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Coal Is Killing Us

June 13, 2018 in , , , /by

On June 1, 2018 President Trump directed Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take all necessary steps to stop the closure of coal-fired power plants on national security grounds. This directive was issued simultaneously with a draft memo arguing that the reliability of the nation’s power grid will be threatened if coal-fired plants are allowed to disappear through market forces that now make them the most expensive method to generate electricity. Trump’s directive was roundly criticized by many as an unprecedented intrusion into the market for electricity that “picks winners and losers,” something Republicans have long criticized Democrats for doing. But none of the debate about Trump’s directive has focused on the undeniable fact that small particulate matter emitted from coal-fired power plants is killing thousands of Americans each year.

What Campaign Contributions Tell Us About Congressman Alex Mooney

June 3, 2018 in , , /by

The Federal Election Commission recently published the 2018 First Quarter campaign contribution filings by candidates for federal office. Among these was the filing of our own Congressman Alex Mooney. Mooney has been very successful in raising money, both for the primary just past (he was unopposed) and for the general election coming up in November. Running for Congress is expensive and anyone who hopes to be elected must raise money. But the sources of Mooney’s contributions for this election cycle raise substantial doubt that he will be much interested in the welfare of West Virginia and her citizens.

The Left, the Right, and the Center

May 23, 2018 in /by

Socialism, or its less incendiary cousin, Progressivism, conjures up in the minds of some people images of dysfunctional societies doomed to decay through inefficiencies, corruption, restrictions on business, and constraints on freedom. But then when you look at the “happy socialist leaning” countries of Denmark, Norway (one of the President’s favorites), Canada, and so on, you have to wonder what’s there to be afraid of? I’m personally more frightened that the prevailing and dominating conservative politics we have in government today is turning us into a mean, uncharitable, and violent society. Aiming to be richer and more powerful than the rest is not a way to be better than the rest. And, because it alienates and denigrates so many of our own people, neither is it a pathway to continuing prosperity.

If You Voted in the Primary, You Probably Did Something Irrational

May 11, 2018 in /by

May 8 was primary election day in West Virginia and several other states. Typically, a primary election picks the candidate who will bear one party’s standard in the November general election against the other party’s candidate. The expectation is that the candidate with the more attractive qualities or the better policy views will be able to persuade a majority of voters in the general election. Perhaps this winning candidate will even be able to attract a substantial number of voters from the other party. Of course, this is the storybook version of democracy. It is based on the fiction that voters behave in a rational way, voting for a candidate only after thoughtful evaluation of the contenders. This is simply not what happens.

Trump Administration Abruptly Changes Migratory Bird Enforcement Policy

April 27, 2018 in , , /by

For 100 years, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) has protected nearly 1000 bird species in the United States against being “taken” or killed except under prescribed circumstances. This statute prohibits hunters from intentionally killing birds without a permit, but has also been interpreted by courts and the Interior Department to prohibit incidental taking – the unintentional destruction of birds or nests through some instrumentality or activity like creating open waste oil pits or erecting wind turbines. Now the Trump Administration has reversed this long-standing interpretation and effectively prevented enforcement of the statute against oil companies and others who cause large scale bird kills.

The Future of West Virginia’s Severance Tax

April 16, 2018 in , , /by

In West Virginia a 5% tax is imposed on those engaging in the extraction of coal, oil, gas and other natural resources from the lands of the state. This is the “severance tax.” While the tax is ostensibly on the privilege of engaging in the business of extraction, the tax is calculated based on the volume of production. The state’s oil & gas industry is now booming even though coal is in the midst of a long-term decline. Most analysts believe both these trends are likely to continue for decades. So the future is bright for the state’s budget if we manage our oil & gas patrimony carefully. 

The West Virginia Legislature Fails Its Budget Responsibility

April 10, 2018 in , , /by

“Do Your Job!” This was a constant refrain heard from the thousands of citizens, many of them teachers, who filled the halls of the state capitol in late February and early March. They were calling for investment in public education, and for decent salaries for themselves and thousands of other seriously underpaid public employees. The Legislature was dragged kicking and screaming into granting an average 5% raise. This raise was critically important. But there is another critically important job the Legislature failed to do.

Developing Your Fake News Detector

March 16, 2018 in /by

News comes at us every day from every direction, and from every imaginable source, as well as some we may not have imagined. To deal with this, critical thinking on our part is more important than ever. Given the amount of information that is shoveled our way, how do we tell if an article or news story is real news or manure?  

West Virginia Republican Legislators Propose “Death Star” Preemption Bill to Strip Counties, Cities and Towns of Power to Enact Progressive Policies

March 8, 2018 in , /by

State preemption of local government is all the rage among conservative legislators around the country these days. Here’s how it works. Suppose the Jefferson County Commission wished to pass an ordinance banning plastic bags at grocery stores as a threat to the environment. Or suppose the city of Beckley declared it unlawful for a private employer within the city to ask for information about race or sexual orientation on employment applications. State preemption seeks to strip local governments of the right to regulate certain matters within their own borders. Usually these matters are of concern to progressive cities but not conservative Republican-majority state legislatures. And preventing West Virginia local governments from adopting progressive policies is just what the Panhandle’s own Senator Patricia Rucker and her conservative Republican colleagues are now seeking to do.

Panhandle Legislators Lead West Virginia’s “Bad Idea Machine”

February 28, 2018 in , , , /by

Delegate Mike Pushkin, who represents Charleston’s East End in the House of Delegates, once quipped that the West Virginia Legislature is a “bad idea machine.” Our Eastern Panhandle delegation contains some of the leaders, if that is the proper term, in generating bad ideas. I have recently written that Sen. Patricia Rucker has sponsored a host of bills that advance her far right ideology and religious beliefs. Most notably, these include her sponsorship of Senate Joint Resolution 12 that would put on the November 2018 ballot a proposed amendment to the West Virginia Constitution declaring that nothing in that Constitution creates a right to abortion. Not to be outdone, her Panhandle colleagues in the House of Delegates have introduced pro-gun and anti-public school legislation that give Sen. Rucker a run for her money.