OpEds

March 24, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
Opinion: Health Policy, the Social Safety Net, and the 2023 Legislative Session

Morgan Messenger - West Virginia has long faced significant health-related challenges, many of which could have been meaningfully addressed by bills introduced during the 2023 legislative session. While a couple of positive health-focused bills were passed by the legislature this year, unfortunately lawmakers focused much of their attention on health-related policies based on fear—not facts.…

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February 17, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen: Disaster Artists Behind Kansas Tax Cuts Eyeing WV (Opinion)

Charleston Gazette-Mail, Times West Virginian - “Go big or go home.” That was the message from Stephen Moore — an adviser to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on his disastrous tax experiment — during a panel promoting tax cuts earlier this week. Alongside him was Grover Norquist, who famously said of the state’s supply-side driven tax…

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January 6, 2023 by Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen: What’s Up With WV’s Supposed Budget Surplus? (Opinion)

Charleston Gazette-Mail - What’s going on in West Virginia? Month after month, we see news releases from Gov. Jim Justice and other elected officials touting historic revenue surpluses, sending the impression that West Virginia’s economy is thriving and that the state has more tax revenue than it knows what to do with. Read the full…

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October 28, 2022 by Sean O'Leary
Opinion: Four Scary Charts About WV Amendment 2

Morgan Messenger, Independent Herald - It’s almost Halloween, that scary time of year of ghosts, goblins, and the promise to eliminate the tax on your car (or hearse). And there is nothing more terror-inducing than ill-advised tax cuts and the loss of local control. So turn out all the lights, hide under a blanket, and…

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October 24, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Amendments Would Take Away Local Control

Weirton Daily Times - Over the last few months, I’ve been all over the state talking to parents, teachers, firefighters, local elected officials from both parties, and small business owners about the harm that would be done to our state if two constitutional amendments on the November 8 ballot are approved. Read the full op-ed.…

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October 22, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Amendments Would Quiet Local Voices, Cut Jobs

Beckley Register-Herald - Over the last few months, I’ve been all over the state talking to parents, teachers, firefighters, local elected officials from both parties, and small business owners about the harm that would be done to our state if two constitutional amendments on the November 8 ballot are approved. Read the full op-ed. Amendments…

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October 22, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Amendments 2 and 4 Reek of Politics

Martinsburg Journal - Over the last few months, I’ve been all over the state talking to parents, teachers, firefighters, local elected officials from both parties, and small business owners about the harm that would be done to our state if two constitutional amendments on the November 8 ballot are approved. Read the full op-ed. Amendments…

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October 22, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Amendments 2 and 4 Would Remove Local Control

The Intelligencer - Over the last few months, I’ve been all over the state talking to parents, teachers, firefighters, local elected officials from both parties, and small business owners about the harm that would be done to our state if two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot are approved. Read the full op-ed. Amendments…

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October 19, 2022 by Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen: Amendments Would Harm Local Schools and Services

Huntington Herald-Dispatch - Over the past few months, I’ve been all over the state talking to parents, teachers, firefighters, local elected officials from both parties and small-business owners about the harm that would be done to our state if two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot are approved. Read the full op-ed. Amendments 2…

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