Beckley Register-Herald - Low wages and low-labor force participation are two of the biggest economic challenges facing West Virginia. Not enough West Virginians are working, and too many of those working are paid low wages and have trouble staying above water. Story link. Those who do find work not only face low wages, but also deal with an…
OpEds
Beckley Register-Herald - As the renewed investigation into Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s background proceeds this week, it’s important to note there are a variety of reasons why his nomination to the US Supreme Court would harm West Virginians. One is that he would be a gift to Wall Street and an attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which protects West Virginians from predatory lenders and helps…
Charleston Gazette - My father, like any good father, always told me — his baby girl — that I could do anything I wanted. He’s right, and sadly also wrong. Despite earning a journalism degree, a philosophy degree, having a strong work ethic and desire to help people and do the best I possibly can in my…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Last Wednesday, the Trump administration issued new regulations that will expand the availability of “skimpy” short-term health plans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services touted this move as an effort to give Americans more affordable health coverage options, but there is a reason that skimpy plans cost less — they don’t cover…
A recent report from the United Nations concluded that the extreme poverty and lack of basic human rights in the United States is not an accident, but “a political choice made by those in power.” In other words, through our political choices we are choosing to live in a society with a level of poverty…
Huntington Herald Dispatch - Budgets and legislation are reflective of values, and this Congress and President Trump keep showing us where their priorities lie. Under the Trump Administration, hard-working West Virginians are repeatedly punished - via the tax bill, proposed cuts to food assistance and disability insurance, and efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Story…
Charleston Daily Mail - In late March, a Daily Mail Opinion editorial exclaimed “Hallelujah!” in response to the signing of a bill that increases hardship for some of the most vulnerable West Virginians when times are tough (Public assistance done right under House Bill 4001, March 28, 2018). Story link.
Charleston Gazette - What if there was a way to get dirty needles off the streets while saving the city of Charleston hundreds of thousands of dollars, reducing infectious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis B and C, and saving dozens of lives in the process? Supervised injection facilities have been tried in other cities with…
Beckley Register-Herald - When you enter the home of any West Virginian, you will be asked two questions: Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat? Story link.
Charleston Gazette - For the past decade, the West Virginia Legislature embarked on a strategy of cutting its way to growth — cutting corporate taxes by about $220 million a year. And this year the Legislature and governor are poised for more of the same, proposing to phase out $140 million in business property taxes for…