Surpluses in revenue and tax increases do not make since. Where is the money going???

Through February, state revenue is up $127 million, $42 of which is from severance. Personal income tax revenue is up $16 million, while insurance tax revenue is up $10 million Corporate Income tax revenue is up $39 million.

Where is the money going and why are we not hearing about it. Could it be that the money is already spoken for. We need to speak up to this. Let them know that we have no intention of being further taxed and that we will resist the plan to do so. More special sessions are coming.

Who Decides, Life or Death

That poor lady in Florida whose husband has chosen to let her die from starvation is an example of how our society is influenced by the agenda of the loud minority. I can not imagine a man not respecting the wishes of the parents who brought in to this world a child and raised her. A child who left no written instructions as to how she should be medically treated in the event of such tragic circumstances as are unfolding before the whole nation. Why is a living will even necessary if one’s spouse has the authority to stop attempts to keep you alive?

Perhaps the theory is that the living willing is constructed to protect you from your spouse should you find yourself incapacitated. In this case, there appears to be a clear conflict of interest. The husband seems to have moved on with his life and recuperation on the part of the victim here will cause him and his new family nothing but grief. There is no positive outcome for him other than death. This should be unacceptable and the inherent conflicts are factors that should have been considered.

Some have suggested that his refusal to accept money is cause to believe his intentions are sincere. That is hard to buy into. Surely he has sought legal advice and found that his risks are too high. Perhaps he could not agree to accept the money because he would be required to reimburse for the services she has received to date and to fund services she will receive in the future. If you could indemnify him from these responsibilities, I suspect his position could change, unless he is more concerned about what she might have to say if she were able to recover and speak about what happened to her.

We can not know what happened to her and should not make judgments, but there is no way a single individual should have the authority to allow another individual to die without a clear written authority granting such powers over another. There is none in this case. There is certainly reasonable doubt cast over the integrity of individuals involved and over what is being allowed to happen. Absent a written will, her blood relatives, particularly her parents should have a say in her future.

What is happening to Terri Schiavo is appalling and will alter our rights as we know them to live and die. A sad day in our history will be upon us when this poor lady passes.

Where’s the money?

Tax increases from every direction and for every reason imaginable. Some of the reasons may be legitimate causes, but with the recent report that the state will experience a $300 million surplus raises the most important questions. Why are tax increases necessary and where is all this money going? The people of West Virginia should realize what our government is doing, who has the most influence over it and who stands to gain the most from what is happening.

West Virginia is a great place to get and education, you just can’t get a job here once you receive the education. What we need are jobs and jobs will only come to a state where the providers of the jobs are treated fairly. If you were a business with options to go just about anywhere in the country you wanted, would you pick West Virginia as a place to invest enormous sums of money. You might if the state offered a good strong work force, which I think we can. However, if you know going in, that the court system will automatically put at a disadvantage and that the tax system is not fair, and then I doubt you would pick the Mountain State for investment.

We are one of the most over taxed and over litigated states in the nation. There are states with higher taxes, but they provide much more services to the citizens than we do. The rich and famous in this state are lawyers and politicians. It is time we change that. Significant judicial reform will begin to rebalance the states finances. We must insist on it. Call you local legislators and tell them to support Senate Bill 418 and any other like it.

Where's the Money Comin' From

There is no question that we all want the best teachers and should be willing compensate them based on their complishments our ability to pay for it. We all think we deserve more and good teachers probably do. However, we can not continue to educate our children only to see them leave the state and apply the education they received at tax payer expense to the tax base of another state. If teachers are to do better, then we must find ways to grow the state’s economy because there simply are too few places to turn for the money needed to improve our schools or compensation for teachers.

We have to create jobs for our kids to keep them here. To do that, changes are needed in many areas to attract employers. The only long term answer is to grow revenue and opportunity for our kids. If we choose instead to continue what we have been doing, raising taxes on the people and employer’s who stayed in WV, then some of them will leave and soon we will have no one but the teachers left to pay tax.

West Virginia is great place to get an education, but you can’t get a job here. The diminishing return that results is what our teachers suffer from. The people of West Virginia and the companies that employ us have done their part. Now, it is time for politician to do theirs. More taxes, bond and debt are not the answer, more opportunity is.