Blog

October 28, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Beating a Dead Horse: Sorry, but Tax Cuts Have Hurt the Budget

Members of the state's media have once again refused to accept that the state's recent series of tax cuts have directly lead to its ongoing budget problems. Last week Budget Office Director Mike McKown told legislators that the state budget faces an $80 million gap that will be need to be closed before the end of…

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October 25, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
November 1 SNAP Cuts Will Affect 350,000 in West Virginia

As Ted first pointed out back in August, the 2009 Recovery Act's temporary boost in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits ends on November 1, 2013, which will mean a benefit cut for each of the nearly 48 million SNAP recipients in the country, including 350,000 here in West Virginia. Without the Recovery Act's boost,…

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October 22, 2013 by Ted Boettner
The Missing Tax Cuts…The Source of State Budget Woes

Another day, another budget presentation that fails to mention the tax cuts that are at the heart of our state budget woes. According to the Gazette, the State Budget Director informed an interim committee that the current budget faces a $80 million shortfall and next year's budget will face a gap of $260 million. This…

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October 22, 2013 by WVCBP
Healthcare.gov is Dysfunctional. West Virginia Could Have Done it Better

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, State Decisions for Creating Health Insurance Marketplaces Almost all of the success in the Obamacare roll out to date has occurred in the dark blue states. Note, West Virginia is not dark blue. On the very same day that the federal government shutdown a few weeks ago, the Obamacare online Marketplace,…

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October 17, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Should West Virginia look to Virginia as a model for funding transportation?

The Charleston Gazette reported this morning that three West Virginia lawmakers are planning a trip to Richmond, Virginia to learn how they recently restructured funding for their ailing transportation system. According to a recent report by the Virginia-based Common Wealth Institute, there are several major flaws with the transportation funding package that was signed into…

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October 16, 2013 by WVCBP
West Virginia: Heart of the Rx Belt

Health care is a funny thing.  Everyone needs it, yet lots of people can't afford it, and hospitals have to treat them regardless.  Treatment prices vary wildly depending not only on where you live but where you go and whether or not you have insurance.  Oddly, those without insurance are almost always charged more for…

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October 16, 2013 by WVCBP
Shutdown Costs Keep Adding Up

As stories of the cost of the federal government's shutdown and its impact on citizens come to light, here's what it means for individuals, businesses, and the state of West Virginia. Toll on Citizens We have all heard the shutdown affects "non-essential" programs, but what does that mean? Programs that provide nutritional assistance for pregnant…

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October 11, 2013 by WVCBP
West Virginia Tops List of States Benefitting from Obamacare

West Virginians rejoice!  Rarely does our Mountain State top national rankings on good measures, but a report out this week shows that West Virginia, along with two other states, leads the country in the percent of uninsured state residents who will qualify for health insurance assistance due to Obamacare. Now, before you let your initial partisan reaction…

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