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?

Even the poor people are fat

In an interview years ago a malnourished East African said to a reporter, "I want to go to America where even the poor people are fat." Think about what that statement says about our country. Most of recorded history the poor have starved, and still today that is the case in most of the world, but not in America. It is not because of social programs, the reason is Capitalism.

A farmer does not go into the fields at sunrise, and return to his home at night fall because he wants to grow food. He does that because he wants to generate income to support his family, and better his lot in life. The farmer knows the harder he works, the more food he generates, the higher quality his product, the more people will buy it, and the more his lot will improve. It is the self interest in bettering ones lot in life that created an abundance of high quality cheap food, that unlike much of history allows the poor here to get fat.

Capitalism has succeeded to the point that obesity is a problem primarily among the poor. This twist of irony flies in the face of thousands of years of human history, where the rich were obese ones. We are not so removed from our past that the term "fat cats" is still used to denote the rich. While early social programs primary function was to make sure the poor were fed, now West Virginia is offering Weight Watchers as a social program to reduce obesity among the poor.

Socialist try to pretend that Capitalism hurts the poor, but as you read above the poor benefit most from Capitalism. In 1968 the University of Michigan began a study among 50,000 individual families. Of the 20% at the bottom in 1975, 70% of those had climbed out of the bottom by 1991, and 25% of those made it to the top 20% in income. Capitalism gave the people the opportunity to improve their lot in life. The results will never be equal, because people vary in skill, eduction, work ethic, and a host of other factors. Winston Churchill said it best, " The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. "

Radio down 50%

Listening to the radio yesterday I heard that WKLP and WQZK are moving to Cumberland, MD from Keyser. That leaves the great radio stations of WELD AM and FM the only radio stations in the Potomac Highlands. Some of you are probably wondering why I'm even commenting on this, simple it shows a loss of confidence in the local economy.

This is just the latest job loss in Mineral County continuing a trend that has been happening for sometime now. JAK in Keyser closed costing 60 jobs this past year, New Page cut 150, Bayliner closed one of their plants. Many of these jobs were held by Mineral County residents. The radio station is leaving because it is harder for them to sell advertising, because of the loss of business in the area.

Mineral County's stratagy for Economic Development needs to change. The Keyser industrial park has many empty buildings and the Fort Ashby park is still empty after 14 years. The county government needs to wake up and realize we are on a downward economic slide. We need a Economic Development team that will not only try to seek new businesses to locate here, but to try to retain those that are still here.

All our eggs in one basket

I read that Bird Flu has been detected in Pendleton County and farms in the whole the Potomac Highlands are to be tested. Fortunately the strain of Bird Flu is not one that effects humans, but I have to disagree with Buddy Davidson of the WV Department of Agriculture when he said, "This should not effect the average person at all." If this is a major outbreak it could very well effect the average person economically.

The current treatment is to destroy the infected birds, and in the Potomac Highlands a large chunk of our economy is made up of the poultry industry. 25,000 turkeys are being destroyed now in Pendleton county as a result of contacting bird flu. That is going to have an impact on that farmer. If more bird flu is found, then the impact will spread to other farms, the workers at the processing plants, the trucking companies, and many businesses that depend on the on the industry for its livelihood.

A wise man once said plan for the worst, and hope for the best. I would like to know that the WV Department of Agriculture has a plan in effect if the outbreak is more wide spread. Can the state help decontaminate quickly and help get these farms up and running, so the economic impact is minimal to our area.

An outbreak like this emphasizes the need for a diverse economy, so all our eggs are not in one basket.

Warriors are the Peacemakers

Times-News had a letter to the editor in the Monday addition by Dave Crockett. In the letter he is complaining that we honor the warriors that keep us free with memorials. He states by doing this we glorify war and its profits, and ignore the peacemakers. This couldn't be further from the truth. I come from a family that served in our nations armed forces from the beginning; the Revolution, the Civil War, World War I & II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and conflicts unnamed. They did not fight for glory, they fought for freedom and peace.

Ronald Reagan on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach said, " We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free." Through memorials we do not honor war, we honor the warrior peacemaker. We honor the sacrifices that our young men and women make to insure we have peace.

Crockett spoke of Ellen McDaniel-Weissler, and Craig Etchison. These people do not advocate peace, they rail against war. They offer no solution to the dictator that wants to take away peace and freedom through force of arms. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak, or the timid."

These memorials we erect honor the real peacemakers the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that defend this nation in times of war and peace. Mr. Crockett is free to speak his mind because a solider stood his ground at Bunkerhill. He is free to speak his mind because another solider made a charge a Gettysburg. He is free because a Marine went over the top at Belleau Wood, because a sailor stayed at his gun at Pearl Harbor, and because an airman flew his B-17 to Berlin.

Nobody longs for peace more than the soldier, and nobody will secure peace but the solider. When you sleep safe in your bed tonight, thank.. no... honor the soldier that is thousands of miles away from his family in a place he doesn't want to be, for he is the true peacemaker.

We are not Appalachian Serfs that need controlled

SERF (sûrf) A member of the lowest feudal class, attached to the land owned by a lord and required to perform labor in return for certain legal or customary rights. A person in bondage or servitude.

My family came to the area on a land grant in 1782 for services in the Continental Army. Since my roots are about 225 years old I believe I'm about as local as it gets. Appalachia has a unique and rich culture. Part of that culture is a right of self determination over ones property and life. It is the most dear principle of liberty, and one my ancestor helped secure by fighting against King George III some 200 years ago. I believe now that liberty again needs defending. This time not by force of arms, but by the voice of the people.

I read something this past weekend in one of the local publications in which the author couldn't understand why "Zoning" was a dirty word in our area. Simple, Zoning flies in the face of freedom itself. It stops self determination and it damages the economy by restricting it. Zoning is a Socialist concept that destroys the a free market in land, and removes its value without compensation to the owner. Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman said it best, "Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."

These believers in Zoning, tend to be affluent and from the suburbs of a major city or at least lived there for a time. They falsely believe they are gaining some security by giving up some freedom. Ben Franklin saw right through this argument when he said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." These same people talk about how great living in Prince George's, Loudon, or Fairfax Counties was. My question is; If it was so great then why did you leave? The answer is they wanted to gain back that liberty they gave up. Despite all their rules and regulations that take away some of the liberty, they have much higher taxes, higher crime rates, etc and are less secure than we are here. Bad thing is many don't even realize that is why they left. Old Ben had it right, he knew the danger of this type of thinking.

In the article I read, it revealed that in Loudon County, Mobile Homes are not considered homes. That you can't put a mobile home on anything less than 5 acres. Wow! I have friends that are very proud to own their own home and some of those are mobile homes. This is wrong in so many ways. The only purpose of a zoning ordinance like that is to give power to the affluent in the community over the common man. It makes it harder for struggling families, low income wage earners, some middle class, or persons on a fixed income to own their own home. That is the thought process of the Socialist. The socialist pretends that a mobile home is not a home. That way when they deny your ability to own a home you can afford through zoning, they see it as not really taking away your right to own a home in their mind. It is a way for them to justify taking away the liberty of others.

Zoning tries to regulate bulk of the population into nothing more than Serfs of the rich land owners. In essence a Zoning Board will become the Feudal Lords, and the Taxpayers become the Serfs. (You don't really think the guy living in a trailer park, and working at the chicken plant will ever be appointed to the zoning board, do you?) We are not Appalachian Serfs that need controlled. We are free men and women that enjoy self determination over lives and property. If you try take away our liberty, then "Serfs Up Dude!"

Bats in the Belfry

When I put gasoline in my tank, when I get my electric bill, and when the propane tank gets filled I'm reminded of how much I spend on energy. We need energy independence from foreign sources of energy and one of those ways is Wind Energy. I do not understand the opposition to a clean renewable source of energy. Windmills create no pollution once constructed, they provide jobs, and the increase the tax base. It is a win win for everybody involved, but for some reason some don't see it that way.

The first argument usually heard is; they doesn't increase the taxes enough. Well we are all paying too much tax now, that is one of the reason of slow economic growth in the area. Besides a Windmill pays way more tax than the vacant rock that was there before, so it is a net gain for the community.

But the argument I like the best is the Bats. The bat argument came about because the bird argument was proved wrong and misleading. The theory goes something like this. The aircraft warning lights on the windmills attract moths, and the moths in turn attract bats that eat them. While the bats are eating the moths, they get hit with blades of the windmill and are killed. There is a glaring hole in this theory.

Best evening to sit outside on the porch in the summer is when there is a light breeze blowing. The reason being is the wind blows the bugs way. Funny thing is the wind is what turns the windmill blades, so when the wind is blowing there are no bugs to attract the bats. When the wind is not blowing, and the bats can eat the bugs, the blades aren't turning to kill the bats. The bat kill theory just doesn't hold up to simple logic.

Usually I can see two sides to an issue. I can usually understand the other sides reasoning for their point of view, but I may disagree with it. I can not see their logic in their opposition to windmills. Electricity is not something that comes out of the wall. It must be generated somehow whether it be wind, oil, coal, hydro-electric, or solar something has to create it. If we have the ability to generate power from a non-polluting local source such as wind, then we should do it. They worry about bats around windmills, they should worry about the bats in their belfry.

Karl Marx and the Second Grader

At the Hilltop School in Seattle, Washington teachers Ann Pelo and Kendra Joaquin are teaching second graders that Communism is a fair and just system. Apparently, the kids built a town out of Lego blocks. The kids began to lay claim to the buildings they assembled. One kid refused to allow another kid to land his Lego plane at his airport.

The teachers response was to take away the Lego blocks. Then the teachers taught the kids “social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity from a perspective of social justice.” They were taught that personal ownership, property rights and Capitalism is bad. Whoa! These are second graders! After three months of Marxist indoctrination the Legos were returned to the kids with new Soviet style rules of property ownership.

Second graders should be taught sharing is a good thing, but trying to teach them complex socio-economic theories is another. Ann Pelo and Kendra Joaquin are clueless on the subject of Capitalism and Communism. They should be kept away from kids of all ages (including college).

Our nation was built on Capitalism, and it gives everyone an equal starting point. If you work hard you will be rewarded. Bill Gates started in a garage. John D. Rockefeller failed several times before finding success. Capitalism doesn't guarantee success, but it gives you an opportunity. What you do with that opportunity depends on you. You have heard the saying that rich get richer, that is true, but the poor get richer at a much faster rate than the rich in this county.

We live in the most successful nation in the world, and Capitalism is our system. If you want to know if our system is the best give it the "Gate Test." Chuck Kinder of the WV State Auditors Office gave a speech I had the opportunity to attend. In it he stated, "If you want to see how successful your country is give it the Gate Test. Open the gates and see which people go." The communist countries of eastern Europe built walls to keep there people from leaving during the cold war. We are building walls on the Mexican border to keep people out.

Gate Test: Capitalism passes with flying colors.

The Breakfast of Champions

Tuesday the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Legislative Breakfast. Invited were Senators David Sypolt (R), & Jon Hunter (D), as well as Representatives Allen Evans (R), Bob Schadler (R), and Ruth Rowan (R) which represent all or parts of Mineral County. Ruth Rowan didn't attend which was not as much a surprise as the absence of Hunter. This is the first Legislative Breakfast I can remember him not attending. Maybe there is some truth to the rumors of Jon not seeking re-election.

I really like the Legislative Breakfast. I believe it is very important for the community to have a briefing from the very people that we count on in Charleston to represent us. What really got me hooked was a few years ago. Then Senator Sarah Minear (R) was at the breakfast. She spoke after Jon Hunter, and did what I believe a politician should do. She stood up at the mic and told it like it was. Speaking with fire in her belly Sarah explained in detail why she disagreed with her counterpart, and whether you agreed with her or not you had to give her respect. That is what I want to hear from my representatives.

We don't need representatives that are only seen as frequently as Roswell aliens. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil once said, "All politics are local," and that means getting out among the people. The attendees at the breakfast were doing just that. They were there to take questions, hear comments from the people, and some cases take some heat. That is what being a representative in a representative democracy is about. You have to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly from the people you represent.

Last year people couldn't believe when the Governor visited Keyser, that I said more than "Welcome to Keyser" as he shook hands. I did that and told him, we have some problems that need addressed and here they are. Politicians are people there to serve us, talk to your representatives. Be respectful, but tell them what you think, why you think it, what you would like to see, and why you disagree if their opinion differs from yours. Our representatives need to know what we think, so tell them when you see them.

Grant and Mineral could fuel jobs with coal

For many years I have advocated turning coal into motor fuels. During the last election cycle I started working on the idea of what it would take to get a group together to make that happen on top the Allegheny Front. The coal located on top the mountain is the closest in West Virginia to the east coast markets, and it is the type that lends itself well to being converted in to liquid fuel. This makes the Potomac Highlands a natural for a location of a conversion plant. The Fischer-Tropsch process has been around for over 100 years and Germany used it during World War II to run the last few years of the war when her oil supplies were cut off. There is very little new science involved, and with oil remaining above $35 per barrel for the foreseeable future it is economically desirable because coal based gasoline would be cheaper.

In mid-August the Coal-to-Liquid Coalition is planning a summit in Beckley, WV. Congressman Nick Rahall (D) WV-3rd wants the Defense Department to get involved since they are the single largest purchaser of fuel in the US. 2.5 billion gallons annually. Rahall wants the Defense Department to purchase coal based fuels. I understand the reasoning for wanting to get the government involved, and that is basically to take the uncertainty out of the market place. When the private sector builds a plant it wants to know that it will make a profit, and with a government contract from the Defense Department that uncertainty is gone. Now normally I like the idea of government staying out of things, but I like the idea of our government buying domestic instead of foreign.

I think the Economic Development directors of Grant and Mineral should attend this meeting. It would be a good opportunity to see what can and needs to be done. Nobody ever got anything sitting there waiting for it to be handed to them, and if the Potomac Highlands is not aggressive in marketing itself to the world, then the world will pass us by. Armed with knowledge you start marketing your idea.

There are many large consumers that could be approached to purchase coal based fuels. Some of the largest private consumers of fuel in the US are the rail roads. CSX alone purchased in excess of two billion dollars worth of fuel last year. This would be a excellent place to start putting together a group of a possible project. You need a diverse group from coal mining companies, to the ones that own the nozzle you put in the end users tank and everybody in between. Together you can have an integrated approach that benefits everybody in the chain, and you take out much of the uncertainty. The Potomac Highlands have an opportunity knocking, but we need to answer the door.

Ham, Bacon, and Eggs not for Breakfast, but the Future

Friday night Mineral County held its annual Ham, Bacon, and Eggs Sale and the crowd appeared much larger than last year and prices also seemed higher. I was glad to see the kids get a good profit from their efforts. The whole Potomac Highlands business community and beyond was out in force to support these young capitalist. There were Grand Champion winners singled out, but all were winners. I’m not just saying that to be nice, they truly are winners. They learn that you can better yourself and be rewarded through hard work. Even the last place finisher in any one category won, their hard work was rewarded at the sale.

My fear is the future may hold another lesson, and that is government can destroy your hard work or place limits on your future hard work. Interestingly earlier in the day I had a conversation with a person that lived near one of the Future Farmers (I don't believe he knew that) and this person was telling me the county needed zoning, because he shouldn't have to deal with the a farm near his home. I was polite to the person and listened but I’m thinking, “This farm has been here for over 100 years, and you moved here recently. Didn't you notice the fences, barns, and animals that you had to drive by before you bought?” The answer is of course he did.

July 4th, 1776 the founding fathers signed a great document that stated we have "certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Zoning flies in the face of these underlying princles of freedom. Property rights are a corner stone of liberty. That same year Adam Smith published "Wealth of Nations" and in it stated "The first and chief design of every system of government is to maintain justice: to prevent the members of society from encroaching on one another’s property, or seizing what is not their own. The design here is to give each one the secure and peaceable possession of his own property." Property Rights allow us to use our property without the interference of neighbors or government, as long as we do not violate the rights of others.

Now proponent's of Zoning, like to pretend that a farmers discarded rusting tractor sitting in his field is a violation of their rights because it is visually unpleasing. I checked death certificates in West Virginia, and I found none listing a cause of death as, "looked at a rusting tractor," so it does not deprive us of life. Unless the farmer chains his neighbor to the tractor, it does not deprive him of liberty. Third we only have the right to only pursue happiness. We are not guaranteed happiness as a right, and a rusting tractor doesn't stop that pursuit. Now if the farmer decides to set fire to his tractor and sends toxic fumes into his neighbors yard, then he is violating his neighbors rights, because those fumes could cause a risk to his life. The tractor just sitting there violates no ones rights.

Zoning takes away the rights of the land owner. Its purpose is to give government control over an owners property and limiting the owners use, while no limits are placed on the owners responsibilities under the law. The land owner only can use his property by permission of the government, not by right as the founding fathers intended. Zoning gives power favoring those with political and monetary clout at the expense of the original land owners and less affluent. It creates class warfare that only benefits the wealthy, and destroys our way of life.

At the Ham, Bacon, and Eggs sale the Future Farmers learned first hand that the Free Market allows you to pursue your dreams, and be rewarded if you work hard and do your job well. The founding fathers were farmers and put protections in to protect property rights. Zoning would be turning our backs on that principle of liberty, and that is not a future in which I want to live.