tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43655780671058959212024-02-18T23:25:33.045-05:00Blue with a ViewThe West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women sound off on a variety of relevant topics.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-34017121178487721342018-07-02T15:59:00.002-04:002018-07-02T15:59:27.892-04:00Legislative Chair Grace Norton: Letter to Editor: Immigration and the Trump Administration <br />
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Editor, News-Register:<br />
The various statements by government officials, news media, pundits, and politicians have created a great deal of confusion about why and how we find ourselves with baby internment centers, kids in cages, and jails over-populated with migrants. It takes more knowledge of government and procedure than most folks have to really understand how and why we got where we are.<br />
The “why” is fairly easy. The Trump Administration wants to re-shape immigration into the United States to take in more people with high levels of education and skills and very few people with low levels of education and skills who do not speak English. Despite the fact that much of the U.S. citizenry can trace ancestry to immigrants fleeing persecution, violence, and poverty, a significant segment of our citizens want to limit the number of people coming here for the same reasons their own ancestors came here. In addition, there is a widespread but false belief that there are many with criminal intent or criminal backgrounds seeking entry, although government data show that the crime rate for immigrants is lower than that of native-born Americans. There is also an exaggerated view of the MS-13, a gang that began in Los Angeles and exists in Latin America only because during the 1990s we deported MS-13 members we should have jailed. People holding one or more of these beliefs are a significant portion of those President Trump sees as his “base.”<br />
The “how” is a bit more complicated. In order to try to implement President Trump’s immigration goal, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made a series of decisions that have resulted in separating thousands of children from their parents and problems with caring for them properly. The major factor was Sessions’ decision to require all U.S. attorneys to process every adult entering the U.S. without a visa to the criminal courts.<br />
Before this directive was issued, U.S. attorneys had the discretion to refer cases either to the criminal court system or to the immigration court system. They generally referred those who had no previous history of entering without visas and those asking for asylum to the immigration courts, which could order immediate deportation, order the adult(s) held with their children for hearing of asylum claims, order the adult held in custody while the child was placed with relative, or release the family on bond with the adult(s) wearing ankle monitors while awaiting a decision on asylum or deportation. When the U.S. attorney did refer the case to the criminl courts, the adult was held in jail and the child(ren) placed with relatives or in foster care. Only when the adult is sent through the criminal justice system is there a requirement to separate adults and children; so, Attorney General Sesions’ order to refer cases only to the criminal justice system directly caused the problem we’ve seen.<br />
Complicating the situation is the decision-making style of the president. Previous administrations had clear policy-making processes carried out by bureaucrats President Trump likes to call “the Deep State.” All large organizations, governments included, need many long-employed, career professionals in order to function. These are divided into departments, sections, etc., that require different kinds and levels of skills, knowledge, and expertise. In previous administrations, presidents would use those people to think through what would be the potential consequenes of whatever the president wanted to do and then get the necessary resources, facilities, etc., in place to deal with those possible consequences before the program or policy was announced and implemented. President Trump has a tendency to order a program begun before his cabinet secetaries have had a chance to get the downstream necessities in place. This is a consequence of his lack of knowledge of how government works and his own work history in a family company that doesn’t even have a board of directors.<br />
In previous administrations, people requesting asylum were not jailed as criminals before their asylum claims were adjudicated. Today, they are treated as criminals. Attorney General Sessions has also made a decision to narrow the grounds for claiming asylum by eliminating “violence” as a basis for requesting asylum. He did this knowing that there was a “caravan” on its way from Central America fleeing violence. The families in the caravans could not have known about these changes while they were on their way here. In addition, government agents have been slow-walking immigrants seeking asylum, keeping them outside on bridges for days or weeks at a time, moving themselves into Mexican territory to turn back refugees well outside the border, and/or denying their asylum claims before any hearing. The result of these actions taken by border patrol agents acting on their own is often to put migrants in the position of having to choose between returning to criminal-controlled towns to be killed, raped, or extorted on the Mexican side of the border or trying to enter the U.S. between ports of entry.<br />
There were clearly better ways to deal with immigration than the current administration chose. But he chose to implement a policy without the necessary preparation for the consequences. Hopefully, they will learn from their mistakes to plan first and announce policy changes only after they have prepared for the consequences.<br />
Grace Norton<br />
WheelingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-42589080543147121232017-04-03T14:24:00.000-04:002017-04-06T14:28:10.017-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Senator, Answer the Senator's Question</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Senate Republicans Pass Stealth Increase in Property Taxes </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They Let Counties Take
The Heat</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Senate Republicans narrowly passed SB 609,
which would automatically raise every county’s property tax levy to the
statutory maximum, and cut the state school aid funding by the amount
raised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How much will your county lose?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS_ZtnXq8s8R_O_zU2KCpjJwuegtmIeC-MPhXoeWcvh4oYcg15D429UMVS8PBsoNVfzA8o4h_SvKtMfIUFvjnwbvoDo5wXCfOWYaCGtx8ly3XyGEc_-zdehCYWzDe0oZNv4oIUbyiAlo/s1600/IMG_9735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS_ZtnXq8s8R_O_zU2KCpjJwuegtmIeC-MPhXoeWcvh4oYcg15D429UMVS8PBsoNVfzA8o4h_SvKtMfIUFvjnwbvoDo5wXCfOWYaCGtx8ly3XyGEc_-zdehCYWzDe0oZNv4oIUbyiAlo/s320/IMG_9735.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The move is a shell game to plug the state’s budget deficit
— to the tune of $79.3 million - by forcing local county boards of
education take the heat for the huge tax increase. The bill gives
counties the option to roll back the levy, but doing so would not restore the state
cuts, leaving mammoth holes in local county and BOE budgets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The measure
narrowly passed, 17-16. How did your Senator vote?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“We’re voting an 18 percent increase on taxes,” said Senator Robert Plymale, D-Wayne. “I just want to make sure we understand we are voting
on a tax increase in this bill.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Republican supporters struggled to admit that the bill was a
tax increase. Asked by Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, if the bill increased
taxes, Sen. Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio, said, “I think it does to the extent that the
board of education doesn’t opt to lower that rate down.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The money raised by the school levy stays, every dollar,
with the county board of education,” insisted Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan. “It
does affect, in an inverse way, the amount of money that the school aid formula
suggests that we provide to school boards.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> The increase in property taxes will fall
hardest on the shoulders of our senior citizens and lower income families. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, ok then. Sounds like a tax increase to us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow West Virginia Senate Democrats;</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wvsenatedemocrats/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WV Senate Democrats </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t: <complete id="goog_526679605"><a href="https://twitter.com/wvsenatedems" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@wvsenatedems</a></complete></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-32891463674953909592017-03-31T16:16:00.000-04:002017-03-31T16:16:13.017-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHVEHAHbmdZCZKCF-wvd24v1vj_gOjviBhsysWJw0zNCxYFZSLsssdje8HNk5ZJ5dh-AUWZ02mod4jgx3PiQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>A Trifecta of Micromanaging West Virginia Schools</b></div>
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<b>West Virginia State Senate Debate of Senate Bill 18 on March 29th</b></div>
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SB 18 gives the legislature final say on curriculum and testing decisions made for West Virginia schools. Politicians don't need to be making those decisions, educators do. We need to let teachers teach.</div>
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Check out this short video about our Senate Democrats fight against SB 18, which Republican Education Chair, Senator Kenny Mann said was, "not needed."</div>
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Senator Mike Romano called it, "a mandate for micromanagement of our education system."</div>
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Republican Senator Patricia Rucker: "We get to dictate what standards and curriculum they use." (She home schools her kids.)</div>
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Democrat Leader Roman Prezioso: “This bill is ill-conceived, irresponsible and unconstitutional. They hit the trifecta.”</div>
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It passed 18-16. <span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/badideasfactory?source=feed_text&story_id=1269809669781658" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">BadIdeasFactory</span></a></span></div>
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Follow West Virginia Senate Democrats</div>
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f: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wvsenatedemocrats/" target="_blank">WV Senate Democrats </a></div>
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t: <complete id="goog_526679605"><a href="https://twitter.com/wvsenatedems" target="_blank">@wvsenatedems</a></complete></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-84569346551147235172017-03-28T02:08:00.000-04:002017-03-28T02:11:19.731-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Republicans Use Rare Procedural Maneuver To Avoid Amendments </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to Cancer Creek Bill<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After Judiciary Committee testimony highlighted water quality concerns,
bill<br />
was voted out of committee with no opportunity for further debate or
amendments.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">West Virginia State Capitol</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">March 23, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee used a rare procedural maneuver to end debate they didn't like on House Bill 2506, the “Cancer Creek" bill. After about
two hours of testimony, mostly from opponents of the bill, Senator Randy Smith,
Republican-Tucker, moved to approve the bill, which ended debate and eliminated the
potential for committee members to amend the legislation. <br />
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The bill changes the criteria used to set water permit limits for
pollutants from the current 7Q10 — which sets the standard based on the
lowest seven-day consecutive flow of a stream — to solely the “harmonic
mean” standard, which calculates the average flow of a stream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All surrounding states use a combination of
“7Q10” or a similar low flow criteria for non-carcinogen pollution and
“harmonic flow” for carcinogens.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Concerned citizens testifying about the bill pointed out this could lead to lowering the state’s
water quality standards to dangerous levels, especially during drought
conditions when water flows are low.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The motion to vote on the bill passed eight to six. The motion to actually send the bill to the floor passed 10 to 5.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">UPDATE March 27: Democrats tried to amend the bill on 2nd reading from the floor. All amendments were rejected with votes going along Party lines: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2017/RS/votes/senate/03-27-0230.pdf</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow WV Democrats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f: WV Senate Democrats</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t: @wvsenatedems</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-41968377445730154472016-09-15T23:47:00.000-04:002016-09-15T23:47:57.390-04:00<div class="WordSection1">
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What is causing our trade deficits?</div>
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By Grace Norton</div>
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Legislative Chair</div>
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Both Bernie Sanders and Donald
Trump are blaming “trade deals” for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the
United States that so many of their supporters see as the root cause of their
being “left behind” because wages have stagnated or even declined for what used
to be the middle class. Bernie Sanders
sees himself as some sort of visionary for casting votes against NAFTA and
subsequent trade agreements. Trump
argues that American negotiators were simply incompetent and allowed themselves
to be bested by the Chinese and others.
Both Sanders and Trump are dead
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The real causes of the economic
situation we now have are quite different from what those candidates blame.
They began decades before any of the trade agreements now being blamed were even
contemplated. One of the most important
of the actual causes dates from the 1950's and three others date from the late
1960's. Each of these has had more of
an impact on the restructuring of the American economy and the changes in
people’s relative economic status than
all of the trade agreements combined. </div>
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At the close of World War II, the
United States had the only major industrial economy that had not been
absolutely devastated by the war. Our
wartime industries had ramped up to produce everything needed to win the war,
often by stopping production of hundreds of kinds of consumer goods. When the war ended, we had a huge backlog of
domestic demand as well as a huge demand from abroad for materials to re-build
the economies of war-torn nations. We
were running three shifts a day getting every ounce of production we could get
out of factories built before and during the war. Meanwhile,
the Europeans and Japanese were busy building new, more efficient
industrial facilities to replace those destroyed by war; and the Third World was starting to actually
develop industrial economies instead of merely producing raw materials. The entry of new producers meant that there
was soon to be <u>too much </u>production capacity for some products, among them
steel. Much of the new production came
from factories that were more efficient than the American factories and paid
their workers less. Their products could
be sold for less than American-made products.
For awhile, the non-European producers could not match the quality of
American-made products, but they soon learned how to make products of
competitive quality. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="WordSection2">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The second of the causes was the
collapse of attempts to create a system of monetary management among the major
economic nations of the world. The
Brettotn-Woods system was created in the later
years of World War II to try to ensure that there would be a system of
financial rules and institutions that would facilitate fair trade and other
international relations. Parties included
the U. S., western European nations, China, Australia, and, after the war
ended, Germany and Japan.
The idea was to tie the value of these major currencies to an agreed
upon price of gold bullion ($35 per ounce) with the United States as guarantor
of what was necessary to maintain flexibility and liquidity to faciltate trade
and economic development. The fatal
flaw of Bretton-Woods was the impossibility of maintaining a stable price of
gold on the open bullion market. It was
possible to accumulate dollars, trade 35 paper dollars for an ounce of gold,
then sell that gold on the bullion market for much more than $35 an ounce. Other problems with Bretton-Woods created
recessionary pressures within the U. S. economy that both the Kennedy and
Johnson administrations tried, without much success, to address. In 1971, President Nixon unilaterally took
the United States out of the system, allowing the American dollar to “float”
against the value of other currencies of the world. Absent the United States’ participation, the
Bretton-Woods system could not function.
But in a condition of “floating”
currencies, the relative strength of one currency against another affects the
relative price of goods to consumers. A
strong U. S. dollar causes American goods to be quite expensive when they are
sold in countries with relatively weaker dollars. Conversely, goods made in countries with weak
dollars should cost less when sold in the U. S., although the benefits of any
lower cost may well go entirely to the importer rather than to the actual
consumer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The third major problem is an
outgrowth of the second. Some nations
engage in currency manipulation to gain trade advantages. Currency manipulation involves a government
buying or selling its own currency in order to change the exchange rate of its
currency-what people get when they convert, for example, dollars into
Euros. Artificially changing the
exchange rate drive the currency’s value away from the equilibrium that would
have been achieved by market forces alone.
The object of manipulation is to be <i>unfair </i>to trading
partners. In a lot of ways, currency
manipulation is to business what point-shaving is to sports. For some time now, China and some other
nations have believed that it is in their own national interest to manipulate
currency to make their goods cheaper than comparable items made in other
countries so that trading partners will buy more from them. For example, the Chinese government thinks
this will stimulate demand for goods made in China and result in more jobs for
their workers and more profits for their industries. Currency manipulation is actually independent
of the terms of trade agreements, but it affects the results of trade agreements to the nations
invovled. To continue the analogy to
sports, point-shaving will affect a team’s win/loss record and possibly enrich team owners independently of
league rules, the schedules agreed to by the teams, etc. The point-shaving effects can spill over into such things as
where teams stand in the draft choices, player salaries, etc. Several well-designed and reputable studies
have concluded that currency manipulation alone has cost the United States 5.8
million jobs and Canada millions more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The third of the 1960's era problems
was a conscious decision by the Nixon administration to actually facilitate the
transfer of manufaturing jobs to low-wage areas. One Nixon-era grand idea was what has come to
be known as “trickle-down economics,” the idea that if we make it possible for
businesses to maximize profits, they will create more jobs and the wealth will
funnel down to ordinary workers. One
Secretary of Defense proclaimed that
“whatever was good for General Motors was good for the country.” The other grand idea of the Nixon-era
economic advisors, which actually worked to some extent against the other big
idea, was to take advantage of the
advances in technology by fostering the growth of high-technology jobs in the United States
while moving the low-skilled production jobs to lower-wage countries and
lower-wage states so that the workers there could afford to buy more
American-made products. Simultaneously,
there was a determined effort to hold down
wages for American workers because labor costs are among the easiest costs to
control. Wages had increased
dramatically after World War II because of union activity in the post-war years
to make up for wage freezes during the war.
The push for “right-to-work” laws is an on-going part of efforts to hold
down wages. What we need to realize is
that manufacturing jobs began to be eliminated on a large scale in 1970, when
Nixon was president--not after the passage of NAFTA in 1994. Between 1970 and 1974, each of the industrial states in the northeastern
part of the country lost hundreds of
businesses each year–many to southern states. Wages for American workers
began to stagnate in 1970, a quarter of a century <u>before</u> the passage of NAFTA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
What has happened to the United
States economy since 1970 has also happened to some extent in other First World
nations. Germany fared better than most
because it took steps to make it expensive for companies to move out of the
country–for example, requiring them to fully fund pensions for workers who would
be out of jobs, requiring them to repay communities for infrastructure and
other expenditutes made for the benefit of the business but otherwise
unnecesary to the community. Faced with
large up-front costs to make moving the company possible, most decided to stay
put. European nations that bought into
austerity as the means to recover from the effects of the world-wide economic
chaos of the 2008-10 have not fared nearly as well as the U. S., which took a
stimulus approach. Japan is among the
Asian nations that is having problems similar to our own. China, too, is having major problems
now. Trump, at least, woud hae people
believe that all of these nations are “beating” the United States in everything
having to do with manufacturing and trade–but it simply is not true. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-80665821941205361102016-09-15T23:44:00.003-04:002016-09-15T23:49:38.120-04:00<div class="WordSection1">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Religious Freedom is Anything But Free</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
by Grace Norton</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Legislative Chair</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The spate of so-called “religious
freedom” and “religious freedom restoration” laws being passed by a number of
state legislatures are, in fact, nothing more than discrimination-promotion
legislation. The language of the bills
purports either to prohit government
from interfering with individuals’ religious freedom or else to “restore”
religious freedoms allegedly being interfered with by government actions. The first purpose is unnecessary because the
First Amendment of the Constitution already prohibits government interference
with freedom of religion throughout the United States and its territories. The second purpose presumes that substantial
interference with religion actually exists.
Some factual basis is supposed to
be established <u>credibly</u> by that section of legisltion known as
“legislative purpose.” These laws fail
the credible basis test.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
What the Constitution protects in
the First Amndment is, first,
unrestricted freedom to believe something (e.g., that there is a God,
that the earth was created in seven days, etc.)
There is no constitutional requirement that the belief be rational, that
it conform to fact established by legitimate evidence, or that it conform to
social norms. The First Amendment also
protects the “free exercise” of religion, but it does that on a somewhat
restricted basis. For example, a parent
may not require his child to handle poisonous snakes to prove the child’s faith. Nor must government permit someone to blow up
an abortion clinic no matter how strongly his religion opposes abortion, or gun
down a group of people no matter how strongly he believes in Islamic jihad. The free exercise of religion, particularly
outside the context of an actual religious ritual occurring in a place of
worship, ends at the point where it interferes with the fundamental rights of
others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The bills that legislatures have
produced so far are, for the most part, vague and otherwise badly written. All of them appear to empower the employees
of governments and/or businesses to pick and choose what items on
their job descriptions they would perform and for what customers they would
perform them. All that appears to be
necessary to exempt an employee from doing part of his or her job is for the
employee to claim that he/she has a “sincerely held religious belief” that
doing some part of the job is immoral.
That is little short of utter insanity guaranted to subvert the purposes
for which any workplace exists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Government agencies exist to serve
members of the public by providing some good or service. Governments license businesses to transfer goods and services it is lawful
to transfer from the company to customers legally entitled to purchase them and
able to pay for them. Governments and
businesses pay employees to facilitate the transfer of goods and servicess from
the agency or business to the customer.
When a government agency or a business hires someone to do a job, that
person is informed about what the job duties are; and, by accepting the job
(and the compensation), the person assumes an obligation to do what is on the
job description. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
People who either create a business
or take a job knowing that they may not be able to perform its functions for each and every customer are behaving
unethically and/or immorally unless they informed the licensing body or the
employer up front about any and all impediments to performing as expected. An employer has a right not to hire someone
unwilling or unable to perform what the job requires. Historically, if some condition arises in which an employee feels he or she cannot,
in good conscience, do some aspect of the job or follow an order, the
expectation has been that the employee resign–not that the employer and
custormer have to put up with self-righteous non-performance. The burden should be–and historically has
been–on the employee to either do their job or resign from it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Does anyone <u>really</u>
“sincerely believe” any of the following?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
1. If your church disapproves of gay marriage, it
is immoral for you to serve pancakes to a same-sex couple.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
2. It is an immoral act for you to
set a plate of pancakes on the table of a gay patron.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
3. It is an immoral act for you to
talk to a gay patron to take his order for pancakes or process his payment for
his bill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since when are activities such as serving food in a
restaurant, selling wedding rings in a jewelry store, or recordng a certificate
of marriage in as clerk’s office either
a “religious belief” or an “exercise of religion? “Religious freedom” legislation tacitly
acepts the false premise that these ordinary job activities are one or the
other. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The truth is that these laws are
being passed to facilitate discrimination.
They have nothing to do with “freedom of religion” or its “free
exercise.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-83342574183044041752016-05-23T14:13:00.000-04:002016-05-23T15:38:32.284-04:00<br />
<header class="entry-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; line-height: 25.5px;"><h1 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: -0.017em; line-height: 1.05; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Tentative 2016 WV Democratic Party </span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: -0.017em; line-height: 1.05; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
<span style="font-size: large;">State Convention Schedule</span></h1>
</header><br />
<div class="entry-content content" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-top: 1.25em;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em; text-align: center;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">2016 WV Democratic Party State Convention Schedule</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">(tentative, for planning purposes only)</span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Charleston Civic Center</b></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em; text-align: center;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>www.wvdemocrats.com</b></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Friday, June 10, 2016</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">1:30pm Credentials Committee Meeting </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">2:00pm Rules Committee Meeting</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">2:30pm Resolution Committee Meeting </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">(30-minute intermission)</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
3:00 p.m.- Registration Open</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">3:00 – 6:00 pm Early Dinner Sponsor TBD</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">6:30pm</span> Convention Begins </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Invocation </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Pledge</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">State Party Chair Belinda Biafore, presiding</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">6:45pm</span> Guest Speakers TBD</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">7:30pm</span> Break Out into Congressional District Caucus </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">7:45pm</span> Congressional Caucuses Begin</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">1</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">st</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">2</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">nd</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">3</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">rd</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">9:15pm</span> Caucuses End</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">9:15pm</span> Rules Committee count the votes for National Convention </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">1</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">st</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Rules Committee Counts 2</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">nd</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Votes</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">2</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">nd</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Rules Committee Counts 3</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">rd</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Votes </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">3</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">rd</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Rules Committee Counts 1</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">st</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> District Votes</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">9:30pm TBD (Maybe evening reception)</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Saturday, June 11, 2016</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">8:00 am – 9:30am </span>Breakfast</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">8:00 am – 9:30am</span> Registration</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">9:45am</span> Convention Begins</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">9:45am</span> Guest Speaker</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">10:00am</span> Announce Congressional District Caucus Winners </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">10:15am</span> Guest Speakers</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.313em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">11:00am</span> Resolutions </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">11:30am</span> Party Platform up for adoption</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">12:30pm</span> Elect 2 At-Large Reps for the Electoral College</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">1:30pm</span> Adjourn</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">1:30pm Break for Lunch</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">2:30pm</span> State Executive Committee Meeting</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">4:00pm</span> National Convention Delegates Meeting<span style="color: #777777;">;</span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-73223246141693096402016-03-13T16:51:00.003-04:002016-03-13T16:58:06.777-04:00<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember In November and VOTE!</b></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By Robin Wood Stultz, President</span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women</span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday was the last day of the Republican led 2016
Legislative Session, thank goodness. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While myself and the women of the West Virginia Federation of
Democratic Women are more than ready for it to be over, it’s heart breaking to try and take in
all that has unfolded. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve been up against a Republican attack on West Virginia
workers and our families since they took the majorities in our State Senate and
House of Delegates. We’ve seen them cut
wages, gut jobs and benefits and pass careless legislation that puts our homes
and our rights at risk. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Our friends and families
in West Virginia have suffered enough.</b> </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The GOP’s attack is fueled by discrimination, greedy wage cuts,
dangerous workplace safety dismantlement, self-serving politics, and big money
favors. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The selfishness of the Republican majorities is not
welcome here. Our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, children and
seniors, and families and friends in our beautiful Mountain State deserve
better. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What the Republicans have done to our state and her people is unacceptable and
tremendously disrespectful of our livelihoods and our West Virginia values. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have not been silent. Democrats have stood in solidarity to protect our families and friends. We may not have always
agreed 100%, but we have fought together. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though the session is over, we will not stop the fight
because all West Virginians are worth fighting for. <b>You are worth fighting for</b>. Our fight is just beginning,
we have an election in November and we cannot afford for you to stay home. <b>We need your help.</b> </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Democrats are who West Virginia families can depend on. We’re
whom they can trust and we cannot let them down.</span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Join Democrats as we stand up for our friends and families in
West Virginia. Join us as we fight for their safety, their jobs, their
children’s education, the food on their tables and their health care. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please join us today and work with us to turn West Virginia
blue in November, not for politics, but for people. Not only do we deserve
better, we deserve more. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We hope to never see this Republican attack on West Virginia
workers and families ever again, and we need your help so we don’t. </span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s remember in November and let’s vote. </span><br />
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Get involved here: <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women</span></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-34145742887749594352015-08-24T09:40:00.000-04:002015-08-24T09:40:22.677-04:00Voting: It's a BIG deal!<h4 style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i>West Virginia Young Democrat Sarah Summers shares her thoughts on registering to vote for the first time. Her enthusiasm, dedication, commitment, and pride provide lessons for all of us, whether we are 18 or 80. Thank you, Sarah.</i></span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v22U9q7zDCfdPT38am86g3dGVlQSjBGeMwJnC6q7NX9BlnOf2sLJQPSI7UdZgD6l51v0rUy7jTZTacnfiY6gGmbiEw-IWfxZGO1o22ZmF5iKTZxqfwkkM-lRazavDKpvt6FclB4bd9c/s1600/Sarah+Register.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v22U9q7zDCfdPT38am86g3dGVlQSjBGeMwJnC6q7NX9BlnOf2sLJQPSI7UdZgD6l51v0rUy7jTZTacnfiY6gGmbiEw-IWfxZGO1o22ZmF5iKTZxqfwkkM-lRazavDKpvt6FclB4bd9c/s320/Sarah+Register.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This
past Wednesday I registered to vote ... as a Democrat of course. What a feeling it is to finally have a say in issues that affect my family, my friends, and
myself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The idea of not registering to vote never entered my mind. I was raised in a proud, hardworking Democratic family. I have
been around True Blue women who have always taken me to campaigns and events. It has been engraved in me that if I don't have my say at the polls,
other people will make decisions regarding everything in my life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I
have, however, come to the realization that not everyone my age is as excited as I am
about getting out to vote. For many of my friends, turning 18 is nothing
sensational except that it offers a bit more freedom. I am trying to get them
to see 18 in a different light. 18 is the “voting age.” It is the age we can
make our voices heard at the polls. It is an age free of control, but not the
kind they are thinking. 18 could possibly be the most monumental age in one’s life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As if the
idea of making our voices heard, making our own decisions, and not being
treated like children anymore isn’t liberating enough, there are plenty of
other reasons to become a voting citizen. Simply stated, we are extremely
fortunate to have this right. There is no justification for not casting a
ballot; everyone can and <i>everyone should</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In 1920, after decades of fighting and dying for the right, the 19<sup>th</sup> Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. This Amendment declared that women deserve the same
voting rights as men. Fifty years earlier, in 1870, the 15<sup>th</sup> Amendment
granted African-Americans the right to make their voices heard. In 1965,
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Voting Rights Act into law, guaranteeing
there can be no discrimination toward African-Americans casting a ballot. Today,
any registered voter is accepted and able to vote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what's your excuse?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
fellow 18-year-olds, if you don’t vote then someone else <i>will</i> make decisions
for you. I cannot stress this point strongly enough. Decisions regarding your
healthcare, education, and income; your future in general; any rights you have come to
know and love, are either in your hands, or in someone else's. I could go on and on. Whether you like it or not, you cannot
complain if you don’t get out and vote. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The 2016 presidential election is our
prime opportunity. I urge you to watch the news, follow politicians, and become
informed. Pay attention not only to the candidates you agree with, but to the ones
you disagree with as well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Call a friend and schedule a ride to your local
precinct on Election Day. Make it a special occasion, and remind yourself how
blessed you are to have this right. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Do whatever it takes. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the
American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not
voting.” </i></span></b></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">See you at the polls!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-34999953921902653202015-08-11T06:57:00.001-04:002015-08-11T06:57:37.075-04:00Five weeks and two days …West Virginia's Democratic women will gather this year at Pipestem Resort in Summers County for their annual meeting. Have you registered yet? If not, you can easily do so <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/annual-meeting-1.html">online</a>, or ask your club president for a registration form.<br />
<br />
And for a slice of what it's like to plan and prepare for the event, visit Third District Director <a href="http://knitrunrepeat.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-writing-prompt-i-can-actually-use.html">Debbi McNeer's blog</a>. She and her fellow Summers County members are making sure you have a memorable meeting.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-70964106462462272222015-07-28T17:44:00.000-04:002015-07-28T17:44:27.137-04:00Medicare turns 50!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">On Thursday, July 30</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">, we celebrate
Medicare’s 50</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> birthday. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">This will be a joyful day for seniors of
America! </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">After nearly a half century, Medicare
has a lot to be proud of.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Thanks to
Medicare, millions of older Americans are able to enjoy retirement without the
fear of medical expenses that could bankrupt us and our families.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">In this age of shrinking savings and small or
nonexistent pensions, Medicare is more important than ever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Retirees and workers should be very
concerned over the drastic changes some of our elected officials want to make
that would threaten the dream we all have for a safe and secure retirement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">These changes would include cuts to
Medicare, Medicaid and to Social Security – not to just one of these programs,
but to all three!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have some Governors
actually refusing federal funds that would expand Medicaid in their states. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when it comes to Medicare, many want to
pass costs onto seniors through benefit cuts, means testing, increasing the
Medicare eligibility age, or privatization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">All of this leads us to a clear
conclusion: Medicare remains strong, and is not in any immediate financial
danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the long term financial
future of the program is important, there is no need to rush to drastic
action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, too many in
Washington demand harmful Medicare cuts despite all this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They claim that they want to help seniors and
ensure the program’s future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it
makes no sense to cut benefits now unnecessarily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately, we can ensure that
Medicare keeps celebrating birthdays for decades to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we can do it without harmful benefit
cuts.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Congress
should</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">reject</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> proposals like the
Ryan Republican budget that would cut Medicare funding by turning it into a
voucher program.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It takes away
traditional Medicare benefits and replaces it with a “coupon” to purchase
insurance in the private marketplace.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It
would end Medicare as we know it, leaving us at the mercy of private insurance
companies.<br /></span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Congress
should</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">reject</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> proposals that
further means tests Medicare benefits.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Medicare Parts B and D are already means tested for individuals with
incomes over $85,000, and couples with incomes over $170,000.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">More means testing is </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">a direct attack on the middle class</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.<br /></span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Congress
should also</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">reject</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> proposals
that shift Medicare costs to seniors.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proposals to charge a surcharge to individuals who have Medigap do not
deal with the rising costs of health care but, instead shifts costs on to
beneficiaries.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Likewise, proposals to institute
home health co-pays will penalize those who can least afford it – the oldest,
sickest, and chronically ill.<br /></span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Congress
also needs to</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">reject</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> proposals
like the Ryan Republican budget that raise the eligibility age for Medicare
beneficiaries.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proposals that have you wait
two more years to get Medicare by raising the eligibility age to 67, leaves you
on your own when you are most vulnerable.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You’ll either have to find a job that provides coverage, when you are at
an age that most employers don’t want to hire you; pay for coverage yourself,
at a time in life when your income is likely declining; or become impoverished
so you are eligible for Medicaid.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead of these awful proposals, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Congress should enact</b> the Nelson –
Caster Medicare Drug Savings Act, S. 1083 and H.R. 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This legislation, which will require drug
companies to provide discounts to the federal government for low-income
Medicare beneficiaries, will <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">save</b>
the government and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">taxpayers $121
billion over 10 years</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
sensible alternative that will save the Medicare program money without harming
beneficiaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Between common sense reforms like
the Medicare Drug Savings Act and the savings from the Affordable Care Act, we
can feel confident about the future of Medicare as it celebrates its 50<sup>th</sup>
year and we intend to make sure it is still strong now and for our children and
our grandchildren!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Ginny Moles is Senior Caucus Director for the WV Democratic Party.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-16063765134179909222015-04-06T07:01:00.000-04:002015-04-06T07:01:12.457-04:00Still unequal after all these years<div class="p1 tr_bq">
<span class="s1"></span>Belinda Biafore, chair of the WV State Democratic Executive Committee, has a message for all West Virginians about an issue that, at first glance, looks like a women's issue. In reality, it ends up being everyone's problem:</div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSp0oHqSJVJ3EHwJhyORTvpAfS4xOl2CUWYb1EU47jI0Sjosq9YS5Bmmk7k_l15iFu4VgHhnNenB6tJvS3Gpspdqv7SdVvOwIqjiU5li_ztXSlviwiVj47bl__hzz3Oj0KJxjtwdkCUQ/s1600/equalpaylogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSp0oHqSJVJ3EHwJhyORTvpAfS4xOl2CUWYb1EU47jI0Sjosq9YS5Bmmk7k_l15iFu4VgHhnNenB6tJvS3Gpspdqv7SdVvOwIqjiU5li_ztXSlviwiVj47bl__hzz3Oj0KJxjtwdkCUQ/s1600/equalpaylogo.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">It’s the beginning of April and the countdown to Equal Pay Day begins. Equal Pay Day is on Tuesday, April 14th, and women all across the United States are reminded that we are still fighting for equal pay for equal work. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Women in the United States are only making around 78 cents to every dollar a man makes. How is this fair? It’s <i>not,</i> and while nationally the amount is 78 cents, here in West Virginia women’s earnings are even less than that.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">In a recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, West Virginia ranks second to last in gender earnings ratio in the United States. West Virginia’s gender earnings ratio is 67.3 percent. Only Louisiana, at 66.7%, is lower.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">We just completed the 2015 legislative session under Republican leadership that attacked wages of not just women, but all hardworking West Virginians. We need to be taking steps forward for our state, not backwards. How can we close the wage gap when we have a Republican majority that is focused on rolling us back in all aspects of our workforce?</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Young men and women are the future of West Virginia. We talk about ways to keep them here at home to help our economy and build our future, but how can we expect young women to want to stay here?</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Thirty cents may not seem like a lot, but it adds up when you’re providing for your family. Day after day we buy groceries, gas, and food for our children. We pay for child care and save for their college education.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">We work and we provide for ourselves and our families. So why, when we work so hard, are women paid less?</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Pay discrimination isn't just a women’s issue, it’s a family issue. It’s everyone’s issue.</span><br /><span class="s1">Women have fought for centuries for equal rights, and our fight continues every single day. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Join the Democratic Party in our fight for equal pay for equal work as we take Equal Pay Day to remember that hardworking West Virginians include hardworking West Virginia women. </span></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-41420777261735860742015-03-25T06:50:00.002-04:002015-03-25T06:50:52.665-04:00And now, a word from our sponsor …Huh?<br />
<br />
While it's true that the West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women doesn't have <i>sponsors</i>, per se, we do spend money. And therefore, from time to time, we need to raise a little money.<br />
<br />
Where do we spend money? Travel. Annual meeting. Postage. All the various and sundry expense categories necessary for running an advocacy group.<br />
<br />
How do we raise money? Dues – one dollar per member of your county club dues goes to the state. We make every effort to have annual meeting registration fees cover the cost of the event. The largest source of annual revenue has been and remains ad sales for our annual meeting program book. We also raffle off a handmade quilt and raise money at our Friday night auction during the meeting weekend.<br />
<br />
We'd like to offer training sessions throughout the state on topics of interest to you. So far we've heard you want to learn more about effective use of social media and how to urge more women to run for elected office. Training = expenses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KY42fcwbxjVP4Q0nBmXjHi4uX1yO1u05U4-rwiaeqY46YCjC0QnChXOeDU1N_96p8n92XnUHY4zMyrx3aY7eZ_C2whu5vrjSvGlkZuo4m3SacTbLz1duKjw1rvJoBnR1EkgfQGuRx1Y/s1600/newsletterforwebsiteimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KY42fcwbxjVP4Q0nBmXjHi4uX1yO1u05U4-rwiaeqY46YCjC0QnChXOeDU1N_96p8n92XnUHY4zMyrx3aY7eZ_C2whu5vrjSvGlkZuo4m3SacTbLz1duKjw1rvJoBnR1EkgfQGuRx1Y/s1600/newsletterforwebsiteimage.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
So. We've committed to publishing a quarterly subscription-based <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">newsletter</a>. Our first issue went to nearly 2000 people, and subscription orders have been trickling in, but in order for <i><a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">Lean to the Left</a></i> to be successful, we need more. We need YOU.<br />
<br />
For less than $3 per month – <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">just $35</a> – you can brag about your group, learn how other clubs are contributing to their communities, be educated, enlightened, and inspired.<br />
<br />
Think about it. Each month, could you forego …<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>a semi-fancy coffee drink?</li>
<li>those impulse lottery tickets?</li>
<li>a couple songs from iTunes?</li>
<li>that app purchase?</li>
<li>a bargain book for your Kindle or Nook?</li>
</ul>
<br />
and instead, use that money to <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">support</a> <i>your</i> West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women?<br />
<br />
We thought you could. If you haven't clicked through to our subscription form yet, <a href="http://www.wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">here's one more chance</a>.<br />
<br />
Thank you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-85141115522598225292015-03-16T10:00:00.000-04:002015-03-16T10:00:01.526-04:00Who are we, and what are we doing here?<div class="p1">
Who is the West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women? We're occasionally asked that question. Lately, we’ve heard from more than a few folks trying to tell <i>us</i> who <i>we</i> are. Or who we should be.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Let's set the record straight.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">The WVFDW is a group of women who have joined together to speak out for Democratic principles in West Virginia. We are doctors, lawyers, and stay-at-home moms. We are teachers, retirees, veterans, and business owners. We are union members, college students, artists, moms, daughters, wives, sisters, and much, much more. With approximately 3,000 members, we don’t fit into a nice, neat little box.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Does every member agree on every issue?</span></div>
<div class="p3">
No. <span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Does every member voice her opinion the same way?</span></div>
<div class="p3">
No.<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Does every member have the same priorities?</span></div>
<div class="p3">
No. <span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">That’s what’s great about our group. We are alike and different at the same time. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">So how do we determine the WVFDW message. It's simple: majority rules. Since we cannot vote on every issue within our group, we agree to stay consistent with the platform set by the West Virginia Democratic Party, defining our message. We have a Communications Committee and Board that keep the message going at all times in many different outlets. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">We were known, not that many years ago, as the tea-and-cookie branch of the County Executive Committees. We still raise money, but we’re doing that differently now. It <i>is</i> the 21st century, after all. Stay in touch with us by <a href="http://wvfdw.org/newsletter.html">subscribing to our quarterly newsletter</a>. And we’re launching a modest <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bluegroove">retail therapy</a> effort today, as well.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Strong women speaking out with a strong message can stir emotions. Not a week goes by in which we are not criticized, sometimes constructively, sometimes not so much. We’ve been called names. We’ve been ridiculed. We’re frequently given unsolicited advice. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1">Here's the deal.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5">
<b><i>We listen to all constructive ideas.</i></b></div>
<div class="p5">
We toss them around within our membership to see if they are ideas we want to embrace.<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Labeling and name-calling do not bother us.</i> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">We occasionally dish it out, and we can take it. We’re not easily intimidated. How you define us is your opinion; if you do so rudely, that says more about you than it does about us. We know we're making a difference when you react.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>Snarky comments may be met with snarky comments.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">“Snark” is something we do and do well. Sometimes we feel the need to respond, sometimes we don’t. There is no policy here.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><i>We have made mistakes, and we will make more.</i></b> </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">We are not perfect, and we don’t pretend to be. You will find typos, missing words, grammatical errors, misspellings, and more. We try to correct errors when we see them, and we try to thank you when you point them out. We try to be factual in everything we do, but we make mistakes. We also have used poor word choices (very recently, as a matter of fact!). We sincerely apologize when we’re wrong and move on. Let him who is without sin …</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>We might offend you.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">No matter how much we try not to offend people, it happens. It’s not personal. We can’t scrutinize each and every image or word we display, hoping to somehow please everyone. Respectful dialogue is a welcome, but rare, occurrence, especially behind a screen.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>We promote Democrats and Democratic principles.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">We do not agree with all the Democratic legislators’ votes or positions, nor do we speak for them. The Democratic Party is a big tent, and we feel that adds to our strength. Also, um, we’re partisan. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b><i>We aren't trying to impress you, and we're not seeking your approval.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">You don't have to agree with us. We love it when you do, but we also know that many, many, many of you follow us for the sole purpose of finding something with which to disagree. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
We're strong, and we're here to stay. If you are a Democratic woman, we welcome your ideas and input to help us grow stronger. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
We are the West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women. <a href="http://wvfdw.org/">Join us</a>. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-19967800045451422492015-03-15T06:28:00.003-04:002015-03-15T06:30:16.203-04:00Done and done<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">A message from our state Democratic Party chair, Belinda Biafore:</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Fellow Democrats,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Today concludes the 2015 Legislative Session and I want to thank all of our Democratic Legislators for standing with West Virginia and fighting for our families as we face this fight against the extreme, radical Republican leadership together. As a Party, we represent hardworking West Virginia families and will continue to fight for the betterment of those families and our state. </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">This session, hardworking West Virginians faced an unfathomable attack on their wages, their workplace safety, and their ability to provide for their families by the new Republican leadership.</span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">Not only did the rollback of mine safety and workplace safety lessen the security of workers coming home from a hard day's work safely, but their children now also face threats brought to them by the new Republican majority. The GOP has weakened vaccination laws in West Virginia bringing risk to our children in the public school system. Every parent, grandparent and family member should have the confidence to send their children to school safely and by weakening vaccination laws the new Republican majority has now lessened that confidence. Republican leadership also passed a bill that allows individuals to carry a concealed deadly weapon without training or a permit. Talk about safety risks, how are parents and families supposed to feel safe in our public places, in our communities or even in our neighborhoods? </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Republicans were elected on a promise to their voters to create jobs and better the economy but, here we are, at the end of the session and their voters did not see jobs bills or one plan to create jobs for our state. The only "jobs" bills we have seen pushed by the Republican majority are the "jobs bills" that gut wages and quality jobs that we already have in West Virginia.</span><span class="s2"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">What were they doing with their time? They were busy pushing legislation on behalf of out of state interest groups and big money corporations, and participating in self serving politics. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">It's not right and it's not fair to the West Virginians they broke their promises to.</span><span class="s2"> </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">What we saw this legislative session from Republican leadership was an extreme radical agenda that hurt hardworking West Virginia families. They gutted wages, rolled back workplace safety and put the education of our children at risk. We will not let them continue to hinder the quality of life for the hardworking West Virginians that have built this state and the children that are the future of this state. The barbaric Republican leadership is moving West Virginia backward, not forward and we will not stand back and let that happen.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">This is only the beginning and our Democratic legislators faced a heck of a fight and I cannot thank them enough for standing up for hardworking West Virginians. </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">Our fight is not over. Our state was taken from us by out-of-state special interest groups and big money corporations and now is the time we begin the process to get it back! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-41705664444025024972015-03-12T08:21:00.000-04:002015-03-12T08:21:21.559-04:00Don't forget to turn out the lightsAs you might imagine, we spend a lot of our time interacting on various and sundry social media platforms. <a href="http://facebook.com/wvfdw">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/wvfdw">Twitter</a> are our faves, and where we're most active. So like and follow us, already.<br />
<br />
One thing we've noticed lately, particularly on Facebook, are the number of comments from those who want to leave West Virginia, based on the actions of the newly elected Republican leadership in this legislative session. <a href="http://wvfdwbluewithaview.blogspot.com/2015/02/six-weeks-into-2015-legislative-session.html">We've snarked about this previously</a>. Those comments aren't going away.<br />
<br />
But West Virginia families are.<br />
<br />
And before you tell them not to let the door hit them in the ass on their way out, think of this. Population determines representation in Washington. Every state gets two Senators, but Congressional representation is based on population.<br />
<br />
Probably more importantly, electoral votes are based on population.<br />
<br />
Come with us back to the year 2000 for just a moment. You remember that election, right? The one in which the Supreme Court elected George W. Bush? Had West Virginia followed previous paths, and voted for Al Gore, Florida's hanging chads would have been irrelevant.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3i7mKWalAJIX455xeem0-090WYr8CyI_VrRoDl5tDdYSuklRZJcQrx4Ob9M-aDuMdX38jXo_oMOuhgsvvTs9CiPGCq97jJ-JPdivXdWu64rM1TnQDyex4gojYqRTRWzBYxhLiA71Z2Ck/s1600/2000px-Electoral_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3i7mKWalAJIX455xeem0-090WYr8CyI_VrRoDl5tDdYSuklRZJcQrx4Ob9M-aDuMdX38jXo_oMOuhgsvvTs9CiPGCq97jJ-JPdivXdWu64rM1TnQDyex4gojYqRTRWzBYxhLiA71Z2Ck/s1600/2000px-Electoral_map.png" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
Yes. Think about that. West Virginia's five electoral votes going blue instead of red would have changed the course of history, dramatically.<br />
<br />
There is, of course, no way to know whether we'd have spent thousands of lives and trillions of dollars on an unfunded war. But we can surmise.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to 2014. <i>Where does the time go?</i> West Virginia is blood-red now, not true-blue, and the current legislature is determined to do some major bloodletting during their 60 Days of Doom. Repeal is the word of the day, day after day, and there's not much left for the left.<br />
<br />
And so they're leaving. Maybe that's the Republicans' goal: Reduce the population and you'll<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>reduce the need for public assistance,</li>
<li>reduce the student/teacher ratio, and </li>
<li>reduce those pesky liberals who think clean water is important.</li>
</ul>
<br />
But they're also reducing the number of people willing to work, which reduces the tax base, reduces the number of tourists willing to spend their money here and reduces the number of voters.<br />
<br />
At any rate, we're here, and we're staying, and we hope enough Democrats will stick around to help us turn West Virginia blue in 2016. How about it … are you in?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-15170943430651158332015-03-10T06:29:00.003-04:002015-03-10T06:29:50.098-04:00Trust usWe're just going to send you straight over to <a href="http://www.homeyesterday.com/">one of our favorite blogs</a>, written by one of our favorite people, for some straight talk about West Virginia Republican politics. Chris Regan, the vice-chair of the state Democratic party, tells it like it is.<br />
<br />
You can begin at the beginning and work backwards. Be sure to bookmark it or, better yet, subscribe so you never miss a post.<br />
<br />
He's that good.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-76768140561052583162015-03-08T10:10:00.001-04:002015-03-08T10:10:41.154-04:00Standing with and moving forward<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">People come together for all sorts of reasons. Families, communities, and neighbors unite their strengths to fight for their beliefs, rights, and values. People come together in solidarity. And it's a beautiful thing. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma. We should all give thanks and remembrance for those who so boldly and bravely risked and gave their lives to fight for the rights of not just African-Americans, but all Americans. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We've come a long way throughout the years because of movements like this. Not one compares to another; all have fought different fights to build what we are today. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We cannot afford to go back in any measure. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Thousands of workers gathered at the West Virginia state capitol for the "Mountaineer Workers Rising" rally on Saturday, standing up for the rights and protections we have fought for to provide for our workers and their families. We have fought to ensure that our workers are provided good wages and to ensure they come safe from a hard days' work. West Virginians were joined by our brothers and sisters from all around our state to support our hardworking families. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Saturday was what it's all about. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Hardworking West Virginia families have built this state and we will not stand by while the Republican leadership strips their wages, workplace safety and rights away. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtp1vbWI8UWbb1r577EoE6EmIe-M4OxpdmRmtK8p6ETFv3slB8r_hxrkttrefTaPhKW9gX7qwCBC1z4gnffef7cglIAfjaW03Vxzum_rv1-zq5HXpme7KZ9lOSntM2UDVh9pw3fY1DBZc/s1600/hadenough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtp1vbWI8UWbb1r577EoE6EmIe-M4OxpdmRmtK8p6ETFv3slB8r_hxrkttrefTaPhKW9gX7qwCBC1z4gnffef7cglIAfjaW03Vxzum_rv1-zq5HXpme7KZ9lOSntM2UDVh9pw3fY1DBZc/s1600/hadenough.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We need to take it back to our values. What we're seeing right now from the new Republican majority in our Legislature does not represent West Virginia's values. We need to fight for our workers, our families and our children. We can't stop now. We need to be sure that all of our hardworking families are registered to vote and will vote for a leadership that will fight for <i>them, </i>and not for corporate greed and out-of-state interest groups. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Our voting rights have been fought for, and "Bloody Sunday" serves as a reminder that individuals risked and gave their lives for these voting rights we have today. We must not take that for granted.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We must use our anger, our sadness, our gratitude and our strength to exercise our voting rights and remember who has stood by our children, our families and our workers. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-56052364938611895002015-03-06T06:24:00.000-05:002015-03-06T06:24:50.441-05:00Some bills don't go anywhereIt makes us happy when bills we thought were bad, wrong or stupid live and die on the same day. But wait! Why would a lawmaker introduce a badwrongstupid bill to start with? Oh, you know…<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>States' rights. </li>
<li>Tenth Amendment. </li>
<li>Liberty! Freedom! 'Murica!</li>
</ul>
<br />
Take, for instance, <a href="http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2509%20intr.htm&yr=2015&sesstype=RS&i=2509">HB2509</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlJRtoRcAWDXWBaa0G_7k0k_ccARsSnBs1Xbm_GSgqMAVClQUrkQtQ33XqeLpXC27zM3Z_iPDSi9fDFKkqBWS1zpv3U0lZqC2_Asa1aiE1wpR5TtQ667MCyKJdxge5rnBf14YrEJ4W6g/s1600/warning-rugs-frequently-pulled-out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlJRtoRcAWDXWBaa0G_7k0k_ccARsSnBs1Xbm_GSgqMAVClQUrkQtQ33XqeLpXC27zM3Z_iPDSi9fDFKkqBWS1zpv3U0lZqC2_Asa1aiE1wpR5TtQ667MCyKJdxge5rnBf14YrEJ4W6g/s1600/warning-rugs-frequently-pulled-out.jpg" /></a></div>
In one page – just seven paragraphs – <a href="http://www.legis.state.wv.us/House/roster.cfm">Delegates Faircloth, McGeehan, Moffatt, Kessinger, J. Nelson and Ihle</a> wanted to pull the Affordable Care Act rug right out from under <a href="http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150218/GZ01/150219260">more than 33,000 West Virginians who enrolled or renewed their enrollment</a> in that socialist, government-run plan commonly known as Obamacare.<br />
<br />
Good thing those thousands of citizens have health insurance. People could get INJURED having the rug pulled out from under them.<br />
<br />
<i>We</i> know that <i>you</i> know the ACA isn't a socialist, government-run plan. Some people still think so, imagine that. Why, if it were a government-run plan, it would be Medicare! And socialist? That would be <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/when-socialism-works-in-america/2011/05/19/AGrGOgNH_blog.html">the Veteran's Administration</a>, thankyouverymuch.<br />
<br />
So what, exactly, did HB2509 say? One sentence in the summation explains: "It determines that the federal legislation is invalid in this state."<br />
<br />
Whoa. Just this state? Not all the other states whose citizens are also getting preventive care and reasonable co-pays under the ACA? <i>Just West Virginia?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Who knew we were so special?<br />
<br />
Well, they weren't concerned about other states, <i>obviously</i>, because they only represent folks from the Mountain State. But take that one step further, and you <i>have</i> to wonder: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? And also? WHO WROTE THAT BILL?<br />
<br />
Because seriously? When you start from a position that federal legislation is invalid in this state, you have to look past your nose to see what <i>other</i> federal legislation might be affected. Like, um, Medicare, for instance. And Social Security, maybe?<br />
<br />
Wonder how that would go over in the state that has the highest number of citizens benefiting from <a href="http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/05/20/states-with-the-most-americans-on-disability/3/">Social Security Disability</a> <i>and</i> the <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/12954994/6/the-10-oldest-states-in-america.html">fourth oldest population</a>.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo. The bill was introduced on January 29 and went nowhere fast. We haven't seen it since. Except on <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/west-virginia-gop-moves-nullify-obamacare">MSNBC</a>.<br />
<br />
Maybe it wouldn't have died so quickly if it had been covered by Obamacare.<br />
<br />
<i>P.S. We're keeping a close watch on the Supreme Court, as it hears arguments regarding the Affordable Care Act. <a href="http://www.homeyesterday.com/keep-an-eye-on-your-lawyer-west-virginia/">WV's Attorney General is just as eager to eliminate subsidies in West Virginia as that handful of Delegates is.</a> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-89670733440639920362015-03-03T07:55:00.001-05:002015-03-03T07:55:28.856-05:00Because we like youHow about a little public service post today, instead of a snarky rant? We're <i>full</i> of snarky rants, but time's a'wasting and the information we're providing today – while not snarky – is valuable. Pay attention.<br /><br />
The West Virginia legislature's website is filled with useful and important information. If you're not familiar with it, it's not too late to get up to speed.<br />
<br />
The website lists all members of both chambers, along with their political party affiliation, which district they represent (call your county clerk if you don't know your district), their statehouse mailing and e-mail addresses, and their Capitol phone number.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNznAYsTFkmL_ok6nmYcBlpg6Rk9jjvvQrIS2IwXg2w5wk1WJqi-B-LvGq4S5fM5o2XJIKsVhDoAcGY9xLyerBQoafTQyZeJu-QWxK06dtsBFvzU95uoW3L8VfWrPvP4vzuJewIZ8txk/s1600/screen-capture-7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNznAYsTFkmL_ok6nmYcBlpg6Rk9jjvvQrIS2IwXg2w5wk1WJqi-B-LvGq4S5fM5o2XJIKsVhDoAcGY9xLyerBQoafTQyZeJu-QWxK06dtsBFvzU95uoW3L8VfWrPvP4vzuJewIZ8txk/s1600/screen-capture-7.png" /></a></div>
You'll also find dropdown menus under each tab with even more resources. Clicking on each menu item will take you to various areas of interest for each of the main tabs.<br /><br />Click the Committee link, for instance, to navigate to each committee's daily agenda. You'll be able to see what's coming up for committees that are working on bills running through both houses.<br />
<br />
So how do you find out about the bills? If you know the bill's number, you can <a href="http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bill_status.cfm">enter it in a search box</a> and another page with all the information about that proposed law appears – sponsors and co-sponsors, the bill's text, amendments to the bill and, after it's been voted on, the roll call vote.<br />
<br />
We've been posting roll call vote lists on the Federation's Facebook page, and our readers are engaging in great numbers – commenting, liking, sharing, and making note of who votes how. Roll call votes are available to download as .pdf files, which you can then e-mail to interested contacts and groups. You can <a href="http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/">take a screenshot</a> if you want to share it on social media.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
But what if you don't know the bill's number? Enter a keyword – the topic, the name of the bill, a keyword – in the other search box on the Bill Status page. Entering the words "water storage tank" in the keyword search area produces results in paragraph form. You have to hunt for the bill number. If it's a House of Delegates bill, look for "hbXXXX." Senate bills are preceded by "sb" and have three numbers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJpHl5QWOyI6qMWEMzxgTGpl5UtOqDzqcl0X-xA1zGUa5uqib18m8g1Fln_JvRVnld0pVDbU6mwkmFeT_4cZfRzU4cvuBCoFsgFtlh4VPAWpk7Ih4ra3psv5CZrfr5v5TiGGS_7LlJZw/s1600/screen-capture-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJpHl5QWOyI6qMWEMzxgTGpl5UtOqDzqcl0X-xA1zGUa5uqib18m8g1Fln_JvRVnld0pVDbU6mwkmFeT_4cZfRzU4cvuBCoFsgFtlh4VPAWpk7Ih4ra3psv5CZrfr5v5TiGGS_7LlJZw/s1600/screen-capture-9.jpg" height="78" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've highlighted the bill number. You can then click on the blue line of text or enter the three digits in the bill number search box to get to the bill's page.</div>
<br />Unless you know your way around legal terminology, bills can be difficult to read. Nearly every bill affects some part of the West Virginia Code – all the laws that govern the Mountain State and her people. So when a bill says it affects, for example, <a href="http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/ChapterEntire.cfm?chap=17A&art=3&section=23&year=2015&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill&input=486" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(135, 93, 26); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #875d1a; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">§17 A- 3 - 23 </a><span style="color: #393939; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="smalltext" style="color: #393939; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px;">(Amended Code)</span><span class="smalltext" style="color: #393939; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px;">, </span>you can then go look up that section in the Code to see what the legislature wants to change.<br />
<br />
Also included under the Code tab are the texts of the West Virginia and U.S. Constitutions.<br />
<br />
The Educational tab includes, among other things, the topic "How a Bill Becomes a Law."<br /><br />Due to some of the shenanigans being pulled by the 82nd legislature, we feel some editing might need to be done to that section. We are particularly concerned with the Creating Public Charter Schools Act of 2015, which was tabled indefinitely in a Senate committee, but was then discharged from committee and sent to the floor – a rather unprecedented move by Senate President Bill Cole. <a href="http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150301/GZ01/150309966/1419">The <i>Charleston Gazette's</i> Phill Kabler called it "ham-fisted."</a><br />
<br />
Our hope is that, in providing this information, we've empowered you to find out more about the legislative process and which lawmakers have voted with you or against you. We feel the Republicans who are now in charge campaigned on false pretenses, promising measures that would attract businesses and grow jobs.<br />
<br />
Keeping track of their votes will help you tremendously in 616 days, WHEN (not if!) you vote.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-63191210779534490932015-03-01T05:02:00.001-05:002015-03-01T05:02:19.522-05:00West Virginians will rise againThis legislative session has been, in a word, brutal. They – those pesky Republicans – campaigned on Jobs! Prosperity! Economic improvement! Opportunity! Change!<br />
<br />
Those of us who aren't wealthy and/or well-connected will feel the brunt of their lies. Those of us who are teachers, miners, construction workers. Those of us living on Social Security, retired, going to school, <i>wanting</i> to go to school. We're screwed.<br />
<br />
Women got kicked in the gut this session. Maybe we should just take a celibacy pledge. Would <i>that</i> make them happy?<br />
<br />
Anyway … it's not over yet. WVFDW will be publishing a legislative wrap-up in the next issue of our <i>Lean to the Left</i> <a href="http://wvfdw.org/newsletter">newsletter</a>. If you haven't subscribed, we hope you will. Before they pass a "Read What We Tell You To" bill.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let's not wait until 2016 to get this party started, mmmkay? We want ideas, we want candidates and we want to turn West Virginia back to <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>blue</b></span>.<br />
<br />
It's always been her best color.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-63138717245903846042015-02-25T07:40:00.000-05:002015-02-25T07:59:21.560-05:00Six weeks into the 2015 legislative session<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69nQUIormuKbznUGH_zgkmck4q0KvIDbThOpWvlqIbcS2AG8jJLyWksOZZu0yKK_U0P8iYaUFMmWnHS2sf9AE2uTIz-te5sqWOOWnWvrj7ObpVybrsnFZX5_7jBRU3Z0tbhRxVBcx8AI/s1600/openunless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69nQUIormuKbznUGH_zgkmck4q0KvIDbThOpWvlqIbcS2AG8jJLyWksOZZu0yKK_U0P8iYaUFMmWnHS2sf9AE2uTIz-te5sqWOOWnWvrj7ObpVybrsnFZX5_7jBRU3Z0tbhRxVBcx8AI/s1600/openunless.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In a piece published in the <i>Charleston Daily Mail</i> January 15, 2015, <a href="http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20150115/DM04/150119566">Senator Bill Cole wrote</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">"In November, the majority of West Virginians voted for a change. For the first time in three generations, there will be a new majority at the Statehouse in Charleston, and with that brings an opportunity to approach our state’s challenges differently.</span><span class="s1"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">Change is seldom easy, and it may leave some feeling unsettled. <b><i>We will not be perfect, and we will make mistakes</i></b>, [emphasis is ours, all ours] but we will stay focused on the goal: Keeping our kids in West Virginia. My hope is by being a body of action and not words, we will show that we are committed to working for those who have placed their faith in us to represent them."</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We will now quibble.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If we hear one more Republican claim they won in November by a majority, we may resort to violence. And, wow! A big thanks goes out to our Republican leaders for making it much easier to do so, with a bill that allows us to carry our concealed handgun without a permit. And you can begin doing that when you're 18.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Which we're not. So presumably we would have cooler heads.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>Thirty-seven percent</i> of West Virginia's eligible voters showed up to cast their ballots last November. You do the math. Thirty-seven percent does <i>NOT</i> a majority make. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Senator Cole's purpose in writing that piece was to outline his plan for making West Virginia the "forever home" for young people. "I want to keep our kids home," were his exact words.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">He mentioned better schools, and then pushed for a way to let regular folk like you and us become teachers without working for it. Like the rest of the teachers have done. And he reallyreallyreally has his heart set on charter schools, so much so that when the bill was tabled indefinitely in committee, he pulled out the "it depends on what your definition of 'tabled indefinitely' is" strategy.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We'll leave it to you to determine from where he pulled it.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">He wants to create a legal and business climate so companies will come here and provide jobs. That sounds all lofty and all, but if workers aren't paid fair wages, who's going to do the work? Even our neighbor to the north, Republican Governor John Kasich, says 'right to work' laws aren't necessary in order to attract business.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Of course, that's in not-West-Virginia Ohio, so we shall see what happens. As for the legal climate – we're not lawyers. OH! And neither is Senator Cole! And he's proving it by presenting bill after bill after bill that will eventually face a court challenge. BECAUSE THEY'RE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Finally, Senator Cole wants to "correct those areas" where West Virginia is out of sync with <strike>Texas</strike> the rest of the country. We're going waaaaaaaaaay out on a limb here and guessing this goal has something to do with Ye Olde "West Virginia Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act," or as we like to call it, the "We Don't Think Gays Belong in West Virginia No Way No How Act." HB2881 strikes down local ordinances that protect LGBT citizens. Charleston and Morgantown and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/12/all-five-residents-of-a-west-virginia-town-voted-to-ban-lgbt-discrimination/">Thurmond</a> would see their anti-discrimination laws overturned if HB2881 passes. Because, you know, Father Knows Best.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">(To be fair, this bill originated in the House of Delegates. Which does not mean <strike>Old King</strike> Senator Cole isn't tossing his tiara about it.)</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">While other states across this great nation of ours are passing <i>non</i>-discrimination bills – North Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia (cough – red states – cough) came up in one quick Google news search – West Virginia's lawmakers seem to think we'd be out of step if we made it illegal to fire a gay employee or evict a gay tenant.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Clearly, it's West Virginia lawmakers (<i>not</i> all of them, but that pesky 37 percent majority) who are out of step. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So. If you were 18 years old, getting ready to move on with your life by stepping into the job market or entering the college of your choice, would you be comfortable here in West Virginia? </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Would you feel safe at a WVU tailgate party where your fellow 18-year-olds were drunk and carrying concealed weapons? </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Would you want your grandma living in a nursing home where liabilities for poor care were reduced? </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If you chose to follow in your family's footsteps and work in the mines, would you feel safe, now that West Virginia's lawmakers have made the mines less safe?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Would you want to stay in West Virginia with your same-sex partner or spouse (YES! You can get married here!) if you knew you could be fired at any minute and for no reason relating to your work performance?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We're tired of writing, and we haven't even gotten to the woman things. Which is odd, since we're a woman organization. But damn, there's just too much! The woman things and the campaign finance things and the ACA things will have to be separate posts. Coming soon!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-52353596238675791152015-02-24T07:28:00.001-05:002015-02-24T07:28:58.288-05:00At the risk of being redundantWest Virginia's Democratic Party Vice-Chair penned an interesting piece a couple of days ago. If you follow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christopher.regan">Chris Regan on Facebook</a>, you've no doubt seen it. If you don't, well, you should.<br />
<br />
And you should also read this analysis of the shenanigans going on in Charleston these days:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span class="s1">Legalizing crime in West Virginia</span> </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">Early in the Legislature's 2015 session, the Republican majority took aim at wages. Bills on prevailing wage, right to work and the wage payment act would all serve to drive the wages of working West Virginia families downward. Those pushing that agenda would say that lowering the wages of working people would somehow make West Virginia more “competitive,” but there is no concealing the fact that the primary effect of these bills would be smaller paychecks. Public hearings and resistance from leaders in the Democratic Party, including an appearance from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin last week, have exposed the harm these bills would do to West Virginians who work.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">But as the session continues, a new theme is emerging from the Republican House and Senate: legalizing crime. A host of bills being moved by Senate President Bill Cole and Speaker Tim Armstead identify bad (and formerly illegal) behavior and make that behavior more difficult to police, reduce the punishment for it, or outright legalize it. Every West Virginian, from children riding to school in their parents' car, to workers on our roads or in coal mines, to our elderly in nursing homes, stand to lose if the laws that protect them are weakened or repealed.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">Example: the Senate's bill to end implied warranties for automobile sales will get a lot of attention, because of the transparent self-interest demonstrated by a new Senate President who sells cars pushing a bill to give his own company immunity for wronging its customers. As the Charleston Gazette reported this past weekend, the Republican lemon-law bill would take away a remedy for car buyers even if they unwittingly buy a vehicle that isn't safe to drive. A working single mother who buys a car, even if she buys it from Senator Cole, ought to be able to count on it being basically sound and safe enough to drive her children to school. Repealing the law that gives her that right not only legalizes a crime, it encourages a tragedy.</span> [This bill has since passed.]</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">That's not all. One of the real scandals ongoing in West Virginia is the care our seniors receive in nursing homes. Too many nurses and aides are overworked and underpaid, leading to poor care in nursing homes. The results include bad hygiene, bedsores and even deaths from malnutrition and dehydration. Republican bills respond to this crisis by seeking to help the companies avoid any punishment for preventable deaths. One bill stated that even if a company intentionally neglects a patient and causes their death and even if there is overwhelming proof (“clear and convincing evidence”) that this has occurred, the punishment should be lessened from existing law. Shouldn't we be increasing the penalties, until companies stop neglecting our seniors?</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">Once again, pressure and amendments from Democrats stopped the Republican bill from totally ending punishment for deliberate neglect of our seniors. But why are Republicans seeking to protect lawbreakers from accountability? Where are the bills to raise standards, to protect working families and to protect seniors? Not one bill so far proposed has a positive effect on accountability for nursing home companies, for the quality of products like cars that we buy or for the safety of our workers.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">Of course the most destructive and shocking bills advanced by the Republican majority deal with worker safety. Both the ill-named “Coal Jobs and Safety Act” (it has no provisions that create jobs) and the “deliberate intent” bill are bills designed to legalize crime. The deliberate intent law currently provides that when a company intentionally breaks the rules and a worker or miner is injured or killed, the right to a day in court is preserved. Keep in mind, under current law, negligence or carelessness is not enough – the company has to break the rules on purpose or you can't go to court. A Republican bill sought to totally abolish the right of victims of the worst type of corporate crime – the kind that gets men and women killed on the job.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">The so-called coal safety act is even worse. It is a law that takes away safety rules West Virginia established after mining disasters and deaths – the hardest and most costly lessons our state has learned. Note how taking away West Virginia's safety rules works in concert with weakening the deliberate intent law: when the rules no longer exist, companies will say there are no rules for them to “intentionally” violate. Heads they win, tails you lose.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">Spinning these bills, Republicans say they are meant to hurt trial lawyers. Not likely. First of all, lawyers rarely go down in the mines and they are almost never killed on the job. These laws don't hurt lawyers, they hurt people – they hurt the victims of all these forms of crime the Republicans are legalizing. If a certain kind of case can no longer proceed in court, those cases simply won't be filed or pursued. The loser is not the lawyer, who moves on to whatever work the law allows him or her to do, but the working family that loses a breadwinner, the senior citizen neglected in the nursing home, or the child hurt in an unsafe vehicle.</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1"></span><span class="s1">West Virginians should be asking why protecting those who intentionally harm our citizens has become such a priority for Republicans. Who is pushing them to take these reckless and radical steps to reduce accountability and punishment for the very worst kind of wrongdoers? Sure the lemon-law will has an easy answer when the Senate President is a used car dealer, but what about the rest of it: who is writing these bills and pushing them to the top of an agenda that was supposed to be about jobs? Who would want to legalize a crime, except someone who planned to commit one?</span></span></blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-47698356449334932312015-02-20T08:00:00.000-05:002015-02-20T08:00:06.866-05:00Common Core: Explained<div class="tr_bq">
We're so pleased that WVFDW member Grace Norton, of Ohio County, has agreed to help us out with information about educational concerns from time to time. She is a member of the Federation's Legislative Committee, a retired educator, and one smart woman. Her experience teaching college-level courses to students should, probably, hold more water than that of a state Senate and House of Delegates who want to take public money to create private schools and who are following the ALEC Playbook of Lawmaking. But oops. That's a whole 'nother issue.</div>
<div class="tr_bq">
<br /></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
Here's Grace's take on Common Core, which – <i>of course</i> – the current Republican-controlled West Virginia legislature, wants to unadopt for West Virginia's students.</div>
<blockquote>
West Virginia legislators have introduced <a href="http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2486%20intr.htm&yr=2015&sesstype=RS&i=2486">HB 2486</a> to repeal West Virginia’s 2010 adoption of the Common Core standards for education. The impetus for this move lies in mis-information campaign led mostly by right-wing talking heads. Those of us who have dealt with incoming college freshman and entry-level workers for many years understand why West Virginia needs what the Common Core was designed to achieve.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Many have been led by radical right propaganda to believe that Common Core is a federal takeover of education, but that is a myth. Common Core is an initiative of the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) who recognized that tens of thousands of high school graduates passed every standardized test required of them but needed to take remedial math, English, and/or reading in their first semester in college.<br /> <br />At the college where I taught for many years, about 70 percent of incoming freshmen required remedial math and over 20 percent needed remedial reading and writing skills. It is a fair bet that at least as many high school graduates who do not enroll in college have the same or greater levels of deficiency. In most courses I taught, I had to require weekly vocabulary tests to ensure that students understood meaning of the words well enough to comprehend the reading material I assigned, which had reading levels several grade levels below what was typically assigned when I was a college student.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Common Core is <i>not</i> a curriculum. It identifies performance standards, and, in English/Language Arts also identifies some content aimed at developing good citizenship and significant cultural literacy. Common Core emphasizes reading across the curriculum, not just reading what we think of as “literature.” It also emphasizes applying mathematical concepts and reasoning to solving real world problems. Illustrations and examples of how to meet objectives are offered. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Decisions made about most of curriculum content, about text books and other materials, and about specific teaching strategies and methods are made at the local level.<br />Common Core is a research-based, grade-by-grade set of performance standards in the areas of math, English and Language Arts designed to teach skills in the sequence best matched to how research shows that students acquire and develop skills and to teach reading in a way that prepares students to read materials in a wide range of subject areas. The national government had no role in developing and has no role in implementing the Common Core, which remains under control of NGA and CCSSO.<br /> <br />A full discussion what Common Core really is, how it was developed, what the standards are, and what research those standards and their sequencing were based on is available <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/">by clicking here</a>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Some major myths created by the radical right’s disinformation propaganda are also debunked. The site explains why Common Core was developed, what it is trying to accomplish, and why that is important. Forty-six states and U. S. territories have adopted Common Core standards. It is important for a West Virginia graduate to be able to compete successfully with students from everywhere for jobs, scholarships, and slots in top colleges. Is that not what we all should want for our kids? </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The bill to repeal Common Core will do significant harm to the life chances of present and future West Virginia students. The first rule of lawmakers, like that of doctors, should be: First, do no harm.</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03520077267497761141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4365578067105895921.post-82588129053907486562015-02-19T14:37:00.002-05:002015-02-19T14:37:43.012-05:00Warm thanks from Senator KesslerPrevailing wage, if you haven't heard by now, is on the Republican chopping block. A public hearing was held this morning, during which proponents were outnumbered by opponents 4 to 1. When business and labor come together to oppose legislation which reduces wages and trashes an already unsteady economy, well … what's a Republican to do?<br />
<br />
Apparently they're waiting, along with the rest of us, until it gets parked in a committee somewhere. Or not. There's always the possibility of the bill not being taken up at all.<br />
<br />
In the meantime … how about a word of thanks from Senator Jeff Kessler for the terrific turnout for the Stand UP Stand WITH West Virginia rally this past Monday? Neither snow, nor cold, nor bad driving conditions kept what looked like thousands from fighting for their rights.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week saw a major turnout of hardworking West
Virginians at the State Capitol, despite frigid temperatures and a
record-setting snowstorm that blanketed much of the state.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During discussions, back-door negotiations with out of
state interest groups and finally the passage of SB 361, the prevailing wage
bill, I became frustrated with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the what
I was witnessing by the Republican leadership and its push of harmful
legislation on the people of this great state; so I called<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the Show Up Stand Up rally on President’s
Day.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It warmed my soul to stand with nearly 2,000 West
Virginians from across the state to make our voices heard and fight for their
wages and rights that are being stripped from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event was aimed at bringing attention to
the radical and wrong agenda items being pushed through this session, and boy
did we bring attention to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Republican leadership has set a breakneck pace, moving through bills they say
will improve West Virginia’s business climate…I say they’re wrong! These
policies are hurting West Virginia workers and have more to do with politics
that with helping the State.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></o:p></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the brave men
and women who deified the elements to fight for what’s right, and to the many
speakers who joined us in our fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is nothing I can do to turn back the clock and change what
happened during the last election, or change one vote on the floor; but what I
can do is promise that if you stand with me I will stand with you and never
stop fighting for your wages and your rights.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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