An uncivil society

There is yet another survey that suggests we Americans are about to tear each other limb from limb. This time it’s from the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service Battleground Civility Poll. “A majority of Americans believe political, racial and class divisions are getting worse,” the poll found.  “Three-quarters or more of men and

So, I’m not as compassionate as I thought I was

I talk a lot on my radio show about the state’s opioid epidemic.  The stories and interviews have convinced me of a couple of things: First, some drug companies and their wholesalers knowingly dumped millions of pills on our small state, fueling an addiction crisis that now includes heroin and fentanyl.  They need to be

Come home to West Virginia

So, I have this fantasy about West Virginia. We know that we need more people to move here to help grow the economy.  An available pool of qualified workers is essential to an expanding economy. What we already know that the rest of the country does not is that West Virginia is a pretty nice

WV business tax structure rates better than most

No one likes to pay taxes, but it is understood that some taxation is necessary to pay for the services that we believe the government should provide. The individual states have many different methods and rates of collecting taxes, and states use taxes to compete for business and attract new residents. The independent (but conservative

Huntington next up after Ohio counties settle opioid suit

Two Ohio counties have settled with drug companies in a landmark case over responsibility for the opioid epidemic.  The settlement came just hours before the trial was scheduled to begin yesterday in Cleveland. Under the agreement, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp. and Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay $260 million to Cuyahoga and Summit Counties to help

Warren dodges price tag for Medicare for All

One of the hottest debate topics among Democratic candidates for President is health care.  Surging Elizabeth Warren has embraced Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal. We’ll get to Warren’s problems on that front in a moment, but first think about this:  West Virginia probably has more government-run health care than any other state. West Virginia

Greyhound racing’s ticking clock

  Another state is getting out of the dog racing business.  Southland Gaming, which operates the only greyhound racing facility in Arkansas, announced a phase out of operations at the West Memphis racetrack and casino by the end of 2022. The Arkansas state Racing Commission approved the shutdown. Arkansas becomes the latest state to get

Time for West Virginia to raise minimum age for tobacco purchases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 974 people died in West Virginia in 2017 from drug overdoses.  But according to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, almost 4,000 West Virginians die every year from a different addiction—tobacco. West Virginia has the highest smoking rate in the country. The CDC estimates

Suspicious VA hospital deaths to be taken up by House committee

The alarming and highly suspicious deaths of 11 or more aging veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg will finally come before a Congressional committee today.  The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will convene at 2 p.m. for a hearing entitled: “Broken Promises: Assessing VA’s Systems for Protecting

West Virginia: Help Wanted!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, West Virginia’s unemployment rate in August was 4.6 percent.  That’s a low number, although context is important here. The national unemployment rate in August was just 3.7 percent.  The 4.6 percent rate for West Virginia was still among the highest in the nation, with a ranking of

Stephen Smith’s ‘small ball’ fundraising producing big returns

It takes awhile to read through Stephen Smith’s campaign finance reports. The Democratic Gubernatorial candidate’s 2nd quarter report was 83 pages. The recently filed 3rd quarter report covered 92 pages. Most of those pages are filled with name after name after name of individuals who have contributed to Smith’s long-shot campaign. On April 21, Nicole

Teacher absenteeism creates problems for WV public schools

Last month, we learned that West Virginia public schools have a student absenteeism problem.  The State Department of Education’s Balanced Scorecard report found that more than one-third (38 percent) of all public schools in the state failed to meet the standard for attendance. That means at least 20 percent of the students missed 18 days

‘Christmas’ is back in the Charleston Christmas Parade

(Editor’s note: Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin has announced that after hearing from the public and consulting with religious leaders of all faiths she has decided to return the word ‘Christmas’ to the Charleston Christmas Parade.  Props to the Mayor for correcting a mistake)  HK (Editor’s note #2: The original version of this commentary included

Berkeley, Jefferson Counties must pay up to save train service

Municipal and county leaders from Jefferson and Berkeley Counties are scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon with eastern panhandle legislators to brainstorm about ways to save the commuter rail service between those two counties and Washington, D.C. House of Delegates member Jason Barrett (D-Berkeley) told me on Talkline Tuesday that the local governments will be asked

When the brains come back to West Virginia

Change through innovation is not easy.  There is a certain comfort in the status quo, even if that condition does not necessarily serve the best interests of an individual, business or institution. However, change is also necessary, especially in a free market economy. As Steve Jobs said, “Innovation is the ability to see change as

VA deaths investigation takes time, patience.

One of the most common questions being asked about the suspicious deaths at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Clarksburg is, “Why hasn’t anyone been arrested? It’s an understandable question given what the public has learned about the horrific case. At least ten veterans, and perhaps more, died under suspicious circumstances while undergoing treatment

Salango expected to enter Governor’s race

Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango is expected to announce soon that he is entering the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Salango would become the second person in recent days to reveal his intentions. State Senator Ron Stollings (D-Boone) announced last week that he’s running.  Salango would make the sixth person in the Democratic

Report: DEA dropped the ball on opioid crisis

There’s a lot of blame to go around for the opioid crisis that has hit West Virginia so hard—the addicts themselves, unscrupulous pill mill doctors and pharmacies, and the drug companies and wholesalers that dumped highly addictive pain pills by the millions. And now the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General

Fair pay for play rocks NCAA

The New York Times reports that the college sports industry generated $14 billion last year.  The biggest reason for the financial haul is that big-time college athletics—primarily football and men’s basketball—are wildly popular. But another reason is that the labor used to produce these sporting events is dirt cheap. Yes, colleges and universities must absorb

Impeachment dread

I’m dreading the coming months. As a radio talk show host, I should be thrilled for the content and conversation that an impeachment probe will provide, but I’m not. It pains me to think what the country will have to go through.  An already deeply polarized citizenry will become even more entrenched. Think about this: