Why America Fails on Immigration

America has an immigration problem, and the definition of that problem depends on an individual’s political views. Those views have been hardened by Republicans and Democrats who see immigration as the perfect wedge issue. Democrats accuse Republicans of being anti-immigrant and racist, while sprinkling their arguments with anecdotes and images of migrant children separated from

‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’

We have heard over and over how West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin occupies a strategically powerful position.  The 50-50 tie in the Senate means President Joe Biden and the Democrats need every vote, plus a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris, to move their agenda. Manchin also holds a key to what the Biden

Rounding the Corner (Hopefully) on Covid

We may be rounding the corner on Covid-19 in West Virginia… again. The latest figures from the state Department of Health and Human Resources show the number of active cases in the state has fallen from nearly 30,000 last Thursday to just over 17,000 on Monday. “Plus or minus a couple of days, we are

A Climb-Trusting Win for Neal Brown

Mountaineer football coach Neal Brown’s mantra is Trust the Climb.  The adage serves two purposes; it buys him some time as he tries to rebuild the program and it establishes the basis of the relationship between his staff and his players, as well as Brown and the fans. The climb also states clearly that Mountaineer

Almost To The Halfway Point…….

I seemingly say every year, “the high school football season flying by”!  And, 2021 is no different!  Case in point, it seems as if we just started the 2021 season and a lot of teams will play game #5 of their 10 game schedule this weekend. And then there is Richwood…..you honestly have to feel

Every Day Should Be Constitution Day

I missed Constitution Day.  It was last Friday, September 17, the anniversary of the final meeting of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, when they signed the document they had debated and created. It is too bad that Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the conscience of the Senate and a

West Virginia’s Solid Financial Footing

A state’s financial well-being is measured to a large degree on its ability to meet its financial obligations to its retirees, while also putting aside a sizable amount of money in case of emergency. By those measurements, West Virginia is in good standing. The state’s Rainy Day Fund is now over $1 billion for the

Justice Won’t Give Up His Hoop Dreams

Governor Jim Justice has filed a grievance over the decision by the Greenbrier County Board of Education not to hire him as the Greenbrier East boys high school basketball coach.  Justice already coaches the girls team. As our Brad McElhinny reported, “A level one grievance would go the chief administrator, in this case the superintendent. 

West Virginia, the Virus, and Me

After covering the pandemic in West Virginia for the last 18 months and talking about it nearly every day on my radio show, I have had an epiphany. The moment of clarity comes from my growing frustration with those who won’t get vaccinated or take the virus seriously, and their anger toward me for continuing

The Social Security and Medicare ‘Bust’ Funds

The  Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds recently released their annual report.  It received scant attention because who in Washington wants to be the bearer of bad news? And the news is bad.  Social Security and Medicare are both in deep financial trouble, and they are heading toward shortfalls within a few

Week #4 Brings SSAC Rankings and Big Time Games!

Is this possible?  Week #4 in the 2021 high school football season is already here which means we are very close to the halfway point of the year!  And, as we enter week #4, it has certainly been a trying season for a lot of the teams around the Mountain State.  Take for example the

Biden Fails on Vaccine Requirement

I am all in on Covid-19 vaccinations, and I have been since they were rolled out last December.  It was encouraging to see rapidly set-up clinics move our state’s residents through professionally and efficiently, putting life-saving shots in arms in those early months. For a while it appeared as though we were going to quickly

Honoring the Heroes of 9/11

Fear is an invaluable human instinct that perpetuates our survival. Without fear, we would make any number of potentially fatal decisions each day—walk into traffic, pick up a poisonous snake, stand too close to the edge of a cliff. Fear tells us to run away from danger.  But there are individuals who overcome those powerful

Men Are Giving Up on College

Men have fallen behind women in the pursuit of a college education in West Virginia and across the country. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that statistics from the National Student Clearinghouse show that at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, “women made up 59.5 percent of college students, an all-time high, and

Covid Is On The Scoreboard; Local Teams Fighting Hard To Win!

As we enter week #3 of the high school football season, we cannot ignore the fact that Covid is still playing a huge part in high school athletics across the state.  And, even though this column is devoted mostly to high school football, I am fully aware of the fact that Covid is certainly entrenched

The Acceleration of Covid in West Virginia

The number of Covid-19 cases is accelerating faster in West Virginia than any other state. That is according to an analysis by Emory Parker, data project manager at STAT, a national media company that investigates and reports on health, medicine and life sciences. “Cases in West Virginia are speeding up faster than they ever have,

Election Results Denial Damages Democracy

The claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election is demonstrably false, but in politics the “facts” are malleable. Trump and many of his supporters have continued to perpetuate the falsity by clinging to allegations that have been disproven or dismissed by credible sources—both Republican and Democrat.  In a few instances, they have latched on to

West Virginians Weigh In On Pandemic Response

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice gets better marks for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic than President Joe Biden. The MetroNews West Virginia Poll finds that 71 percent of registered voters are either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with Justice’s leadership during the pandemic. A survey by FiveThirtyEight released Wednesday showed that 53 percent of

Justice Lands On His Financial Feet

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice sounded relieved when I spoke with him.  He had just learned that his companies had reached a settlement with Carter Bank & Trust restructuring loans of more than $360 million. The legal sparring between the Justice family businesses and its long-time financial partner was resolved.  The two sides agreed to

We Missed You, Maryland

I have looked forward to the West Virginia University football season with varying degrees of anticipation all my adult life, dating back to when I was a student at WVU in the mid 1970s.  The level of interest was typically a nexus of my love of college football, the level of expectations for the team,