Charleston Gazette-Mail - The story of the proposed Rockwool manufacturing plant in Ranson, West Virginia, has not only ignited community concerns over toxic air pollution and sustainable development, but has also brought to light the large business tax subsidies given to corporations with little transparency, accountability or evaluation. Story link. After Rockwool already chose to…
OpEds
Charleston Gazette-Mail - The United States has enjoyed over eight years of one the longest economic recoveries on record, but a closer look shows two very different economies in West Virginia. Story link. While the state’s urban areas have been characterized by moderate growth, more educated workers and higher incomes, the state’s rural areas have seen…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Food for all. It’s a simple concept most of us among West Virginia’s hills agree with. No one should go hungry. That’s why the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition and other partners are holding a one-day food summit — “Food For All” — to gather those…
Beckley Register-Herald - Low wages and low-labor force participation are two of the biggest economic challenges facing West Virginia. Not enough West Virginians are working, and too many of those working are paid low wages and have trouble staying above water. Story link. Those who do find work not only face low wages, but also deal with an…
Beckley Register-Herald - As the renewed investigation into Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s background proceeds this week, it’s important to note there are a variety of reasons why his nomination to the US Supreme Court would harm West Virginians. One is that he would be a gift to Wall Street and an attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which protects West Virginians from predatory lenders and helps…
Charleston Gazette - My father, like any good father, always told me — his baby girl — that I could do anything I wanted. He’s right, and sadly also wrong. Despite earning a journalism degree, a philosophy degree, having a strong work ethic and desire to help people and do the best I possibly can in my…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Last Wednesday, the Trump administration issued new regulations that will expand the availability of “skimpy” short-term health plans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services touted this move as an effort to give Americans more affordable health coverage options, but there is a reason that skimpy plans cost less — they don’t cover…
A recent report from the United Nations concluded that the extreme poverty and lack of basic human rights in the United States is not an accident, but “a political choice made by those in power.” In other words, through our political choices we are choosing to live in a society with a level of poverty…
Huntington Herald Dispatch - Budgets and legislation are reflective of values, and this Congress and President Trump keep showing us where their priorities lie. Under the Trump Administration, hard-working West Virginians are repeatedly punished - via the tax bill, proposed cuts to food assistance and disability insurance, and efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Story…
Charleston Daily Mail - In late March, a Daily Mail Opinion editorial exclaimed “Hallelujah!” in response to the signing of a bill that increases hardship for some of the most vulnerable West Virginians when times are tough (Public assistance done right under House Bill 4001, March 28, 2018). Story link.