“I love you, but I don’t like you.”
Almost anyone can identify with that phrase, whether it’s referencing a partner, a parent or even a child. I know I can.
But today, it’s how I feel about West Virginia.
Born and raised here, I also have lived my entire 50-plus years here. It’s home, and it always will be. I always have been proud to be a West Virginian.
Lately, not so much.
For the last 10 years or so, I have watched as the Republican leadership slowly has stripped away rights of individuals, allowed our already weak healthcare and education system to further erode, let our infrastructure literally fall apart as well as continue to bend over backward to lure big businesses to come in and take even more advantage of our citizens.
For eight years, we sat back and watched as our governor literally and figuratively bankrupted the state like he has so many of his businesses. But he has a cute dog and a litany of folksy sayings, so we gave him a pass.
Now, we have a former Attorney General who previously sold his soul to Big Pharma trying to march through an agenda so conservative and Trumpian that his little Velcro shoes practically lick themselves.
Former Gov. Jim Justice left the state with a looming $400 million budget deficit as he wheeled himself and his dog-and-phony show to D.C. where he can tell a new audience all how he knows “with all his heart” how his good friend Donald Trump will save our state, our country and our nation “because he’s a good man.”
Insert eye roll here.
So, what does Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the overwhelming supermajority in the West Virginia House and Senate do to tackle all of the important issues facing our state? They certainly have a long list of legislation to fix the state’s economy, healthcare system, school system, the foster care system, infrastructure, aging population and mass exodus to greener pastures.
Yeah, here are some of the legislative talking points we’ve heard so far during the 2025 session:
* Rename the state’s highest point to honor Donald Trump;
* Define what is a man and what is a woman;
* Eliminate “woke” words from state government documents;
* Provide more ways for people to exempt their children from vaccines, including for polio and measles;
* Introduce a bill that would make it illegal to collectively bargain with any public employee union;
* Eliminate public hearings in the House of Delegates;
* Move more public money to benefit private schools;
* Bring back corporal punishment in schools;
* Eliminate the Public Employees Insurance Agency;
* Get rid of opioid treatment centers;
* Eliminate tax breaks for the wind industry, jeopardizing $1.2 billion in planned investments; and
* Remove the rape and incest exemptions from the state’s near total abortion ban.
Rape and incest? Really? I guess that makes sense because, when you get right down to it, that really is what the GOP has been doing to West Virginians for the last decade.
It’s all smoke and mirrors to hide the fact the Republicans have no real agenda other than finding new ways to benefit themselves and their rich friends and companies.
Here’s a perfect example of those diversionary tactics. For the second year in a row, a resolution has been introduced to put a Constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 to ensure only legal American citizens can vote in elections in West Virginia. Guess what? That’s already on the books. A fiscal note from the Secretary of State’s office about the legislation even says so.
But, the resolution still likely will draw attention and require action. And that will take time and effort away from the real issues that have plagued our state for generations.
And nothing will be done, for now, because there is such an overwhelming supermajority in both the House and Senate that they can run roughshod over everyone. That apparently includes our new governor when they want to keep him in check.
No, a big shift needs to occur before real change can happen. Otherwise, our state will continue to spiral out of control from a decade-long lack of leadership and of kowtowing to corporate interests and Oval Office holders who don’t care about us.
Yeah, West Virginia, I love you. But I sure don’t like you right now.
Toriseva is a Wheeling attorney and vice chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party.