The Perception Driven Recession

Watching the news last night was kind of stunning. NBC hauled out its financial reporter who basically admitted that she had no idea why the market was slipping or what might happen next. Over and over again we hear that people's fears have led them to stop buying, change their investment habits, and basically cocoon themselves. Part of the problem here lies in perception.

First of all, a significant number of Americans have no real living memory of "hard times." The last time we really endured those was during the 1970s. If you will remember, a Democratic president attempted to implement share the wealth programs that burst the budget, shredded the fabric of society, and led to economic problems that lasted until Ronald Reagan followed the ideas of Milton Friedman and led us to prosperity.

Since then the economy has done extremely well. Our standard of living has dramatically increased, even among much of the group considered poor. we talk less about the poor starving and more about the poor being unhealthily obese. Two minor hiccups aside, we have seen the most dramatic period of expansion in national history. However all economies are subject to cycles and apparently this period of prosperity is ending. But why?

For one thing, people have no context of economic difficulty. If you listened to the Bush hating media all you heard about was how hard the economy was. A period of unemployment under 6% would have been considered amazing in the Carter years, but during the presidency of George W. Bush it was the Great Depression all over again. Those that actually lived through the Depression probably laughed at such claims. Media driven perceptions made people believe that the economy was bad when it was not. we had expansion during wars, attacks on our soil, and Katrina. These shocks individually would devastate an unsound economy.

Then came real problems. The sub prime mortgage crisis, driven by Clinton era mandates, weakened the financial sector. Add to that the energy bubble (now thankfully deflating) and you get a double whammy. Still in and of themselves, these should not have wrecked the economic ship. Perception has caused near panic to take place in investing and major purchasing. This brought on the specter of a very tough recession, tougher than necessary. Certainly Bush and Congress have done a great deal to help restore confidence, but it has not been enough to offset the damage inflicted by the media.

Hard times are difficult and people will have problems for a time. The only positive that can come from this is that it will give the current generation an understanding of what economic trouble really is. We are certainly not headed for a Great Depression or even a 1970s type recession, unless Obama tries to tax us out of our problems. However we must remain confident and optimistic that in the long run we will endure and return to prosperity again.

Water Studies are money down the drain

Is this the time when the taxpayers of Mineral County collectively say, “We told you so and thanks for wasting our money?” When the County Commission announced they were going to spend taxpayer’s money on a water study of Knobley Mountain to see if there was a sufficient supply for future growth many of us wondered aloud why? If you have lived in Mineral County any length of time you know there are natural springs all over Knobley. You know there is a bottled water plant in Fountain using spring water and the city of Keyser has a dam on Limestone that they can’t empty because water from Knobley Mountain springs keep refilling it, despite their efforts.

Now the county wants to do a bigger water study and at bigger cost as well. DHHR notified the county they are making available $92,000 to assist with the study. That is just to assist, because the cost of the total study is going to be some where around a quarter million dollars.

If they spend this quarter million of your tax dollars; we already know what they are going to find. We will find that Piedmont gets its water from Savage River in Maryland, the Elk Garden area gets its water from Grant County, and Ridgeley and Wiley Ford are connected to Cumberland’s water supply for now. This means that many of the people of Mineral County don’t even rely on water from within the county. History will also show that even in the worst drought, the Keyser and New Creek water systems have never ran out of water. Also keep in mind that the Limestone Dam is a water reservoir for the city of Keyser that is no longer used and they can’t seem to empty it, because to much water flows into it.

The study will also find that Jennings Randolph Lake has 41,000 acre feet of water in storage that is enough to supply every man, woman and child with 100 gallons a day for over 13 years if the river stopped flowing to day. There is an additional 51,000 acre feet used for water quality management, so we are looking at over 27 years worth of water if it didn’t rain for the next 27 years and nobody in Mineral County uses any of that water now!

So basically the County Commission wants to spend more taxpayer money on a water study to learn what we already know; that we don’t live in the Sahara Desert and Mineral County has plenty of water resources to tap if we need. Perhaps Mineral County has so much water because the drain is plugged up from the County Commission stuffing money down it.

It is time for the County Commission to stop wasting the taxpayer’s money on water studies. If you want to spend our tax dollars on water, then we believe you should spend it on providing additional water and water safety. Connect the different water systems in the county together, so that in an emergency the separate water systems can help each other. If a chemical truck were to wreck and spill its contents into New Creek, then a connected system would allow Keyser to bring in water from Elk Garden or Piedmont. If water quality becomes and issue in Fort Ashby, then water could be supplied from Fountain or elsewhere in a connected system.

In short the County Commission should spend the taxpayer’s money wisely or not at all.

Only Al Quaida Could Have Done It

Al Quaida's number two leader Al Zawahiri did something that will help Obama considerably in this country. Shoot, it even got me thinking angry thoughts on his behalf.

Al Zawahiri attacked Barack Obama in a very personal and demeaning way. He used an Arabic term to describe Obama, Rice, and Powell as what the world media has translated as "house negroes." Do not think that the media can fool Americans. We know exactly what word they meant to say and it was not "negro."

I do not like Barack Obama as my president, but at the end of the day he will soon be President of the United States. He is an American. No terrorist is allowed to say anything like that about this country's president and secretaries of state without understanding that this nation will rise in outrage.

The problem that Al Quaida faces is that a country that they have derided as being anti-Middle East and anti-Muslim has just elected a president with ties to both cultures. It undercuts all of their propaganda. They almost have to lash out in this manner to try and regain the psychological initiative.

I'll say again, Obama's ideas are destructive to our diplomacy and our economy. However, he is an American. Any terrorist who insults him in such a fashion insults me and 300 million others. I don't think they understand how much anger that kind of statement can create, or how much it will unify Americans once again to destroy their brand of hate.

Former W.Va. Governor Cecil Underwood Dies

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

I Feel Better About Helping Automakers Than Banks

Call me crazy on this, but I do not feel the same anxiety about helping the Big Three that I did about the banks.

I supported the bank bailout because, well, we kind of had to. Banks are the engine of the economy and we all have a vested interest in seeing them survive. Without solid banking in the US, the world hits depression quickly. I believed it had to be done, but I did not have to like it.

The automakers are kind of a different story. Basically they followed the rules. The market wanted larger vehicles and that's what the Big Three gave them. The unions wanted strong salary and benefit deals and for the most part harmony has been maintained with them. You have to give credit to an industry that keeps good labor relations, satisfies the market, and turns a slim profit every once in awhile. Sure they do make some bad decisions, but they work on a much more slim profit margin than almost anyone else.

Fact is that this is a national security issue as well as an economic one. We need to remember that during wartime, we will need these factories to churn out tanks rather than automobiles. Of course we have seen jobs being sent to Mexico over the past decade, but perhaps we can reverse that.

Instead of a bailout, let us increase the number and call it something else. Call it a reinvestment. Instead of giving them enough to help them get by, let's set them up for the future. To stay in the United States, auto plants must completely modernize in the same fashion as the coal industry. How much will it take to get these operations into the twenty-first century while giving the UAW enough to make sure that these workers have a soft place to land, or can retrain? This would not only help automakers, but also invigorate our technology sector.

In return, for the next ten years, each American who can prove they paid taxes in 2009 should get a $200 rebate when they purchase a new vehicle from the Big Three. This would be a one time rebate. The federal government should also be able to count on very good deals from automakers providing vehicles in that same time span.

I just don't think that we can allow automakers to just go down the tubes. It doesn't make sense on a number of levels.

Why not the auto companies?

They were directly affected by the rise in oil prices that occurred over the last two years. After 9/11 auto makers were the first to start the effort to move the economy with lowered prices and 0% financing. Banks adjusted their standards and types of loans, but that was often worse for the borrower when they took on an ARM or interest only product. Lower payments today but a bigger total debt. $25Billion is such a small amount compared to the $850Billion total and at least they are making something other than money for themselves.

It was warned that several large industries would follow suit once the bailout was passed for the banking industry. It should be no surprise that the auto companies are following. Or, at least no surprise to those of us outside of Washington, DC. More and more the "bitter" middle Americans will see the voting of the masses in urban areas laying hold to our hard-earned, frugally saved money. Sharing the wealth it is called. Of course, looking around one might ask, what wealth are we sharing?

But the amounts are so big that people don't notice how it affects them. $850 Billion / 300 million people (not the number of taxpayers the number of people) = $2,833 per person. A family of four makes that $11,333 for the family. Assuming that is a one-time deal, you could buy a 2002 Chevy Tahoe, fully loaded, I just bought one, for what the government is going to give away on your behalf. Or a brand new small sedan. At least when you had given a car company nearly $12K in the past you got a car out of the deal. Now you get to pay for their kickbacks and be happy because we may save the economy in Detroit.

Of course, the fact is that from 2006 IRS numbers there were 92,713,707 tax payers (people who actually paid income taxes). Split the 850 Billion by those actually paying income tax and you get $9168 per person to pay for the bailout.

It's too much and it will only grow. At what point does the money come back? It doesn't. We pay off the car companies debts, and mortgage company debts, but can't pay off our own debts. Car companies won't turn around and help you pay off your car debt. Banks won't reduce your principal, despite what Obama suggested during the campaign of promised hope. If it is just a sacrifice we have to make, let's get the car companies back on track. At least I will eventually buy a car from them. Maybe they can even use it to build a flying car, I wouldn't mind paying an extra $10000 for a flying car.

Prejudice Against Appalachians or Overweight People? The Nanny State's War Against David Felinton

It's not often that we here at the Potomac Highlands Conservative stand up for a Democrat, but Huntington Mayor David Felinton has taken an undeserved beating lately.

Felinton has been mayor of Huntington for over seven years. He ran fresh out of college and defeated the incumbent Jean Dean. Over the past seven years Felinton has managed to attract business to what was once the dead core of a fading city. Huntington has tried to use the federal funds steered by Senator Byrd to not only help Marshall University, but also revitalize the center of the city. During revenue shortages he repeatedly refused a pay raise offered to him by the City Council. In an era where we see CEOs laying off thousands while accepting bonuses of millions, that is refreshing.

Felinton's tenure has not been perfect, recently he offended citizens by allowing park bridges to be painted pink. However he has tried to do the best job possible with one of West Virginia's most troubled large cities. Like or dislike him, he does not deserve the trashing handed out to him by the media this week.

Someone, somewhere dubbed Huntington, West Virginia the most overweight city. With great places to eat like Jim's Spaghetti House that might be understandable. The national media picked it up because a rat in the media named Mike Strobbe decided to make an issue not only of Huntington, but also of Mayor Felinton. Felinton is a bigger than average guy and the writer decided to affix the description "obese" to his name. Another outlet remarked that the area also scored poorly in dental health.

Honestly, are we not supposed to be living in a new age where stereotypes and prejudices are left behind? Why is it STILL acceptable for liberal media outlets like MSNBC to ridicule Appalachia? Beyond that, Huntington is much like the rest of the region. People in Appalachia are far less judgmental about physical size than other places. That should be a positive instead of a slam. Also people are free by the grace of God to eat as much as they want and exercise as little as they see fit. The Nanny State lovers needs to butt out of the City of Huntington and out of the physique of its mayor.

Apollo and Dionysus Revisited

In 1969 Russian immigrant intellectual Ayn Rand wrote an essay called "Apollo and Dionysus." At this point, Rand had emerged as a leader among those seeking to defend the free market and fight the encroachment of Leftism. Her positivism resembled conservative movements in its embrace of liberty, but diverged on the issue of religion. Many of Reagan's speeches from this period show a powerful influence by Rand, except for his sincere Christianity.

She wrote this piece during a summer that witnessed man landing on the moon and the Woodstock concert. Rand noted that 300,000 attended the $7 concert while over a million traveled to Florida to watch Apollo 11 blast into space. To her these events represented the two possible paths of the United States and mankind in general.

Rand talked about Apollo's symbolism as a Greek god. He represented a realistic viewpoint as well as the determined individual spirit. If one theme underlies her novels and essays, it is the power of the individual to do great things when unfettered by law or convention. Dionysus, the half-brother of Apollo, represented the power of the collective experience. He was the god of wine and fertility, but represented delusion. In other words, Dionysus was the god of feeling good whereas Apollo represented harsh reality.

Intellectuals did not "feel good" about the triumph of American ingenuity in 1969. Column after column reminded readers how much more could have been spent on the welfare programs that we now know ruptured the social fabric of much of the nation. Few intellectuals applauded the amazing achievement or understood the wider value of the technology created by NASA to get men there and back. Certainly few remembered that this was a dream championed by a president, Kennedy, whose liberalism did not fully overwhelm his belief in the power of the individual nor the greatness of his nation. Of course today's liberals cite his belief in America's space program as a reason for his greatness.

On the other hand, Woodstock, to read accounts in Newsweek and the New York Times "who called it the 'Nightmare in the Catskills'" was a disaster. Planners had underestimated the need for sanitary facilities, food, water, or health care. Cars were parked in residents' yards and farms. Concert goers destroyed property, and used porches and yards as bathrooms. They shared a vision of seeking a grand collective experience that would validate or at least help them understand their rootless individualities. Rand called them a party looking for a Fuhrer.

The problem, according to Rand, lies in a culture and society that believes happiness is the absence of struggle. Avoidance of individual problems and the maintenance of self-esteem become paramount. People feel strong not through personal achievement, but by the power of the group. National Socialism was built by people who were perennial losers in life, who could only rise by using brute force to steal from and smash those who had done well for themselves.

It is imperative that we remain vigilant as believers in liberty. Freedom means that we have natural rights to keep the rewards of our work, that we can satirize the president-elect without being called racists, that we can proudly talk about our accomplishments since 1981 in making this country great. That includes the effectiveness of President Bush.

Just because liberals have won an election does not mean they can force us to go along with their ideas on how to redefine America. This is a country of individualism. Collectivist ideals are meant to control society, not better it.

A Party of Neville Chamberlains

West Virginia is somewhat of an anomaly on the geopolitical landscape of the United States. In Presidential elections we vote like the Republican conservative south and on a state level we vote like the Democrat liberal northeast. We soundly rejected the liberal philosophy of Barrack Obama with 56% of the people voting John McCain, but we voted for the very same liberal philosophy on a state and regional level. So why do we have a voting split personality? Simply many conservatives in the state think like Neville Chamberlain.

On September 30th, 1938 after signing the Munich Agreement to stop German expansion through appeasement, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared, “Peace for our time.” A little less than a year later Germany broke the agreement and invaded Poland. The world was plunged into war for the next 6 years.

70 years later many Republican leaning, pro-business and conservative, individuals and organizations lined up behind Democrats running for office in West Virginia, candidates that in many cases openly opposed the ideas of conservatives. Their idea is to stop the expansion of bad liberal policies through appeasement rather than direct confrontation, all the while declaring “Prosperity for our time.”

It didn’t work in 1938 and it doesn’t work today. While we are not going to enter into a war, it does insure that we are continuing with the same bad economic policies out of Charleston that have been destroying West Virginia. We conservatives and business leaders need only look in the mirror to see who is to blame and I include myself in that group.

So what needs to be done? We need to stop trying to have influence in the state government through a process of appeasement of candidates that do not wholly support a conservative pro-business agenda. We can no longer pick and choose who we think will win. We must fund conservative candidates at the expense of trying to buy influence with liberal candidates we think might win. We will make mistakes at times, but more often then not we will begin to pick up seats across the state. When our funding of appeasement stops, liberal candidates will begin to fall short of funding just as conservative candidates funding begins to rise.

Many in the state fear retribution from the left if they stop funding appeasement, but consider as the balance of power shifts to the conservatives in the state, then the power of retribution shifts with it. West Virginia is a conservative state and should be a solid Red state, but it is not the liberals that keep themselves in power. It is appeasement funding conservatives that keep the liberals in power. We need to make a change.

PEIA Rate Hike Announcement Well Timed

West Virginia's Public Employees Insurance Agency plans to raise employee premiums 9% and retirees 11% while also expanding the copays on vital necessities such as prescription drugs. The plan also proposes a built in financial burden placed upon members that go to out of state hospitals.

A plan only a bureaucrat or a state hospital could love.

It is true that private sector premiums are rising higher. It is also true that salaries in the private sector also go up more quickly. Some state employees, even with raises, make the same now as they did three years ago because of the last rate increase. Factor in inflation and they are doing worse. Union officals cite the 1/3 of a billion dollar budget surplus as a reason why increases may not be necessary.

The Potomac Highlands region will suffer more than others. The major hospitals that serve this region are located in Cumberland and Winchester. For significant health problems, people in these areas would have to travel to Morgantown to save money. What sense does that make?

As bad as the proposals will seem to a state worker, the timing of this announcement was interesting. Doing it after Election Day means that the political blowback on legislators and the governor would be minimal. Would state workers have supported their local Democrat if they knew this was in the pipeline?

Of course rate increases cannot take place without public hearings. Conveniently, most of these meetings take place during the workweek, minimizing the ability of employees to attend.

It's not so much the increases, although state workers are being squeezed by inflation and infrequent raises, because these happen to everyone. It is the way this announcement was made and how the meetings are scheduled. I would suggest that all state teachers and other workers call off sick one day to travel to the Charleston or Morgantown meeting en masse. Of course state workers and teacher unions will gripe and complain, yet continue to vote for the same Democrats that run this kind of show when we hit 2010.

Leon Podesta is Change?

I don't know whether it is disturbing or somewhat comforting that Barack Obama has gone down the political highway looking to pick up a bunch of Clinton retreads for his advising team and Cabinet. The Clinton presidency had a few saving graces which included political pragmatism. They understood that the United States has a center-right orientation and made some gestures in the direction of welfare reform and balanced budgets.

What it does show is that the neophyte feels like a neophyte beneath his messianic bluster. There is some humility beneath that exterior. Then again it could be a peace offering after a primary that proved more harsh than the general election.

The worst part about this development is that it puts America back in the hands of the touchy feely set that is more concerned with how people, institutions, and nations feel than with the protection of our interests. The best part is that these were people who had very little vision or direction in the 1990s. No vision is better than a misguided one.

Brunswick to Close Cumberland, Md., Boat Plant

Brunswick to Close Cumberland, Md., Boat Plant

LAKE FOREST, Ill., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) today announced that it will transfer production of Trophy offshore fishing boats made at its plant in Cumberland, Md., to another Brunswick facility in Ashland City, Tenn. The shift will precipitate ceasing production at the Cumberland manufacturing facility by the end of 2008, eliminating approximately 115 production and support positions.

"As we deal with the global economic downturn and its impact on recreational marine markets, we are continuing to shrink our North American manufacturing footprint," Dustan E. McCoy, Brunswick chairman and chief executive officer, said. "This decision is no reflection upon the Cumberland work force or product, but the result of our need to develop a more efficient manufacturing footprint.

"As previously announced, Brunswick has been following through on a number of measures to reduce expenses and resize the company to compete in the global marine market," McCoy added. "Over the past two years, we have closed 12 other North American boat plants, in addition to Cumberland, and have continually reduced production rates throughout our marine businesses. Cumberland will also observe three weeks of furlough, during which time all boat production temporarily is halted, while the phase down is completed."

Brunswick stated it will offer outplacement assistance for affected employees, including severance and other support aimed at helping them transition to another job.

About Brunswick

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill "Genuine Ingenuity"(TM) in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; Albemarle, Arvor, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Hatteras, Kayot, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Ornvik, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land 'N' Sea, Kellogg Marine, Diversified Marine and Benrock parts and accessories distributors; IDS dealer management systems; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables; and Dynamo, Tornado and Valley pool tables, Air Hockey and foosball tables. For more information, visit http://www.brunswick.com.

SOURCE: Brunswick Corporation

CONTACT: Daniel Kubera, Director - Media Relations and Corporate
Communications of Brunswick Corporation, +1-847-735-4617,
daniel.kubera@brunswick.com
Web site: http://www.brunswick.com

The Greatest Nation In History

Presidents come and go. Economic prosperity rises and fades. Our nation fights and wins wars. And it remains.

How many of you right now understand that you live in the greatest nation in the history of mankind? There is more opportunity for more people here and now than ever before, anywhere. All you have to do is . . . work.

Being a Judeo-Christian nation, we should understand that. We are spiritually descended from the Israelites, the name of whose country meant "struggle with God." Each human being must struggle with something because it is the essence of existence. Good living means facing and overcoming struggles. Only through overcoming adversity can people really achieve happiness and confidence.

The Founding Fathers understood this as well. We have the right to pursue property, as George Mason explained. We do not have the right to a share, as Vladimir Lenin taught. Only through learning the values of hard work has this nation succeeded.

I have seen in my own experience this at work. I had parents who started in the housing projects of Charleston and ended up executives. They worked hard, made sound decisions, and sacrificed to get to where they are. It was a little over a decade ago when my family all had to sleep in the same room because the old house we rented had no insulation and only one heated area. Others have risen as well. Look at Henry Louis Gates who started off life poor in Piedmont and is now one of the most prestigious scholars in his field. None of these people have had to fear that the fruits of their sacrifices, hard work, and risk will ever be stolen from them by a government more interested in sharing wealth than protecting property.

That is America at work. Each person, no matter where they start, can pursue their opportunities and dreams. And hard work combined with sound decisions pays off.

Rome could not offer that. Neither could Communist Russia. Only in America. And we can always be proud of that!

Russ Weeks

Russ Weeks is out of politics.

According to the Beckley Register-Herald, Russ Weeks has announced his intention to never involve himself in politics again.

All Weeks did was run one of the most ambitious campaigns in the history of this state. Against Joe Manchin's millions, Weeks pushed hard on a shoe string budget. The money never flowed in, except from individual Republican contributors who liked what they saw in the man. Anyone who met Russ understood that they were looking at a man of ability and also complete honesty.

Except for raising money, Weeks did everything right. He attacked the governor on vulnerable issues and remained relentless throughout the debating schedule. Weeks went to every county, attended almost every dinner, supported the party that could not do the same for him.

Weeks had to fight against West Virginia's lowered expectations. Manchin has not done badly as governor, but he has fallen far short of the business community's expectations. In West Virginia "not bad" or "decent" ranks him as one of the better ones in state history. Voting for Manchin meant sticking to the old paradigm. Weeks promised to do what Sarah Palin did in Alaska, clean out the influence of the special interests and reform government. Unfortunately few people paid enough attention to his message and politics has lost an honest man.

Like Cincinnatus (except the Roman Republican won in his battles) Weeks is returning home after the long campaign to tend to his property and rest.

Russ Weeks is out of politics.

And that is a crying shame.

After the Election

I wanted to write something after the election, but what I'm going to write about is after the election of 2006. I really enjoyed meeting the people during the 2006 and 2008 election, so even after I lost the bid for county commissioner in 2006 I continued to go to the dinners to see the friends I had made. I will do the same this time around as well. Just probably not eating 5 dinners in one day.

It has been 2 years and one week since the election of 2006 and I have some observations that I would like to share. You can really tell the people that learn to care about the people they have met and those that only went to the dinners for political reasons. Those politicians that only did it for political reasons; I have news for you the people notice.

In 2006 in Mineral County there were several of us on the ballot, School Board, County Clerk and Commissioner. On a higher level the State Senate and House and US Congress. Now the House both State and US run every 2 years, so those guys are in constant campaign mode, so I'm going to talk about the longer terms.

On School Board, I occasionally see Terry LaRue who won the race and I also see Butch Wahl that lost. That tells me that they still are trying to stay in touch with the public and that is a good thing. Bob Shook I have never seen since the election of 2006 and Kevin Watson I have seen once or twice. Now many of these people may have lives that do not allow them to make the dinner rounds and events or they may be seeing the people at other places. It is just my observation.

On the County Government level, I see both Clerk candidates on a semi-regular basis. Lauren Ellifritz is usually traveling with her Mom, but she is out there in the community. Marc Rice is also seen. He is usually helping the community in some way, many times with a fire department function, but the point is they didn't give up on the county after the election.

Now for the tricky part talking about my own race in 2006. I still travel the county and meet the people. The fact of the matter is I enjoyed making new friends and just because I didn't win doesn't mean that I give up on my new found friends. Besides there is some really great food to be had in the county and you get the opportunity to help out the local fire departments, rescue squads, churches and sometimes people that just need help. Just because you didn't win doesn't mean you don't stop caring. Now my opponent in the 2006 election. Well lets be frank she dropped off the face of the Earth. I have not seen her at a single fundraising dinner or talked to anybody that has, I'm sorry but that is wrong. The people voted to put her back in power and she has a right to show respect to the people that elected her. How can you govern effectively without being in touch with the people?

Now during that time I also ran into other officials that were not up for relections. Rose Anne Maine, Gary White and Mary Margaret Rinehart were out there in the community meeting and greeting the people that put them into office. I shows that the care and want to keep in contact with the public, because it is important to the people to have access to the elected officials.

This past Saturday I ate my dinner at the Fountain Ruritan and many people talked about the election and my performance in the election of 2008. I knew I was among friends and I only saw one other candidate from the previous election and people will remember those that give true support to the community and those that only show up when they want your vote.

What We Learned From West Virginia Election Results

Think about this for a second. On the face of it, state Republicans lost ground in the Legislature and the Board of Public Works. However the way that the Republicans showed remarkable resilience in the final results should give the Democrats reason to worry.

The Democratic Party actually tried in this election cycle to rid the United States Congress of Shelley Moore Capito. They got national help and assistance from the liberal media. Capito remains as resilient as ever. Her star power remains high in West Virginia and we should not be surprised if she begins to garner national attention.

Clark Barnes also is a Republican star on the rise. He fought off a very well-supported challenger who once sat on the seat he occupies. His popularity in both parties reflects that of Capito. Incidentally, both did well in strongly Democratic Hardy County.

Gary Howell, as we mentioned before, came within a hair's breadth of seizing the 14th senatorial. His opponent outspent him four to one, but Gary nearly captured the heavily Democratic county of Tucker.

Dan Greear, Beth Walker, and Mike Teets also captured large numbers of Democratic votes. Greear came closest to capturing his goal, the attorney general's office.

What we learned is that Republican campaigns that get the candidate out to directly meet the people and deliver their message can effectively counter media bias and massive amounts of money. The message that Republican candidates take to the voters is earning a response. This should encourage the state GOP and hopefully inspire more financial support.

An Obituary

On November 4th, 2008 racism was officially pronounced dead. It at one time formed a negative, but powerful part of politics and society, but grew weaker over the years. By the 1990s the disease looked terminal. Despite the attempts of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in their use of heroic measures to keep it relevant, it slipped further and further away.

Racism's final minutes ticked away when Barack Obama was declared president. At that point, no one inside or outside of the United States could ever call the nation "racist" again. Whatever other calamities may happen over the next four years, we can safely toss "racism" into the historical dustbin.

Mourners over the death of racism include Sharpton and Jackson. As racism declines in relevance, so do they. Arguments for expansion of affirmative action and quotas now can be met with the fact that an overwhelmingly racist society would never elect a black president. Racial prejudice is no more prevalent than, say, prejudice against Appalachians. Of course people from that region faced a barrage of insulting stereotypes over this very election.

One prejudice put to rest, another laid bare.

The death of racism will have a powerful result, the loosening of the ties that bind blacks to the Democratic Party. Additionally, if Obama ever comes close to implementing his plans of theft it will drive more middle class and wealthy blacks towards the Republican Party. Racism's death also means the death of race based politics. That is definitely a sliver of positive from this election.

The Republican Party: Where We're At

Sometimes it takes a failure of massive proportions to force renewed vigor and imagination. This is the state we are in right now nationally.

Mineral County Republicans can pat themselves on the back. Charles Minimah, Beth Walker, Dan Greear, Mike Teets, Gary Howell, John McCain, and others carried the county soundly while Republicans kept many of the county offices. Bob Schadler and Jay Courrier ran unopposed. Republicans in this region remained vigorous and confident. They marched in parades, maintained blogs that kept people talking, organized fundraisers and events for local and statewide candidates, and made phone calls. They also never forgot that, as Doug McKinney has put it, we are Republicans for a reason.

If it was just about hard working people, Republicans would have won in a landslide. Look at Doug and Sue McKinney putting about half a million miles on their car going from town to town. Look at Gary Howell who fought every single day against overwhelming odds and came within a hair of upsetting a candidate beloved by the special interests. His friends and neighbors supported him overwhelmingly and he even almost won heavily Democratic Tucker County. Look at our statewide candidates who were everywhere pounding the pavement. Hopefully our campaigns at the very least kept the conversation going about corruption and cronyism. Look at Christy Barnett, a one woman campaign machine trying to rally the Potomac Highlands. This is not failure; it's a foundation. But we must build upon it.

Here are some suggestions.

We must stop clinging to the shadow of Ronald Reagan. He was one of our greatest Americans, but many new voters have no memory of him except in history books. Reagan's revolution has lessons that will always be relevant, but they need updating. By clinging too much to Reagan and not moving decisively towards a future blueprint, we risk looking like the stodgy old FDR Democrats of our parents' and grandparents' generation. Time for us to find the next great thing. Luckily we have a pitbull in waiting.

Start emphasizing science, technology, and research. The Republican Party may have fewer friends in the research fields, but it has many in engineering. We must emphasize that American technology constantly needs investment. Blue collar jobs will continue to grow less prevalent while science, technology, and small business entrepreneurship will keep growing. Leading the world was a constant goal in the twentieth century. Why not recapture that spirit for the twenty-first century?

On the state level, we have a dedicated state party chair who volunteers countless hours to be wherever he is needed to promote the cause. We had outstanding candidates with the vision and spirit to lead West Virginia forward. The problem was that our state party does not have the resources to function as it should. Dan Greear, Mike Teets, Gary Howell, and others ran very tight races despite being outspent sometimes 5 to 1. Additional organizational and financial support could have put these people over the top to help bring about a better West Virginia. The state party needs more resources and more support if we are to ever make this state great again.

In 1888 Democrats had dominated West Virginia for sixteen years, but the elections kept getting closer. By 1896, a strong Republican organization with a real vision captured the state and did not let it go for decades. Remember that example.

Over the next two years we need to emphasize our vision, rally behind our successful candidates, and build an organization with the resources to help our candidates get over the top. We should be very proud of the personal efforts of our candidates and volunteers. They are something to build upon for the next go round.

Nationally we have faced challenges on this scale before. In 1976 and 1992 we bounced back aggressively. We found bold leaders, updated our message, and changed America for the better. We cannot continue to cling to the shadow of Reagan, but we must adapt his ideas to create a blueprint for the future. It is not a question of if we do it. We must.

And we will.

Mineral County Election Results

President: McCain (Lost nationwide)

US Senate: Rockefeller

US House: Mollohan

Governor: Manchin

Secretary of State: Minimah (Lost state wide)

Ag Com: Teets (Lost state wide)

Attorney General : Greear (Undecided state wide)

Supreme Court: Walker, Workman & Ketchum (State wide Ketchum & Workman)

Senator 14th; Gary Howell (lost district wide by 414 votes out of 41,000 cast)

House 48th: Evans

House 49th: Schadler

House 50th: Ruth Rowen (Undecided district wide)

Commissioner: LaRue

Sheriff: Fraley

Assessor: Maine

Magistrate: Harman & Roby

In explosive interview, Manchin defends, agrees with Barack Obama comments on coal plants

CHARLESTON, WV -- Gov. Joe Manchin on Monday not only defended Barack Obama's controversial comments about bankrupting the coal industry, he actually agreed that coal plants that do not conform to cap and trade or other new emission standards “shouldn't be in the business of producing coal to produce energy.”

Challenger Russ Weeks said Manchin’s comments are “very disturbing for the people of West Virginia.”

The controversy is in regard to comments Obama made in January, where he said that coal companies could build new plants, but if they do, the penalties he would impose would bankrupt them.

Manchin on Monday agreed with Obama, telling WSAZ about coal plants, “If they don't conform and work within a structure, then it would make it very difficult to even put one of these plants online... If you go outside of that boundary line, if you're not willing to conform to work within it, then you shouldn't be in the business of producing coal to provide energy.”

Manchin's comments are contained in the raw footage of an interview he did with WSAZ just prior to doing a remote interview with CNBC. You can watch the amazing interview at http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/33726759.html# and click on the "raw interview" link.

Manchin claimed several times in the interview that the comments by Obama have been taken out of context, even though examination of the full interview does not indicate as much.

But even so, Manchin went on to defend Obama's notion that severe penalties should be levied against coal plants that do not conform to strict emission standards, saying failure to do so “would make it very difficult” to put a plant online.

“Joe Manchin’s comments are shocking to all those who falsely believe the governor is supportive of coal,” said Weeks. “Barack Obama threatening to bankrupt the coal industry is the same thing as threatening to bankrupt West Virginia. It’s tragic that our governor agrees with Barack Obama on this issue.”