Remember the old Rolaids TV commercials from the 1970s? "How do you spell relief?" an off-screen announcer would ask, to which actors posing as satisfied customers would dutifully respond: "R-O-L-A-I-D-S."
The commercials promised that the flavored antacid tablets would provide relief from heartburn and other digestive ailments. And relief is what consumers want and expect from over-the-counter curatives.
Relief is also what West Virginia citizens want and expect from their governor and state legislators -– relief not in the sense of welfare, but relief in the sense of opportunity.
How do you spell relief? J-O-B-S, that's how.
Real jobs created in the private, not the public sector. There is much that local, state, and federal governments can -- and should -- do to encourage the creation of private-sector jobs, such as establishing and maintaining low corporate tax rates, reasonable regulations, fair courts, etc.
Conversely, there is much that governments can -- but should not -- do to discourage the growth of opportunity.
It's hard to fathom why government officials would want to reduce the range of opportunities available to their citizens, but it's clear that some do. Apparently, the more dependent we are upon them, the more powerful they feel. It's an awfully high price for their good feeling.
The question is, What are our governor and state legislators doing for us? Are they encouraging -– or discouraging -– the creation of private-sector jobs?
Gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney contends that Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and our state legislators accomplished next to nothing on our behalf in the just-completed legislative session.
"It's all about jobs," Maloney says. "We need to create private-sector jobs. We need to create careers here in West Virginia. You have to be bold and have some vision, and I don't see that."
Amen. How about some relief?