Oct. 14, 2010
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Food for Thought
We West Virginians have a political dilemma. Our "highly-rated" governor hopes to leave us so he can go to Washington DC to give aid and comfort to President Obama. If Joe Manchin wins WV's US Senate seat, he will shift his focus from WV to DC and leave us in the hands of an unelected, default, substitute-governor, Earl Ray Tomblin.
Earl Ray is a professional politician. He has spent 36 of his 58 years on this earth as a WV legislator. As the longest-serving President of the WV Senate (and now Lieutenant-Governor-in-Waiting), he "runs the state." Other than some alleged connections with "dog-racing and the gambling industry," he seems pretty clean, He doesn't seem to have any extracurricular boy-friends or girl-friends. But he does know WV state government and how to use it for the benefit of his friends and family. Earl Ray might possibly be a more-focused, better governor than Joe and WV actually might possibly be better off with him.
If you really think about it, part of our dilemma is that Joe Manchin is "double-dipping." He is not only the sitting Governor of WV with two more years left on his term, but he is also the Democrat candidate for US Senate. One must ask, how can he effectively do his "day-job" as governor while we pay his salary and he's campaigning "full-bore" for the US Senate?
Perhaps Joe should resign immediately and let us get a taste of Earl Ray as substitute-governor. Earl Ray would have a head start if Joe should happen to win, but Joe would be the most-junior senator supporting Obama.
Several years ago, the Fraser Institute [URL: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/] created the Economic Freedom Index.
[URL: http://www.freetheworld.com/efna2010/Complete-Publication-US.pdf]
It rates every nation, every US state, and every Canadian province on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest degree of economic freedom. Of course, you would not know it from press releases and political blather, but WV is presently in very sad shape economically. Our beloved state is near the bottom of the economic totem pole.
Hong Kong is rated highest in economic freedom the world over with a rating of 9.05. The US average is 7.90. Delaware is the highest-rated US state with 8.3, while West Virginia is the lowest-rated US state with 5.4.
WV actually lags behind the five collectivist Canadian provinces of Alberta at 7.7; Newfoundland at 6.0; British Columbia at 5.8; Ontario at 5.7; and Saskatchewan at 5.6.
But don't despair! Under the "inspired" leadership and "wise" policies of Joe Manchin and Earl Ray Tomblin, West Virginia has managed to rise to 14th from bottom in the world! These dominant figures in WV state government have allowed us to forge ahead of 13 African countries ranging from Niger at 5.33, to Zimbabwe at 3.57.
When one thinks of sending a WV Senator to Washington DC to support Obama's plans to "fundamentally transform the United States of America," one must pause. Do we want someone who will support Obama or do we want someone to oppose his grandiose plans of "fundamental transformation?" Obama has already given us the following:
Obama-Care, NASA's outreach-mission to Muslims, Push for Puerto Rico as 51st state, Amnesty-for-Illegals, Appointing 35 "Czars" and 16 "Task-forces," Attacking Arizona's Anti-Illegal Law, Cap-and-Trade, Cash-for-Clunkers, Ground-Zero Mosque, Bailout of AIG, Takeover of GM, $872 Billion Failed "Stimulus," Barney Frank and his Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Fiascoes, Gulf-drilling Moratorium, $2 Billion gift to Brazil for Deep-Water Drilling, Attacking Tea Party Movement, Redistribution of Your Wealth, and Blaming George W. Bush for "Everything."
Read Obama's agenda as told by his Columbia University '83 college roommate, Wayne Allen Root at [URL: http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/obama-s-agenda--overwhelm-the-system-95716764.html]
In addition, Joe Manchin pushed-through West Virginia's own version of "Cap and Trade" that limits production from WV coal mines. Now Joe tells us he really wants to repeal Obama-Care. He was for it before he was against it: Flip-floping, wet-finger-in-the-wind politics.
John Raese will oppose Obama's "fundamental transformation of the USA" by honoring and observing the US Constitution and voting to "nullify" Obama-Care," stop bailouts, drastically cut spending, drastically cut the size of government, and invoke the 10th Amendment for states rights. He knows that every dime taken in taxes is a dime that the private sector cannot use to finance small business and create jobs.
Do your part to defeat Team Manchin-Reid-Pelosi-Obama. Break the mold. Put John Raese in West Virginia's US Senate seat on November 2nd.
David Michael Myers
Martinsburg, WV
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Food for Thought
We West Virginians have a political dilemma. Our "highly-rated" governor hopes to leave us so he can go to Washington DC to give aid and comfort to President Obama. If Joe Manchin wins WV's US Senate seat, he will shift his focus from WV to DC and leave us in the hands of an unelected, default, substitute-governor, Earl Ray Tomblin.
Earl Ray is a professional politician. He has spent 36 of his 58 years on this earth as a WV legislator. As the longest-serving President of the WV Senate (and now Lieutenant-Governor-in-Waiting), he "runs the state." Other than some alleged connections with "dog-racing and the gambling industry," he seems pretty clean, He doesn't seem to have any extracurricular boy-friends or girl-friends. But he does know WV state government and how to use it for the benefit of his friends and family. Earl Ray might possibly be a more-focused, better governor than Joe and WV actually might possibly be better off with him.
If you really think about it, part of our dilemma is that Joe Manchin is "double-dipping." He is not only the sitting Governor of WV with two more years left on his term, but he is also the Democrat candidate for US Senate. One must ask, how can he effectively do his "day-job" as governor while we pay his salary and he's campaigning "full-bore" for the US Senate?
Perhaps Joe should resign immediately and let us get a taste of Earl Ray as substitute-governor. Earl Ray would have a head start if Joe should happen to win, but Joe would be the most-junior senator supporting Obama.
Several years ago, the Fraser Institute [URL: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/] created the Economic Freedom Index.
[URL: http://www.freetheworld.com/efna2010/Complete-Publication-US.pdf]
It rates every nation, every US state, and every Canadian province on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest degree of economic freedom. Of course, you would not know it from press releases and political blather, but WV is presently in very sad shape economically. Our beloved state is near the bottom of the economic totem pole.
Hong Kong is rated highest in economic freedom the world over with a rating of 9.05. The US average is 7.90. Delaware is the highest-rated US state with 8.3, while West Virginia is the lowest-rated US state with 5.4.
WV actually lags behind the five collectivist Canadian provinces of Alberta at 7.7; Newfoundland at 6.0; British Columbia at 5.8; Ontario at 5.7; and Saskatchewan at 5.6.
But don't despair! Under the "inspired" leadership and "wise" policies of Joe Manchin and Earl Ray Tomblin, West Virginia has managed to rise to 14th from bottom in the world! These dominant figures in WV state government have allowed us to forge ahead of 13 African countries ranging from Niger at 5.33, to Zimbabwe at 3.57.
When one thinks of sending a WV Senator to Washington DC to support Obama's plans to "fundamentally transform the United States of America," one must pause. Do we want someone who will support Obama or do we want someone to oppose his grandiose plans of "fundamental transformation?" Obama has already given us the following:
Obama-Care, NASA's outreach-mission to Muslims, Push for Puerto Rico as 51st state, Amnesty-for-Illegals, Appointing 35 "Czars" and 16 "Task-forces," Attacking Arizona's Anti-Illegal Law, Cap-and-Trade, Cash-for-Clunkers, Ground-Zero Mosque, Bailout of AIG, Takeover of GM, $872 Billion Failed "Stimulus," Barney Frank and his Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Fiascoes, Gulf-drilling Moratorium, $2 Billion gift to Brazil for Deep-Water Drilling, Attacking Tea Party Movement, Redistribution of Your Wealth, and Blaming George W. Bush for "Everything."
Read Obama's agenda as told by his Columbia University '83 college roommate, Wayne Allen Root at [URL: http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/obama-s-agenda--overwhelm-the-system-95716764.html]
In addition, Joe Manchin pushed-through West Virginia's own version of "Cap and Trade" that limits production from WV coal mines. Now Joe tells us he really wants to repeal Obama-Care. He was for it before he was against it: Flip-floping, wet-finger-in-the-wind politics.
John Raese will oppose Obama's "fundamental transformation of the USA" by honoring and observing the US Constitution and voting to "nullify" Obama-Care," stop bailouts, drastically cut spending, drastically cut the size of government, and invoke the 10th Amendment for states rights. He knows that every dime taken in taxes is a dime that the private sector cannot use to finance small business and create jobs.
Do your part to defeat Team Manchin-Reid-Pelosi-Obama. Break the mold. Put John Raese in West Virginia's US Senate seat on November 2nd.
David Michael Myers
Martinsburg, WV
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
