May 11, 2010
Congressional Candidate Lucas Supports I-73 / I-74 Corridor
Believes Government Intrusiveness Should Retreat
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – When reflecting upon the erosion of privacy rights since the 9/11 attacks, WV Congressional Candidate Conrad Lucas told HNN that in his opinion we have reached the “reasonable” limit on government intrusions.
“When we have a threat, we quickly come together. [On 9/11], we were all proud to be an American.
Unlike other wars “we will always have to be on guard” for terrorists. We are fighting a concept and that war will never end. 9/11 brought that war on and to say it ever ends is irresponsible.
Having been ‘at war’ for nearly a decade, Lucas pointed to lessons from “reacting too quickly to restrict freedoms.”
Referring to our right to dissent --- criticize the government --- the candidate recalled a First Amendment law school class, “You realize how much freedom we do have” and that’s “unique” in comparison to other nations. “Americans do not know any way to live other than under the First Amendment.
TOO MUCH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Lucas expressed his too much federal government control worry during the Republican debate at Marshall University, during which he revealed that the health insurance bill places student loans exclusively under the government to the exclusion of private bank loans. He fears with “no competition” there will be “devastating” consequences , such as no economic motivation to lower tuition prices.
“Education has become a very expensive commodity in the United States. The government holds the [opportunity] keys for all people that need assistance, which is the majority of us.”
Noting that prior to the no competition legislation, ‘loan forgiveness’ had been available for doctors, nurses and teachers who work in designated underserved regions, Lucas contemplated, will government “direct which professions we are allowed to enter?”
Theoretically, the loan approval process could dictate both institution and training choices. For instance, a four-year degree from a private college or university would put a student in debt $200,000 upon graduation. But, the risk management overseers could determine that liberal arts majors (such as English, Theatre, Philosophy) do not have the same value as a pharmaceutical , computer programming, or engineering profession.
“It’s the first step to potentially regulating which profession people are allowed to enter,” the former aide to Rep. Shelly Moore Capito predicted alluding to re-payment risks calculated by criteria like small business loan or mortgage tables.
TRANSPORTATION
Although incumbent Nick Rahall is vice chairman of the Transportation Committee, most of the major transportation projects proposed for this district were made 40 or 50 years ago. “In West Virginia, I will give you a little extra time to build a road, it’s a topographical nightmare. I’ll give you a few extra years; I’m not going to give you 34 (the number of years Rep. Rahall has been in office).
“Small portions have been completed,” Lucas stated. “Every few years a mile or two will be built to placate the Third District. , “Completing the I-73/I-74 corridor would be a full time commitment for me.
He referred to a short section affectionately labeled the “Crum beltway,” a one- to two- mile four lane “road to nowhere” resting upon a mountain, as one of the sections that have been completed piecemeal but have no functionality.
Editor's Note: Crum is a small community in Wayne County. It's also the title of a novel of the same name, written by former Crum resident Lee Maynard, it is a fictionalized account of life in Crum in the 1950s. When it was released in 1988, the book stirred up hostility in the town as many Crum residents took offense to Lee's portrayal of Crum, despite the inclusion of a disclaimer at the beginning of the book explaining that the work is fictional except for the town name of "Crum."
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Congressional Candidate Lucas Supports I-73 / I-74 Corridor
Believes Government Intrusiveness Should Retreat
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – When reflecting upon the erosion of privacy rights since the 9/11 attacks, WV Congressional Candidate Conrad Lucas told HNN that in his opinion we have reached the “reasonable” limit on government intrusions.
“When we have a threat, we quickly come together. [On 9/11], we were all proud to be an American.
Unlike other wars “we will always have to be on guard” for terrorists. We are fighting a concept and that war will never end. 9/11 brought that war on and to say it ever ends is irresponsible.
Having been ‘at war’ for nearly a decade, Lucas pointed to lessons from “reacting too quickly to restrict freedoms.”
Referring to our right to dissent --- criticize the government --- the candidate recalled a First Amendment law school class, “You realize how much freedom we do have” and that’s “unique” in comparison to other nations. “Americans do not know any way to live other than under the First Amendment.
TOO MUCH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Lucas expressed his too much federal government control worry during the Republican debate at Marshall University, during which he revealed that the health insurance bill places student loans exclusively under the government to the exclusion of private bank loans. He fears with “no competition” there will be “devastating” consequences , such as no economic motivation to lower tuition prices.
“Education has become a very expensive commodity in the United States. The government holds the [opportunity] keys for all people that need assistance, which is the majority of us.”
Noting that prior to the no competition legislation, ‘loan forgiveness’ had been available for doctors, nurses and teachers who work in designated underserved regions, Lucas contemplated, will government “direct which professions we are allowed to enter?”
Theoretically, the loan approval process could dictate both institution and training choices. For instance, a four-year degree from a private college or university would put a student in debt $200,000 upon graduation. But, the risk management overseers could determine that liberal arts majors (such as English, Theatre, Philosophy) do not have the same value as a pharmaceutical , computer programming, or engineering profession.
“It’s the first step to potentially regulating which profession people are allowed to enter,” the former aide to Rep. Shelly Moore Capito predicted alluding to re-payment risks calculated by criteria like small business loan or mortgage tables.
TRANSPORTATION
Although incumbent Nick Rahall is vice chairman of the Transportation Committee, most of the major transportation projects proposed for this district were made 40 or 50 years ago. “In West Virginia, I will give you a little extra time to build a road, it’s a topographical nightmare. I’ll give you a few extra years; I’m not going to give you 34 (the number of years Rep. Rahall has been in office).
“Small portions have been completed,” Lucas stated. “Every few years a mile or two will be built to placate the Third District. , “Completing the I-73/I-74 corridor would be a full time commitment for me.
He referred to a short section affectionately labeled the “Crum beltway,” a one- to two- mile four lane “road to nowhere” resting upon a mountain, as one of the sections that have been completed piecemeal but have no functionality.
Editor's Note: Crum is a small community in Wayne County. It's also the title of a novel of the same name, written by former Crum resident Lee Maynard, it is a fictionalized account of life in Crum in the 1950s. When it was released in 1988, the book stirred up hostility in the town as many Crum residents took offense to Lee's portrayal of Crum, despite the inclusion of a disclaimer at the beginning of the book explaining that the work is fictional except for the town name of "Crum."
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