Opinions
You may be eligible to help further enrich some wealthy lawyers
Which would you rather be paid – 38 dollars or $9 million? How about getting paid $38 to help someone else make $9 million?
Encouraging entrepreneurship for military spouses
CHARLESTON – Each May we memorialize the men and women who sacrifice their lives defending our freedom. Often forgotten are the military spouses who give their all to maintain households and raise children.
The War on Coal is winding down slowly
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, two weeks after the signing of the peace treaty ending the War of 1812. If British General Edward Pakenham had had a cell phone, or even a beeper, he might have received notice of the treaty-signing before the battle began and been able to avoid his embarrassing defeat to Andrew Jackson.
Democrats should not help Don Blankenship
WHEELING – “You can’t shake hands with the devil, and say you’re only kidding.” That’s the line that came to mind when I read about an effort by West Virginia Democrats to help Don Blankenship become the Republican nominee for US Senate by running ads attacking his competition. The scheme has awful risks, and a huge downside even if it “succeeds.”
Whoa! Slow down! The climate-change lawsuits are getting out of control!
It's one thing for state and local governments to sue oil, gas, and coal companies, alleging that their fossil fuels contribute to some nebulous hazard called “global warming” or “climate change” (or “weird weather”) that creates some supposed damage that governments must expend public funds to rectify.
The only issue in November
POCA – As West Virginia Republicans grumble over our choices for the Senate this year, we have to look at the big picture. Judges.
Judges without judgment
“We were kind of busy being judges and not paying attention to administrative things,” said West Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret Workman in response to the latest uproar over the most recent exposure of two justices' abuse of public funds to accommodate themselves in the extravagant style to which they wanted to become accustomed.
Standing up for West Virginia's seniors
CHARLESTON – Every West Virginian has basic human rights, regardless of age, to be protected from unlawful harm and suffering.
West Virginians have stopped singing the blues
The song "Happy Days," written at the outset of the Great Depression, became the campaign song for Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first presidential bid in 1932, but it could have been applied to Donald Trump's campaign 84 years later.
Confidence and optimism for small businesses in tax season
Tax season tends to bring out a sense of dread. Whether you’re a business owner gathering a year’s worth of receipts in a file box for your accountant or a family scratching out formulas at the kitchen table, the paperwork and the ever-nagging fear that you’ve forgotten something makes mid-April our least favorite time of year.
Solution: revise HB 4009 and pass it again
House Bill 4009, capping the amount of settlement funds that the state Attorney General’s office can keep in its consumer protection fund, passed both houses of the Legislature by overwhelming margins, but was vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice.
With the foundation in place, state's future is limitless
CHARLESTON – Now that the dust has settled, and the static has quieted a little, I think there’s an opportunity to reflect a little bit about the past couple of months in terms of wins and losses for our state’s taxpayers.
Wins for all: W.Va. royalty owners, counties will benefit from this session
CHARLESTON – The second session of the 83rd Legislature of West Virginia concluded on March 10, and while the session was dominated by the teachers strike, there were several important pieces of legislation passed to benefit the citizens of West Virginia.
Going in the right direction, long way to go
Last month we trumpeted a progressive development in West Virginia: a new and growing effort to change direction and make our business climate a more friendly one.
West Virginia sues DEA, reforms national drug policy
CHARLESTON – Every aspect of the pharmaceutical supply chain bears responsibility for the havoc and senseless death unleashed upon West Virginia – and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is no exception.
Someone should put a safety cone in front of that speed bump!
“The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly,”said British philosopher Herbert Spencer, “is to fill the world with fools.”
West Virginia has reasons to be hopeful for the future
CHARLESTON – As we take some time to reflect upon the conclusion of the 83rd Session of the West Virginia Legislature, there is an opportunity to remember the accomplishments of the previous year, think about areas where we could improve, and look toward the long-term progress of our wonderful state.
Share, share, share, share your booty
Picture the bank runs of the Depression. Financial institutions could accommodate the small number of nervous customers wanting to withdraw their savings and close their accounts, at first. As the number of withdrawals increased and panic set in, cash reserves rapidly dwindled until one by one the banks were shuttered.
The Second Amendment must be respected, period
HUNTINGTON – There is no population in America more adamant about protecting our constitutional rights than West Virginians, and chief among these God-given rights is the Second Amendment. As a candidate for Congress in Southern West Virginia’s third district, my promise to the voters is this: I will always defend your right to keep and bear arms, and I pledge to be a tireless voice for our pro-gun values on every possible occasion.
One Sheets to the wind
A dozen roses, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, dinner at a fancy restaurant – those are some of the more common gifts given and received on Valentine's Day. Joshua Sheets of Danville might have settled for a cute little card signed in crayon by a secret admirer asking him to “Be Mine.” That would have been preferable to the unique Valentine's present that the Boone County attorney did receive this year.