Medicaid cuts would hit WV harder than most states

Republicans on the MAGA team were elected, in part, to shake up Washington. Business as usual, the alleged “deep state” and excessive government spending were all in the cross hairs of the new Senate and House majorities. But campaigning and governing are two different things, and now Republicans find themselves trying to figure out where

Bill usurps the state Board of Education and gives more power to the legislature

Traditionally, Republican and conservative philosophies about education have centered on local control and parental rights. Those views fit with the concept of limited government. In one way, the super-majority led Republican legislature in West Virginia has followed that belief by dramatically expanding homeschool opportunities and by trying, but ultimately failing, to loosen mandatory immunization requirements

How the case of Abrego Garcia tests one of the bedrock principles of our country

The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia gets to the very essence of one of the bedrock principles of this country. That will sound like a stretch to some since Garcia is an El Salvadoran native who entered the country illegally 14 years ago.* But the case has broad implications. Garcia was among a group of

Nostalgia is not good economic policy

Nostalgia is, among other things, a coping mechanism. Psychologists say that when we are feeling depressed with current events, we often grow wistful about another time in the past when we believed our lives were better. Those memories may not be completely accurate, but they are powerful. J. Paul Getty said, “Nostalgia often leads to

Robert F. Kennedy’s weight-shaming in West Virginia

Former President John F. Kennedy came to know this state well when he spent weeks campaigning here prior to the 1960 Primary Election. Kennedy won the West Virginia Democratic Primary, which helped propel him to the presidency. Kennedy returned to Charleston on June 20, 1963, to participate in the celebration of the state’s centennial. On

Morrisey’s political miscalculation

Governor Patrick Morrisey’s frustration with this session of the West Virginia Legislature boiled over in a tweet this week.  The still-new governor suggested that if lawmakers do not get busy with his agenda, they will be called back into session over the summer.  Here is what he said: “The more work the Legislature gets done

DeVries Departs: Opportunity vs Loyalty

College sports fandom is rooted in the concept of loyalty. That loyalty is reflected in myriad ways: Fans buy tickets and attend games.  They watch events on TV or listen on the radio. Some make financial donations to athletic departments. West Virginia University fans pledge that loyalty aloud when they sing the Alma Mater—“Sing we

Fix foster care

The West Virginia Constitution mentions several times the guarantee of “life” and “liberty.”  These are inalienable rights and the government has a responsibility to ensure that they are protected. That is especially true for the state’s children. It is a fundamental duty of West Virginia state agencies and the courts to assure that children are

Senate bill erodes teacher-student trust

Trust is an integral aspect of education.  Parents trust that the school has their children’s best interest at heart. Students trust that what teachers are telling them is factual and critical for learning. Teachers trust that when students apply themselves, learning will result.  In the real world, these aspirational standards sometimes fall short. We are,

The chainsaw effect in West Virginia

I could not find specific data on chainsaw ownership per capita in West Virginia, but I have to believe it is very high. We have a significant forestry industry, where chainsaws are essential tools, and we are a rural state where folks have chainsaws for cutting firewood, clearing heavy brush and cutting down old trees. 

Legislature prepares to roll back progress on childhood immunizations

Seventy-one years ago this month, Dr. Jonas Salk, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh, administered the first polio vaccine to children at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh. Dr. Salk had first given shots to himself and his family to raise public confidence about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.  It was a watershed

Patrick Morrisey’s big promises

A lot of thoughts occurred to me while watching Governor Patrick Morrisey’s initial State of the State address Wednesday night. First, it was actually a speech. That is a return to the normal way of doing business after eight years of Jim Justice’s annual musings. Justice’s addresses were more like folksy story telling by someone’s

Morrisey blames Justice, legislature for budget shortfall

The West Virginia state budget is a fascinating Rorschach Test for former Governor Jim Justice and new Governor Patrick Morrisey. When Justice looked at the ink blot of the state’s finances he saw sunbeams and unicorns. When Ogden Newspaper reporter Steven Allen Adams asked Justice back in December about a possible upcoming budget shortfall, Justice

House of Delegates rule change makes for more public input, not less

One of the hallmarks of representative government is the ability of the public to express their views to those in power. Generally speaking, the closer politicians are to the people, the more likely they are to reflect the views of their constituents. So, it is understandable that some private citizens and representatives of interest groups

Trump’s erosion of the rule of law

Donald Trump’s inauguration and his pardoning of January 6th rioters provides a lot to think about. Start with the fact that it was a remarkable moment; a former president, who lost the previous election and facing myriad legal challenges, returns to power. Trump’s critics have consistently made the mistake of underestimating his popularity and political

Morrisey’s week one overreach

New Governor Patrick Morrisey has come out of the blocks fast with a series of executive orders to implement his policies. Several of the orders are pretty straightforward; he wants state agencies to operate more efficiently, a review of state spending dating back to the start of the fiscal year, and an examination of state

Morrisey’s budget cutting challenge

West Virginia Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey promises to cut government. He said it repeatedly during the campaign and he emphasized it again earlier this month when he introduced his administration team. “Everyone here reflects an important goal of the administration,” Morrisey said. “We want to make sure that the people coming on board are going to

My last show

My entry into the radio news business started unexpectedly in 1974 with a manila folder. I wanted to be a big-time disk jockey, like the ones I listened to on WCFL in Chicago and WKBW in Buffalo when I was growing up on our family dairy farm near Summit Point, Jefferson County. I got my

Jimmy Carter and West Virginia

The news that former President Jimmy Carter has died got me thinking about his term in office (1976-1980) and his connections to West Virginia. Carter left office with only a 34 percent approval rating, but he was supported by a majority of West Virginians. West Virginia was one of just six states (West Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Rhode Island,

The Christmas when the fighting stopped

(Editor’s note: This a reprint of a commentary I post every Christmas.)  Has there ever been a Christmas when there was no war, no fighting in any corner of our planet?   It’s difficult to imagine since the world’s history has been a series of conquests and defenses. But there was once a Christmas when