Opinions
This Constitution Day, protect your right to trial by jury
CHARLESTON – Sept. 17 is Constitution Day and an opportunity to celebrate our rights enshrined there. One of the most important is trial by jury. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I consider [trial by jury] as the only anchor yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.”
Opioid regulator Joe Rannazzisi, hero or villain?
What if Big Pharma is not to blame for the opioid crisis? What if it wasn’t the big bad drug companies that created and exacerbated the problem, but the politicians and government officials pretending to be the good guys?
Congress must support West Virginia farmers, ratify USMCA
We can no longer allow foreign nations to use the American farmer as a trade pawn. The farming community has waited long enough.
The VA needs to protect the medical records of veterans
The VA has a responsibility to ensure the confidentiality of all veteran records, and the persons responsible for any breach should be held accountable.
West Virginians benefit from Senate Bill 1, comprehensive education reform
CHARLESTON – When I became West Virginia Lieutenant Governor and Senate President, I vowed to make education a priority. To me, those weren’t just empty political words. I knew in order to move our state forward, we had to abandon the failed policies of the past, end the days of playing politics with our children’s education and commit to passing meaningful reform.
Rural economy enhancements required to move West Virginia forward
Our nation’s leaders are looking to modernize existing broadband infrastructure to help foster economic growth, as well as tap into emerging industries and markets. If our state cannot catch up to the rest of the nation, we once again look to be left behind.
Opioid ‘solution’ may be worse than the problem
Let’s hope West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's recent litigation on our behalf is not motivated by an opportunistic desire to exploit a crisis and swell state coffers by shaking down legitimate companies that may have had little or nothing to do with the crisis.
Homelessness label grabs attention, but may obscure real issues
CHARLESTON – Words are powerful, and they have a particular power when it comes to public policy. As we talk about problems we face in our communities and propose solutions, we have a responsibility to use words precisely and responsibly to describe our world as it is.
Proud to be a coal miner’s warriors
Truth be told, those who have grown up in West Virginia and Kentucky are sons and daughters of coal miners in a way – if not genetically, then psychologically at least, as grateful beneficiaries of the hard work they’ve done throughout their lifetimes.
Nothing to fear from three public charter schools
CHARLESTON – There is no greater responsibility of state government than to provide a thorough education for our children. American leaders from every generation have recognized the importance of a world-class, public education.
When judges ignore the law
Plaintiffs attorneys governments across the country in a proposed opioid class action suit are trying to persuade U.S. District Judge Dan Polster to create a “negotiation class” that would empower them to act on behalf of every city and country government in the country and decide amongst themselves how settlement funds are distributed.
Back to school means even more this year
Carmichael says education reform brings needed changes
West Virginia should recover money from Frontier's improper actions
Frontier’s actions have cost the State of West Virginia approximately $5,000,000
Another pipeline to prosperity and national security
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is leading a 16-state group urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that halted construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. This project offers enormous economic and national security benefits.
Morrisey sold us out with drug settlements
CHARLESTON – There has never been any doubt that the opioid epidemic has ravaged the state of West Virginia. Now newly uncovered evidence proves what we already know.
Accurate voter registration lists are first step in election integrity
CHARLESTON – There is much concern over election integrity as we approach the 2020 election. However, West Virginians can rest assured that as our state's top election official, I have been working diligently with county clerks and other officials throughout the state to secure our elections, and to ensure an accurate vote count on election night.
State Attorneys General should oversee opioid litigation
Do we want justice or a quick jackpot for trial attorneys? The negotiation class leads to the latter. And, more important, it’s unconstitutional and unfair. The states and their attorneys general are the parties empowered to protect the rights and welfare of their citizens.
Free speech ... unless you upset someone in power
PARKERSBURG – You don’t really think a lot about your right to free speech until you lose it. Or until someone tries to take it from you by force. And that’s the very crux of why I’ve spent so much of the last month entrenched in our state’s political news. It’s a complicated story. It’s about stuff I’ve said, stuff other folks have said on tape and the hurt feelings of politicians who think they should be able to shut you up if they so desire.
What teachers unions really care about
Every profession has good and bad practitioners. The majority will be somewhere in the middle, but the best will be superb and the worst, very bad. This is true of doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.
Russians didn't change a single vote in any American election
W.Va. Secretary of State encourages county, city governments to remain vigilant