Water pressure concern at Mineral County Planning Commission meeting

Residences of the Fort Ashby area voiced their opinion to the Mineral County Planning Commission on Thursday night. Ashby Crest subdivision located near Painter Hollow Road could add up to 35 additional homes on what locals call an over taxed water system. One local resident stated he only had 8 psi of water pressure at his home.

The subdivision received all proper permits from the Frankfort PSD to hook on to the water system, and were aware of the pressure problem. The developer said he would be installing a booster pump for the subdivision, so the new homes would not experience the same water pressure problems.

County Health Department official A.J. Root said that the PSD was required to provide at least 20 psi of water pressure. Planning Commission President Clyde Burdock conferred if he lived in that area he would not put up with 8 psi of water pressure, and suggested that the people contact the state Public Service Commission.

Kolin Jan felt that the planning commission should not approve the subdivision. County Planner Scott Clay informed the commission that the developer had met all the requirements for the subdivision, and that this developer had presented the most complete plans he had seen going well beyond anything required by the code. He went on to state, "the Planning Commission could be sued if they did not follow the law", as Mr. Jan suggested. Clyde Burdock followed by saying the Frankfort PSD is at fault if they approved the permits without doing the proper checks and inspection.

Several citizens stated they had no complaints with the developer, and wanted the growth as it would help their property values. Their main concern was the lack of water pressure and a fear that the subdivision could aggravate the problem.

Also at the meeting Frank Roleff pointed out that at the June Planning Commission meeting the Planning Commission stated that when the County Commission made new appointments they should try to give equal representation to the different areas of the county. At the time of the June meeting the north end magisterial district had 4 members, the Keyser area district had 2 members, and the southwest part of the county had 3.

With resignation of Mr. Welch from the north end prior to the June meeting, the Planning Commission suggested that 3 persons from the Keyser area be appointed or re-appointed. This would have given fair and equal representation to the planning commission from all parts of the county with an even split of 3, 3, and 3. Mr. Roleff went on to point out that this recommendation was not followed and the north end now has 4 members, the southwest 4, and Keyser district only having one member, and he felt the different areas of the county were not fairly represented.

Capito says taxpayers should not pay to house illegal aliens

If your going to immigrate to the US, then you need to do it legally. Many of our ancestors came to the US for a better life, and most came legally. Apparently until Shelley Capito closed the loop hole illegals were getting housing assistance. The loop hole was located in the Section 8 Program.

Congresswoman Capito stated, "Loopholes in current law, like this housing assistance loophole for illegal immigrants, act as a magnet and invite people to enter our country illegally. We should not be rewarding those who have come here illegally by awarding them taxpayer-funded services intended for law-abiding citizens.”

The congresswoman closed the loop hole by adding an amendment requiring two forms of id to prove the housing assistance applicant was a legal US resident. The problem is not one being faced by West Virginians alone. In the Denver, CO area over 20,000 illegal aliens received FHA home loans. She explained, “We must take this opportunity to strengthen a successful federal program to ensure this benefit is only provided to legal residents.”

Both WV Congressmen Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall voted to continue to allow illegal aliens to receive US taxpayer assistance. The Capito amendment passed 233-186 blocking future housing benefits to illegal aliens.

What Patton would say about the current War on Terror

I thought somebody did a pretty good job on this, and does highlight what many on the left don't understand.

Is Mineral County running out of water?

At several planning commission meetings over the past 2 years I have heard people claim that Mineral County is running out of water. Now living here my entire life I have never thought that Mineral County is running out of water. The water may not be distributed properly throughout the county currently, but it is nothing that couldn't be done. There is a fair amount of water at Jennings Randolph Lake that could be accessed if we needed, so the people saying we are running out of water are just trying to scare people.

If anybody has driven past the filtration plant in Keyser and looked at the dam, you may have noticed that the water is not going over the spillway. New Creek is very low right now, but money was available through Homeland Security provide backup water supplies throughout the country. 18 miles of pipe would be needed in Mineral County to provide that security.

4 miles of pipe could connect New Creek Water to Mountain Top Water System. 4 miles would connect Keyser to Piedmont, 1 mile to connect Keyser/New Creek to Burlington/Fountain and the long one of 9 miles to connect Fountain to Frankfort's system. At about $200,000 per mile of pipe construction, this would be about a $3.6 million project. Once completed in an emergency any water system could pull off another to continue service. Put in perspective the $3.6 million water security project is less than a 10th of the $40.0 million north end sewer project.

It is hard to say which is the most important project. I would tend to believe that clean drinking water would top the list, but we don't have to pick as the funding sources are different. We have an opportunity if we choose to take it. I will build better infrastructure for future economic growth in the county, and because it will help bring jobs to the county some will oppose it.

The "Big Lie" Means it is Desperation Time For the Democrats

The "big lie" technique represents one of the biggest weapons in the liberal arsenal when it comes to campaigning. One example lies in 2004 advertisements in Florida blaming President Bush for hurricanes. Democratic strategists believe that if they tell a big enough lie, they can convince voters that maybe part of what they say rings true. "Big lie" campaigning smacks of desperation; it means they have absolutely no rhetorical arrows to fire.

Democrats hauled out the "big lie" over July 4th against Shelley Moore Capito when they accused her of not supporting the troops. They know West Virginia is a state with many sons and daughters in the military and hope this blatant lie can get traction. With few complaints against the incumbent and a weak opponent, Democrats have few options.

In fact Capito has voted consistently to support the troops. She joined with many Democrats, including John Murtha (D) PA in rejecting a raise for the troops that would have drawn from the overall fund for the war. They agreed that drawing the money for raises from the war fund meant troops would lack other necessities. Capito did support a raise at a different time. These accusations against the daughter of a World War II hero are absolutely ludicrous. As much as it must pain Capito and her family to hear such lies disseminated, she must take some heart in the fact that her opponents have no factual issues from which to attack her.

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In a victory for transperancy and accountability to the taxpayer, Congresswoman Capito also must be saluted for early release of her earmarks request list. They include funds that will assist programs and infrastructure throughout the Eastern Panhandle.

The Power of the (New) Press

Hillary Clinton must seem like a magician to Hardy County Democrats. Supporters such as Planned Parenthood tried feverishly to create a fundraiser for her in that area, but for whatever reason it fell through. The major issues seemed to be either use of state employee e mail to promote the event or the fact that West Virginians did not seem willing to give large enough amounts of money to her campaign.

The magic comes in with the revelation that no fundraiser was ever even planned in Hardy County. Hillary Clinton, much like her husband, believes in the power of bald faced denials to shape what people see as the truth. They put facts into their magic hat, wave their hands, and make them disappear, all the while assuring you that they have nothing up their sleeves. And everyone that accuses them of having something up their sleeves must be part of that dangerous vast right wing conspiracy. The power of the new press foiled their trick this time.

Gary Abernathy's Republican Gazette takes pride in its partisanship, but it also does West Virginians a real journalistic service. It stayed out front on the Hillary Clinton story and the accumulating embarassments surrounding this debacle. When Clinton's campaign denied the existence of a fundraiser, the Republican Gazette produced the invitation asking folks to pay a lot of money to join her at a Moorefield hotel.

Certainly in this new age of internet journalism, one must practice caveat emptor more than ever. However internet journalism was first to reassure Hardy County that, yes, there really was a fundraiser planned for their lovely part of the state, despite what Hillary Clinton herself might say.

West Virginia Economy will now start looking up according to Forbes

It is not starting to look up because the economic conditions in the state suddenly got better. It is because now have no place but up to look. WE ARE NOW DEAD LAST! We are now ranked number 50 in best places to do business by Forbes. Ironically the mother state is number one. Now diametrically opposed in business climate, West Virginia and Virginia are the ying and yang of state economic models.

The blue print for prosperity has been written, but we need a state legislature that will in act the changes. Russell Sobel of WVU has laid it all out in Unleashing Capitalism. This book is a must read for everybody in West Virginia that has had family leave to find work.

Many of you will say I'm beating a dead horse because nothing will be done. While I look at it more as trying to get the dead horse out of the way. It is not really a dead horse, it is more of a dead jackass. The one thing standing in the way of making the reforms needed to make West Virginia's economy grow is the Democratic Party.

The truth of the matter is we know exactly what needs to be done. We have for sometime. You only need look next door at Virginia. Low taxes, tort reform, and low workers comp. The Republicans have tried to pass the reforms, but Democrats have been obstructionist in the states economy.

The book Unleashing Capitalism is a non-partisan look at the states economy and how to fix it. As the man said, "Read The Book!"

Economic Growth means money for roads

The US 50 Association met on Wednesday in Garrett County, MD. Yes, I know this is a West Virginia blog, but the US 50 Association is made up of 5 West Virginia Counties. It was just Maryland's turn to host the event.
This meeting had a featured speaker of Joe Deneault of West Virginians for Better Transportation. Joe gave a very detailed report on the state of roads, funding, and the future. The future is not good, and as everybody knows it is funding. The state has more than 1/3 of its bridges needing replaced, and 30% of the roads are substandard and no money to make the fixes.

The discussion turned to funding sources. Mr. Deneault stated that the public indicated that no increase in taxes would be acceptable. I agree, there is too much government waste in this state to require a tax increase. If we can get spending under control in Charleston, we will not need to increase taxes. West Virginia has the highest number of state employees per capita, than any other state. That means all of us that work in the private sector pay for a government that can't service our needs. It is time for a change.

When asked what other states have done for highway funds, the response was Toll Roads in populated areas, Tax Incremental Financing in growth areas, Private-Public Partnerships on toll roads, and selling toll roads to private companies. Toll Roads seem to dominate the idea to get around taxes. Toll Roads are still a tax, they are a use tax paid each time you use it. Private-Public partnerships were called Corporatism by Benito Mussolini and I'm not sure that is Mussolini is a good roll model for West Virginia. Selling the toll road to a private company would be a good idea. The money sink of Tamarack would no longer be a drain on the state. When government tries to run a business it usually ends up costing the taxpayers money.

The last is the TIF districts. I have mixed feelings about these. I think the can be good for small targeted projects. Mineral County is using a TIF district to build a traffic light for the new hospital south of Keyser and that makes sense. Unless of course the hospital gets sold to a non-profit at which point the county will get stuck with bill, because non-profits don't pay taxes.

The answer to increase the money available to the WVDOH is simple. Cut the waste in other parts of government and make the changes needed to attract businesses to the state. We are dead last in best states to do business. When those companies locate in other states, they pay no taxes here to use on the roads.

Does Mineral County Want Economic Development?

I've been hearing about all this hype about the economic development in Mineral County..
My question is... Where? I see no businesses coming in.. I see no "new" jobs being created.

The facts indicate we don't want development. Mineral County Development Authority President Dwight Lambert said, "We could have gotten rid of that (Fort Ashby) park last spring however, I interceded. We have had numerous prospects, but we're not going to let every Tom, Dick and Harry put something in there." As Charles Smiley said in a letter to the editor, Tom, Dick and Harry were businesses like American Woodmark, Rubber Maid, Smith Transport. All good paying jobs that can support families.

In 14 years the only movement in the Fort Ashby Industrial Park, was ThermoGauge moving its 5 employees from one side of Fort Ashby to the other. An increase of zero jobs in the county, while companies employing 25+ have been turned down. I have heard that a minimum of 25 employees per lot have been required for a sale, so shouldn't ThermoGauge be required to have 50 employees to purchase 2 lots? Do we have double standards, or no standards at all?

West Virginia ranks at the bottom in Economic Growth, you don't get to be picky. You take the companies paying good wages, so that people do not have to move away or drive to Northern Virginia everyday to work.

An observance at the Republican Summer meeting

Former US Congressman (WV-3) Mick Staton made an observation that a large delegation from the eastern panhandle was present. Considering that the meeting was held in Huntington, about as far away from the eastern panhandle as you can get, this reflects two trends in state politics.

The first is that the growth in the 7 eastern panhandle counties is showing its growing political power. A trend that will only continue. The 2010 census the population increase will pull a full senatorial district and 4 house districts into the eastern panhandle. We are beginning to experience a fundamental shift in power geographically that has seldom occurred in state history. One that will strain existing bounds and create new alliances and new ways of doing political business in the state.

The second is with Mineral, Grant. Berkeley, and Morgan Counties all Republican majority counties the shift is a Republican shift. Probably the real reason that the Mick Stanton saw a heavy showing from the eastern panhandle at the meeting. The first serious candidate for Governor in 2008, Bob Adams, was making the rounds. Out of Jefferson County Bob represents the growing importance of the eastern panhandle to the growth of the Republican Party in the state.

The growth of the population of the eastern panhandle and the shift to Republican majority is an opportunity for the party to exploit. My grandfather had a saying, "You whip the horse that pulls." While it is important the for the party to work state wide to increase Republican voter registration, the Republican party needs to push harder in the counties showing the highest growth.

Rick Santorum as a Senate Candidate against Rockefeller?

With John Raese not currently on board for a 2008 Senate run against Rockefeller, and Shelley Capito concentrating on her house seat the Republican Party in WV left looking for a candidate. The name of Rick Santorum has come up as possible candidate to run against Rockefeller.

That might not be a crazy and idea as it sounds. Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia but spent some of his early life in the Martinsburg area before his family whisk him off to Pennsylvania. That would make him much less of a carpetbagger than Rockefeller who was born in New York in 1937 and never moved to West Virginia until the mid 1960's.

Rick Santorum is a former US Senator from PA, and well known in the northern and eastern parts of West Virginia. One important thing that Santorum can bring to a Senate run against Rockefeller is the ability to fund raise. According to his 2006 FEC filings, Rick raised $24,790,468 for his senate campaign. While Rockefeller could fund his own campaign, in the last election the FEC shows him raising only $2,637,717. Byrd only raised $5,114,217 during the 2006 campaign.

Currently working for the law firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellot with offices in Pittsburgh and Washington, DC, Santorum could easily take up residency in the Wheeling or Martinsburg areas.

Rick Santorum as a candidate for US Senate from West Virginia might not be that far fetched as it would first seem.

Recycling Just Not Feasible

In principle, recycling is a good idea. Reusing already processed materials over again can reduce stress on the environment in the form of resource extraction and garbage. However principles must always balance with reality as the Hampshire County Commission has discovered.

When studying the Monongalia County model Hampshire County's leaders concluded that even with a $100,000 start up grant, a program could not maintain itself in the long run. Hampshire shares the same problem as the rest of the Potomac Highlands counties studying this issue. A disbursed and low population combined with prohibitive expenses means recycling end up being an intolerable financial burden. Not to mention that recycling requires more than just the placement of bins. People need to spend time separating the various components and also need to refrain from simply dumping all their garbage in the bins.

Recycling has grown so prevalent around the country that a low level of demand exists for these products. It is not worth the money for a private firm to pick up the materials from rural areas when cities provide a glut. Most local governments also cannot afford to pick up the tab when they cannot even pay enough money to maintain a full complement of sheriff's deputies.

The best hope for the idea of recycling lies in the forms that people can do most easily. Promoting the reuse of plastic containers or glass jars instead of purchasing Tupperware type products is one way. Others recycle old auto parts. They keep non running vehicles on their property for parts to maintain cars that do still run. This conserves valuable metal resources.

However at this point, expecting the taxpayers to pick up the tab for recycling just is not feasible for rural West Virginia counties.

Election 2008 holds importance for a lot of reasons. One of the more interesting issues that we face in this election is a discussion of what it means to be conservative. What issues drive Republicans and conservatives in general?

It boils down to the nominee Republicans select for the presidency. Certainly Rudolph Giuliani has the visibility and experience. His economic credentials indicate that a Giuliani administration will make tough decisions regarding the budget and work back towards balance. The potential leadership Giuliani brings in terms of managing our economy and getting our budget under control could lead to true reforms in social security and the tax code. President Bush pushed these issues hard and gained no traction. Giuliani might succeed where Bush could not in this sphere. Additionally a Giuliani administration likely will support less burdens on business. This would help set the country on a sound economic path for decades to come.

Giuliani appears questionable on the very issues that former Senator Fred Thompson has used to garner strong support. Fred Thompson has strength in economic conservatism, but has also earned the support of social conservatives. The Tennessean strongly opposes abortion and same sex marriages, issues that galvanize conservatives in rural America.

Liberals already speculate that social conservatives would not turn out to support a Giuliani campaign. Perhaps if they nominate a non-entity like Obama that might be the case. Conservatives of all stripes dislike intensely Hillary Clinton and would vote for a dead cat rather than see her in office.

Conservatism in America lies at a crossroads. The nominee Republicans select for the presidency next year will strongly determine what conservatism will look like for a long time to come.

This Is What Some Mineral County Leaders Want

John Paul Hott is an angry man.

The Petersburg insurance agent recently had his application for rezoning denied by the Petersburg City Council. He wanted a house zoned residential reclassified so that he could operate his business from there. The council listened to neighbors opposed to the location of the business and denied the request.

Apparently the city of Petersburg acted improperly. The mayor and city council were not aware of the existence of a zoning appeals board that was created by ordinance to handle such issues. Hott blasted the city council not only for incompetence in not knowing the law, but also for not recognizing a conflict of interest. Hott maintains that the city council contains members whose interests or whose family's interests conflict with his business.

Some in Mineral County push very hard behind the scenes to incrementally move the area towards zoning. The Petersburg example shows the pitfalls of this process. A legitimate businessman's interests get caught in governmental decision making. Instead of conducting his business to the benefit of himself, his employees, and frankly the city itself, Hott is considering a lawsuit. He might sue because the city did not follow the law in rejecting his application.

It also shows the problems that might occur related to conflicts of interest. Likely the Petersburg City Council operated in good faith. However the potential for striking against a business competitor, or the competitor of a friend or a family member, or maybe someone the official just does not like, is there. Laws are enforced by human beings. Sometimes human beings act responsibly, sometimes incompetently, sometimes dishonestly. Businessmen and women ought to be relieved of having to deal with the strong hand of government as often as possible.

Evacuation Destination

For well over two years now, federal, state, and local authorities have crafted plans to deal with possible major terror attack on Washington D. C. Now millions of dollars may come available to invest in an infrastructure to handle the strain of hundreds of thousands of people pouring into the West Virginia mountains.

We saw how disaster preparedness worked in Louisiana a few years ago. A corrupt city of New Orleans and Louisiana state government misspent money and provided no leadership when hit by a massive hurricane. West Virginia's county, city, and state governments need to figure out not only how to solve problems, but what the biggest problems are likely to be.

Certainly first and foremost we need better infrastructure. Virginia must get on board to link Corridor H to the interstate system or risk creating a dangerous bottleneck that terrorists could strike in a second wave attack. US 50 needs serious upgrades. Even if it ultimately falls short of a four lane expressway, traffic not used to mountain travel needs a road easier to navigate. First responders in the Potomac Highlands need training on how to handle chemical, biological, and radiation related conditions. Predetermined quarantine areas need to be determined as well as where to place the rest of the people fleeing the event.

We need to address all these issues and more. What we do not need is to spend this money in the same old ways. The priorities and methods that have dominated Legislative decision making for over seventy years need to change overall, but especially in this situation. People's lives, evacuees and residents alike, will hang in the balance by the thousands; politicians and planners need to repsect and remember that. Hopefully those that represent the Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle can make others in the state appreciate the potential here for effective deliverance or utter disaster.

US 50's Dorsey's Curve

Last Thursday yet another vehicle crashed on U.S. Route 50 at Dorsey’s Curve. This time no one was killed, but that is not always the case. A remember a few years ago when a couple was killed and their pet dog was taken in my locals and eventually money was raised and the dog was sent to their family in Arizona.

With US 50 the most unsafe highway in West Virginia per vehicle mile driven, Dorsey's Curve stands as one of the best known trouble spots over the route. So at what point does the state begin to hear the public cries to have the turn reconstructed, so it is safe for travel.

The truck that crashed on Thursday was about the same size as the school buses that run that route daily when school is in session. With modern earth moving equipment that turn can be easily modified for safety. Any death on that turn is one to many, but is it going to take a school bus full of kids to crash before public officials respond to the public cry for help.

Wednesday July 18th the US 50 Association will meet at the Cornish Manor in Oakland, MD at 12 noon and both WVDOH and elected officials will be there. Now is the time for state and local officials to hear the citizen's.

Missed Opportunity . . . Again

Once again a coal boom time has come, blessed us with temporary good times, and then passed. The Cumberland Times News this week announced that West Virginia's economy once again started a decline.

Does trouble loom ahead for the Democratic Party in West Virginia? The State Legislature had a great opportunity to make real structural changes while unemployment dropped and tax revenues rose. Instead they changed the window dressing a little. Every year that passes sees less and less of the state enamored by old fashioned New Deal type solutions. Professor Sobel has laid out in black and white, in painful detail, how other regional states have moved well past us in development.


I doubt that the governor has much to worry about. His personal popularity can withstand an economic downturn. Governor Manchin could not make the changes on his own anyway. The Legislature held the power to do a great deal of good in the past few years and sat on its hands. Well, that's not entirely true. They did work extremely hard to try and promote table games as a way to bolster revenues. See how that worked out. What's next, promoting strip clubs to get young mothers off welfare?


The long term problem remains what it has been for the past century. West Virginia remains too dependent upon one single extractive industry for its well-being. The state needs a climate that encourages not only investment, but an entrepreneurial spirit. It is time to stop condemning the coal industry and people that have have not been alive since World War II or earlier. We can blame the party that has dominated the Legislature now for several decades. Their unwillingness or inability to steer the state towards a diversified economy that supports an independent and entrepreneurial population means that it is their time to hit the road.

The Solution to Health Care Coverage For the Poor

You've got to hand it to Michael Moore, the man knows how to get his oversized mug into the news. Breaking the law to film his new docufalsity "Sicko" has resulted in a federal investigation and tremendous amounts of exposure for a movie that few people will watch.

I refuse to watch any of his movies because I do not want to put any money in the man's pocket or contribute to any statistics that support him. However, I have seen the previews showing him grandstanding outside of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base taunting the guards to let him and some uninsured 9/11 rescue workers in for medical treatment. After all, he says, they deserve the same quality of health care as Al Qua'ida. He then states that this was the only place in the United States where health care was guaranteed.

Moore and the left do not understand that health care is not a right. Health care is a commodity; it is also an incentive to educate oneself and to work hard. As with anything else, those that work towards a goal in the United States will generally achieve it. America provides more opportunity to its people than any other country anywhere, anytime. All an individual has to do is make the choice to succeed, then bust their tails doing it.

This does not mean that a solution does not exist to solve this issue of health insurance for the poor. As a matter of fact, Moore could represent part of a market solution if he wanted. Rich liberals could band together to form their own health insurance company. The company could operate on a sliding scale of payment determined by income. Rich fat cat liberals like Moore or Hillary Clinton could choose to join this company and pay massive premiums so that the poor could sign on and pay little or nothing. That way they could assuage their guilt over succeeding in a capitalist world while the rest of us work hard and continue to invest in the market economy.

Those that would force the productive to work hard and pay so that others can receive a free ride of benefits are the real sickos.

Enough Already!

Just for the information of motorists in West Virginia, make darned sure you do not get pulled over.
The West Virginia State Supreme Court of Appeals reinforced a 1976 law that requires magistrates to assess court costs in each citation given to motorists, even on the same traffic stop. A single citation means $160.50 in court costs alone. These costs have more than tripled in less than ten years. Although technically unlawful, magistrate judges traditionally only levy court costs once regardless of the number of offenses. An Ohio County magistrate never collected court costs except in cases where the defendant was found guilty after trial. Court costs generally go towards funds that operate the regional jail system, running the courts themselves and other programs. However those convicted of minor traffic offenses feel gouged and rightly so.
It is easy to sit back and say if you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the crime. At some point almost every driver gets pulled over or ends up in an accident. Multiple offenses can mean that the most impoverished must choose between paying the fines and paying a bill or putting food on the table.
For the most part, magistrates and police officers show compassion. More warnings will be issued in lieu of tickets and magistrates will dismiss even more charges. This reflects an even bigger principle involved. When police and judges deem a law to be so harsh that they shrink from enforcing it, the time has come for the State Legislature to revise it. Every time a poor driver takes to the highways in West Virginia, he now lives on a thin margin.

Virginians even have it worse as the incoming Democratic leadership there raised court costs for traffic fines into the stratosphere. One bad traffic incident could take away an entire paycheck. We must change this law. Failing that, we must start to take into consideration the 8th Amendment that prohibits the levying of excessive fines. When the court charges an offender an amount beyond a reasonable balance with the severity of the crime, the government engages in extortion. Gouging traffic offenders clearly violates the rights of these states' citizens.

Batty

Apparently the Public Service Commission has bats in its belfry.


A 2005 Federal law passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by President Bush encourages the production of renewable energy. Plain old common sense tells us that we need to put less and less cash into the dubious pockets of Middle Easterners since some of it finds its way into the bank accounts of terrorists. I know I have been a little long winded on this subject in the past, but wind driven turbines give us a clean source of renewable energy.


The Public Service Commission cited the presence of an endangered species of bat as one reason to not approve a project for Pendleton County. Amazingly even labor unions could not prove mightier than bats in this latest bizarre twist of West Virginia's governmental decision-making.


For goodness sakes! Make a decision in favor of the environment. If not the environment, make it in favor of enhancing national security. If not for those reasons, how about keeping jobs and tax money in a county like Pendleton that desperately needs it. The life of a bat should never, ever come before the good of the county, state, or nation.

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Speaking of batty, Democrat Natalie Tennant launched a series of criticisms at Secretary of State Betty Ireland about her office's handling of the 2004 elections. She apparently is still angry about a ballot format that she blames in part for her primary loss. Apparently the former television personality missed the multitude of bills passed over the years reforming state elections, including one addressing the problem cited by Tennant. Thankfully, Ireland aide Ben Beakes was more than helpful, reminding her in detail through the press. Let's hope Tennant's husband, Eric Wells, knows of these reforms. His state senate committee reviewed them all.


Betty Ireland has really shown tremendous leadership over her term of office. The only criticism Democrats can muster refers to problems no longer permitted by state law. West Virginia benefits from having her as an energetic and forcefully honest leader.