West Virginia Democratic Party Divide is on Full Display

Humorist Will Rogers said, “I belong to no organized party.  I am a Democrat.” That disorganization was on display last week when the West Virginia Democratic Party Executive Committee’s virtual meeting turned chaotic. The party leaders were trying to adopt an affirmative action plan.  However, the members of the party’s new affirmative action committee had

Justice: “Quit Worrying About That.”

There is a scene in the comedy film Naked Gun where inspector Frank Drebin is standing in front of an exploding building as its occupants flee in panic.  A crowd gathers, but Drebin waves them away. “Nothing to see here.  Please disperse.” I was thinking about that as Governor Jim Justice again tried to assure

Don’t Defund; De-escalate

The murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin one year ago pushed to the forefront concerns about police use of excessive force, particularly against Black Americans. The Defund the Police movement emerged, and it has different meanings. To some, defund means just that—eliminate the police and redirect the money toward the

Governor Justice’s $700 Million Problem

The headline in the Wall Street Journal is an attention grabber: “West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is Personally Liable for $700 Million in Greensill Loans.” Justice’s companies have a long history of non-payment, slow payment and legal fights over debts.  The investigative news outlet ProPublica reported last year that “Justice’s constellation of companies has been

WV Should Not Pay Bonuses to Lure People Back to Work

Governor Justice is considering paying a cash bonus to individuals to entice them to return to work.  Employers are having trouble filling vacant positions and the argument is that paying people to go back to work will help solve that problem. Initially, the Governor offered to match bonuses paid by employers.  However, businesses balked at

Our Memorial Day Obligation

Imagine a debt that can never be fully repaid. That obligation is so great that it is nearly incomprehensible to think about, so we block it from our thoughts and pretend that it does not exist. But each of us who enjoys the myriad benefits of living in this great country and acknowledges the sacrifice

The Country Needs the January 6th Commission

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote before its Memorial Day recess on legislation establishing an independent commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol.  The bill passed the House 252-to-195.  West Virginia First District Congressman David McKinley was among the 35 Republicans who backed the bill. The outcome in the Senate is

A Tidal Wave of Federal Money is Hitting West Virginia

West Virginia is getting flooded… with money. The state received $677 million from Washington last week, and a second tranche will be distributed next year, bringing West Virginia’s total to $1.355 billion as the state’s share of funding from the American Rescue Act. That amount is equal to about 30 percent of the entire General

Oops!

My apologies for not letting you know I’d be out a couple of days.  The commentary will return Wednesday.

The Consequences of the Trump Loop

Republicans are caught in the Trump Loop. Most do not want to talk about former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, but they also do not want to distance themselves from Trump’s considerable coattails. West Virginia’s three House of Representatives members, all Republicans, were generally cryptic when asked

Federal PRO Act Would Negate States’ Right-to-Work Laws

West Virginia is among the 27 states that have right-to-work laws.  The state legislature passed the Workplace Freedom Act in 2016 that prevents an employee from being forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Labor challenged the law in court and lost. The state Supreme Court in 2020 joined every other state

Responsibility for Murders at the VA Hospital in Clarksburg Goes Beyond Reta Mays

Denis McDonough, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will be at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Clarksburg today where he will answer questions about the systemic procedural breakdowns at the hospital that allowed the murder of patients. Reta Mays, a former overnight nurses’ aide at the hospital, admitted to murdering seven

Bates Flips, GOP Advantages Grow in WV

Republicans are way ahead in the game in West Virginia, and now they are running up the score. Mick Bates, a House of Delegates member from Raleigh County, this week switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. Bates was one of the more outspoken Democrats in the House who never shied away from criticizing

Reta Mays May Be Responsible For More Deaths Than She Has Admitted

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s investigation into the murders of veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg has left open the possibility that Reta Mays is responsible for more deaths than she has admitted. Tuesday, Mays was sentenced to life in prison for murdering seven veterans, and

Democratic Elections Bill Invites Fraud

West Virginia’s elections are generally clean and free of shenanigans, but it was not always that way.   Years ago, the state was infamous for vote buying, especially in some southern West Virginia counties. The old ways die hard. As recently as 2012, the Lincoln County sheriff and county clerk were caught in a ballot harvesting

Generous Jobless Benefits Keep Workers Home

Employers in West Virginia and across the country are having trouble finding people to work.  The economy is heating up, and demand for workers is greater than the supply of those willing to get back into the labor force. A Huntington Herald-Dispatch story last week illustrated just how difficult it has become for some businesses

Questions Linger as Reta Mays Faces Sentencing for VA Murders

Convicted serial killer Reta Mays is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Clarksburg.  Judge Thomas Kleeh will likely order that the 46-year-old former overnight nurses’ aide at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Clarksburg spend the rest of her life in prison. Mays admitted during a plea hearing last year

So That’s Where Hoppy Gets His News

As a talk show host, I am frequently asked by listeners—usually ones who disagree with me—where I get my information? Conservative listeners sometimes chide me: “You should watch something other than CNN.”  A liberal listener might say, “You’re just repeating what Fox News said.” For the record, here is what I typically read, watch and

Shot = $100

As the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations has slowed across the country, states and communities are trying creative incentives to encourage individuals to get their shots. New Jersey and Connecticut are buying beers for the newly vaccinated. “This is the place to be, and the drinks are on us. What more could you ask for?” Connecticut

Republican Purity Test Threatens Rep. Cheney

Republicans, who have created a cottage industry fomenting outrage over the “cancel culture,” now want to “cancel” Congresswoman Liz Cheney. The crime committed by the Republican Congresswoman and number three Republican in the House of Representatives is that she continues to speak truth to power.  Rather than perpetuate The Big Lie as many of her