 105) deal was made and the convention was settled. Not to mention that some constituents didn't even know that their primary vote had been superseded by a convention until yesterday; leaving most of the spots for the usual suspects, Party loyalists, executive committee members, and a few hand-picked delegates. A slight tinge of disdain was even evident when I discussed the Ron Paul delegates who had, at the last moment, changed their political affiliation to republican and slipped into a delegate position. Consequently, Ron Paul supporters were the only group in the convention with any level of diversity in their ranks.

Republicans win elections by sharing their message, not through clever political maneuvering. In ideological battles, we win. The American spirit resonates truest in an open market with limitations on government. Those limitations allow individuals to prosper in the endeavors of their choosing, whether those are family, faith, financial, service, or other. It may be too late for this election cycle, but next cycle we might have a chance to band together and come up with a plan and an agenda for this state much like Newt Gingrich came up with in the mid-90s. A coherent message could give us the opportunity to bolster the Republican Party to a position where real change can occur in our state.

The Plot Thickens . . .

So, our great convention experiment has concluded. If nothing else, it has been an eye-opener. Of course, most of the talk is about "The Deal". I have an unique perspective on The Deal, which I will share in the near future. However, I note--with no small degree of glee--the following, as reported in Lawrence Messina's AP wire report:

‘‘There was no backroom deal. There wasn’t even a frontroom deal. There was no deal,’’ [Huckabee] said.

McCain also denied that there was a deal.

‘‘I didn’t have a conversation with (Huckabee) or any of his people about anything to do with it,’’ McCain said at a news conference in Phoenix. ‘‘It’s a bit insulting to Governor Huckabee, who won that, by alleging such a thing.’’

But Paul supporters claimed Tuesday evening that Huckabee’s campaign bought their support with the promise of three West Virginia delegates.

‘‘That’s not true,’’ said Huckabee spokeswoman Alice Stewart.

John Tate, national political director for Paul, insisted that there was a deal even after learning of Stewart’s denial.

--end quote--

First--I'm sorry, Senator McCain and Governor Huckabee, but there WAS a deal.

Second--Part of that deal was for Ron Paul to be bought with 3 national convention delegates.

Third--Ahhh.....what is that? The sweet smell of poetic justice. More to follow. . . .

What part of Illegal don't they understand?

The definition of illegal seems to depend on whether or not you agree with the specific law. I was not brought up that way. I know that the world is not black and white, it is shades of gray. If there is a law you do not agree with, then you work to change it. Not ignore it.

In California they are now selling Marijuana out of a vending machine. Click here for a video from CBS News. How can the Feds ignore a blatant disregard for the law? It is illegal to distribute a controlled substance, and this is now national news. The minute the story ran the Feds, should have been their to shut this operation down.

States debate giving drivers license to illegal aliens. How do you give a legal document to some one that is here illegally? Giving drivers license to legal immigrants is one thing, because that means the have been vetted by the system and are believed not to be criminals. But giving drivers license to someone that came here illegally means we are giving drivers license to people that have never had a background check.

Webster defines illegal as: not according to or authorized by law : unlawful illicit; also : not sanctioned by official rules

At some point we should understand the definition of illegal and act accordingly. All things are generally shades of gray, somethings are closer to black and white. Selling illegal drugs in a vending machine is a lot closer to black and white than gray. Giving drivers license to illegals is also a lot closer to black and white.

Those of that understand right from wrong need to start putting our foot down and say enough is a enough.

Final Vote Tally from the WVGOP Convention

Here are the actual votes from the Convention earlier today...

Second Ballot

MIKE HUCKABEE - 567 VOTES (52%) (+192 from first round)

MITT ROMNEY - 521 VOTES (47%) (+57 from first round)

JOHN McCAIN - 12 VOTES (1%) (-164 from first round)
RON PAUL - ELIMINATED (-118 from first round)

First Ballot
MIKE HUCKABEE - 375 (33%)
MITT ROMNEY - 464 (41%)
JOHN McCAIN - 167 (15%)
RON PAUL - 118 (10%)

Huckabee Wins Brokered WV Convention

After first round of voting Romney lead followe by Huckabee, McCain, and Ron Paul finsihing in last place. This removed Ron Paul from the process. The next vote was between Romney, McCain, and Huckabee.

Huckabee's delegates worked to pick up the Ron Paul vote, and brokered a deal with McCain crew to garner their vote. The deal worked, in the the second round of voting Huckabee picked up 52% of the vote clinching 18 of West Virginia 30 delegates.

Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee were both present at the convention and gave speechs to the over 1000 delegates. McCain was the only candidate not in attendence.

Craig Blair has a plan to save the 304 area code

If you are an individual you may not think that a change in area code is a big deal, but for a business it can lead to a loss in sales. This past week I received a call from a customer. He got our business name out of an old magazine from 2000. After 8 years the magazine ad still generated a phone call, but if the area code changes 18 years of advertising our phone number will be out the window.

The need for an additional area code in WV is contrived at best. The 304 area code has the ability to have 10 million phone numbers. Now with only 1.8 million West Virginians that means each one of us can have up to 5 full phone numbers without the need for another area code. In order to divide them up, the local prefixes would have have greater areas and they are not willing to do that.

The problem is being caused by the proliferation of cell phones. Craig Blair has the best solution. Allow all the land lines to stay with the 304 area code and give all the cell phones a new area code. After all they are causing the problem, not the land lines.

18 WV Delegates at stake this Tuesday

When displaying its Super Tuesday map, FoxNews seems to be omitting our WVGOP Convention the past several days.

I just dropped them a note letting them know that 18 delegates to the Republican National Convention are a stake this Tuesday in West Virginia. (The other 9 are at stake in the May Primary)

You should drop them a note too at: yourcomments@foxnews.com

Public Education

We hear it every legislative session: More money for teachers salaries and more spending on education for our students.

Should our teachers in West Virginia receive higher salaries, of course. Should we increase classroom spending - well, lets look into that for a second.

You can see here how much each state spends per student. As you can tell, WV weighs in around $7,700 per student and ranked 19th nationally. Sidebar: That's about twice as much as what parents pay to private schools here in the state on top of the taxes they pay that goes to public education. But, that's an argument for another day.

Meanwhile, District of Columbia ranks #1 and spends about #13,000 per student.So, if spending per student is direct proportionate of how students will do in school, then DC's scores should be WAY above ours.

West Virginia's average ACT test score in 2007 was 20.6 while DC's average score was 18.7.

I have no problems giving teachers in West Virginia higher pay. We rank near the bottom and it makes recruitment tough for our public school system. But pumping more money into the system on the basis of an argument that it will increase our scores is just not plausible. Just ask the parents who send their kids to school in DC.

Our school system should be finding better ways to spend the money they already receive and making our school system more efficient and finding ways to keep kids attention.

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.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	2.3
Date-Time	Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 01:04:20 UTC Monday, January 28, 2008 at 08:04:20 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	37.605°N, 80.488°W
Depth	2.8 km (1.7 miles) (poorly constrained)
Region	WEST VIRGINIA
Distances	5 km (3 miles) ENE (73°) from Union, WV 16 km (10 miles) S (186°) from Ronceverte, WV 19 km (12 miles) SE (135°) from Alderson, WV 42 km (26 miles) N (352°) from Blacksburg, VA 168 km (104 miles) N (353°) from Winston-Salem, NC 318 km (198 miles) S (188°) from Pittsburgh, PA
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	Southeast U.S. Seismic Network
Event ID	semc0129b

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Former senator kicks off race for governor at State Capitol Thursday

Former State Sen. Russ Weeks today announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor, pledging to restore integrity to state government and return its focus to the people rather than the powerful.

“I fully understand the daunting task before me, and the tremendous amount of time and effort required to run,” said Weeks in his remarks at the State Capitol. “But I am launching this campaign because I feel very strongly that for the future of our state, the voters must hear the truth about state government.”

Weeks, who recently authored a book, “No Strings Attached,” about his four years in the State Senate, added, “Throughout my life and career, nothing has been more important to me than my integrity. And nothing is more important than restoring the confidence of our

citizens in the integrity of our government.”

Weeks is a retired Navy veteran who defeated Senate Judiciary Chairman Bill Wooton in the biggest upset of the 2002 election.

He resides in Beckley, with his wife, Helen. They are the parents of two grown children, and have three granddaughters.

WVRC concludes candidate recruitment drive

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lisa Peana

January 28, 2008 304-730-4599

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-30-

Rumors fly that Jay Rockefeller could drop out of US Senate Race

In an unusual move two Democratic Candidates filed to run against Rockefeller in the primary election.

Office/District	Party	Candidate	Filing Date	Res. County	Mailing Address
U.S. Senate -- U	D	Sheirl L. Fletcher	1/26/2008	Monongalia	P.O. Box 384 Dellslow, WV 26531
U.S. Senate -- U	D	Billy Hendricks Jr.	1/23/2008	Boone	Box 46 Whitesville, WV 25209
U.S. Senate -- U	D	Jay Rockefeller	1/18/2008	Kanawha	P. O. Box 1909 Charleston, WV 25327
U.S. Senate -- U	R	Philip E. Cline	1/26/2008	Cabell	PO Box 119 Huntington, WV 25706-0119
U.S. Senate -- U	R	Jay Wolfe	1/26/2008	Harrison	Rt. 4 Box 840 Salem, WV 26426

Sheirl Fletcher who originally filed pre-candidacy paper to run for the WV 14th out of Preston County was informed she could not run from Preston since Preston has a sitting senator from the 14th. She then proceeded to change her voter registration to Monongalia County clearing the way for her to run for the 14th district but suddenly filed for the US Senate against Rockefeller a position that did not require a change of address.

Billy Hendricks is virtually unknown out side of southern West Virginia. Neither candidate would have a real shot against Jay Rockefeller and his millions of personal dollars for his campaign. Historically Rockefeller has had uncontested primaries, and easily retained his senate seat against Republican Challengers.

2002 West Virginia United States Senatorial Election

Jay Rockefeller (D) (inc.) 63%

Jay Wolfe (R) 37%

1996 West Virginia United States Senatorial Election

Jay Rockefeller (D) (inc.) 77%

Betty Burkes (R) 23%

1990 West Virginia United States Senatorial Election

Jay Rockefeller (D) (inc.) 68.5%

John C. Yoder (R) 31.5%

1984 West Virginia United States Senatorial Elections

Jay Rockefeller (D) 51.8%

John Raese (R) 47.7%

Democratic Candidates will have a tough time picking up open seats in West Virginia, which is a conservative leaning state. An open US Senate seat would attract much national Republican money for a strong candidate.

Speculation is that Rockefeller who has reported back problems and a wife that is battling cancer was wanting to retire for the Senate. By filling to run for US Senate, but giving the internal party word he would drop out later opened the door for other Democrats in the state to file, while still keeping the door closed to Republicans.

The speculation and rumors explain the unusual filling of multiple Democratic primary opponents against Rockefeller. So the rumors are flying around the state that Jay Rockefeller is going to drop out of the US Senate race. Only time will tell if the rumors and speculations are correct.

PHC Blogger Matthew S Eggar proud poppa!

Matt's wife gave birth to a 9 pound 7 ounce boy on Sunday. No word on a name. We hope all are doing well.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

According to the West Virginia Blue, a partisan Democratic blog site at http://www.wvablue.com/tag.do?tag=John+Unger

State Senator John Unger has decided not to file as a candidate to run against Shelley Moore Capito, despite having raised about a quarter of a million dollars for a campaign for that congressional seat. According to bloggers, Unger decided not to run because there were other announced Democratic candidates and he did not want to spend considerable time in the primary election campaign which would distract him from his work for constituents during the legislative session at a time when an economic downturn requires his full attention on their behalf. However, other bloggers intimate that Unger was chagrined to receive little or no support from the Governor and the state party leadership, and speculate on reasons why this might be so. Richie Robb, one-time mayor of Charleston is in the running, and some think that he wouldn't be there without the Governor's blessing. The conspiracy theorists suppose that the Democrats consider '08 to be a good year for them, with prospects of sweeping the presidential and congressional elections and all the state offices. If Unger were to run, it is theorized, he would have a good shot at winning, which would put the "Charleston seat" in the House of Representatives in the hands of a politician from the Eastern Panhandle-- an idea which is anethema on the lower end of the district. Hence, Unger gets taken to Coventry and a Charleston worthy gets the nod.

13 Mineral County Delegates Selected for Republican Convention

Michael Boggs
Rudy R Sites
Janice D. M. LaRue
Don Gordon
Sandra Schadler
Matthew Scott Eggar
Charles Wimer
John Barnett
Gary Howell
Gloria Howell
Willard W. Goff
Crystal Wimer
1 space is Empty due to a tie between Cherri Gannon and Stephen Smoot
(Official Results)

Lauren Ellifritz has been appointed to fill the empty slot.

Mineral County Candidates filed

County Commissioner:
Janice LaRue (R)
Roger D. Leatherman (R)
Donald C. Ashby (D)
Annette C Favara (R)

Assessor:
Rose Ann Maine (R)
Betty Reall (D)

Sheriff:
Paul Sabin (R)
Craig A. Fraley (D)
Frank Willis Smith (D)
Ringo Nelson (D)
Pat Amoroso (D)

Magistrate (2 seats)
David C. Harman (R)
Carolyn Sue Robey (D)
Tanya Bartlett (D)

Prosecuting Attorney:
James W. Courrier Jr. (R)

State Senate 14th:
Gary Howell (R) Mineral
Bob Williams (D) Taylor
David Webb (D) Mineral

House of Delgates 48th:
Donna Brake Kuhn (D) Grant
Allen Evans (R) Grant

House of Delgates 49th:
Robert Schadler (R)

House of Delgates 50th:
Alan (Mitch) Davis (D) Hampshire
Royce B. Saville (D) Hampshire
Ruth Rowan (R) Hampshire

Board of Education:
Todd W. Ellifritz (District 2)
Mary C. Aronhalt (District 1)
Wm Butch Wahl (District 1)
Craig A. Rotruck (District 2)

Conservation District:
Roger L. Kitzmiller

* (Incumbent italics)

Checking the facts avoiding the drama

One thing that holds true in both life and politics, is that people go off half-cocked. That creates mistakes and adds much unneeded drama to life. 99% of the drama can be avoided by simply checking the facts first before going off. When I go off, I like to be fully-cocked.

Recently I wrote a blog about water resources in Mineral County based on a Comprehensive Plan meeting held in Fort Ashby. At that meeting I knew that most of the information being portrayed was flat wrong, but I didn't have the figures with me. I could have went off half-cocked, but I wanted to make sure that I was correct before I did.

After the meeting I went home and did my research on the subject. I checked all the water sources for the county. I checked the storage capacity of Jennings Randolph Lake. I did this all with official sources to make sure that my numbers were dead on correct. Then I presented my information to make my point. I went off fully-cocked.

As I watch the presidential election unfolding, I see a lot of candidates and their minions going of half-cocked. The information they are presenting is not based on fact. Much is based on innuendo. To me if a candidate cannot take the time to get the information right in their accusations, then they are not going to be high on my selection list. If their information is correct, the they are not accusations they are points of fact.

I would like to see excitement in presidential election, but I can do without the drama. Give me facts. Base arguments and disagreements on facts, and avoid the drama.

The 2008 Governor's race....

just became interesting...

Russ Weeks is a personal hero of mine. I will be reporting more on that soon.

Preston County Republicans Well Organized

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mineral County Republican Presidential Replacement Convention

A Mineral County Republican Presidential Replacement Convention to be held Saturday January 26th at the Mineral County Courthouse from 12 to 3. This will be a new election that will replace the election held January 12th, 2008 where problems occurred.

All registered Republicans are requested to vote for delegates to send to the West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention.

According to Fox News . . .

Republican Presidential Candidate former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) has pulled out of participating in the Republican Debate in Boca Raton, Florida scheduled for later this week on MSNBC.

Is this a harbinger of things to come? If so, I believe that the end has come too soon for Fred.

As a Romney supporter I have always felt common cause with Thompson's campaign, as both Fred and Mitt have been sounding similar themes (if differing a little bit on the margins), and believe the media template of his candidacy has been unfair and has ill-served the greater cause of informed democracy. I think, in the end, Fred has been campaigning "over the heads" of the drive-by media and our fast food, sound bite populace. Fred has run a thoughtful and meaningful campaign based on ideas, and his supporters have carried themselves with dignity and have been a credit to the Party and to their candidate. I think Fred's presence in the race has helped drive the debate and forced other candidates, including Governor Romney, to stay true to conservative principles and not stray off into McCain/Huckabee style heterodoxies.

If this is indeed the end of the Thompson candidacy, that leaves his West Virginia supporters with an important decision to make in the lead-up to the state convention: to whom to throw their support.

I'd like to ask all those Thompson delegates reading this to consider supporting Governor Romney at the state convention. "Full spectrum" conservatives --social, economic, and foreign policy-- can rally around Governor Romney. In the next two weeks, we'll be working hard to earn your support.

Where have all our friends and family gone?

In 1950 West Virginia made up 1.3% of the US Population, now 0.6%. If we had kept pace with the US growth there would be about 2.1 million more West Virginians than their are now. We are half the state we were just 58 years ago. In a generation we have been cut completely in half.

The poor economic conditions of the state are to blame. Of my graduating class of over 200, there might be 50 left in the area. Many of those drive to Winchester for work everyday. I have family that now lives in Northern Virginia instead of West Virginia. I have class mates that are scattered around the US. If you do a search on Myspace for people that went to Keyser High School, you find a large portion live outside the Keyser area.

I do not know of any family that has not been touched by having loved ones move from the area. In in most cases it is not because they wanted to move, but because they were unable to find suitable work.

John Barnett pointed out in his recent editorial that Change is what is needed. If we continue down the same path, then we will continue to get the same results. We must change the economic policies that keep businesses (and their jobs) out of our state. Our friends and family should not have to loose loved ones for economic reasons.

Time For Change

As I drive to work (like hundreds of my fellow West Virginian’s crossing a state line. I ponder why. Why do we continue to leave a wonderful state to work? Could it be that our elected officials have let us down for years or is it that no body wants to come to our state? Should we like lots of fellow statesmen move away. Or should we fix the problem. Why does the states around us continue to thrive and we continue to fall? We have a great location situated close to major markets. I feel that we have been afraid of change every election we continue to vote the same people into office, but we continue to complain about them. I like many have done this for years, so why do we continue to settle for the same results? Do we say “oh we can’t vote against this person or that person or is it this fiend or that friend?” Or maybe it is “they have been in office to long, you can’t win”. I think most people are comfortable with how things are. Well things could be better. If you would truly look around yourself you would realize that we need to change. Our wonderful state continues to plunge into the hole of poverty business continues to look elsewhere. Why? Why do we have to stand for it? We don’t. We have to accept change it is that easy. Change should not be something to fear; we change our clothing daily and don’t complain it is habit. We were taught to do this a child.

Speaking of child do you look forward to the day your children start driving this long drive to go to their job? I doubt that any of us want that. How many school special moments in your children’s lives have you missed because of work. How many times have you rushed up Rt. 50 to see your son/daughter in a school function? I know that I have, and I am tired of missing these things. So what can we do about it? Nothing? I think not I know the path we need to take. Change. Change the people that we have trusted for so many years to look out for well being. Vote! Don’t just hope that the right person gets into office. It can’t happen overnight our state did not plummet overnight. But we have to start. Think of who you went to school with how many are still in the area? I doubt that you can find half your class. I know that my class has left. What are we going to do about it? We all need to take a hard look around us.

Our county (Mineral) wants to beautify the appearance well the only we can, is if we can afford to do that. The only way we can afford to do is if we are working and where can we work, not close to home because there is no jobs. We can’t work close to home because our officials have let us down and not addressed the real issues. Change

We have to have it. It is the only way we can truly fix the problems. How many of us are ready to make that change? I hope to think I am not the only one that is ready for it. So this year let’s join together and make a change, In the Primaries and in the General election in November.

John Barnett

Purchasing Manager

Leesburg, VA

Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Lyndie England, Which of These Doesn't Belong?

National Geographic Channel, which now irritatingly refers to itself as "Nat Geo," will be shortly running a new special on evil people in history. Amazingly Keyser resident Lyndie England will be featured.

Let's see. Adolf Hitler murdered 12 million people because of their religion, lifestyle, and politics. Stalin murdered tens of millions because of their economic class and politics. Just this week we saw some demented man in Georgia decapitating female hikers. And Lyndie England is evil?

At worst she was unprofessional. She held a position of trust in a prisoner of war camp in Iraq. At the camp, terrorists were humiliated by being forced to be leashed and photographed. England's main offense was being in the pictures, enjoying the humiliation of these people whose lives were dedicated to blowing up women, children, and US soldiers. She was a young woman in a stressful environment who made a poor choice, so therefore she is evil. Incredible.

In the hands of the media, concepts most people take for granted get skewed. Any form of psychological pressure gets redefined as "torture." Torture is something we generally see as negative. There is a huge difference between US interrogators wiping red ink that they claim is menstrual blood on prisoners to get them to talk and when the Soviet CHEKA peeled skin off people's arms and fed priests feet first into crematoriums. Liberals love to try and establish moral equivalence to confuse the issue. This television program seeks to establish moral equivalence between unprofessional behavior in our army and the worst in human history. They hate the army and its missions. This is how they discredit it.

Of course this "evil" woman now has paid her debt to society. She now is a productive member of the Keyser community, having joined its Board of Parks and Recreation last year. I suppose she is hatching her plans of world domination using that base. Today North End Park, tomorrow the world.

Another ridiculous example of the liberal media pushing its agenda.

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.

Global Warming

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_first_snow_in_memory

In case anyone missed it, Yahoo! reported on the snowfall in Baghdad, that's right snow in Iraq. Now it doesn't appear that the snow stayed around for very long. I didn't see any snow men, and I doubt that the snow "stuck" as we would say, but quite the phenomenon. I bet President Bush is behind it. Remember he caused Katrina to hit New Orleans. This must be a parting gift to the people of Iraq.

I know that there is some global warming enthusiast answer for how global warming affects the seasons causing abnormal behavior in weather patterns, but snow in the desert? I am not a weather man, nor am I a weather enthusiast. I still walk outside in the morning to find out what the daily weather is going to be, so I will defer to more respectable meteorologists to explain this one to me.

Protecting Farmland in Grant County

Grant County recently added approximately seventy-five acres to land regulated under the 2003 Farmland Protection Act. Under this law, farm owners can choose to bind all future owners of the property, including purchasers and inheritors, to non development. No industrial or subdivision development can occur apparently ever. Only agricultural production or no activity will be allowed.

Both Grant and Hardy County have similar statutes and both have had land placed under this restrictive legislation. Although it is doubtful that many property owners would choose to give up their rights, one wonders what the overall effects could be in the long term. The value of the land will definitely drop over time, especially if it falls into non production. This means tax receipts will fall, at least until the taxes on productive land get raised to meet the shortfall.

Certainly at some point this will face legal challenges. Not every farmer's children want to farm. Some may want to make money in other ways if Grant County's land values continue to rise over time. Few, even farmers, will want to purchase land with such restrictions placed upon it. With little opportunity to sell or develop, if agriculture does not continue on the said lands, these properties will likely end up in government hands eventually. Either it will get seized for taxes, or the property owners will end up being bought out by the taxpayers.

Any time that legal restrictions get placed on property rights, even for seemingly benevolent reasons, the law of unintended consequences gets triggered. Many of these owners forfeiting their rights now will have cause to regret it later. If they do not, their children will. Should the demand for corn rise as expected due to increased bio fuels production, the marketplace will be the best protector of farmland.

Perhaps the worst part about this deal is how the taxpayers get stuck with an unnecessary deal. Individual property owners have the right to go to the courthouse and place covenant restrictions on their deeds. Farmer Brown can go down and protect his farmland until the end of time if he so chooses, only this law gives him $4,000 of taxpayer money to perform a task he can already do by himself at no cost to the rest of us.

This law was passed with the best of intentions. Agriculture is important to the economy and the traditions of this area. However market, not government solutions work best in the long run.

****************************************************************

By the way, many thanks to Shelley Moore Capito for her work in helping to spare thousands of West Virginians from paying the anachronistic Alternative Minimum Tax. It was passed in 1969 to tax the wealthy. Of course income levels considered wealthy in 1969 are not living in the lap of luxury today. Certainly it needs repealed, if only to prevent the headache of repeatedly going back and legislating exemptions to protect the middle class.

Can pundits at least make some effort to appear objective?

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

What a load of crap.

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

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

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

Lookin' For Ugleeeeeeeee

Those darned McGraws. They can't seem to avoid shadowy conspiracies. First the photographers roaming Marmet trying to take ugly pictures of Warren McGraw, now the Bush administration is plotting the demise of West Virginia's Attorney General.

West Virginia at one point brought suit against the manufacturers of painkilling products such as OxyContin, challenging the manner in which they had been advertised. OxyContin and like drugs are highly addictive and untold thousands suffer from this problem. At issue here is how the settlement money ended up being spent.

The Attorney General's office paid the lawyers who fought the case (fair enough) but placed the rest into the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Fund. The federal government argues that it ought to receive some reimbursement for the Medicaid dollars it pours into the state annually. State Legislators assert that McGraw violated the law because only the Legislature can disburse money.

What is worse is that the Consumer Protection Fund pays for billboards, pencils, and other items that feature the Attorney General's name. Allen Loughry, former Caperton administration official, has blasted this practice as taxpayer funded campaigning. McGraw's office paints this as a Bush administration political move to discredit his office.

Now come on. President Bush sits in his Oval Office every day trying to think of ways to discredit our state attorney general? Kind of unlikely. This money ought to go to the Legisture to be budgeted and sent out to the proper recipients.

Kickoff

Pam Krushansky, thanking the larger-than-expected crowd for turning out. Introductions of the Executive Committee. Representatives of four Presidential campaigns will have 5 minutes to speak, in this order.

1 -- Ron Paul (Gabriel McCall); talking about prior to Bush, two wings of the GOP -- Rockefeller (international adventurism) and conservative. Ron Paul is the only true conservative running (never voted for an unbalanced budget, never voted for a Congressional pay increase, etc...) Cited Paul's (exceedingly admirable) 50-year marriage (to the same woman). Anti-UN statements. In all, a respectable presentation.

2 -- Rudy Giuliani (Dan Casto of Wood County GOP Executive Committee); "Why do I support Rudy?" Most qualified, experience as Mayor, as Assistant U.S. Attorney, qualifies to make tough decision. Only canidate to clearly and succinctly tell us what we're going to do. Cites Rudy as #3 in the DoJ, where he took on the mob at the risk of his own life. Cites his ability to win Democrat votes, cites George Will. Didn't take care of NYC problem by raising taxes, but by cutting spending and taxes (23 times); reduction of welfare rolls, reduction in crime. Plays to security--Rudy cleaned up New York, led in aftermath of 9/11 attacks. Cites 12 Commitments, especially commitment to protect the nation from terrorists and to cut taxes, appointing Scalia-Thomas-Alito-Thomas justices. Strong conservative governance record. Man of intellect, what you see is what you get. [I'm impressed at the positive tone of the presentations -- T.O.]

3 -- Fred Thompson (Jim Mullins); Thompson biography -- son of a used car dealer, self-made man, college, law school, etc. At 27 appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for Middle Tennessee, went to be Republican lawyer of Watergate Committee (where he originated the phrase "What did the President know, and when did he know it"). Cites Thompson's crusades against political corruption. Thompson as a sturdy man of character. Thompson the Senate candidate (was trailing badly, but got in his red pickup truck) and turned it around. He was a citizen legislator, not a career politician, and honored his promise to not run a third time. Thompson shepherded Roberts through the Senate. Running on a simple conservative platform -- smaller government, lower taxes, judges who will apply the law not create the law. As president he will not let us down.

4 -- Mitt Romney (J.B. McCuskey); three main reasons I'm supporting Governor Romney -- 1, my wife is supporting him and I might be in trouble otherwise; 2, Governor Romney's record creating jobs and wealth in the private sector -- the government doesn't create jobs, the private sector creates jobs; 3, Governor Romney's a strong social conservative. Cites Jay Sekulow, who J.B. has a close relationship with and has worked for. Jay's support for Romney is based on Romney's strong defense of traditional marriage, and the fact that the purpose of the pro-life movement is to win hearts and minds.

In all, very good presentations all around, and very positive -- no attacks on the other candidates, which is pleasant.

Ready to begin

Yours truly was asked to give the Invocation....be back shortly.

Crowd larger than expected

There are many, many new people here who I have never seen turnout to a Republican event before. Probably about 40 people or so have showed up.

Starting to arrive

6:23pm -- most people showing up so far are members of the county committee. 15 people here so far. Expecting more to begin showing up shortly.

Live! From Morgantown!

Hi! I'll be liveblogging the Monongalia County GOP convention beginning at 7:00pm

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated"

Mark Twain's famous quote has great application to Governor Mitt Romney following the results of the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary. The nomination process, due to the high number of candidates without a single candidate dominating the race, resembles nothing so much as the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Consider the outcomes to date, and think of them as individual races:

Iowa -- Romney, 2nd Place
Wyoming -- Romney, 1st Place
New Hampshire -- Romney, 2nd Place

In fact, Romney currently leads in the delegate count (which is the only number that matters). The current delegate breakdown following the New Hampshire results:

Romney: 30
Huckabee: 21
McCain: 10
Thompson: 6
Paul: 2
Giuliani: 1
Hunter: 1

So long as no candidate is consistently coming in first, Romney's consistent second place finishes are good for two reasons: first, as stated, like the Nextel Cup, consistent high finishes allow the racer to rack up points, and it's points that determine the champion. Second, it indicates that Romney may emerge as a consensus 2nd choice--in the event of a brokered national convention, he may rise to the top, or it may make him an attractive Vice Presidential nominee.

So, when I hear the same media writing off Romney when they were writing off Clinton, I just consider the source.

McCain Wins New Hampshire, Obama Clinton battling

Republican (24% Reporting)

1) McCain 37%
2) Romney 29 %
3) Huckabee 12 %
4) Giuliani 9%
5) Paul 8%
6) Thompson 2%

Democrat (26% Reporting)
1) Clinton 40%
2) Obama 34%
3) Edwards 17%
4) Richards 4%

The Economy bad? Are you crazy? Remember 1983?

1983 Unemployment topped out at 10.8% and now it is around 4.7% for the latest numbers.

In 1983 the Dow basically remained flat for the previous 15 years, for the past 15 years the Dow has increased nearly 400%.

In 1983 the prime interest rate was at 11%, which was down from 20.50% just 2 years prior. Today it is at 7.25%.

For those saying the economy is bad, I can't imagine what they would think if we had 1983 numbers today.

Let's face it the numbers look pretty good right now. Most people that can afford a home have one. Most of us are employed, and most have stocks, mutual funds, and IRAs that giving us pretty good returns.

Maybe it is fast foods fault? You walk into a fast food place and you have 3 sizes of drinks Medium, Large, and Extra Large. You have the same thing with Pizza's Medium, Large, and Extra Large. What happened to the small? Perhaps people are looking at the economy with fast food eyes, good, great, and outstanding economy.

The good or great economy we are in right now is not the doom and gloom people are talking. The economy is strong. If we had 1983 numbers today, then would people be willing to except small drinks and small pizzas?

Keeping It In Perspective

MSNBC exploded into my living room last night to announce that Election 2008 will be the most critical in our history. It then "treated" me to shots of Keith Obermann, Chris Matthews, and other screaming meemies it plans to use to cover this year's cycle. This represents one of those rare events that outhypes the Super Bowl.

Honestly the news has completely lost its credibility. When Dan Rather uses very questionable evidence to attack a president and elections are treated like ballgames, you can see that the media creates stories as much as reports them. The hype machine for this year's election started in 2006 and has resulted in frenzied coverage of every potential aspect, right down to how Chelsea Clinton responds to reporters.

Actually this election may be one of the less eventful or important in terms of the presidency compared to others in our nation's history. The election of 1800 was important because we transferred power from one party to another peacefully for the first time. In 1828 white men without property voted in many states for the first time, opening a new era in national politics complete with slogans and mudslinging. Both of Lincoln's elections addressed major national questions, in 1864 quite possibly whether the Union would win the Civil War or allow the Confederacy to live. Of course FDR's first election in 1932 brought on the New Deal and our world would look very different if the results of 1980 had been anything other than a Reagan victory.

This election so far has sputtered and puttered along. No candidate really has grabbed the imagination of their party while the presumed nominees from about this time last year have hit some obstacles. America's mayor has great leadership qualities, but what are his core beliefs and how will they affect his decisions? The former first lady right now seems to frighten some liberals almost as much as conservatives, although despite Iowa, she is a likely shoe in as the Democratic nominee. Obama will give her a scare early, as McCain did Bush in 2000. However she has been preparing this for too long.

That being said, this election does not seem to feature great national questions. Iraq is winding down towards a positive conclusion although the Middle East still has severe problems. Suddenly Democratic nominees want to debate the economy again. The Republicans have a pretty good track record there, despite the media attempts to paint it otherwise. Bush's administration has secured America from attack for almost seven years now, enabling the population at large to put the homeland security issue on the backburner. In other words, what are the great issues of this cycle? They are important, but they do not compare to the nation torn in two or crippling economic depressions.

Don't get me wrong, that does not mean that this election is not important. There are many reasons to be concerned about who will run the country for the next several years. However, overhyping anything produces mental callouses on the intended audience. How can presidential candidates seriously debate important issues when the media overhyping has caused too many to tune out? Then the media will wring its hands and wonder why so many voters ignore the elections altogether.

Romney Wins Wyoming with Thompson in 2nd, and Hunter in 3rd

Only Duncan Hunter actively campaigned in Wyoming and that was good enough to pick up 3rd place. Romney won with Fred Thompson finishing 2nd. Only the top 3 picked up any delegates for the national convention Romney 8, Thompson 3, and Hunter 1.

Mineral County Republican Presidential Convention

Mineral County Republican Presidential Convention to be held Saturday January 12th at the Mineral County Courthouse from 12 to 3.

All registered Republicans are requested to vote for delegates to send to the West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention.

Republicans on to Wyoming, Democrats to New Hampshire

Saturday Republicans head to the Wyoming Caucus ahead of the New Hampshire Primary.

With 78% Reporting from Iowa

34% Huckabee
25% Romney
14% Thompson
13% McCain

Huckabee's strong win has surprised a lot of people, mainly at the expense of Romney. It is unclear how the virtual tie between Thompson and McCain will play out. 2 surprises; a stronger than expected 5th place finish by Ron Paul, and very low finish by Giuliani with only 4% of the vote.

With 96% Reporting
38% Obama
30% Edwards
29% Clinton
02% Richardson

Juan Williams pointed out that in Iowa, a state with 95% of the population being white, Obama's strong win over both Edwards and Clinton shows that he is a viable national candidate and race will not play a major roll as some expected. This will make Obama a more viable candidate in the eyes of many voters. The 3rd place finish by Clinton could be devastating to her campaign.

Conservatives Should Not Knock "Knocked Up"

At first glance, a movie called "Knocked Up" may sound like the typical Hollywood flick that trashes traditional values and mocks morality. After all the title suggests the kind of vulgar insensitivity that Hollywood seems to have about sex, children, and commitment. Some conservative writers panned the film, probably without seeing it. I am glad I gave it a chance.

Certainly this film has its moments that you do not want your children to see. The main male character smokes more pot than George Burns smoked cigars. On the other hand he also is unashamedly proud of his religious faith, in this case Judaism. Like many men of his age, twenty-three, he devotes his life to good times, meaning getting high and chasing women. The female lead has just found out that she has gained an on air position with that most shallow of networks, E!. Both have lifestyles into which a child will not fit.

They meet at a bar and end up at her place, the back room off of her sister's house. Here comes another scene that you would not want your children to witness. As you might have guessed, she gets pregnant.

The film's important message starts here. Its two least appealing characters encourage the couple to get an abortion, although neither can actually say the actual word. The male character's fat and obnoxious friend advises that he take his girl to a shmabortion clinic. The girl's mother, a shallow and materialistic baby boomer, tells her that her career is too important and that she must "take care of it." The mother gets particularly nauseating when she mentions that another family member preserved her career by "taking care of it" and "she has a real baby now." Obviously the writing team, led by Harold Ramis of Ghostbusters fame, wanted to make the abortion option look as unpalatable as possible. Neither character considers it for a second. The rest of the film shows the two trying to figure out how to commit to each other as much as they have to the unborn child. The male gives up drugs and gets a real job, enabling his girlf friend to move in with him. Along the way the girl's sister's marriage comes close to divorce, but they manage to struggle back to happiness.

This movie in the seventies would have shown a happy pair of people going their separate ways after an abortion while the married family would have broken up. Although "Knocked Up" is no traditional morality tale, it shows people struggling through real life challenges and making the right decisions along the way. Hollywood does excrete a lot of filth, but this film carries some good messages.

Capitalism and the Age of the Individual

As I wrap up my Christmas preparations I begin one of my favorite traditions, watching Christmas movies. Whether contrived or based on the way it used to be, it is clear that the song “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” won’t ring all that true with our kids. I doubt that more than 10% of the people in our neighborhood decorate outside for Christmas. It also appears that few, if any, stores decorate for Christmas as they once did. Maybe a wreath or two, possibly some ornaments, but usually just a “seasonal” theme to the marketing displays. I don’t mean to be overly critical. I am just as guilty as we all are of forcing retailers to compete with mega stores like Target and Wal-Mart. Forced to cut costs, store owners save where they can in order to provide what the customer wants, lower prices. Even in my agency, we no longer give out calendars in an effort to lower costs and be more responsive to the changing environment.

As I began wondering what this means, I realized that it is ideal for a Christmas zealot like myself. Lower prices allow the individual to customize their Christmas experience. If I want decorations, special meals, and Christmas Eve candlelight, I can afford to do that. If I simply want to take advantage of discounted prices on toys, clothes, and electronics, I can do that as well. If I want to give away money to the needy or save a Christmas bonus for another day, I can choose that as well.

Unfortunately, you can’t get both the lowest cost and best experience from store owners and pillars of the community. It is up to me and you to customize our own Christmas experience. Those choosing not to participate do not have to participate. Those who want to go over the top, get to do that as well. It is simply individual accountability. I hope that everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday season. I pray that we will be free from adversity and able to simply enjoy the freedom that we have in this country to not just live, but to change the way we live based on our decisions.

This trend is easily illustrated with Christmas, but is becoming evident in all areas of our lives. Retirement and financial planning are two such areas. More and more we are seeing that the only plan that you can count on is the one that you build and maintain. Employers (small business owners in particular) have to cut costs in order to compete with lowered costs. Taxes are everywhere and can’t be cut, cost of goods may have a little room, but not much, real estate and rents are on the rise, insurance costs are increasing and one of the only places left is to reduce services/ staffing. By becoming more streamlined, an employer is able to compete and stay in business. So the employees and even the employer have to separate individual financial planning and well being from the businesses financial planning and well being. Good employers still work with employees to find third party partners and bring those partners in to speak with the employees, to help build an individual plan, and provide guidance. The employers just can’t afford to carry the burden of being accountable for the financial lives of their employees.

If your employer can’t or won’t provide, the next logical place seems to be to ask the government for help. However, the government is not only incapable of solving this problem; it also has a huge conflict of interest. How can we hold a free election if a significant portion of the population is receiving government aid? Can people vote against their paycheck? Can they endorse a candidate that shares their beliefs if they rely on the competitor for their monthly check?

If we embrace the age of the individual, we need to be honest with ourselves. Social Security is broken. There are a lot of really intelligent government officials, if they haven’t solved the problem, there may not be a solution. Either recognize that there are too many people on the rolls and adjust the eligibility age to accurately reflect the fact that people are living longer than when the program started, or do away with it completely.

If we choose the former then set the eligibility age just past a person’s average life expectancy. Work until you die? What about retirement? Well, who ever promised you a retirement? Not to mention, who said you actually want to retire? When people stop having a reason to get up each day, their health fades, their bodies diminish, and they die. We have an entire segment of the population that are living examples of this fact. Don’t believe me? Hang out at the post office at the first of the month.

If the latter is accepted, any excess money will need to be spent on re-educating people on developing a good financial plan for their lives. A good plan addresses the three possibilities that you can encounter, you can live too long, die too early, or become disabled. That means life insurance, a planned stream of income (or a really big pot of money), and disability insurance. That’s where it starts. The more you want, the more you will want to plan. This individual accountability can be a scary notion at times. But the American Dream is based on being free, and one can’t be truly free if one is reliant on another person for the basic needs of life.

What’s my plan? As callous as it may sound to say everyone is responsible for themselves, that is not really what I am trying to implement in my own life. I don’t wan the government responsible for fixing this problem, at least not the federal government. I like to see local people and local organizations helping the poor in their own community. That involves more than a monthly check. My wife and I maintain the view that we are responsible for our own lives and for the impact that we have on our community. Therefore, we over plan for the Holidays and for our future and use our excess to help make our community a little better. We enjoy helping others and sharing the reason that we are helping, as Christians we believe that it is our responsibility to help others and to share the love of Christ with them. So when we pay for an elderly persons groceries, or give a gift card to a stranger, we take advantage of the opportunity to quickly share our message. It is what we have chosen to do with the savings we see from price competitive businesses. We don’t expect everyone to make the same choices that we make, nor share our beliefs, but we also don’t get the opportunity to help/ share our message if the government beats us to it.