The Tripping Point

In the Spring 2007 issue of Capacity Magazine, Congressman Alan Mollohan wrote an article entitled West Virginia’s Economy, has reached the all-important ‘tipping point.’ The congressman states, “In any complex system, a tipping point-that moment when an accumulation of small, easily overlooked changes creates a sudden shift in the dynamics of the overall system-is often hard to see coming but blindingly obvious in retrospect.” I’ll agree with the congressman on the definition of ‘tipping point,’ but will strongly disagree that we are even close to one in the West Virginia Economy.

Those small easily overlooked changes can make a difference in the states economy, but not when you ignore the huge ones staring you in the face. We need judicial reform to prevent the frivolous lawsuits. We need cut our business taxes from the 7th highest in the nation. We need to lower the states workman’s comp rates and we need to streamline the environmental permits process. All of these items combine to make it expensive to do business in West Virginia, and many businesses believe it to expensive, so they go elsewhere.

We need to look back to the ‘tripping point.’ That is the moment when we began to fall, and that was the 1950’s. In the 1950’s West Virginia had a strong economy and a population of 2 million. The blindingly obvious retrospective is; at that time our legal system was fair, we had low corporate taxes, and easy permitting processes for all kinds of businesses. There is no rocket science here, businesses need low cost of operation to be competitive. Those cost rose in West Virginia from the 1950’s forward and the businesses left to areas with lower cost to remain competitive.

That population of 2 million in 1950 is now down to 1.8 million. People see us loosing 200,000 in population from 1950 to present, but that is not an accurate analysis of the data. In 1950 the US population was 154 million; today the US population is 300 million. If West Virginia had experienced the same growth rate the US did then West Virginia’s population would be 3.8 million. That is 2 million missing West Virginians not contributing to the West Virginia economy. It is time we learn from the mistakes of the past 50 plus years, and make the big fixes that will give us a true tipping point.

Communication is the basis of progress

April 6th, 2005 Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski of Maryland entered bill number 719. The purpose of the bill is “To extend Corridor O of the Appalachian Development Highway System from its current southern terminus at I-68 near Cumberland to Corridor H, which stretches from Weston, West Virginia, to Strasburg, Virginia.” Now, of the 35 plus miles of road the bill would have created most would have been in West Virginia, yet neither Senator Byrd nor Rockefeller co-sponsored the bill. The bill never made it out of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee. On March 28th, 2006 Congressman Alan Mollohan introduced the same bill into the house as 5031. Congressman Mollohan had no co-sponsor and the bill went no farther than the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.

I had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Mollohan’s representative at a US 50 meeting about bill 5031. My specific question was why it had no co-sponsors. The answer I got spoke volumes. Basically I was told the Congressman introduced it, and that should have been enough, if nobody saw it that wasn’t his fault.

I’m sorry but I think communication and cooperation are important. I also think Congressman Mollohan, Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski dropped the ball on this one by not communicating. I firmly believe that the Maryland Senators should have had a staffer pick up the phone and ask Senators Byrd and Rockefeller to co-sponsor the bill. Congressman Mollohan should have done the same with Congresswoman Capito and Congressman Bartlett. On the house side this would have given the bill bi-partisan support.

This is not about partisan politics; this is about doing what these people were elected to do. This is a bill to build a 4-lane road to replace the 2-lane US 220 from Moorefield, WV to Cumberland, MD. This is not a deep dividing issue such as gun control or gay marriage; it is about building a good road where one is sorely needed. I do not fault Byrd, Rockefeller, Capito or Bartlett for not picking up on these bills. With the hundreds of bills introduced every session it would be easy to miss. I do fault Sarbanes, Mikulski, and Mollohan as they had the opportunity to make a call to make the others aware.

Without communication on the easy stuff, how do you expect to solve the hard problems?

Stealing Democracy

The Maryland House of Delegates is set to study a bill supported by their Senate and their current governor that would undercut that state’s democratic process. Groups that still cannot accept the presidential results of 2000 and 2004 see Maryland as a potential first victory in their war against the electoral college system. They want to force each state’s electors to vote for the candidate that wins the popular vote nationwide.

So why should West Virginians care if Maryland wants to toss aside its constitutional rights? It does not directly affect West Virginia, not yet anyway. Too many people fail to realize that the electoral college protects the political voice of smaller and medium sized states. In a system where the national popular vote is the deciding factor in a presidential election, what reason would a candidate have to court West Virginia’s relatively small population. Would Maryland even matter if a candidate captured the major urban areas? (No Maryland, Baltimore is not a major urban area compared to New York or Chicago.)

The Founding Fathers understood that balance is necessary in any political system to prevent tyranny. A majority can tyrannize as effectively as a dictator, just ask any blacks that lived under Jim Crow. Reducing our presidential elections to a simple national popular vote means that rural states lose their voice. What will happen to our gun rights, our property rights, and other issues that people outside of the major cities hold dear? The consequences when any group finds that they have no say in the system can be extremely serious.

Live Free or Die?

“Live free or die,” the state motto of New Hampshire, challenges the mind and offers a stark choice. Either exist as free men and woman, enjoying all of the rights God and Creation grant to every human being, or die fighting for them. Of course this does not describe the full range of choices, which include accepting tyranny. If ever given that choice, what would America do in 2007? What would you do as an individual?

Never has America seen a time when people agreed on this ideal. Patrick Henry defied Britain in 1775 by proclaiming “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Others chose to follow the British, some out of conviction, but to others it seemed the most secure choice. Those that argue that Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein cite the relative peace over the land that was purchased at the cost of liberty. They conveniently forget the people massacred and tortured by that “orderly” regime. Right now the people of Iraq at least have a choice to make and many of them stand by the ideal of “live free or die.”

Will we ever have these choices to make? Certainly we hope not. The ancient Athenians and citizens of the Roman Republic probably believed that their governments would always respect their natural liberties, but as we know they eventually faced subjugation. Tyranny does not always come at once. Josef Stalin used the phrase salami tactics to describe how he would deprive people or countries of their sovereignty. You do not take all of it at once, but slice off a little bit here and there over time. Eventually you get what you want and people are more easily reconciled to it. That is how freedom disappears in the face of concerted effort.

Whether it is property rights in Mineral County or gun rights across the land, you can bet that over time, attempts will be made to slice away at them bit by bit. Standing up now to protect those rights even when it is a minor incursion, means that we will continue to only have one of the choices listed above and that is to live free.

West Virginia’s Women

In much of the world women are treated as second class citizens or worse, but not in the western world. Our Appalachian heritage is one of strong women in the family and with West Virginia being the only state that lies completely within Appalachia maybe that gives us an advantage. Friday night in Morgantown that advantage showed through at a dinner where two of the speakers were women, Shelley Moore Capito and Betty Ireland.

West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland was first to speak. If you never had the opportunity to hear Betty speak, you can tell from the moment she starts she is a powerful woman that speaks her mind. Congresswoman Capito and Secretary Ireland both spoke about their convictions of purpose and the visions they have for the future. Congresswoman Capito's ethics were clear when she talked about speaking with both Vice President and President Bush when they were lobbing her for a vote. They asked for her support, but told her to vote her conviction. She stated she voted her conviction. That is the kind of integrity that embodies the women in West Virginia.

It is fitting that in the state that gave us Mothers Day, the two most powerful elected Republicans in West Virginia are both women. While the Democratic Party claims they are party of equality, the Republicans show it through action. If you do it, then you don't have to talk about it, and the Republican Party in West Virginia will not have to talk about elevating women.

West Virginia subsidizing Virginia's economic development

As residents of the Potomac Highlands, there are very few of us that do not know some one that works in the Northern Virginia. Those West Virginia employees are providing labor and services that are driving Northern Virginia's economic engine. The reason is the economic realities of Capitalism.

The first thing that you notice is Virginia's Corporate tax rate a 6.0% flat rate, where West Virginia's is a 8.75% flat rate. West Virginia has the highest workers compensation rates for businesses in the nation. West Virginia is dire need of serious tort reform. The free market uses these factors drive the businesses from West Virginia into Virginia where they are able to be more profitable.

Those same free market forces keeps the workers living here. A 3 bed room, 2 bath home in Fredrick County, VA cost $250,000 while the same size home in Hardy County, WV cost $165,000. Personal Income and property taxes in West Virginia are much lower, than Virginia. The worker in a free market just like the business wishes to retain more of his money, so he chooses to live in West Virginia were the cost of living allows him to do that.

It sounds like the best of both worlds, but it is not. West Virginia is the looser. Without the combination of both businesses and individuals paying taxes West Virginia is loosing out. The state has less money to provide services. This shows in our lack of infrastructure. One thing you can point to is US 50 which is the main artery for the northern part of the Potomac Highlands. US 50 is now the deadliest highway in West Virginia per mile driven. It's design has changed little since the 1920's and it is handling volumes of traffic for which it was never designed, and there is not enough money to upgrade it. A company located in Virginia paying 6% in taxes, pays nothing in West Virginia to use for better roads.

Our bad policies force businesses to move to Virginia, and we end up subsidizing Virginia's economy through our bad policies. Free Market Capitalism has the answer to grow West Virginia's economy. Cut the corporate tax rate to between 4% and 5% to make us equal with the lowest 10 states, and not in the highest 10 states. End Brick Streets monopoly in workman's comp insurance now rather than later. Competition among insurance providers will bring lower rates. Enact comprehensive tort reform to end frivolous lawsuits that drive out business. The combination of these initiatives will allow businesses to increase profits by locating in West Virginia, and a business located in West Virginia pays taxes in West Virginia.

Red Shift

This is the current political look of the of the state by county. Between 1996 and 2006 the Democratic Party in West Virginia went down from having 63.48% to 57.05% of registered voters, while Republican gained from 29.69% to 30.15% in the same time frame.

If current trends continue, next election cycle Wood county will move into the Red County column, they only need 45 more Republicans. Jackson County will switch to a red county in 2011, and Putnam in 2013. By 2017 the Democrats in WV will drop below the 50% level state wide.

The question is why is this switch occurring? The Democrats have held power in West Virginia since the 1930 election, and the state peaked in the 1950's when the population exceeded 2 million. While the rest of the nation has grown we have now declined to 1.8 million. We are last in all the good categories, first in all the bad categories, and the voter registration shift is a sign the people want change.

The Devil Made Me Do It!

“The Devil made me do it!” Back when most parents still taught their children the significance of Heaven and Hell, youngsters would sometimes give this excuse a try. They knew that when they did something wrong that they would need a scapegoat, hopefully one that was universally despised and tough to interrogate. Luckily parents had an answer and referred to Matthew 4:1-11 among other Scriptures. When Satan tried to tempt Christ, Jesus made an individual decision of free will to respond “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.” Clearly human beings own their destinies and can freely make decisions even when tempted very strongly.

Cho Seung-Hui’s confessions sound familiar. He blamed the world for his misery. Despite having the advantages of living in a country where he could eat regularly and have the opportunity to pursue a college degree, Cho believed he had the right to happiness. Where did he learn that? Is it a coincidence that school shootings started taking place about the same time that secondary education began emphasizing self-esteem and removing chances for honest competition? Self-esteem is developed through either winning or learning from losing. In a world with no winners and no losers, people have no method to build real confidence except through athletics. Even there opportunities are increasingly limited by school consolidation.

The Declaration of Independence promises all Americans the opportunity to pursue happiness, not happiness itself. Cho and so many other people are troubled because of the gap between the world they are taught, where people are always supposed to be happy and individuals own no responsibility for their lives, and the world as it is, where people struggle to face success and failure every day, learning to live with both.

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Is anyone else appalled by the sheer irresponsibility of the news media anymore? The same television networks that refuse to turn their cameras on morons that run onto the field during athletic events for fear of encouraging similar behaviors show this madman’s video manifesto. They reward him posthumously for killing over thirty people so that he could tell the world what a crappy place it was. Nice going. They will wonder why copycats will try the same thing and then blame gun manufacturers afterwards.

The Hallowed Halls of Academia

Eastern Community and Technical College has not gone the way of the Edmund Fitzgerald yet, but it is certainly sailing into rough waters. What began as a curious experiment in grass roots academics mixed with state level pork is shaping up to be a possible disaster. Two presidents have resigned in the past eighteen months and an $8 million grant to construct a main campus has been reversed.

When political considerations get in the way of common sense, situations such as this occur. Eastern CTC represented a nice cut of bacon for Delegate Harold Michael to bring home to his Hardy County constituents, but it also tries to compete with a long established two year school only a short drive up the road. Eastern has very little advantage over Potomac State College due to PSC’s merger with West Virginia University and Eastern’s continued lack of accreditation. All it has to offer residents of Hardy County is a somewhat shorter commute. It currently is banking on federal funds that would come if the school gets accreditation, but it also lacks a college president.

Governor Joe Manchin and the CTC council chairman for the state, Nelson Robinson, have both expressed concerns about the institution’s future. However Eastern does have students, instructors, and an army of deans. What it lacks is vision, focus, and seemingly coherent organization. A simple answer lies in folding Eastern into either Shepherd University or Potomac State College either of which offer a much wider variety of potential services for students.

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Speaking of lacking a college president (at least until last Friday) West Virginia University’s Board of Governors approved the candidacy of Mike Garrison, former Wise Administration aide. The student government leaders conversely had voted strongly in favor of Garrison.

In the strange world of academia, presidents have different roles. They are stewards of institutions that invest heavily in advancing knowledge and ideas, so some believe that university leaders must have impeccable academic credentials. One professor's quoted statement leads one to believe that a WVU degree in itself represents insufficient credentials. That being said, they must also have the political skills and experience to slug it out in the trenches of legislative politics. Finally a university president needs the charisma and connections to be chief fundraiser. What each person felt was the most important role of a university president went a long way towards determining who they backed for WVU president.

What seems to be happening here also is a backlash by proxy against Manchin. Could it be the case that the ultraliberal faction of state Democrats fought against the presumed Manchin choice? Could they have been wanting to make a political statement about the Governor without attacking him directly? It is probably best to reserve judgment about Mike Garrison until he has been on the job for a while. After all David Hardesty came from a rather unconventional background for a university president and had done a pretty good job.

The WVU presidential selection process, if nothing else, has been an interesting display of state politics in action. Thank goodness we could hire a basketball coach without this much fuss.

Change of Focus

Saturday Night at the Barbour County Lincoln Day Dinner I had the opportunity to hear Doug McKinney speak. This is about the 3rd time in 2 weeks I have had that opportunity, and each time I am impressed. I like the change in focus that Doug is presenting.

For years the West Virginia GOP has pushed the fact that we are the Pro-life, Pro-marriage, Pro-gun party, but isn't that what is expected of the GOP? Unless you have been living on Mars, you know those are the core social values of the party and they will not change. Doug sees an opportunity for the party to make headway in the state by pushing the fiscal conservative values of the party. The values that will make the states economy grow.

Forbes Magazine ranks West Virginia the 49th best place to do business, while our parent state, Virginia, ranks 1st on the same list. The simple reason is Virginia has less regulation, less licensing, and less taxes on business. This makes it easier to do business in Virginia and as a result they have a growing economy.

At our peak in 1950 West Virginia had a population of 2 million. While the rest of the nation grew, we declined to our present 1.8 million. This is mainly the result of bad fiscal policies made by a Democrat controlled state government. The namesake of Marshall University, Chief Justice John Marshall had it right when he said, "The power to tax involves the power to destroy." The powers in Charleston have definitely destroyed the states economy over the past 50+ years proving his point. In 1950 we were strong enough to have the representation of 2 US Senators, and 6 US Congressman. To put that in perspective, we would need a population of around 3.8 million in 2010 to have that kind of power. In 60 years we have been more than cut in half. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Doug is right, now is the time to change the focus of the GOP onto the fiscal values of the party. It will be hard for the Democrats to hide from 50+ years of destruction of the states economy through ever increasing bad tax policy. Every family in the state has been touched by members that have had to leave to find work, and that presents an opportunity for the GOP. Through economic education the party can gain ground, and begin to reverse the destruction of the states economy that has occurred over the last 50 years.

Joe Manchin, part of your answer is Don Blankenship

Our Governor is going around pushing alternative energy, and more specifically CTL (Coal to Liquid) as evidenced by the article Governors Call for Energy Independence. I agree with the Wyoming Governor when he stated he had little faith in the Federal government to get anything done. Let's face it after the first energy crisis in the early 1970's we have known that oil is our Achilles Heal. Both parties have been in power in DC during past 35 years and neither one has come up with a comprehensive energy policy to wean us off foreign oil.

Joe is right in the fact that individual states need to take the lead in ending our energy dependence on foreign oil, but we do not need government running the program. That would be a disaster like all attempts at government to do anything that deals with the economy. There are two places I see that the state government can get involved. One is cut the states fuel tax in half on fuels made from WV coal, given a choice market forces will have the people buying the cheaper fuel. This will encourage growth in the WV CTL industry. The second is, Joe suck it up, work with Don Blankenship. Put together a group of business people together with Don Blankenship at the top of the heap to build a CTL plant.

What is needed is business people sitting down in the same room and hashing out the numbers. We don't need state government funneling money into a project creating corporate welfare. We need a solid business plan, and one that can stand on its own without government cash. In the late 1800's all the transcontinental rails roads but one failed. The only one that didn't file bankruptcy was James J. Hill's, Great Northern Railroad. The Great Northern was the only one that didn't take government money. James Hill stated, "The government should not furnish capital to these companies, in addition to their enormous land subsidies, to enable them to conduct their business in competition with enterprises that have received no aid from the public treasury." Government money makes companies inefficient, and when the money dries up they fail. That is exactly what happened to the other transcontinental railroads.

We do not want a CTL plant going up in the state based on government subsidized corporate welfare, because it will fail in the long run. Oil is now priced high enough that it makes economic sense to build a private plant for profit. The Free Market can support a CTL plant. Joe needs to use his power as governor to get the right people in the room to discuss the matter, and again Don Blankenship is at the top of that list. The plant(s) could be joint ventures between coal producers, fuel retailers, and in some cases large corporate fuel consumers. This way all involved will have an interest in seeing it succeed.

West Virginia has an opportunity, but Joe Manchin needs to work with Don Blankenship and others to get it started, then get out of the way.

Mineral County Food Police

Today is my fathers 66th birthday and later on today I'm going over to Mom and Dad's and have some cake and ice cream at a traditional celebration. I'm going to eat cake and ice cream with the full knowledge it full of sugar, carbs, fat and other nasty things for me, but it is my choice. I know that I should be eating fruits and vegetables to make a well balanced meal. Growing up my Mom telling me to finish my vegetables was the only Food Police I needed in my life.

In a recent article in the Times-News about the vending machines in the courthouse, County Commission Wayne Spiggle (D) was quoted as saying, " We're enabling a very unhealthy practice right here in our own courthouse. That snack machine is just full of poisons." Enabling and forcing are two different things. I have been known to purchase things out of those vending machines during meetings in the courthouse. Trust me I'm doing it by choice, there are no county deputies there holding a gun to my head saying, "Buy the Twinky."

We don't need the County Commission or Healthy Mineral County Coalition acting as the food police telling the public what we can or cannot eat. I'm all for giving people a choice, by all means put in an additional machine selling healthy food and drinks. Let the free market decide what people eat in the courthouse, and publish which machines generate the most income. Even when faced with a healthy choice people are still going to buy what they want, and not what the government wants them to eat. We are free people that sometimes make unhealthy eating choices, but they are our choices to make.

An Even Worse Disaster Than Blacksburg

Certainly the horriying pictures coming out of Blacksburg are enough to make anyone stop and ask what could have been done to prevent this. It reflects the current attitude so prevalent in our place and time in history that bad things cannot and should not ever happen. If bad things do happen then surely some institution is negligent and the system should be fixed up right now to prevent similar disasters in the future.

Total security exists only in the purest of ideals. Pure idealism without any taint of real world experience only exists in the innocence of children or the hell of totalitarian regimes. Right now the anti-gun forces are marshalling themselves to once again assault the ramparts of the idea that each citizen should have the right to own a firearm. They will brandish the demand that the government make us safe from madmen by taking away all of our guns. To people such as this the government is like a mommy figure, nurturing, providing, and coercing. Whether it be a man with a gun or a hurricane, the government/mother figure needs to have all the answers and needs to make it right. Such is the justice and security of the nursery.

What becomes of our free society then? To Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers, the right to keep and bear arms was the cornerstone of freedom. How else would citizens protect their rights if the government, as in the times of Rome, went too far and destroyed people's ability to enjoy their natural liberties? Removal of gun rights has been the first aim of every modern dictatorship.

Don't think for a moment it won't happen. The NRA will have a fight on its hands as grieving families and intellectuals will once again use a tragedy (which after all is the fault of the perpetrator and no one else) to try to eliminate perhaps our most important freedom. It is up to those that would defend that right to remain resilient. Should the Virginia Tech tragedy be addressed? Definitely. Can it be prevented? Unortunately it cannot, unless we are willing to give up the constitutional right that ultimately exists for us to protect all of the rest. And that would be the worst possible disaster of all.

If Puerto Rico becomes a state WV loses a Congressman

The US House of Representatives is limited to 435 members by US Public Law 62-5 of 1911. A US population of 300,000,000 means one member of the house represents about 680,000 persons. West Virginia's population is 1.8 million, which means we should have 2.64 representatives. You round off and that equals 3 representatives for WV. If that number drops to 2.49, then we round off to 2.

Current 2010 census estimates show West Virginia keeping 3 house seats at least until 2020, but that could all change of Congressman Nick Rahall (D) has his way. Nick Rahall is supporting US House Bill HR 900, which could lead the way for Puerto Rico to become the 51st State. According to an article in CQ Politics Puerto Rico will have 6 House Members, and 2 Senators.

In 1957 when Hawaii and Alaska were made states the US House was increased to 437 members temporarily until the 1960 census. Each had a population that gave them 1 House member each. After the 1960 census, Alaska and Hawaii kept there one representative in the house and two were taken away from the other 48 states when the house returned to 435 members.

If Puerto Rico is made a state, then the house would temporarily go to 441 members until the next census. The US population in 2010 is estimated to be around 310 million. Puerto Rico will add an additional 4 million persons for a total of 314 million. After the 2010 census, with Puerto Rico a state, each house member will represent 721,000 persons when the house drops back to 435 members. That would mean West Virginia would require 2.496 Congressmen, and that rounds down to 2.

A West Virginia Congressman is leading a charge that could cost West Virginia its 3rd Congressional seat, reducing our power in Washington.

Moore good times had in Charleston

Enough praise can not be given to Jeannette Wakim and Sue McKinney for the time and hard work they put in preparing the dinner to honor Shelly Moore, wife of former Governor Arch Moore, and mother of Shelley Moore Capito. The GOP fund raiser was a huge success thanks to their efforts with over 200 people in attendance. It was great to hear the stories told about Shelly and Arch, but there was one thing you couldn't escape. I'm not talking about the inescapable conversations of politics, but the values of the group in the room.

Family values are the corner stone of the Republican Party, and it was the first thing you noticed when you walked into the room. The Moore's exemplified this with 3 generations in attendance. This family has shown over the years a dedication to the people of West Virginia, but across the room other families could be seen with that same dedication. Many times mundane things that we normally ignore in our daily lives can show the strength of family. At the Marriott Saturday night is was the simple cell phone calls home to check on husbands, wives and kids that were manning the home fires that night. Family values filled the room and they are the values of most West Virginians.

The value that friendship transcends politics, one of the featured speakers of the night was Ken Hechler (D). Ken asked to be seated on the left, because he represented the left in politics, but he is a friend of the Moores serving in US Congress with Arch, and surviving as WV Secretary of State. With today's personal attacks on Republicans by the left this maybe something of a bygone era, but valued friendship was there Saturday night.

You saw the value of self reliance and honesty in the businessmen and women present, something alien to the left. I'm going to use an Alan Greenspan quote here because he said it so well, "Capitalism is based on self-interest and self-esteem; it holds integrity and trustworthiness as cardinal virtues and makes them pay off in the marketplace, thus demanding that men survive by means of virtue, not vices. It is this superlatively moral system that the welfare statists propose to improve upon by means of preventative law, snooping bureaucrats, and the chronic goad of fear. "

Saturday night one could only come away with one impression; The Republican Party is the party of Values.

He's not the real President, but he played one on TV

After watching the interview on Foxnews with former Senator and Actor Fred Thompson, I believe he is going to run for President. Fred Thompson had a good conservative track record as Senator from Tennessee, where ironically he won the seat vacated by Al Gore. I believe that he understands the values of rural Americans.

In his interview on Fox he had a presence about him that I don't recall seeing since Ronald Reagan was president. When he speaks you get a feeling of trust. This is probably why many people are pushing for him to run. Draft Fred Thompson is now a very popular site for those wishing for him to join in the fray.

A recent poll with knowledge of Fred Thompson's lymphoma in remission do you think he should run? 64% say he should run in the primary regardless, 22% say he is viable even with lymphoma, and only 8% thought the lymphoma should keep him from running. Fred is a cancer survivor and I think that will touch a cord with many Americans that live with or know someone that has cancer. 20 years ago, I believe that would have been the death of his candidacy, but not now.

What we are going to have to ask ourselves in the coming months is this; What Presidential candidate best represents the values of West Virginians? I believe the answer to this question could put Fred Thompson at the head of the pack, but only time will tell as we hear more from the candidates.

How do you find $35,000?

I read the article in the Times News about the Mineral County Sheriff finding an account with $35,419.76 in it. How exactly does an account going missing for 13 years? In order for it to be lost over 13 years there should have been 156 monthly bank statements that had to have went unnoticed by several levels of county government. 13 years of deposits, would have knocked the county budget out of balance each of those 13 years. Did anybody not wonder why?

Most of us have a check book. If our check book says we have $1000 in it and the bank says we have $1500, then we assume we missed writing in a $500 deposit. We probably wouldn't let that go on for 13 years without checking it out. Especially when the extra would have gotten bigger every year. I don't understand how 2 Sheriffs, 8 County Commissioners, 4 County Clerks, and a host of employees both Democrat and Republican could have allowed something like this to go on 13 years.

I would hazard to guess, that the account was probably not lost. It probably has a specific purpose, and that purpose is outlined in the county budget, or state code. That would explain why no red flags were thrown on each budget review. It bothers me that no one in county government can seem to account for this funding. Maybe it is time for a deep audit of the county books.

The Winds of Change?

In the early years of national independence Thomas Jefferson wrote a comprehensive survey of his state, the famous Notes on Virginia. When speaking of the western section of Virginia, Jefferson lists a number of resources such as coal. This book was published to advertise the strong character of the people and the variety of natural resources that the state had to offer. However, I doubt that Jefferson ever considered wind as a natural resource to cultivate.

Some environmentalists have told the public for years that tremendous potential exists in the power generation of wind farms. Others protest that wind farms harm the environment. Walter Cronkite and Ted Kennedy, no friends of coal or any other supplier of power, successfully prevented construction of wind farms off of Martha’s Vineyard for aesthetic reasons alone. Some argue that birds flying into the blades and shortening their lives provides a compelling reason to not construct these farms (don’t they also fly into cars, windows of buildings, and other immovable objects?)

Only one reason alone exists to build or to not build, long term viability. Can these energy sources become profitable in the long term without government support? Governor Manchin signed a bill into law recently that raises the property tax rate on wind farms from the salvage rate to the regular rate. Although this removes an incentive to construct these projects, it does give county governments a reason to try to attract them. Manchin also opened the door for wind farm operators to earn tax credits with local investment.

Will wind power displace coal as the source of energy that keeps the lights on? Not a chance. However it creates investment opportunities on land that otherwise may not be developed, helping the local tax base. It also creates a few good paying jobs while increasing West Virginia’s most profitable (legal) export, electric power. Strangely enough, the wind farm that operates now in Tucker County has proven to be a tourist attraction of sorts. You can actually see people, even in busses, stop to get their pictures taken beside the gigantic wind harnessing machines. It makes you wonder if the Dutch that built those windmills so long ago saw them as beautiful or interesting features on the landscape. If these farms can generate profits as well as power, they will create an innovative and environmentally friendly source of wealth for the state and its people.

Jet Fuel from Coal

I had the opportunity to see David Neeleman, the founder and CEO of Jetblue, on C-SPAN this past weekend. He was talking about what is needed to make the investment in converting coal into liquid fuels. He stated that money to do these projects is not an issue, many corporations can do it and be profitable. Oil needs to stay above $40 per barrel, according to Neeleman, in order for the companies to remain profitable.

With us unlikely to see oil drop below $40 per barrel in the foreseeable future, now is the time of the Economic Development in Authorities in the Potomac Highlands to move. The less likely a drop in oil, the more likely an investment will be made in a CTL (coal-to-liquid) plant. David Neeleman is showing that the airline industry is willing to take a look at CTL. The airline industries single biggest variable in cost is fuel. In 2005 Sir Richard Branson owner of Virgin Atlantic Air announced that he was going to build an oil refinery just to supply fuel for his airline.

The airline industry offers an opportunity that the Potomac Highlands should be capitalizing on. Now is the time for our Economic Development Authorities to contact people like Richard Brason, David Neeleman and ask them to look at a joint venture plant. We can bring together the end users of Jet Fuel, and the producers of coal such as Massey Energy and make a CTL plant a reality. We may not be able to put something together, but we know for sure nothing will happen if we don't try.

Even if Virgin Atlantic builds its own oil refinery, it is still tied to the volatility of oil prices, and the political instability of the middle east. West Virginia offers a large supply of coal, and a stable political climate. This will make sure the idea of a venture will be more appealing. West Virgina has a the resources, so we should be an economic powerhouse of a state. The only thing lacking is a political will to move forward.

Ruth Rowan Defends Potomac Highlands Values

Ruth Rowan Defends Potomac Highlands Values

When the 50th Delegate District sent Ruth Rowan to Charleston in 2004, she had to know that she went under a shadow. Long time delegate Jerry Mezzatesta’s behavior in office was described by Hardy County Democrat and Delegate Harold Michael as affecting “how the public perceives the entire House of Delegates.” That being said, “Mezz” had a knack for bringing home the bacon from Charleston. Delegate Rowan served as a schoolteacher before going to the Legislature just as Mezzatesta did. Although she definitely could not start with the same kind of influence as her predecessor, Delegate Rowan serves the 50th with honesty, efficiency, and dignity.

According to Project Vote Smart, Delegate Rowan’s voting record, especially in 2006, has reflected the kinds of values that West Virginians tend to support. She voted 70% of the time to limit government waste, 80% of the time in favor of pro-family issues, and 86% of the time in support of small businessmen and women. The National Rifle Association honored Delegate Rowan with an “A” rating and she also was endorsed by the West Virginia AFL-CIO. Certainly the last mention does not necessarily reflect purely conservative values, but it is in step with many West Virginia voters.

Beyond Delegate Rowan’s honesty, her reflection of her voters’ values, and her increasing effectiveness (due to ever increasing seniority) is her personality. If you were to try and create a perfect citizen-legislator, you would combine intelligence, experience with everyday concerns, and approachability. If West Virginia voters collectively made an effort to rid the state legislature of corrupt members and replace them with real citizen-legislators such as Delegate Rowan, we might finally see a political system that truly works for the state.

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It may be shocking to the Christian Science Monitor, (“Firing of US Attorneys Puts New Focus on Voter Fraud”, April 5, 2007) but most certainly not those of us in West Virginia that vote buying continues to plague our democracy. The St. Clair County Illinois Democratic Executive Committee paid East St. Louis residents $5 or $10 to secure a vote for John Kerry and other Democrats in 2004. Although this incident was investigated and resulted in a conviction, other United States attorneys refused to seek out and prosecute similar instances of voter fraud. Therefore the Bush administration wisely sent several of them packing.

Liberal Democratic organizations such as the People for the American Way insist that voter fraud is not substantial enough to warrant the time of federal investigators. However former US Attorney Kasey Warner noted that votes in West Virginia sold in large numbers for between $15 and $25 (obviously St. Clair County residents were getting gypped.) This was in the same year, 2004, that state Republican party chair Kris Warner and his brother Monty had received death threats for their pledge to root out vote buying and other forms of corruption. Although the People for the American Way do not seem to believe vote buying is an important issue, the vote buyers seem to take it extremely seriously.

How on earth can we take democracy seriously if it is for sale?