From The Intelligencer of Wheeling: One thing about government at all levels that must puzzle many people is why spending is allowed to grow, year by year, even when tax increases are needed to make it happen. Why can’t government do what many families have no choice about? Why can’t[Read More…]
Opinion
The Editorial category is a roundup of links to editorials and columns from West Virginia newspapers.
Editorial: Faulty logic and poor math on SB 609
From The Exponent Telegram of Clarksburg: Even for those with knowledge of West Virginia’s education system, the state’s school aid formula is confusing and difficult to understand. For those outside that system, it’s nearly impossible to comprehend the steps taken to determine the state funding that county school districts receive.[Read More…]
Editorial: Time is right to pass medical marijuana law
From The Register-Herald of Beckley: As the House of Delegates is spending the weekend reading and fixing the fine print of medical marijuana legislation, we can think of myriad reasons why our elected representatives should give their stamp of approval this week. But perhaps, once and for all, we can[Read More…]
Editorial: Tax reform package needs more thorough review
From The Herald Dispatch of Huntington: In the midst of West Virginia’s always chaotic legislative session, lawmakers have decided to have a philosophical debate about tax reform. Last week the state Senate approved Senate Bill 409, which would basically expand and raise the state’s sales tax and gradually decrease the[Read More…]
Editorial: Drug Crisis bill would create treatment facilities
From The Inter-Mountain of Elkins: When it comes to battling our state’s substance abuse crisis, there are no Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature. There are just West Virginians as desperate as any of the rest of us to do something about the scourge. A bill approved Wednesday by the[Read More…]
Opinion: Understanding Endrew vs. Douglas — Fighting the Devil
By John Barton, [email protected] When I was a boy, my grandfather told me a story about a wily, old mountain man who made a deal with the Devil. The story ends, as children’s stories often do, with a happy ending of sorts: the old man tricks the devil and traps[Read More…]
Statehouse Beat: When it comes to spending cuts, talk is cheap
By Phil Kabler The Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Going into the final week of the regular session, legislators are again finding that talking about cutting government spending is easier than actually doing it.https://wvpress.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Joint-Development-Represents-Fairness-and-Opportunity-Independent-Oil-and-Gas-Association.pdf Cases in point: The House of Delegates defeated (60-39) a bill that, among other things, would[Read More…]
Editorial: SB 412 is still a bad idea
Complaints about public money used to pay out-of-state workers on big construction projects prompted West Virginia legislators to insist a few years ago that at least 75 percent of employees in such contracts be residents of our state. An enforcement mechanism requires contractors to submit payroll information including workers’ addresses.[Read More…]
Column: Chairman of WV Academy of Family Physicians — ‘No such thing as Medical Marijuana’
By Dr. Adam Breinig, DO, FAAFP Chairman of WV Academy of Family Physicians Senior Council-at-Large of WV State Medical Association This year’s West Virginia legislative session has addressed several contentious issues. As an active member of the West Virginia Academy of Family Physicians’ advocacy voice, we are geared up to protect and promote[Read More…]
Editorial: Delegate John Kelly gets ‘Thumbs Up’
From The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Editorial Page’s “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down’: UP: To the state House of Delegates’ passage of a bill sponsored by Del. John Kelly, R-Wood, which could establish additional substance abuse treatment facilities in West Virginia. Kelly has been working on this for a long[Read More…]