West Virginia Blue
The Best Blogging Community in West Virginia Democratic politics, progressive policies, the good life and free living in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
Several of the cell phones on our family plan received the same SMS text message a few minutes ago, including several lines assigned to those not yet of voting age.
The URL is a shortened link to the YouTube channel of someone who enjoys using edited Faux Noise video footage, and for whom everyday is must be opposite day.
MRAD - Educating the Public about Democrat Principles If you've attended any of this summer's fairs and festivals in the 1st CD you have probably encountered the MRAD* (Mountaineers Reclaiming the American Dream) booth where participants decided how to spend 3 million taxpayer dollars. The 7 categories were Social Security; Jobs & Infrastructure; Protections for Air, Water, Food; Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan; Companies Shipping Jobs Overseas; Tax Breaks for Companies Making Billions; or Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest 2% of Americans. With 4030 participants, the results were: 43%; 30%; 18%; 6%; 1%; 1%; 0.5% respectively. Participants were then given a card indicating which choices were being promoted by Republicans and which were Democratic choices. Several Republicans were surprised to find that they didn't really support the categories endorsed by Congressional Republicans. Joe Manchin seemed to have a hard time making the choices; he kept asking where the category for tax reform was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... With a little coaching from Taylor Co. Democratic Party Chair Diane Parker and Sue Thorn, he was able to make the right choices.
Grassroots Movement to Draft a Real Democrat for WV-01 - Ask Sue to Run There are considerable rumblings in WV-01 about a grassroots movement to draft a Democratic candidate for WV-01. This grassroots movement, begun by MRAD sprang up in response to continual attacks on the middle class and the need to find a Democrat who will stand up for working people and represent their interests, someone who is a regular, middle-class person without ties to corporate interests.
Ask Sue to Run has been collecting lists of supporters throughout the district. The response has been phenomenal with numerous Democratic Women, House of Delegate members, County Commissioners, union reps and members, and entire Democratic Executive Committees signing on.
Perhaps you've seen the t-shirts popping up around the 1st Congressional District: Ask Sue to Run, Sue Thorn for Congress - She's One of Us. Sue Thorn is well known throughout the district for her support of Democratic principles and willingness to interact with people and listen to their stories. Rumor has it of a possible candidacy announcement as early as this Saturday.
For those who are tired of holding their nose and voting for candidates who don't support citizen's interests and who have forgotten what it means to be a Democrat, it appears that there is at last an alternative.
SEPTEMBER 9 - 11, 2011 This event will be held rain or shine!! Pickin' in the Panhandle celebrates the best of barbecue, bluegrass/roots music, and family fun close to home! Located about an hour from the DC and Baltimore areas, the Lazy A Campground in Back Creek Valley (just 8 miles off Interstate 81) will be filled with the sounds of bluegrass, newgrass and other roots music ... mixed with the smell of mouth-watering BBQ. Do a little pickin' of your own, or just sit back and enjoy some of the best musical acts from our region and beyond!
The Back Creek Valley Boys, my personal favorite and featured local talent, not only plays on the new Mountaineer Stage, but also opens for headliner Marty Start on the Main Stage at 3:45PM on Sunday afternoon. Check out the latest schedule.
And even though they call it Texas BBQ in WV, don't let Perry and Bush keep you from trying another local favorite. Show them some true Mountaineer spirit; they can still use it.
West Virginia is called the Mountain State for good reason. We enjoy some of the most beautiful terrain in the country. But that natural beauty can come at a price for rural citizens and businesses; it is costly and difficult for many broadband providers to bring service into these areas.
In a poll of economic development professionals in West Virginia, 78 percent said it's been their experience that "businesses considering locating in their areas place high priority on access to affordable, high-speed Internet when evaluating site selections." With businesses placing such a high premium on broadband access, West Virginia can't afford to be left behind in today's digital economy.
According to a new study by Deloitte, the deployment of 4G LTE wireless technology has the potential to create up to 771,000 American jobs through 2016. Because of the mountainous terrain and high cost of deploying wire line access here, wireless broadband is the most cost effective way for rural West Virginians to access broadband.
One example of how 4G LTE can help West Virginia expand wireless access and spur economic development is the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. According to the Communications Workers of America, the merger has the potential to "create as many as 96,000 new, quality jobs, accelerate broadband build out, and improve wireless communications and innovation," based on estimates by the Economic Policy Institute. AT&T has the only unionized telecom workers in the state, and so this would mean more solid, good-paying union jobs in West Virginia. We need them. Unions need them.
With Governor Tomblin signing a bill this week to give coal-producing counties a little more of the severance revenue they generate for the state. No doubt broadband will be part of the equation for these communities as they begin to prepare for the inevitable post-coal economy. We need business and political leaders who have the vision to do the same statewide.
West Virginia's politicians must educate themselves on the need for broadband expansion into all areas of the Mountain State. Like good schools and good roads, a good broadband infrastructure is necessary to attracting new industry. We cannot grow and compete without it.
Quiz the people running for office in your county and your community about broadband. Demand to know what Earl Ray Tomblin and Bill Maloney have to say about 4G LTE technology. Ask your Congressional leaders what they have been doing in Washington to help build broadband capacity in West Virginia. Let's make it an essential part of any public discussion about our future.
Mr. Messina and I messaged about hashtags this AM. I think he gets it.
So look at this, a hearing about the new congressional districts, that are, surprise, surprise, compact.
@lmessina Lawrence Messina
#WV #redistricting: Senate cmte takes up congressional draft plan. AP: http://apne.ws/r7LN18 | Audio: mms://live.wvlegislature.gov/SENjud
Glad to give up the title of "widest district east of the Mississippi River". The DeLay games have begun. Remember to bring good cheese for all the whine.
An article in the National Journal intimates that Maloney will attempt to buy the Governership of West Virginia. I for one was surprised when Maloney beat Betty Ireland in the Primary. The election in October will not have a large turnout, and that could aid a tea bagger like Maloney. Tomblin has intimated that the polls look good for him, and they probably do, but big money from Maloney's personal coffers and from out of state corportations could change that. I for one would be upset to see another Republican Governor that is similar to those we see in Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan. Like him or not it is important that progressives get behind Tomblin and vote on October 4th to insure we don't have a repeat of the disasters last year in the aforementioned states.
Businessman Bill Maloney proved willing to use his personal wealth in order to win the GOP primary in West Virginia's special gubernatorial election, and the first campaign finance reports from the general election show he's continuing to partially self-fund his bid.
* There's a website for the March on Blair Mountain. Videos, pictures, and audio all available of this inspiring action.
* While most of the WV press hones its skills in the self-appointed craft of stenography, there is still one bright shining light pointing out there's multiple sides to every story. This introduction is a strong hint who:
The Gazette's late publisher, Ned Chilton, was know for his criticism of what he called West Virginia's "insipid press," local newspapers that didn't question the actions of local politicians and powerful institutions.
Here's some suggestions for Mike Ruben and friends... next time you write about WV energy, ask your sources what happens to coal-based energy production when cheap Appalachian coal runs out in 15-20 years? Ask them how much money is saved in reduced healthcare costs each time a coal-fired electrical plant closes. Ask them, when US demand for renewable energy is going up and demand for coal-based energy is going down, why should WV consumers have to pay more for coal-based energy?
* West Virginia gets a new district office for MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration). Here's hoping this means even safer mines, too.
This is a story about a hard-working man in our community, who through no fault of his own, has a life-threatening condition. That he can't afford to have fixed. STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!
Army Sgt. 1st Class Otie J. McVey, 53, of Oak Hill.
Evacuated from Iraq Sept. 23, 2004, for a non-combat related illness and died in Beaver, W.Va. Nov. 7, 2004.
So I turn on the Great Orange Satan during a tea break this AM, and mcjoan greets my face with this slap:
ThinkProgress's Lee Fang has a frightening story on the stealthy move by the Koch political machine into universities around the country. It's a wide reach: the economics department at Florida State University, George Mason University (including the Mercatus Center, more on that in a bit), West Virginia University, Brown University, Troy University, Utah State University, and Beloit College. As the St. Petersburg Times reported, a similar arrangement has been made with WVU as with FSU in accepting at least $480,000 from Koch.
Now haven't we seen the ill effects of letting the drug industry pay for it's own studies quite enough? First it was doctors on the dole, now it's the voodoo economics departments? And linking back to our report here, ThinkProgress names West Virginia Watchdog as another front for the color shifting invertebrate.
- West Virginia University: As ThinkProgressreported last year, Koch funds an array of academic programs at West Virginia University, a public university. One Koch-funded academic at WVU, economics professor Russell Sobel, has written a book blasting regulations of all types. He even argues that less mine safety regulations will make coal miners more safe.
Russell S. Sobel. I wonder where I heard that name before...
I guess I need another cuppa to sort this out in my brain.
Earl Ray Tomblin has pushed tax payer subsidies to his family business, dog racing and gambling, for years. His affiliation with felons like Joe Ferral is well known in political circles but the generally public has little knowledge of it.
Kudos to Perdue for finally bringing this glaringly corrupt issue to the forefront. How the mainstream media has not made more of an issue about this just shows that money controls a lot in small market West Virginia. I may just vote for Perdue for having the guts to brint attention to this issue before the GOP pounces on it in the general.
I think Tomblin, the favorite in the Democratic Primary according to the polls, is in store for major attacks from a nationally bankrolled GOP candidate. As Democrats, how can we defend someone who in our heart of hearts we know is wrong. This one cannot.
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