The Chicken Little strategy seems to be to make as much bad noise as possible and repeat it until it sounds true in order to push through an extreme agenda at the expense of the state’s working people, children and the elderly. While there’s no doubt that the state has serious economic problems and needs to work hard to promote a shared prosperity, it’s not all bad news. The Associated Press reported this month that the average West Virginia worker earned nearly $1,400 more last year than in 2005, a 4.4 percent increase. It cited George Hammond of WVU’s Bureau of Business and Economics as saying that this was the fastest income growth since 1990 and is significantly above the rate of inflation. Workforce West Virginia reported that overall employment grew from 695,300 to 705,000 in 2006. There’s been welcome good news lately for McDowell County (or the Free State of McDowell, whichever you prefer), which has been hard hit in the past by natural disasters and by unemployment and poverty that followed the mechanization of the coal industry. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, McDowell had a 13 percent employment growth rate increase between 2005 and 2006, with 621 more people working. Expansion Management magazine and the National Policy Research Council ranked West Virginia 8th in the nation for business recruitment and attraction. Three West Virginia cities — Charleston, Parkersburg, and Wheeling — were included in the top 20 small metro areas. In July, the state announced a four percent increase in revenues for fiscal year 2007. And contrary to what you may have heard, the state budget has some pretty good priorities. Most state general funds (around 80 percent) are spent on K-12 education, higher education and providing human services such as health care. And these investments are paying off. Over the last 10 years, West Virginia has made amazing strides in the area of providing health care for children through efforts such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid. West Virginia CHIP is one of the most successful in the country and is widely regarded as a model. The state is in the process of expanding CHIP eligibility and we are getting very close to providing health care to all West Virginia children. Interesting things are happening in several parts of the state — often driven in part by public investments in higher education and infrastructure. As Joe Morris wrote in the July 13 Gazette, “A new independent study of West Virginia’s economy concludes that the state could become a leading market in high-tech industries such as pharmaceuticals, biometrics and cutting-edge energy products — with the right investment.” The study, commissioned by A Vision Shared and carried out by Battelle Science and Technology International, suggests that public institutions such as WVU and Marshall could be springboards for the new high-tech industries. The sky may still be cloudy in patches, but it’s hardly falling. We face serious challenges — many of which are the legacy of 100-plus years of a colonial economy, 25 years of deindustrialization and rampant globalization, and six years of perversely skewed priorities at the national level. But these are challenges that can be overcome with creativity and effort. No human sacrifices are required. It seems to me that West Virginia has turned some corners and greater things are possible. The Chicken Littles are stuck in the wrong story. We’re the Little Engine that Could. (And there's more stuff at The Goat Rope.) |
