Friday, May 18, 2012

Census Shows Whites Lose U.S. Majority among Babies

For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing.

New 2011 census estimates highlight a historic shift underway in the nation’s racial makeup. They mark a transformation in a country once dominated by whites and bitterly divided over slavery and civil rights, even as it wrestles now over the question of restricting immigration.

“This is an important landmark,“ said Roderick Harrison, a former chief of racial statistics at the Census Bureau who is now a sociologist at Howard University. “This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders.“

The report comes as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of Arizona’s strict immigration law. Many states are weighing similar get-tough measures as fewer Hispanics are opting to enter the U.S. due to the weak economy.

“We remain in a dangerous period where those appealing to anti-immigration elements are fueling a divisiveness and hostility that might take decades to overcome,“ Harrison said.

As a whole, the nation’s minority population continues to rise, following a higher-than-expected Hispanic count in the 2010 census. Minorities increased 1.9% to 114.1 million, or 36.6% of the total U.S. population, lifted by prior waves of immigration that brought in young families and boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years.

But a recent slowdown in the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations is shifting notions on when the tipping point in U.S. diversity will come—the time when non-Hispanic whites become a minority. After 2010 census results suggested a crossover as early as 2040, demographers now believe the pivotal moment may be pushed back several years when new projections are released in December.

The annual growth rates for Hispanics and Asians fell sharply last year to just over 2%, roughly half the rates in 2000 and the lowest in more than a decade. The black growth rate stayed flat at 1%.

The immigrants staying put in the U.S. for now include Narcisa Marcelino, 34, a single mother who lives with her two daughters, ages 10 and 5, in Martinsburg, WV After crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in 2000, she followed her brother to the eastern part of the state just outside the Baltimore-Washington region. The Martinsburg area is known for hiring hundreds of migrants annually to work in fruit orchards. Its Hispanic growth climbed from 14% to 18% between 2000 and 2005 before shrinking last year to 3.3%, still above the national average.

Marcelino says she sells food from her home to make ends meet for her family and continues to hope that one day she will get a hearing with immigration officials to stay legally in the U.S. She aspires to open a restaurant and is learning English at a community college so she can help other Spanish-language speakers.

If she is eventually deported, “it wouldn’t be that tragic,“ Marcelino said. “But because the children have been born here, this is their country. And there are more opportunities for them here.“

Of the 30 large metropolitan areas showing the fastest Hispanic growth in the previous decade, all showed slower growth in 2011 than in the peak Hispanic growth years of 2005-2006, when the construction boom attracted new migrants to low-wage work. They include Lakeland, FL; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta; Provo, Utah; Las Vegas; and Phoenix. All but two—Fort Myers, FL, and Dallas-Fort Worth—also grew more slowly last year than in 2010, hurt by the jobs slump.

Pointing to a longer-term decline in immigration, demographers believe the Hispanic population boom may have peaked.

“The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population,“ said Mark Mather, associate vice president of the Population Reference Bureau. “But we’re seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road.“

William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the census data, noted that government debates over immigration enforcement may now be less pressing, given slowing growth. “The current congressional and Supreme Court interest in reducing immigration—and the concerns especially about low-skilled and undocumented Hispanic immigration—represent issues that could well be behind us,“ he said.

Minorities made up roughly 2.02 million, or 50.4% of U.S. births in the 12-month period ending July 2011. That compares with 37% in 1990.

In all, 348 of the nation’s 3,143 counties, or 1 in 9, have minority populations across all age groups that total more than 50%. In a sign of future U.S. race and ethnic change, the number of counties reaching the tipping point increases to more than 690, or nearly 1 in 4, when looking only at the under age 5 population.

The counties in transition include Maricopa (Phoenix), AZ; King (Seattle), Wash.; Travis (Austin), Texas; and Palm Beach, FL, where recent Hispanic births are driving the increased diversity among children. Also high on the list are suburban counties such as Fairfax, VA, just outside the nation’s capital, and Westchester, NY, near New York City, where more open spaces are a draw for young families who are increasingly minority.

According to the latest data, the percentage growth of Hispanics slowed from 4.2% in 2001 to 2.5% last year. Their population growth would have been even lower if it weren’t for their relatively high fertility rates—seven births for every death. The median age of U.S. Hispanics is 27.6 years.

Births actually have been declining for both whites and minorities as many women postponed having children during the economic slump. But the drop since 2008 has been larger for whites, who have a median age of 42. The number of white births fell by 11.4%, compared with 3.2% for minorities, according to Kenneth Johnson, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire.

Asian population increases also slowed, from 4.5% in 2001 to about 2.2%. Hispanics and Asians still are the two fastest-growing minority groups, making up about 16.7% and 4.8% of the U.S. population, respectively.

Blacks, who comprise about 12.3% of the population, have increased at a rate of about 1% each year. Whites have increased very little in recent years.

Other findings:

• The migration of black Americans back to the South is slowing. New destinations in the South, including Atlanta, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Orlando, FL, saw sharp drop-offs in black population growth as the prolonged housing bust kept African-Americans locked in place in traditional big cities. Metro areas including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco had reduced declines or gains.

• Nine U.S. counties in five states saw their minority populations across all age groups surpass 50% last year. They were Sutter and Yolo in California; Quitman in Georgia; Cumberland in New Jersey; Colfax in New Mexico; and Lynn, Mitchell, Schleicher and Swisher in Texas.

• Maverick County, Texas, had the largest share of minorities at 96.8%, followed by Webb County, Texas, and Wade Hampton, Alaska, both at 96%.

• Four states—Hawaii, California, New Mexico and Texas—as well as the District of Columbia have minority populations that exceed 50%.

The census estimates used local records of births and deaths, tax records of people moving within the U.S., and census statistics on immigrants. The figures for “white” refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity.

~~  AP ~~

OddlyEnough™: Man Bitten by Rattlesnake at Walmart

When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Walmart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand.

The encounter with a rattlesnake sent Craig, age 47, to the hospital, where he said he remained in excruciating pain and may lose feeling in two fingers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has apologized.

“I reached down to grab the stick to move it out of the way, and the snake stretched out, turned around and got its fangs in my right hand,“ he said. “I slung it off and I did a tap dance on it until it was dead.“

Craig was rushed to the hospital by fellow customer Maria Geffre, who told Reuters she saw him crumple to the ground after crying out that he had been bitten by a snake.

“He had punctures on his hand and there was the dead rattler he’d stomped on,“ Geffre said, describing the snake as at least a foot long with four buttons, or rattles.

Craig, a married father of two, said the mulch was for his marijuana plants, which he is licensed to grow for medical reasons. It was unclear whether the snake came from an adjacent field or arrived at the store along with garden supplies.

Craig said doctors who initially thought the snake had inflicted only a “dry bite” - or one that did not inject venom - treated him with six bags of anti-venom after his right hand swelled to the size of a melon.

A Walmart spokeswoman offered an apology to Craig and said the retailer was looking into how the incident could have happened at the store in Clarkston, in eastern Washington.

“At this point, it appears to be an isolated incident. We are working with a pest management team, which is conducting a sweep of the property to ensure there is no additional rattlesnake activity,“ Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling said.

Travis Taggart, director of the Center for North American Herpetology, said about half of documented rattlesnake bites, which are usually defensive when directed at humans, are “dry” but still cause severe pain.

WV’s Smallest Hospitals Like Those in Our Area Cannot Afford to Have Medicaid Reimbursement Pulled

Every member of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation is calling on those with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to take another look at revised regulations dealing with reimbursable costs for, what are considered, critical access hospitals.

With the changes, officials with the CMS are attempting to clarify the treatment of reimbursements for provider taxes.

Right now, CMS reimburses the state’s critical access hospitals for the provider taxes they pay under West Virginia law.

The changes would stop those reimbursements in the future, but also be applied retroactively, meaning the hospitals would have to pay back reimbursements from the past couple of years.

The change affects the state’s “critical access hospitals.“ Those are rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds, like Roane General in Spencer, and Braxton County Memorial in Gassaway.

Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito says such changes could cost about 18 of the smallest, most rural medical sites in West Virginia millions of dollars.

“In certain areas, like in a critical access hospital or a community health center, you get a higher reimbursement rate because it’s important to have access in rural areas to be able to attract health professionals and all those kinds of things,“ Congresswoman Capito said.

She says that’s why, on this issue, West Virginia cannot be treated the same way as other states.

“If these facilities close, then if you’re sitting over in Calhoun County or something, you have an emergency, you have to come all the way to Charleston,“ she said.  “That’s an hour and a half.  That’s life threatening.“

She signed a letter, this week, asking the CMS to look closer at the issue.

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, First District Congressman David McKinley and Third District Congressman Nick Rahall all signed the letter as well.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

G-Comm™: What’s NATO Ever Done?

Wondering why anyone would confront NATO’s summit in Chicago this month? A look at some of its more well-known crimes might spark some indignation.

Desecration of corpses, indiscriminate attacks, bombing of allied troops, torture of prisoners and unaccountable drone war are a few of NATO’s outrages in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere. On March 20, 2012 Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to all NATO/CIA drone strikes against their territory. As reported in The New York Times, Pakistan’s foreign secretary Jalil Jilani said April 26, 2012, “We consider drones illegal, counter-productive and accordingly, unacceptable.” On May 31 last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave what he called his “last” warning against NATO’s bombing of Afghani homes, saying “If they continue their attacks on our houses … history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.”

While bombing Libya last March, NATO refused to aid a group of 72 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Only nine people on board survived. The refusal was condemned as criminal by the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog.

NATO jets bombed and rocketed a Pakistani military base for two hours November 26, 2011—the Salala Incident— killing 26 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens more. NATO refuses to apologize, so the Pakistani regime has kept military supply routes into Afghanistan closed since November.

The British medical journal Lancet reported that the US-led unprovoked 2003 bombing, invasion and military take-over of Iraq—which NATO officially joined in 2004 in a ‘training’ capacity—had resulted in over 665,000 civilian deaths by 2006, and 200,000 in the UN-authorized, 1991 Desert Storm massacre led primarily by the US with several NATO allies.

On April 12, 1999, NATO attacked the railway bridge over the Grdelica Gorge and Juzna Morava River with two laser-guided bombs. At the time, a five-car civilian passenger train was crossing the bridge and was hit by both bombs. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused NATO of violating binding laws that require distinction, discrimination and proportionality.

NATO rocketed the central studio of Radio Televisija Srbije (TRS) in Belgrade, the state-owned broadcasting corporation, on April 23, 1999 during the Kosovo war. Sixteen civilian employees of RTS were killed and 16 wounded when NATO destroyed the building. Amnesty Int’l reported that the building could not be considered military, that NATO had violated the prohibition on attacking civilian objects and had therefore committed a war crime.

Headlines chronicle NATO’s crime spree

“U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers.” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2012

“Drones At Issue…: Raids Disrupt Militants, but Civilian Deaths Stir Outrage.” New York Times, March 18, 2012

“G.I. Kills 16 Afghans, Including 9 Children In Attacks on Homes.” New York Times, March 12, 2012

“NATO Admits Airstrike Killed 8 Young Afghans, but Contends They Were Armed.” New York Times, February 16, 2012

“Informer Misled NATO in Airstrike That Killed 8 Civilians, Afghans Say.” (Seven shepherd boys under 14.) New York Times, February 10, 2012

“Video [of U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters] Inflames a Delicate Moment for U.S. in Afghanistan.” New York Times, January 12, 2012

“Commission alleges U.S. detainee abuse.” Minneapolis StarTribune, January 08, 2012

“Six Children Are Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan.” New York Times, November 25, 2011

“American Soldier Is Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport.” New York Times, November 11, 2011

“Pakistan: U.S. Drone Strike Kills Brother of a Taliban Commander.” New York Times, October 28, 2011

“Afghanistan officials ‘systematically tortured’ detainees, UN report says.” Guardian, & BBC Oct. 10; Washington Post, October 11, 2011

“G.I. Killed Afghan Journalist, NATO Says.” New York Times, September 09, 2011

“Cable Implicates Americans in Deaths of Iraqi Civilians.” New York Times, September 02, 2011

“Civilians Die in a Raid by Americans and Iraqis.” New York Times, August 07, 2011

“NATO Strikes Libyan State TV Transmitters.” New York Times, July 31, 2011

“NATO admits raid probably killed nine in Tripoli.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 20, 2011

“U.S. Expands Its Drone War to Take On Somali Militants.” New York Times, July 02, 2011

“NATO airstrike blamed in 14 civilian deaths.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 30, 2011

“Libya Effort Is Called Violation of War Act.” New York Times, May 26, 2011

“Raid on Wrong House Kills Afghan Girl, 12.” New York Times, May 12, 2011

“Yemen: 2 Killed in Missile Strike.” Associated Press, May 05, 2011

“NATO Accused of Going Too Far With Libya Strikes.” New York Times, May 02, 2011

“Disposal of Bin Laden’s remains violated Islamic principles, clerics say.” Associated Press, May 02, 2011

“Photos of atrocities seen as threat to Afghan relations.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2011

“Missiles Kill 26 in Pakistan” (“most of them civilians”) New York Times, March 18, 2011

“Afgans Say NATO Troops Killed 8 Civilians in Raid.” New York Times, August 24, 2010

“A dozen or more” Afghan civilians were killed during a nighttime raid August 05, 2010 in eastern Afghanistan, NATO’s officers said. Chicago Tribune, August 06, 2010

“Afghans Say Attack Killed 52 Civilians; NATO Differs.” New York Times, July 27, 2010

In June 2008, NATO bombers attacked a Pakistani paramilitary force called the Frontier Corps killing 11 of its soldiers. New York Times, November 27, 2011

“Afghans Die in Bombing, As Toll Rises for Civilians.” New York Times, May 03, 2010

~~  John LaForge ~~

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

G-Fin™: April Consumer Prices Flat as Gasoline Drops

Consumer prices were flat in April as households paid less for gasoline and natural gas, possibly giving the U.S. Federal Reserve more room to help economic growth should the recovery stumble.

The Labor Department said on Tuesday its Consumer Price Index was unchanged last month after rising 0.3% in March.

April’s increase was in line with economists’ expectations.

Outside the volatile food and energy category, inflation pressures also appeared to be modest.

Core CPI edged up 0.2%, matching the increase posted in March.

A number of officials at the Federal Reserve appear loath to take further action to help the economy, with some arguing the central bank needs to get ready to start removing monetary stimulus.

A separate measure of inflation targeted by the Federal Reserve, and which is not included in Tuesday’s report, continues to hover around the central bank’s 2% goal.

The Federal Reserve has maintained since January that it expects economic conditions to warrant holding interest rates near zero through at least late 2014.

Last month, the CPI index was held back by a 2.6% fall in gasoline prices.

Natural gas prices dropped 1.8%. Prices also fell for fuel oil.

Food prices climbed 0.2% last month.

Overall consumer prices rose 2.3% year-on-year, down from a reading of 2.7% in March.

In the 12 months to March, core CPI increased 2.3%, the same pace clocked in March.

Rising gasoline prices have helped keep the overall inflation hotter than core inflation in recent years.

April was the first month since October 2009 that headline 12-month reading did not exceed the measure of core inflation.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Alderson-Broaddus College Awards Doctorate of Public Service to McKinley

Congressman David B. McKinley (R-WV) was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Public Service at Saturday’s Commencement exercises at Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillipi, West Virginia.

“It was truly an honor for me to receive this honorary doctorate from an institution that has been educating West Virginia’s finest for the past 140 years,” said Congressman McKinley.  “Alderson-Broaddus has been providing a quality education for students seeking various fields in liberal arts while focusing on their spiritual well-being, at the same time.”

Alderson-Broaddus College overlooks the picturesque Tygart River Valley in Philippi, West Virginia.

Alderson-Broaddus College is a health-related and professional educational institution.

Alderson-Broaddus College is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA, and the West Virginia Baptist Convention.

The annual commencement exercises took place, Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 2:00 PM in Rex Pyles Arena in the Memorial Coliseum.

James C. Justice, II, the C.E.O. and owner of The Greenbrier Resort, delivered the keynote speech, “Lead with Passion,” to 101 graduates.

Ron Paul: The Fed:  Mend It or End it?

Last week I held a hearing to examine the various proposals that have been put forth both to mend and to end the Fed.  The purpose was to spur a vigorous and long-lasting discussion about the Fed’s problems, hopefully leading to concrete actions to rein in the Fed.

First, it is important to understand the Federal Reserve System.  Some people claim it is a secret cabal of elite bankers, while others claim it is part of the federal government.  In reality it is a bit of both.  The Federal Reserve System is the collusion of big government and big business to profit at the expense of taxpayers.  The Fed’s bailout of large banks during the financial crisis propped up poorly-run corporations that should have gone under, giving them a market-distorting advantage that no business in the United States should receive.  The recent news about JP Morgan is a case in point.  JP Morgan, a recipient of $25 billion in bailout money, recently announced it lost another $2 billion.  If a corporation shows itself to be a bottomless money pit of “errors, sloppiness and bad judgment,“ the Fed shouldn’t have expected $25 billion in free money to change that or teach anyone a lesson in fiscal discipline.  But it determined that this form of deliberate capital destruction was preferable to one business suffering bankruptcy.  Clearly, some changes need to be made.

Several reforms for the Fed were discussed at the hearing.  One was a call for the full employment mandate to be repealed, in order to allow the Fed to focus solely on stable prices.

Another reform calls for changes to the composition of the Federal Open Market Committee.  Still another proposal was for outright nationalization of the Fed or of its functions.  But if what the Fed does now is bad and inflationary, allowing the Treasury to print and issue money at-will would be even worse, and could possibly lead to a Weimar-like hyperinflation.

The problems and advantages of the gold standard were discussed at the hearing.  The era of the classical gold standard was undoubtedly one of the greatest eras in human history.  For a period of several decades in the late 19th century, the West made enormous advances.  However, the gold standard was still run by government.  The temptation to suspend gold redemption reared its head again with the outbreak of World War I.  Once the tie to gold was severed and fiscal restraint thrown to the wind, undoing the damage would have required great fiscal austerity.  Instead, the Western world proceeded to set up a gold-exchange standard which lasted not even a decade before easy money led to the Great Depression.

While returning to the gold standard would certainly be far better than maintaining the current fiat paper system, as long as the government retains the power to go off gold we may end up repeating the same mistakes.

The only viable solution is to get government out of the money business permanently.  The way to bring this about is through currency competition: allow parallel currencies to circulate without receiving any special recognition or favor from the government.  Fiat paper monetary standards throughout history have always collapsed due to their inflationary nature, and our current fiat paper standard will be no different.

It is imperative that the American people be educated on the dangers of the Fed and the importance of restoring sound money.  The laying of the groundwork must begin today, so that the American people will be prepared for the day when the mirage the Fed has created evaporates completely.  The full hearing footage is available on my website and I would encourage every American to take a look.

Monday, May 14, 2012

G-Fin™: U.S.A.: Economic Brief – 05.11.12

Producer Price Index

The Producer Price Index for finished goods fell 0.2% in April.

Prices for finished goods were unchanged in March and increased 0.4% in February.

The index for finished goods less foods and energy rose 0.2%.

U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes

U.S. import prices declined 0.5% in April, following a 1.5% increase in March.

The April decrease was driven by lower fuel prices which more than offset a small increase in nonfuel prices.

The price index for overall exports rose 0.4% in April after a 0.8% increase…

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

There were 3.7 million job openings on the last business day of March, little changed from February, but up significantly from a year earlier.

The hires rate (3.3%) and the separations rate (3.1%) were unchanged in March.

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, March 2012

Total March exports of $186.8 billion and imports of $238.6 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $51.8 billion, up from $45.4 billion in February, revised.

Manchin’s Message from the Hill to the Mountains: STAYING CONNECTED TO WEST VIRGINIA

As your U.S. Senator, I believe there is nothing more important than staying connected with the people and commonsense values of our great state. Since I joined the Senate, I have relied on your feedback, thoughts and ideas – and I’m always looking for more ways we can stay connected. You deserve the very best in service from those you’ve elected to represent you, and I always want to hear from you if you think there is something we could be doing better. So this week I am so proud to announce two very important ways that we can stay in touch with each other, even when I’m in Washington.

First off, my office has started a completely new event for West Virginians at the U.S. Capitol. Every Wednesday that the Senate is in session, I will host a coffee hour for any West Virginians who come to Washington.

We’re calling it “Wednesday Wake-Up with Joe,” and I want every West Virginian to know that they have an open invitation to join me in my Washington office.

I truly hope that when you and your family come to our nation’s capital – whether for work or for fun – you know that you have a place to come visit, say hello and tell me in person what’s on your mind.

I’ll be hosting “Wednesday Wake-up with Joe” each week that the Senate is in session. To find out if I’ll be hosting a coffee session during a week you’ll be in town, you can visit my website: manchin.senate.gov and click on “Contact Joe.” There, you’ll see plenty of information about our constituent coffee series. And, you can RSVP online. You can also call my office at (304) 342-5855 if you need any more information and to RSVP.

We’ll start our coffee hour on May 16 at 10 a.m., and Gayle and I truly hope that you can join us.

Of course, the doors to all of my offices – in Washington, Charleston, Martinsburg and Morgantown – are always open to the people of our great state. But I also want my staff to be available to you in your community. That’s why at the end of the month, I’m sending my staff to you.

Starting May 21, my staff will be holding “Commonsense Connections” events all across the state. Representatives from my office will make more than 75 stops across West Virginia – traveling to all 55 counties – to meet with the people of our state and hear your commonsense priorities and concerns.

We launched our first-ever “Commonsense Connections” Week in February 2011, and because these events were so successful, we’ve carried on the tradition. This May will be our fourth series of “Commonsense Connections” events, and I hope West Virginians will use this opportunity to share what’s on their minds. To find out when a representative from my office will be in your area, please visit my website, manchin.senate.gov, where the dates and times for all of our “Commonsense Connections” events are listed. You can also call my office.

I want to thank each and every one of you for all that you do to make our state great. I hope that you’ll be able to join us for coffee in Washington, and that you’ll take the time to visit with my staff when they are in your county.

May God bless you, and my God bless the great state of West Virginia.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

G-Comm™: We Must Do a Better Job of Valuing Working Mothers

It is hard to overstate how much we value our mothers. They are the heart of our families. No job is too big, too small, or too messy for our mothers who spent countless hours packing lunches, kissing sick foreheads in the middle of the night and helping glue together the latest art project.

All mothers work hard, in the home or outside of it. It’s tough to put a price on everything moms do, whether it’s in the workplace providing food for the table or staying at home to make sure their kids get the education they need. Of course she does all of that for the hugs and construction paper Mothers Day cards.

But what about the value we as society place on the work moms—and all women—do in the workforce? Unfortunately, a recent Congressional report showed women are still under-valued in their jobs. In fact, nationally, women make 18 percent less than men doing the same job. And in West Virginia, women make a whopping 26 percent less.

We must do a better job of valuing our mothers in the very state that first began celebrating Mother’s Day.

When Anna Jarvis began that tradition, she recognized the incredible work her mother did treating wounded Civil War soldiers. She understood the extraordinary roles women play—not only in the lives of their children, but also in their communities.

When we under-pay women for the equal work they do, we unfairly hurt families.  Cheating that total household income means tighter budgets for groceries, utilities and savings for homes and education.

And I know we can do better.  West Virginians, more than any other people I’ve known, value fairness and hard work. Those are core values in the hills of West Virginia, and I know you agree that treating mothers fairly is one of the best ways we can honor them.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve Doesn’t Work

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said again Friday afternoon at a news conference that not to allow federal prison inmate Keith Judd on the primary election ballot would have been going against the law of the land!!!

Tennant has been criticized by some following this week’s election and upon everybody learning who Judd is.

Judd not only got on the ballot but he received 41% of the vote in the Democratic Primary against President Barack Obama.

Tennant says the U.S. Constitution sets out who can run for President and it does not exclude felons.

“We can’t let our emotions, we can’t let our passions try and override the law,“ Tennant said.

Tennant says there have been a lot of suggestions about what she should have done.

She says many of those go against what the Constitution requires.

“You must be a naturally born citizen, at least 35-years-old and have lived in the United States 14 years and that is all,“ Tennant said.

“The individual 50 states cannot add qualifications to that list.“

Tennant says Judd filed a lawsuit against her office last fall when he thought he would not be allowed on the ballot.

She says the state Supreme Court threw the case out because the filing period for the election had not yet started. It didn’t begin until January.

Tennant says when it gets down to it the law is the law.

“For people to suggest that I should have never let him on the ballot would be suggesting for me to break the law,“ she said.

A Minute with Jay - 05.11.12

Friday, May 11, 2012

Primary Election 2012: Some Election Analysis

The Executive Director for the West Virginia Association of Counties says voters may be tired of going to the polls.

“We’ve had a lot of elections.  I think people are almost confused as to all these elections we’ve had straight in a row,“ Patti Hamilton says of the turnout for Tuesday’s Primary Election.

The voter numbers hovered around 25% in many areas.  Statewide, turnout was estimated at 27%.

Hamilton says that’s a surprisingly low number.  “There were a lot of very contested local races on the ballot, county school board, that sort of thing, and they didn’t bring out the turnout,“ she said.

Hamilton has been working through the county races in the days since West Virginia’s Primary Election and she talked about some of the races on Thursday’s MetroNews Talkline.

In Barbour County, the Eddie Canterbury, the Democrat nominee for Barbour County Commission, won by just 20 votes.  “It always points out that every vote counts,“ she said of the close win.

In Lincoln County, Assessor Tracey Dempsey lost in the Primary Election.  Incumbent Commissioners also lost renomination bids in Braxton, Brooke, Doddridge, Greenbrier, Mercer, Roane, Upshur and Wayne counties.

Hamilton says Mercer County’s Sheriff was not renominated and the current prosecuting attorneys in Calhoun County and Ritchie County also lost on Tuesday.

“That’s a little bit unusual, actually, for any incumbent to lose,“ she said.  “Particularly, sheriff, prosecutor, we had two prosecutor incumbents lose, if my count is correct.“

In some cases, Hamilton says politics is a family affair.

The son of Lewis County’s current sheriff was nominated for that position and, in Marion County, Joe Manchin IV, the son of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, won the Democrat nomination for Marion County Commission.

In Webster County, all three Democrat candidates for Webster County Commission had the same last name but Hamilton says none of them are related.  Jerry Hamrick beat Tony Hamrick, the incumbent, along with Louise Hamrick.

The nominees move on to the 2012 General Election which is set for Tuesday, November 06, 2012.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Rockefeller Statement On New Postal Service Plan To Limit Hours At Almost 500 Wv Post Offices

Senator Jay Rockefeller today issued the following statement on the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to reduce hours at 13,000 post offices nationwide, and almost 500 in West Virginia.

“On its face, this move looks like an improvement over the previous proposal to flat out close 150 post offices in West Virginia,” said Rockefeller.  “But I continue to be very concerned about the Postal Service’s constantly shifting plans and lack of information about how its proposals will impact jobs and services in our state.  This new plan will potentially impact far more West Virginians and it fails to take into account the many other options for reducing costs besides cutting postal jobs and services in rural areas like West Virginia.

“The Postal Service must fix its worsening finances, but it doesn’t have do that at the expense of our state’s jobs and services.  We need to take responsible steps forward and I intend to have a very candid conversation about this with the Postmaster General during our meeting tomorrow.”

On May 07, Rockefeller sent a letter to the Postmaster General urging the Postal Service to reconsider closing 150 post offices and consolidating mail processing centers in West Virginia as these actions unfairly target jobs and postal services in West Virginia, as well as other rural states.  He also asked the Postmaster General to extend the current moratorium on any post office closings and mail processing center consolidations in the state.  Click here to view the letter.

On March 20, Rockefeller, Manchin, and five other Senators sent a strongly worded letter to the Postmaster General pressing for details about how the Postal Service is spending its money and identified ways to save billions of dollars and raise new revenue before pushing ahead with drastic cuts to post offices and other facilities.

Click H E R E to view the letter.

G-Comm™: Hoppy’s Commentary - The ‘Anybody But Obama’ Vote

Even in the strange game of politics, a strong showing by a mullet-sporting extortionist serving time in federal prison in a race against the President of the United States constitutes a good “man-bites-dog” story.

So when federal prisoner #11593-051, aka Keith Judd, pulls down 41% of the vote compared with President Obama’s 59% in Tuesday’s Primary Election, inquiring minds want to know what it all means.

The blogosphere is filled with rants of how West Virginians are bigoted clodhoppers.  Here are a couple of postings from the website Slate:

“So basically the hillfolk (sic) will vote for just any white person over Obama. Shocker,” wrote Tom Pryor.

“The people of West Virginia have got to be some of the stupidest people on this planet,” wrote a poster identified as Popokinip.

There were a lot more like that, but you get the drift.  As always, the truth of what happened on Tuesday is a little more complicated.

West Virginians did not know who Keith Judd was.  Yes, there had been a couple of stories about this odd ball who embellishes his resume and claims to have been a candidate for President four other times.  But his “candidacy” in the beauty contest of West Virginia’s Democratic Presidential Primary Election was virtually ignored.

So, it’s not as though nearly 73,000 Democrats and independents in West Virginia were getting behind this miscreant.

No, this was a protest vote against a President who is wildly unpopular here.  Keith Judd was just a surrogate for “Anybody But Obama.”

The President’s primary constituency groups are not widely represented here.  Liberals/progressives, younger voters, environmentalists and minorities are significantly outnumbered by older, white, working class conservatives.

West Virginia just isn’t in Obama’s demo.

Additionally, the President’s activist EPA has put a significant strain on coal, the state’s leading industry.  Coal has responded with a campaign critical of the EPA.  That effort has chipped away at the little support the President does have here.

Consider that in 2008 President Obama carried Boone County, located in the heart of coal country, but in Tuesday’s election, Obama lost Boone to Judd 2,343 to 2,199.

So, either more Boone County residents decided in the last four years that were racists, or they’re fed up with Obama’s EPA and they used Tuesday’s vote to say so.

Also, President Obama has no natural political allies in West Virginia.  Governor Tomblin and Senator Manchin say they are undecided if they will vote for the President. Congressman Nick Rahall says he’ll vote for Obama, but is quick to point out sharp differences with the administration.

All leading state Democrats, except perhaps Senator Jay Rockefeller, who is not up for re-election this year, realize the political toxicity of President Obama and would prefer to pretend as though he doesn’t exist.

The editorial writers at the Charleston Gazette would like us to believe that Obama’s West Virginia woes are due to our “rural, less-educated” population.  If that elitist view is accurate, it would explain why so many voters picked Keith Judd Tuesday.

But it’s more likely that voters who picked Judd did not know he was a joke of a candidate. They did, however, know plenty about the current President, meaning their choice was a strong statement of their dissatisfaction.

And that’s no laughing matter.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

OddlyEnough™: Texas Prisoner Met Requirements to Be on Democrat Primary Election Ballot

OBAMA LOST OVER 40% OF WEST VIRGINIA PRIMARY VOTE TO FEDERAL INMATE NO. 11593-051

With 72,459 Votes Keith Judd, Federal Inmate No. 11593-051, Won 40.6% in West Virginia’s Democrat Primary.

“The Inmate, Keith Judd, Is Serving Time At The Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution In Texas For Making Threats At The University Of New Mexico In 1999.”

Secretary of State Natalie Tennant says a man serving prison time in Texas was included on the West Virginia Democrat ballot for Tuesday’s Primary Election because he met all of the legal requirements to be there.

By law, Tennant says there are only specific instances when the Secretary of State can deny a potential candidate a spot on the ballot.

Making up that list, “If a person has changed their party affiliation within 60 days, if they’ve filed for more than one office, if they’ve missed the deadline, if they have not correctly filed the prescribed form and if they haven’t given the filing fee,“ she said.

Tennant says Keith Judd, Prisoner #11593-051 at a Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, met those requirements, and even paid the $2,500 filing fee.

He is currently serving prison time for making threats at the University of New Mexico.

“You could dig deeper (than the filing), but I don’t have that authority and this just goes to show that.“  Tennant says, if the Secretary of State could determine candidate eligibility based on qualifications, she says that would put too much power into one office.

She says it’s up to the courts to decide eligibility issues, which they have done for other races in the past.  That did not happen in this case because no one legally challenged Judd’s candidacy.

“We want an agency, the filing officer, the Secretary of State, to apply the law consistently and, whether you like or not, this is what we’ve done,“ Tennant said on Wednesday’s MetroNews Talkline.

Judd picked up 72,544 votes for 41% of the total vote compared with President Barack Obama’s 105,854 total for 59% of the Democrat vote.

“If you look at it on the surface, (President) Barack Obama won the nomination in West Virginia.  More people voted for him to be nominated in West Virginia than did not,“ Tennant said.

In the Republican Presidential race, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney easily won West Virginia with 68% of the vote from those voting Republican ballots.

The Republican numbers broke down as follows:

Mitt Romney 75,402 68%

Rick Santorum 14,611 13%

Ron Paul 12,145 11%

Newt Gingrich 6,910 6%

Charles “Buddy” Roemer 1,523 1%

Primary Election 2012: Area’s National and State Results

Braxton County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

1048 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

1352 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

24 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

79 votes for RON PAUL/R

7 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

408 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

69 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

556 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

2160 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

352 votes for DUGALD BROWN/D

731 votes for WILLIAM MCCANN/D

957 votes for HOWARD SWINT/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

514 votes for SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO/R

43 votes for MICHAEL DAVIS/R

25 votes for JONATHAN MILLER/R

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

469 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

2214 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

73 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

473 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22): 22

1327 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

881 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

775 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

179 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

219 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

632 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 22):  22

820 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

544 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

408 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

606 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

68 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 22):  22

174 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

235 votes for MIKE HALL/R

Calhoun County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

453 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

527 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

16 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

34 votes for RON PAUL/R

9 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

186 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

35 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

228 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

903 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

161 votes for DUGALD BROWN/D

266 votes for WILLIAM MCCANN/D

425 votes for HOWARD SWINT/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

241 votes for SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO/R

20 votes for MICHAEL DAVIS/R

15 votes for JONATHAN MILLER/R

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

249 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

846 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

43 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

220 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

451 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

328 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

413 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

65 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

103 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

225 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

250 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

522 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

127 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

129 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

14 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

101 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

125 votes for MIKE HALL/R

HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 33RD DELEGATE DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 10): 10

378 votes for DAN D. SIZEMORE/D

719 votes for DAVID A. WALKER/D

Doddridge County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

124 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

168 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

122 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

156 votes for RON PAUL/R

22 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

995 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

180 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

57 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

279 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

64 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

260 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

244 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

1157 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

85 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

104 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

142 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

25 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

75 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

60 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

99 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

40 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

81 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

61 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

18 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

501 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

685 votes for MIKE HALL/R

HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 6TH DELEGATE DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 12): 12

212 votes for CHARLIE DELAUDER/D

60 votes for KARL PAUL/D

Gilmer County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

690 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

643 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

35 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

28 votes for RON PAUL/R

3 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

252 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

40 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

335 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

1235 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

298 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

1232 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

45 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

284 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

417 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

441 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

540 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

101 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

229 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

288 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

330 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

518 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

220 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

178 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

150 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 14): 14

107 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

159 votes for MIKE HALL/R

HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 33RD DELEGATE DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 9): 9

242 votes for DAN D. SIZEMORE/D

472 votes for DAVID A. WALKER/D

Lewis County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

905 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

1076 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

128 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

129 votes for RON PAUL/R

19 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

1285 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

177 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

446 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

1818 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

359 votes for DUGALD BROWN/D

1041 votes for WILLIAM MCCANN/D

447 votes for HOWARD SWINT/D

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

1543 votes for SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO/R

194 votes for MICHAEL DAVIS/R

35 votes for JONATHAN MILLER/R

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

360 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

1888 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

254 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

1395 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

302 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

726 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

883 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

210 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

327 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

672 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

722 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

307 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

659 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

307 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

58 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 24): 24

448 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

946 votes for MIKE HALL/R

Ritchie County

U.S. PRESIDENT - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

205 votes for KEITH JUDD/D

270 votes for BARACK OBAMA/D

U.S. PRESIDENT - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

110 votes for NEWT GINGRICH/R

208 votes for RON PAUL/R

23 votes for CHARLES “Buddy” ROEMER/R

990 votes for MITT ROMNEY/R

181 votes for RICK SANTORUM/R

U.S. SENATE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

64 votes for SHEIRL FLETCHER/D

477 votes for JOE MANCHIN III/D

GOVERNOR - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

76 votes for ARNE MOLTIS/D

459 votes for EARL RAY TOMBLIN/D

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

209 votes for RALPH WILLIAM CLARK/R

1164 votes for BILL MALONEY/R

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

337 votes for J.D. BEANE/D

99 votes for LETITIA “Tish” CHAFIN/D

155 votes for ROBIN JEAN DAVIS/D

34 votes for LOUIS PALMER/D

114 votes for H. JOHN “Buck” ROGERS/D

55 votes for JAMES J. “Jim” ROWE/D

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - DEMOCRAT
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

96 votes for WALT HELMICK/D

156 votes for JOE MESSINEO/D

93 votes for STEVE MILLER/D

102 votes for SALLY SHEPHERD/D

20 votes for BOB TABB/D

TREASURER - REPUBLICAN
# of precincts reporting (out of 15): 15

634 votes for STEPHEN R. “Steve” CONNOLLY/R

527 votes for MIKE HALL/R

U.S. Panel: Obesity Fight in U.S. Must Shift from Personal Blame

America’s obesity epidemic is so deeply rooted that it will take dramatic and systemic measures - from overhauling farm policies and zoning laws to, possibly, introducing a soda tax - to fix it, the influential Institute of Medicine said on Tuesday.

In an ambitious 478-page report, the IOM refutes the idea that obesity is largely the result of a lack of willpower on the part of individuals. Instead, it embraces policy proposals that have met with stiff resistance from the food industry and lawmakers, arguing that multiple strategies will be needed to make the U.S. environment less “obesogenic.“

The IOM, part of the Washington-based National Academies, offers advice to the government and others on health issues. Its report was released at the Weight of the Nation conference, a three-day meeting hosted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cable channel HBO will air a documentary of the same name next week.

“People have heard the advice to eat less and move more for years, and during that time a large number of Americans have become obese,“ IOM committee member Shiriki Kumanyika of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine told Reuters. “That advice will never be out of date. But when you see the increase in obesity you ask, what changed? And the answer is, the environment. The average person cannot maintain a healthy weight in this obesity-promoting environment.“

Shortly after the report was released, the Center for Consumer Freedom, which is funded by restaurant, food and other industries, condemned the IOM as joining forces with the nation’s “food nannies.“ The Center said the IOM recommendations would “actively reduce the number of choices Americans have when they sit down to eat” and emphasized that “personal responsibility” alone was to blame for the obesity epidemic.

A study funded by the CDC and released on Monday projected that by 2030, 42% of American adults will be obese, compared to 34% now, and 11% will be severely obese, compared to the current 6%.

Another one-third of American adults are overweight, and one-third of children aged 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index - a measure of height to weight - of 30 or greater. Overweight means a BMI of 25 to 29.9.

Officials at the IOM and CDC are trying to address the societal factors that led the%age of obese adults to more than double since 1980, when 15% were in that category. Among children, it has soared to 17% from 5% in the past 30 years. One reason: in 1977, children 2 to 18 consumed an average of 1,842 calories per day. By 2006, that had climbed to 2,022.

Obesity is responsible for an additional $190 billion a year in healthcare costs, or one-fifth of all healthcare spending, Reuters reported last month, plus billions more in higher health insurance premiums, lost productivity and absenteeism.

NO MAGIC BULLET

The IOM panel included members from academia, government, and the private sector. It scrutinized some 800 programs and interventions to identify those that can significantly reduce the incidence of obesity within 10 years.

“There has been a tendency to look for a single solution, like putting a big tax on soda or banning marketing (of unhealthy food) to children,“ panel chairman Dan Glickman, a senior fellow of the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former secretary of the Department of Agriculture, told Reuters. “What this report says is this is not a one-solution problem.“

The panel identifies taxing sugar-sweetened beverages as a “potential action,“ noting that “their link to obesity is stronger than that observed for any other food or beverage.“

A 2011 study estimated that a penny-per-ounce tax could reduce per capita consumption by 24%. As a Reuters report described last month, vigorous lobbying by the soda industry crushed recent efforts to impose such a tax in several states, including New York.

“I do not think in any way, shape or form that such punitive measures will change behaviors,“ said Rhona Applebaum, Coca-Cola Co.‘s chief scientific and regulatory officer, in advance of the report. Anyone deterred by the tax from buying sweetened soda, she said, will replace those calories with something else.

The IOM committee also grappled with one of the third rails of American politics: farm policy. Price-support programs for wheat, cotton and other commodity crops prohibit participating farmers from planting fruits and vegetables on land enrolled in those programs. Partly as a result, U.S. farms do not produce enough fresh produce for all Americans to eat the recommended amounts, and the IOM panel calls for removing that ban.

The committee did not endorse the call by food activist Michael Pollan and others to eliminate farm subsidies that make high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and other obesity-promoting foods very cheap. “There is no evidence subsidies contribute to obesity,“ said Glickman.

THE TRUE LACK OF CHOICE

The traditional view that blames obesity on a failure of personal responsibility and individual willpower “has been used as the basis for resisting government efforts - legislative and regulatory - to address the problem,“ says the report. But the IOM panel argues that people cannot truly exercise “personal choice” because their options are severely limited, and “biased toward the unhealthy end of the continuum.“

For instance, a lack of sidewalks makes it impossible to safely walk to work, school or even neighbors’ homes in many communities. So while 20% of trips between school and home among kids 5 to 15 were on foot in 1977, that figure had dropped to 12.5% by 2001.

The panel recommended tax incentives for developers to build sidewalks and trails in new housing developments, zoning changes to require pedestrian access and policies to promote bicycle commuting. Flexible financing, and streamlined permitting or tax credits could be used as encouragement.

The IOM report also calls for making schools the focus of anti-obesity efforts, since preventing obesity at a young age is easier than reversing it. According to the most recent data, only 4% of elementary schools, 8% of middle schools and 2% of high schools provided daily physical education for all students.

The IOM report recommends requiring primary and secondary schools to have at least 60 minutes of physical education and activity each day. It calls for banning sugar-sweetened drinks in schools and making drinking water freely available.

The report also urges that healthy food and drinks be easily available everywhere Americans eat, from shopping centers to sports facilities and chain restaurants. The idea is that more people will eat healthier if little active choice is needed.

“We’ve taken fat and sugar, put it in everything everywhere, and made it socially acceptable to eat all the time,“ David Kessler, former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told Reuters. He was not part of the IOM panel.

“We’re living in a food carnival, constantly bombarded by food cues, almost all of them unhealthy,“ Kessler said.

Experience has shown that when businesses offer consumers a full range of choices - and especially when the healthy option is the default - many customers will opt for salads over deep-fried everything.

Walt Disney Co., for instance, found more than 50% of customers accepted a healthier choice of foods introduced at its theme parks. And last summer, fast-food giant McDonald’s Corp said it would include apples, fewer fries, and 20% fewer calories in the most popular Happy Meals for kids.

The IOM report urges employers and insurers to do more to combat obesity. UnitedHealth Group offers a health insurance plan in which a $5,000 yearly deductible can be reduced to $1,000 if a person is not obese and does not smoke. Some employers provide discounts on premiums for completing weight-loss programs.

Such inducements are far from universal, however. The government-run Medicaid healthcare program for the poor and disabled does not cover weight-loss programs in many states. And as of 2008, only 28% of full-time workers in the private sector and 54% in government had access to wellness programs.

~~  Reuters ~~

G-Comm™: Hoppy’s Commentary - Primary Election Observations

—Keith Judd, the odd ball inmate doing time in a Texas prison for making threats at the University of New Mexico, got four out of every ten votes in the Democratic Primary for President Tuesday in West Virginia.  We knew President Obama was unpopular in West Virginia, but… this?  It will be interesting to see how this story gets played.  Is this embarrassing for President Obama?  The state of West Virginia?  I suspect the vast majority of those who voted for Keith Judd did not know he’s a jail bird, but rather they simply cast a protest vote against the President.

—Senator Joe Manchin, who easily won re-nomination Tuesday, says he’s done talking about whether he will support or oppose President Barack Obama in November.  Manchin made national news recently when he said he wasn’t sure he could back the President, but then he appeared to walk back that statement.  During an appearance on Metronews last night, Manchin indicated that he’s said all he’s going to say on the issue.  Unfortunately for Manchin, that bell has already been rung and the Senator may continue to be asked about it throughout the campaign.

—We love to complain about the politicians who are in office, but we almost never throw out incumbents.  Only two incumbent state lawmakers were defeated Tuesday—Democratic Senator Richard Brown from the 9th senatorial district and Democratic Delegate Joe Talbot in the 44th house district race.

—The turnout Tuesday was historic… historically bad.  Unofficially, only about 25 percent of registered voters cast ballots.  That would be the lowest turnout for a Primary Election in West Virginia in 60 years.  The next lowest turnout was 39 percent in 2004.  One reason could be election fatigue; this was the sixth election in West Virginia since the 2010 primary.

—Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney still has some work to do in West Virginia.  Nearly one in three of the Republicans and independents who voted in Tuesday’s Republican Primary, voted for someone other than Romney.  Romney made a private fundraising visit to the state last week, but neither he nor President Obama campaigned here.

—Sally Shepherd grabbed the early lead in the race for the Democratic nomination for Agriculture Commissioner, thanks to support in her home county of Kanawha.  She doubled up Walt Helmick with over 8,000 votes, but as the evening wore on, Helmick eventually caught her and pulled away, winning by 15,000 votes.

—Most predicted that Robin Davis and Tish Chafin would finish one, two in the race for the Democratic nomination to the state Supreme Court, and they did. The question was whether Chafin, who spent the most in the race, would finish first.  However, Davis finished on top by just about one percentage point.  Davis and Chafin will face Republicans John Yoder and Allen Loughry in November.

—Secretary of State Natalie Tennant says her office received a number of complaints from independent voters who had trouble getting the ballot of their choice.  Tennant says it’s important for independents, who can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries, to ask for the ballot they want. 

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Do Not Forget to Vote - Primary 2012

Ron Paul: Enduring Commitments Abroad

Last week President Obama made a surprise pre-dawn trip to Afghanistan to mark the one year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden and to sign a document further extending the US presence in that country. The president said, “we’re building an enduring partnership…As you stand up, you will not stand alone.“ What that means in practice is that the US will continue its efforts to prop up the government in Afghanistan for another ten years beyond the promised withdrawal date of 2014.

To those of us who believe the US should leave Afghanistan immediately, the president retorted, “We must give Afghanistan the opportunity to stabilize.“ But how long will that take, when we have already fought the longest war in our nation’s history at incredible human and economic cost to the nation and no end is in sight?

There is little evidence of any sustained increase in stability in Afghanistan and, in fact, April saw the loss of 34 more American troops and an escalation of violence and upheaval. Within 90 minutes of the president’s departure, seven more people were killed in Kabul by a suicide bomber. It is clear that our presence in that country is not creating any real stability. With Osama bin Laden dead and the al Qaeda presence in Afghanistan virtually non-existent, we are reduced to nation-building in a nation where there is no real nation to build.

We should ask ourselves why Obama’s trip was a “surprise” visit rather than a normal state visit. The reason is that after ten years it is still far too dangerous to travel in or out of that country. Does that not speak much more loudly than the president’s optimistic words about the amazing progress we have made in Afghanistan?

What does our enduring commitment mean? Ask the South Koreans, where the United States has maintained an “enduring commitment” of US troops more than fifty years after hostilities ended. By some estimates the United States taxpayer is saddled with a 40 billion dollar annual price tag for our “enduring commitment” to maintaining a US military presence in Korea. Polls suggest that particularly younger Koreans are tired of the US military presence in their country and would prefer us to leave. The same is true for the residents of Okinawa, who have argued strongly and with some recent success for American troops to leave their island.

The Soviets believed the road to their goal for a universal form of government ran through Afghanistan. They were also wrong and paid an enormous price. However, after nine years and 15,000 Soviet lives lost, the communist regime in Moscow realized its mistake and withdrew from that country. The Soviet withdrawal was complete in early 1989. The Soviet Union by that time had further plunged into economic crisis, fueled in great part by its commitment to maintain a global empire of client states. Later that year, the Soviet world began crashing down, with first the collapse of Eastern European regimes and then the Soviet Union itself. That collapse produced an economic calamity for the successor states from which most have not yet fully recovered. It is not too late for the United States to learn what the Soviets discovered too late, back in 1989. Mr. President: the time to leave Afghanistan is today, not in 2024.

G-Comm™: Bracing for Demographic Winter: The “Overpopulation Crisis”

A new round of calls for punishing austerity and depopulation strategies have sprung up in the wake of a Royal Society report ringing the alarm on the so-called overpopulation crisis. The report, entitled “People and the Planet” was published on April 26th and followed up by a flurry of articles by the usual suspects dutifully parroting the society’s dire warnings about the future of humanity in a crowding world. Paul Ehrlich was even trotted out to chastise the Society for not going far enough in their report, instead intimating that 5 billion people would have to disappear from the face of the earth for the population to be at a “sustainable” level.

       
The irony is that this is the same Paul Ehrlich who was crying wolf about the “Population Bomb” 45 years ago and was proven wrong on almost every prediction he made at the time. In 1968 Ehrlich predicted that “hundreds of millions of people (including Americans) are going to starve to death” in the 1970s, but he was wrong. In 1969 he predicted that “smog disasters” were going be killing 200,000 people per year in cities like New York and L.A. by the mid-70s, but he was wrong. Also in 1969 he actually claimed he “would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.“ Last we checked, England is still here. In 1975 he envisioned that “food riots” in America in the 1980s would lead to the dissolution of Congress, another prediction that failed to come to pass. The next year he argued that “Before 1985, mankind will enter a genuine age of scarcity . . . in which the accessible supplies of many key minerals will be facing depletion.“ Wrong again.

 

Thomas Malthus

       
By 1980, economist Julian Simon had grown weary of listening to the doom and gloom of those who, like Ehrlich, continued to predict one disaster scenario after another in the name of this supposed overpopulation crisis. He offered a wager to anyone who was willing to take him up on it that the price of any given raw material would be lower on any given future date than it was at the time. Paul Ehrlich took him up on the wager, and the two drafted a futures contract obligating Ehrlich to buy $1000 worth of copper, chrome, nickel, tin, and tungsten from Simon in 1990 at 1980 prices. By the time the contract matured, the prices had fallen and Ehrlich was forced to cut Simon a check for $576.07. Simon offered a further $20,000 wager with the added incentive that Ehrlich could pick whatever resources and whatever time frame he wished, but Ehrlich had learned the valuable lesson not to put his money where his mouth was.

       
Despite a career of failed arguments and predictions that never came true, Ehrlich won a MacArthur Foundation genius grant and is still treated as a venerated, knowledgeable figure on the subject of population. The problem, of course, is that adherents of his particular brand of doomsaying are inclined to believe these predictions of doom because it affirms their Malthusian worldview. Thomas Malthus was an employee of the British East India Company who hit upon the idea that food production increases arithmetically while population increases exponentially. Thus, argued Malthus in his infamous 1798 “Essay on the Principle of Population,“ it was a mathematical certainty that the world was on a crash course for demographic disaster. The problem for Malthus and his acolytes, however, is that they have in each and every generation failed to understand that the question of population and resources is not a zero-sum game. In each and every generation since Malthus first wrote his treatise, human ingenuity has developed technologies and techniques that have helped to expand the arable land for farming and agriculture and increased the number of crops that can be grown in each acre, even as the number of people required to work that land has fallen. Every generation a new crop of Malthusians emerge to argue that this time the expansion of the food supply will fail and the world will be plunged into chaos, and in each and every generation the predicted apocalypse has failed to arrive. Worse yet for those who argue so strenuously for the Here we are over 200 years later and the Malthusians of our own time continue to argue that the same disaster that has failed to arrive for two centuries is now just around the corner.

       
Unfortunately we don’t have to dig very deep to see the dark side of this Malthusian bent.  In 1969, Ehrlich stated that if voluntary birth control methods did not curb population growth fast enough for his liking, governments might have to consider “the addition of a temporary sterilant to staple food or to the water supply.“ In 1972 UN climate guru Maurice Strong argued that governments should license couples to have children. In 1977, Obama “science czar” John Holdren co-authored with Ehrlich a tome called “Ecoscience” that mused once again about the possibility of forced abortions and sterilants in the water supply as a way of curbing population growth. In 2002, the editor of the Earth Island Institute’s online magazine lamented the introduction of electricity to Africa. The Malthusian philosophy is the perfect false front for an ideology that bemoans economic development and technological progress.

       
Interestingly, even the UN’s own population and fertility estimates show that overpopulation is not the real problem. The UN is projecting a world population of 9 billion by 2050 and a leveling off after that point. The global fertility rate (children per couple) was 4.95 in 1950-1955. It was 2.79 in 2000-2005. It is expected to be 1.63 in 2095-2100. To put that in perspective, the replacement fertility rate that would be required to maintain the population at current levels is projected to be 2.1 in developed countries and as high as 3.4 in developing countries due to higher child mortality rates. With a global fertility rate of 1.63 by the end of the century, the human race will be essentially breeding itself out of existence.

       
Quite contrary to the projections of the Malthusians, the very real danger to the economy and the species itself is the very real demographic shift that happens in a shrinking population. This phenomenon is referred to as demographic winter and has been understood by demographers for decades. Population is still growing because of high fertility rates in previous generations and longer life spans, but declining fertility rates will turn into population decline in a number of nations within the century should these trends hold. The countries of the developed world, with their fertility rates already in decline, will be the first to experience the effects of this transition. Countries like Greece, Russia, Taiwan, Lithuania, South Korea and others that already have a fertility rate below 1.5 and little influx of immigrants are either already declining in population or are expected to within a decade.

       
Japan is one of the countries on the forefront of this decline. Having some of the longest-lived people on the planet and ranking 202 out of 220 countries and regions for fertility rates, Japan is already starting to cope with the effects of a rapidly aging population. The Japanese government is increasingly turning to politically painful measures just to try to keep the country’s massive social security program going. Accounting for 29 percent of its $1.12 trillion dollar 2012 budget, the cost of taking care of Japan’s pensioners is only going to increase as more and more of the post-war boomer generation begin to come up for retirement. The workers per retiree ratio is falling across the majority of the globe, with Japan falling from 9.1 workers per retiree in 1965 to a projected worker/retiree parity in 2050. In effect, by the middle of the century each Japanese worker will be asked to pay for the retirement of one of their elders. This is of course completely untenable, but the political will to make changes to the system is utterly lacking, especially since the majority of the population is retired or retiring in the near future and is unlikely to vote themselves out of an entitlement system they have spent their life paying into. Instead, the Japanese Prime Minister du jour, Yoshihiko Noda, is trying to rally the country around tax hikes that are explicitly aimed at making up social security shortfalls.

       
The situation, while perhaps more acute in Japan, is common to countries across the developed world, including the United States. No one entering the work force today expects there to be a social security system of the kind that exists today by the time they reach retirement, but there is no way to put the brakes on a system of unfunded liabilities that today’s retirees spent their life “paying into.“ Reforming the system seems a politically quixotic quest, and is the ultimate Catch-22 inherent in the program itself since the moment of its inception under FDR in the 1930s. A population suffering from the effects of the Great Depression was promised a program that would take care of them in old age. Now during our current ongoing depression, what little social security payouts that the boomers have inherited after a lifetime of paying in is being inflated away into nothing by Helicopter Ben and the quantitative easing crew. Europe is even worse, with retirees and pensioners committing public suicide in places like Greece rather than subject themselves to a life of picking through garbage in the wake of Eurocrat-dictated austerity measures.

       
Other economic effects of the greying population will begin to make themselves felt in the coming years, as well. Real estate and stock market declines are inevitable in a society with an increasing number of aging retirees cinching up the purse strings and fewer young couples buying houses or investing in the markets.  Declines in saving rates, outputs per capita and living standards are all likewise projected as inevitable in a world of shrinking population. Given the immensity of the problems generated by this demographic transition, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the Malthusians have placed the problem of the “population bomb” on its head: the real “Population Bomb” of the 21st century is not the problem of too many people, but too few.

       
The Malthusians tend to argue that their end goal is that imagined state of “sustainability” by which the economy of the future will not be predicated on growth, but instead will be a static system that will maintain itself via renewability. Whatever one thinks of the viability or desirability of such a system, the stark fact is that such a system is impossible in the paradigm of declining fertility rates. In fact, in order to achieve sustainability, the human race would have to find a way to reverse the fertility decline. It’s an irony that aging doomsayers like Ehrlich and Holdren may not live long enough to behold come to fruition in their lifetime, but to achieve the very goals they claim to be aiming toward, there may be only one hope for the human species: Bring on the babies.

~~  James Corbett ~~

G-Comm™: Hoppy’s Commentary - Election Day

It’s Primary Election Day in West Virginia.  Voters are choosing their nominees for local, state and federal offices for the Republican and Democratic Parties for the November General Election.

Additionally, in most counties, voters will choose members of local school boards in non-partisan elections, and some counties will have local issues on the ballot, such as school levies.

Perhaps you could not blame West Virginia voters if they are a little burned out on elections.  Today’s primary makes the sixth election since the 2010 primary, thanks to special primaries and elections to fill vacancies for U.S. Senator and Governor, following the death of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd.

The peculiar circumstances put West Virginia in a state of nearly constant campaign mode for the last two years.  Politics can be great sport, but we can grow weary of the campaign signs, commercials and promises.

Yet, we cannot allow the frequency to diminish the importance.

Of course it matters who is nominated and ultimately elected.  It’s often said that we get the government we deserve.  If true, then we, the voters, bear a fundamental responsibility for the quality of leadership that we get.

Hugo Black, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice, said, “No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws.”

The counter arguments for apathy are that “my vote doesn’t matter,” suggesting that either one vote doesn’t make a difference or that somehow all politicians are the same.

As to the latter, they are not.  True, they may, as a whole, have a greater sense of self-importance, but their views are as varied as the constituents they represent.

On the issue of the significance of a single vote, consider the Bush-Gore race in 2000 when the margin of victory in five states was less than 1.5%.  In Florida, Bush’s edge in the popular vote was .00092%.

Personally, I always get a thrill out of voting.  I leave the polls feeling as though I’ve fulfilled a worthy civic responsibility.  I’m tempted to call candidates I voted for to tell them so, as if my vote has created some bond between us (For the record, I don’t).

Still, it means something to say, through your vote, “I’m with you.”  Politicians, who take their responsibilities seriously, often talk about feeling humbled by the support they receive.

Potential voters, disillusioned by politics or disgusted by politicians, need to hear the higher calling.  Candidates come and go, promises are kept and broken, campaign ads distort the truth, but ultimately elections are about freedom and democracy.

The foundation of democracy is the consent of the governed.  It’s only by the blessing of the people through their willing participation in elections that the power accorded government is legitimate and moral. 

Monday, May 07, 2012

Fight to Protect Jobs at NASA IV&V, FBI Center & Paves Way for New Federal Prison

Vows to Continue to Fight for WV Projects Through Appropriations Process

Senator Jay Rockefeller today announced that he will continue to fight for jobs in West Virginia, and most recently, he worked to protect and create jobs at multiple federal facilities in the state by preventing funding cuts and securing new funding that will allow a new federal prison in Preston County to be fully staffed and operational next year.

“We must make sure that funding is available to protect jobs in our communities, and I pledge to continue that fight,” said Rockefeller.  “As Congress is taking serious steps to reduce the deficit – including passing more than $2 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years – we need to make sure those cuts are targeted so they don’t hurt good jobs.  It is great news that so many facilities in West Virginia should continue to receive funding – including the critical work that our researchers do at the NASA IV&V Center in Fairmont, and the efforts of those at the FBI Center in Clarksburg to make sure each of us is safe.  And this funding should also help build a new prison in Hazelton which will create hundreds of jobs in the area.  I will continue to fight for these jobs and programs as the appropriations process continues.”

Throughout the FY 2013 appropriations process, Rockefeller is continuing to contact appropriators, cabinet secretaries, federal officials, and others to protect jobs and facilities in West Virginia from cuts and to identify opportunities for expansion.

The Senate Appropriations Committee recently marked up the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill for the Fiscal Year 2013.  In this bill, Rockefeller worked to protect and secure funding for the following projects:

•      NASA Independent Verification and Validation Center – Fairmont

Led the effort to restore funding for NASA IV&V activities in West Virginia and protect 40 contractor jobs at the 280-employee facility which were in danger of severe cuts.  As Chairman of the Commerce Committee, Rockefeller has taken a number of steps to promote the innovation capacity of the facility and its importance to national competitiveness.  NASA IV&V checks and double-checks all software used in NASA space missions.

•      FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems Division – Clarksburg

Safeguarded the budget that supports the operations and more than 2,500 employees of the CJIS.  CJIS is responsible for several major FBI programs with the mission of reducing terrorist and criminal activities through programs including Fingerprint Identification, the National Crime Information Center, Uniform Crime Reporting, and the National Incident-Based Reporting System.

•      New Federal Prison – Hazelton

Secured $27 million in federal funding to start a new Federal Correction Institution in Hazelton, which will create about 300 new jobs.  As the third prison in Hazelton, it is expected to be completed this fall.  The appropriated funds will allow the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to fully equip, staff, and begin operations of the facility next year.

•      Seven Existing Federal Prisons - Beckley, Gilmer, Welch, Hazelton (2), Morgantown, Alderson

Protected funding for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons which will maintain operations and funding at all of West Virginia’s federal prisons and prevent job losses at the facilities.  Each prison supports about 300 - 350 employees.

•      Green Bank Observatory – Green Bank

Protected funding and 130 jobs at the observatory which faced funding cuts.  The facility has the largest steerable radio telescope in the world and often collaborates with West Virginia University on research efforts.

G-Fin™: U.S.A.: Economic Brief – 05.04.12

Employment Situation

Non-farm payroll employment rose by 115,000 in April, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.1%.

Employment increased in professional and business services, retail trade, and health care, but declined in transportation and warehousing.

Productivity and Costs

Productivity declined 0.5% in the nonfarm business sector in the first quarter 2012; unit labor costs rose 2.0% (seasonally adjusted annual rates).

In manufacturing, productivity grew 5.9% and unit labor costs fell 4.2%.

Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment (Monthly)

Jobless rates were lower in March than a year earlier in 342 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 16, and unchanged in 14.

Non-farm payroll employment was up in 267 metropolitan areas over the year, down in 96, and unchanged in 9.

Quarterly Data Series on Business Employment Dynamics

In third quarter 2011, gross job gains from opening and expanding private sector establishments increased to 7.1 million.

Gross job losses from closing and contracting private sector establishments remained unchanged at 6.3 million.

Promise to Protect West Virginians from Student Loan Rate Spike

Senator Jay Rockefeller today announced he is pushing for legislation to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling on July 01, 2012.

“College students everywhere are struggling to pay their student loan bills,” said Rockefeller.  “The last thing we want to do to them is double the interest rate and force students into a bigger struggle to pay off loans.  Thousands of West Virginia students and families are trying to pay off college debt.  The Senate bill that I am supporting would prevent a surge in rates.  We need to give our students the opportunity to grow and thrive.”

Background:

If Congress does not act by July 01, the interest rate on federal student loans will rise from 3.4% to 6.8%.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, last year, 71,917 West Virginia students received $306 million in Stafford subsidized loans.

Americans now have over $870 billion in student loan debt.  On average, students graduated college in 2010 with about $25,250 in student loan debt, and because of the tough economy, many then had hard times finding jobs.

Rockefeller has also supported the ‘Know Before You Owe Private Student Loan Act’.

The bill would require private lenders of student loans to provide clear and accurate information to students seeking loans.

Private student loan rates often have uncapped variable interest rates, unlike federal student loans, and recently spiked as high as 18%.

The bill would make sure that students are aware of the potential for such high rates before taking on such risk.

Manchin’s Message from the Hill to the Mountains: The Next Step for Our Post Offices

Just before leaving for a weeklong state work period in April, the Senate passed the 21st Century Postal Service Act, a bill to address the massive deficit facing the United States Postal Service (USPS). I know the grave financial situation facing the USPS is of great concern to West Virginians since so many of our rural post offices are facing potential closure. I want West Virginians to know what they can expect when it comes to the future of our post offices.

While the postal reform bill has passed the Senate, action is still being awaited in the House. Until the House acts, I believe the Postal Service must extend the current moratorium on post office closures – which is scheduled to expire on May 15.  Unless the moratorium is extended, post offices could be forced to close between May 15 and the time a postal reform bill is signed into law.

This week, I sent a letter with a bipartisan group of 43 Senators urging the U.S. Postal Service to extend its current moratorium on post office closures until after a postal reform bill becomes law. I am hopeful that the USPS will approve this request, giving our post offices some much-needed protection.

Around the country, 3,700 post offices could be forced to close as the Postal Service looks to cut costs – including 150 post offices in West Virginia. I have said loud and clear: I do not believe that the Postal Service should balance its books on the backs of rural communities. Instead, the Postal Service should consider other viable ways to cut costs that won’t affect services on the front lines, including eliminating excess rental space and reducing advertising expenditures on luxuries like sponsorship of a NASCAR team and a Tour de France team.

Before even one more post office is forced to close their doors, the Postal Service should reevaluate the way it compensates executives with bonuses. I don’t think anyone would believe that former Postmaster General John Potter earned $501,384 in 2010 – more than the President of the United States.

Closing these 3,700 post offices would only save the Postal Service $200 million. That is just 1 percent of the sum the Postal Service needs to straighten out its financial situation, and approximately the same amount of money we spend in one day in Afghanistan.

Because I truly believe the Postal Service can fix its finances without closing the post offices that are such an integral part of the fabric of our communities, I offered an amendment to the postal reform bill that would have prohibited any post office from closing for a period of two years, and would have protected 35,000 jobs at mail processing facilities that could also close. Unfortunately, my amendment failed 43-53, and because I did not feel the overall postal reform bill offered enough protection to our post offices, I voted against the legislation.

However, it is important to note that the postal reform bill includes a provision offered by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that would prohibit rural post offices from closing for a period of one year. Though my amendment was stronger, since it gave post offices and postal facilities two years of guaranteed protection, I co-sponsored the McCaskill-Merkley amendment because I believe that some protection for our postal facilities is better than nothing.

Having grown up in the small town of Farmington, West Virginia, I truly understand the vital role our post offices play in rural communities. They are more than just a place to send and receive mail – they are the way we stay connected to the country as a whole. I want West Virginians to know that I am doing everything in my power to save our rural post offices.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Is Manchin a ‘True Democrat’?

Eighteen months after being elected to fill the remainder of the term of the late Robert C. Byrd, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s performance is up for review when he takes on former Monongalia County legislator Sheirl Fletcher in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Manchin has come under recent scrutiny about his party loyalty, in part for saying he is not sure whether he will vote for President Barack Obama or presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney in November.

Fletcher, a former Republican, says she is skeptical of Manchin’s allegiance and touts herself as a “true Democrat.”

Manchin says no matter how people view him; he is not giving in to criticism.

He calls himself “a true West Virginia Democrat” and believes he is looking out for the future of the state’s residents, especially children.

~~  A Reader’s Comment ~~
This picture says it all
Is Joe with Him or Not?

Early Voting Suggests Low Turnout for May 2012 Primary

More than 37,500 West Virginians have voted early ahead of the May 08 primary, with turnout appearing light amid a dearth of contested races on the ballot.

The figure reflects in-person and absentee ballots cast as of Wednesday, after seven days of early voting.

The early voting period ends today, Saturday, May 05, 2012.

Election officials will not open or tally any of these early votes until after the polls close Tuesday.

West Virginia had 70,815 early voters during the last presidential primary year, in 2008.

Democratic primary voters chose Hillary Clinton over the party’s eventual nominee, President Barack Obama. That year’s general election saw a record 153,096 early votes.

“The high water mark is the 2008 general,‘’ noted Jake Glance, spokesman for Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, West Virginia’s elections chief.

Tennant’s office provided the early voting figures. With this year’s presidential nominees all but decided, the biggest races May 08 are both on the Democratic ballot.

Five candidates seek the nomination in a bid to succeed retiring Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass.

Another six are campaigning for the party’s nod in the two-seat state Supreme Court race.

Republican candidates for these offices are all assured of moving on to November.

The Democrats also have just 28 contested races among the 67 House of Delegates districts, while the Republicans have 15.

The Democrats also have all six of the contested state Senate races, out of 17 seats on the ballot.

Democrats account for 52% of the state’s voters, but 61% of the early votes.

Around 29 of the early votes have come from Republicans, in keeping with their share of registered voters.

Both major parties allow unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in their primaries. More than 3,400 had done so as of Wednesday.

These independent voters represent the fastest growing portion of the state’s electorate, with 210,500 people currently registered outside of the major parties compared to less than 85,000 in 2000.

The state-based Mountain Party also has ballot access in West Virginia, and has five House of Delegates candidates. Its voters have cast 10 early ballots.

A Minute with Jay - 05.04.12

G-Comm™: Difficult Days Ahead in Afghanistan and at Home

On May 01, 2012 in a televised address from Afghanistan, President Obama said, “There will be difficult days ahead. The enormous sacrifices of our men and women are not over.”

That’s an understatement.

In fact the current US policy in the region demands of the Afghan people a massive sacrifice as well.

Without a new strategy — not the slow downsizing of the Afghanistan war over the next decade — there will indeed be difficult days ahead.

Instead of helping, the continued US presence jeopardizes the Afghan people’s future, as it does our future here at home.

The future of the Afghan economy and its people’s aspirations is stalled by the unwillingness to leave sooner rather than later. Corruption and graft are bred by US funding and the occupation.

Furthermore, the US has no clear strategy for a negotiated peace or a framework for sustainable economic development in Afghanistan.

Today, two-thirds of the US people across the political spectrum want the war to end now. In poll after poll they readily connect the government’s ability to deal with the economic crisis in our communities to ending the war.

The longer the troops stay in Afghanistan, the more desperately needed resources will be withheld from our cities, schools, libraries and hospitals.

The projected 2013 price-tag for the war will be $88 billion dollars, while unemployment hovers at 10 percent and triple that among young people of color. The current Pentagon budget is $800 billion a year without a real cut in sight.

As long as the troops stay in Afghanistan, and the US pursues a militarized foreign policy, the possibility of US sustainable economic development and a stronger democracy is as impossible here as it is in Afghanistan.

The White House fact sheet issued along with Obama’s speech emphasized that the Strategic Partnership Agreement itself “does not commit the United States to any specific troop levels or levels of funding in the future, as those are decisions will be made in consultation with the U.S. Congress.” And funding from Congress will be requested on an annual basis to support the training, equipping, advising and sustaining of Afghan National Security Forces.”

The agreement just signed leaves us with the yearly Congressional fight over funding the war. A full-throated, massive pressure campaign is needed.

That’s where we have to draw the line and make the fight in the next few weeks to cut the Pentagon budget and for a negotiated peace, not a prolonged downsized war.

The Congressional elections will be the battleground for exerting the popular opinion of ending a war that is not only unwinnable but in fact is a roadblock to both the US and Afghan people from achieving a decent life, schools, healthcare and jobs.

President Obama said in his speech to the nation, “Others will ask why we don’t leave immediately. The answer is also clear: we must give Afghanistan the opportunity to stabilize.”

But the underlying problems in Afghanistan are little served by foreign armies and military “solutions.” The reality is that until the US and NATO forces leave Afghanistan both the Afghan and US peoples will have more than a few difficult days ahead. We’ll have difficult years ahead.

~~  Judith Le Blanc - The Field Director for Peace Action ~~

Thursday, May 03, 2012

McKinley’s Fears of “Obamacare” in Recent Report—Mandated Changes to Cost Companies Billions

Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV) is responding to a recent study prepared for the Ways and Means Committee to examine data from America’s Fortune 100 companies.  It was revealed these companies could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year under the new health care law by simply terminating health insurance for their workers.

“These workers will be forced into expensive taxpayer-funded health care exchanges which could be financially devastating to many families,” said Rep. McKinley. “I hear this everyday when I talk to my constituents in the district.  They have real fears over this dramatic change in their health care.”

In the report based on the data received, if the 71 Fortune 100 companies quit offering health care coverage and then paid the employer mandate penalty, they could save a total of:

•  $28.6 billion in 2014 (an average savings of over $400 million per company)

•  $422.4 billion from 2014-2023 (an average savings of nearly $6 billion per company)

“The President’s and the Democrat’s health care law threatens the stability and sustainability of the employer-based health insurance system,” said Rep. McKinley.  “As I have stated in the past, many Americans won’t be able to keep the health care plan they have and like now.”

More than 70% of America’s Fortune 100 companies detailed their health care costs for the Committee, providing the ability to analyze how those self-reported costs would compare to ending employer-sponsored insurance and paying the employer mandate penalty.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) conducted its own survey and found 64 percent of its members are going to pay more, as well, due to the new health care law. The NFIB report says as a result, the majority of small business owners is not as optimistic about their future.

“We’ve had enough finger pointing,” added Rep. McKinley.  “It’s now time to come up with solutions.  Everyone is now holding their breath to see what the U.S. Supreme Court decides.  If it does strike down the current health care law, we don’t want to go back to the old system but have an alternative, bipartisan plan in place.”

G-Comm™: The Empire Strikes Back: Attack of the Drones

“The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.”—James Madison

Drones—unmanned aerial vehicles—come in all shapes and sizes, from nano-sized drones as small as a grain of sand that can do everything from conducting surveillance to detonating explosive charges, to massive “hunter/killer” Predator warships that unleash firepower from on high. Once used exclusively by the military to carry out aerial surveillance and attacks on enemy insurgents abroad, these remotely piloted, semi-autonomous robots have now been authorized by Congress and President Obama for widespread use in American airspace. The military empire is coming home to roost.

While there are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S., the Obama administration is calling for drone technology to be integrated into the national air space by 2015. By 2020, just eight short years from now, it is estimated that at least 30,000 of these drones will be crisscrossing the nation’s skies, serving a wide range of functions, both public and private, governmental and corporate. The end result, however, will be the same: we will find ourselves operating under a new paradigm marked by round-the-clock surveillance and with little hope of real privacy, a paradigm foisted upon us and from which there will be no escape, short of living in a cave, far removed from the reach of modern technology. Caves, by the way, are rather scarce.

While the legislative vehicle for this rapid transition into a surveillance state came in the guise of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama in February 2012, it was steamrollered into place after intense corporate lobbying by drone makers and potential customers hoping to capitalize on the $12 - 30 billion per year industry.

As with every egregious government policy, there are politicians who stand to make money off the implementation of drones in America. Fifty-three members of the House of Representatives are part of the drone caucus which works to expand the use of drones domestically. So far this election season, 15 members of the caucus have received a total of $68,500 from General Atomics PAC, the political action committee of the drone manufacturer General Atomics. There is also a lobbying group with 507 corporate members spread across 55 countries, the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International, which is responsible for the language in the FAA bill which mandates the accelerated implementation of drone technology. Thus, our so-called representatives and the corporations which support them will make a great deal of money off of the decimation of Americans’ privacy rights.

While the threat these drones pose to privacy is unprecedented, they are being unleashed on the American populace before any real protocols to protect our privacy rights have been put in place and in such a way as to completely alter the landscape of our lives and our freedoms. We are truly entering a new era. Once the realm of science fiction and dystopian literature, the all-seeing surveillance state, powered by the latest and greatest in robot technology, is the reality with which we must now contend.

Drones are outfitted with infrared cameras and radar which will pierce through the darkness, allowing the police to keep track of anyone walking around, regardless of the nature of their business. Police drones are equipped with thermal imaging devices to see through walls. There is absolutely nowhere to hide from these machines—even in your home.

As Congressmen Edward Markey and Joe Barton pointed out in a recent letter to the FAA:

[S]tate and local governments, businesses, and private individuals are increasingly using unmanned aircraft in the U.S., including deployments for law enforcement operations. As technology advances and cost decreases—drones are already orders of magnitude less expensive to purchase and operate than piloted aircraft—the market for federal, state, and local government and commercial drones rapidly grows.

Many drones are designed to carry surveillance equipment, including video cameras, infrared thermal imagers, radar, and wireless network “sniffers.” The surveillance power of drones is amplified when the information from onboard sensors is used in conjunction with facial recognition, behavior analysis, license plate recognition, or any other system that can identify and track individuals as they go about their daily lives.

While drones will undoubtedly be put to a host of legitimate uses, such as helping to spot wildfires, monitoring illegal border crossings, and carrying out search-and-rescue missions, their “beneficence” is a double-edged sword. Indeed, in the name of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, law enforcement agencies will find a whole host of clever and innovative ways to use drones to invade our daily lives, not the least of which will be traffic enforcement and crowd control.

In fact, the drones will be outfitted with crowd control weapons. Vanguard Defense Industries has confirmed that its Shadowhawk drone, which is already being sold to law enforcement agencies throughout the country, will be outfitted with lethal weapons, including a grenade launcher or a shotgun, and weapons of compliance, such as tear gas and rubber buckshot. Such aerial police weapons send a clear and chilling message to those attempting to exercise their First Amendment rights by taking to the streets and protesting government policies—the message: stay home.

American scientists have created blueprints for nuclear powered drones which would increase air time from days to months. Potential problems are dire, such as a crashed drone becoming a dirty bomb or a source of nuclear propulsion for any terrorist groups that get their hands on it. However, while the lethal capabilities of these drones are troubling, especially when one factors in the possibility of them getting into the wrong hands or malfunctioning, the more pressing concern has to do with the drones’ surveillance capabilities. With the help of nanotechnology, scientists have been able to create ever-smaller drones that mimic the behavior of birds and insects and are almost undetectable. Despite their diminutive size, these drones are capable of capturing and relaying vast amounts of data and high-definition video footage. It’s inevitable that as more local police agencies acquire these spy flies, their surveillance efforts will expand to include not only those suspected of criminal activity but anyone within range of the cameras. In such a surveillance state, we shall all be treated as suspects.

There are many constitutional concerns presented by drones recording Americans’ daily activities, with the most obvious being what it means for the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents. While it will certainly give rise to a whole new dialogue about where to draw the line when it comes to the government’s ability to monitor one’s public versus private lives, the courts have been notorious for their inability to keep pace with rapid advances in technology and its impact on our freedoms.

Unfortunately, it is too late to do anything about drones coming home to roost. Indeed, as drone technology expert Peter W. Singer recognizes in remarks to the New York Times, “the debate over drones is like debating the merits of computers in 1979: They are here to stay, and the boom has barely begun. ‘We are at the Wright Brothers Flier stage of this,’ he said.” The point is that with 56 government agencies now authorized to use drones, including 22 law enforcement agencies and 24 universities, the drones are not going away. Included among the institutions authorized to fly drones are police departments in Arkansas, Utah and Florida as well as Virginia Tech and the University of North Dakota. The University of North Dakota even has a degree program in unmanned vehicle flight with 78 majors.

As with just about every freedom-leeching, technology-driven government policy inflicted on us by Congress and the White House in recent years, from whole-body scanners in airports to RFID chips in our passports and drivers licenses, the mass introduction of drones into domestic airspace has one main goal: to empower the corporate state by controlling the populace and enriching the military industrial complex. In the meantime, all you can do is keep your eyes on the skies. As Singer noted, “There’s no stopping this technology. Anybody who thinks they can put this genie back in the box—that’s silliness.”

~~  John Whitehead ~~

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

G-Comm™: Gilmer Countians & GCDA Need to Take A Proactive Part in Gilmer County’s Future

The House of Representatives is considering H.R. 1380, New Alternative Transportation To Give Americans Solutions Act Of 2011.

This would provide a significant source of economic support for Gilmer County. Oil and gas development and the resulting income for Gilmer County have been one of the contributors to our economy since the first oil well was drilled in the early 1900s.

The bill supports the use of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles. It would provide tax credits for manufacturers, infrastructure builders and consumers that either supply, support or use vehicles powered by natural gas.

Being able to use natural gas for vehicle fuel provides consumers with a lower cost alternative to high gasoline prices. It would also provide additional motivation for the development of shale oil and gas resources and provide a boost to our country’s energy self-sufficiency.

America currently imports nine to twelve million barrels of foreign oil daily. Increased natural gas production and its use for transportation could reduce the demand for gasoline and the support for high global oil prices.

Congressman McKinley proved he is a friend of coal during his recent town hall meeting at Glenville State College. He has worked constantly to support coal mining and the associated jobs in West Virginia.

In the case of natural gas, Congressman McKinley does not currently support Bill 1380 because of his anti-subsidy stance.

While subsidies have often led to abuse and loss of our tax dollars, the support of natural gas as a vehicle fuel would directly benefit consumers and lead to less dependence on foreign oil. It’s time for Congressman McKinley to prove he’s also a friend of natural gas.

This is an opportunity for Gilmer Countians and our own Gilmer County Economic Development Association to take a proactive part in Gilmer County’s future by contacting Congressman McKinley’s office and expressing support for Bill 1380.

By also encouraging your friends to contact his office, we can make a difference not only in our county’s future but also in supporting America’s energy independence.

You can contact Congressman McKinley’s office in Washington DC at 202.225.4172 or by email at “repmckinley@mail.house.gov”. His staff assistant for energy is Corey Toth.

~~  Darren Feit ~~

 

Ron Paul: The Costs Of War

This month Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced the addition of some 1,900 mental health nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to its existing workforce of 20,590 mental health staff in attempt to get a handle on the epidemic of suicides among combat veterans. Unfortunately, when presidents misuse our military on an unprecedented scale – and Congress lets them get away with it – the resulting stress causes military suicides to increase dramatically, both among active duty and retired service members.  In fact, military deaths from suicide far outnumber combat deaths. According to an article in the Air Force Times this month, suicides among airmen are up 40 percent over last year.

Considering the multiple deployments service members are forced to endure as the war in Afghanistan stretches into its second decade, these figures are sadly unsurprising.

Ironically, the same VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to retire from the Army by President Bush for daring to suggest that an invasion and occupation of Iraq would not be the cakewalk that neoconservatives promised. Then Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who is not a military veteran, claimed that General Shinseki was “wildly off the mark” for suggesting that several hundred thousand soldiers would be required to secure post-invasion Iraq. Now we see who was right on the costs of war.

In addition to the hidden human costs of our seemingly endless wars are the economic costs. In 2008, Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz wrote “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict.“ Stiglitz illustrates that taking into account the total costs of the war, including replacing military equipment and caring for thousands of wounded veterans for the rest of their lives, the Iraq war will cost us orders of magnitude greater than the 50 billion dollars promised by the White House before the invasion. Add all the costs of Afghanistan into the mix, wrote Stiglitz, and the bill tops $7 trillion.

Is it any wonder why our infrastructure at home crumbles, healthcare is more expensive and harder to come by, and unemployment together with inflation continue their steady rise? Imagine the productive power of that seven trillion dollars in our private sector. What could it have done were it in private hands; what may have been discovered, what diseases might have been cured, what might have been built, how many productive jobs created?

With the bills coming due for our decade of reckless military action, the cuts rarely come from the well-connected military industrial complex with their lobbyists and powerful political allies. In President Obama’s 2013 budget, troop strength is to be cut significantly while enormously expensive and largely superfluous weapons systems emerge essentially unscathed. As defense analyst Winslow Wheeler wrote this month, costs of the “next generation” fighter, the F-35, will increase by another $289 million. This despite the fact that the fighter is badly designed and already outdated, a “virtual flying piano” writes Wheeler.

The military contractors building monstrosities like the F-35 are politically connected and thus protected. Unfortunately, returning military veterans are less so. In the same 2013 budget, the White House proposes to increase medical and pharmaceutical costs paid by veterans while reducing their cost of living increases. And how many years of increasingly alarming mental illness and suicide statistics has it taken for the modest increase in resources to be made available?

Those who predicted the real costs of our decade of global military conquest were ridiculed, scoffed at, and fired. History has now shown us that much of what they warned was correct. America is clearly less secure after a decade of unnecessary wars. It is more vulnerable and closer to economic collapse. Its military is nearly broken from years of abuse. Will we come back to our senses?

G-Comm&trade: To Maximize Shale Gas Development Benefits, We Have to Get It Right at the Beginning

You may have read some stories in recent days about a field hearing I held as Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

The title we put on it was “Shale Gas Development:  Meeting the Transportation, Pipeline, and Rail Needs to Renew American Manufacturing.” Now, that’s just a fancy way of saying we talked about a subject you’re familiar with: the boom of shale gas development in West Virginia.

We touched on a number of things during the discussion. For example, Marshall County Sheriff John Gruzinskas told us all about the damage to his community’s roads from heavy trucks, and danger from out-of-state subcontractors who are unfamiliar with our winding West Virginia roads. We talked about what is being done by responsible companies to mitigate those problems, and whether we must do more like hiring drivers who know our roads.

But the big picture is that shale gas offers tremendous opportunity to West Virginia. The experts I convened know what it will take to guarantee West Virginia maximizes the full potential of this booming industry. Through the Commerce Committee, my aim was to look at the infrastructure needs we must meet to mobilize a rebirth of West Virginia manufacturing.

The fact is, every aspect of shale development presents us with both challenges and opportunities. In my experience, the only way to maximize opportunities over the long haul is to understand and tackle the challenges smartly. Whether highway issues or pipeline safety, if West Virginia gets it right up front – if we find and follow best practices, meet developers’ needs and address community concerns – future success knows no bounds.

We all know that the existence of natural gas in West Virginia isn’t new. What’s different today is that it can accessed more affordably with new technology and that’s creating an economic boom with far-reaching impacts. That’s why you see evidence of shale development all the time. It’s hard to miss.

My hearing was unique from other discussions about shale gas development and reflected the jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee over aspects of the industry. The point is that there are growing infrastructure needs that must be addressed as a high priority.

Roads and trucks:
I know the state and industry have worked together to address local road needs, and many are vigilant about repairs and safety. Road damage happens, but so do repairs and preventive maintenance. It’s critical that we understand how companies and communities can work together, better.

Natural gas pipelines:
Gas development is happening across a broad region, and my Committee has an interest in the safety of pipelines. We need to be vigilant in building and operating them to minimize impact on communities while assuring public safety. I was happy we identified some issues to be aware of, and how it’s important that we work together to move forward.

Infrastructure needs of manufacturers:
Chemical facilities rely on shale gas liquids, and our state has a long history of chemical manufacturing. We need safe, affordable and competitive rail infrastructure to support the viable movement of goods to market and for exporting.

I’m convinced that if we wisely approach each of these issues now, we can fully capitalize on this opportunity in front of us.

You hear a lot about an ethane “cracker” plant, and for good reason. The processing of ethane to ethylene is a game-changer for jobs, especially those in manufacturing and chemical sectors. This potential manufacturing renaissance – growing out of the shale boom – could ripple positive effects across our state for years to come.

But shale gas development, and the promise it holds for West Virginia, is about more than one plant. It’s about smart solutions for more than one challenge, be it road, rail or anything else.

It’s about doing what we can—when we can—to make sure our state is all that it can be. Shale gas development holds promise. For our future and our families, it’s up to us all to get it right. 

Monday, April 30, 2012

G-Fin™: U.S.A.: Economic Brief – 04.27.12

Employment Cost Index

Wages and salaries and benefit costs for civilian workers rose 0.5%, seasonally adjusted, from December 2011 to March 2012.

Over the year, compensation rose 1.9%, wages and salaries 1.7%, and benefits 2.7%.

Mass Layoffs (Monthly)

In March, employers took 1,273 mass layoff actions involving 121,310 workers.

Mass layoff events decreased by 20 from February, while associated initial claims increased by 1,847.

Gross Domestic Product, 1st quarter 2012 (Advance Estimate)

Real gross domestic product—the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States—increased at an annual rate of 2.2% in the first quarter of 2012 (that is, from the fourth quarter to the first quarter).

In the fourth quarter of 2011, real GDP increased 3.0%.

Advance Gross Domestic Product by Industry, 2011

Durable-goods manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services, and information services were the leading contributors to U.S. economic growth in 2011, according to advance statistics on the breakout of real gross domestic product (GDP) by industry.

Overall, 15 of 22 industry groups contributed to the 1.7% increase in real GDP.

Local Area Personal Income, 2010

Among large counties (those with a population of at least 250,000), personal income grew 3.7% in 2010, equaling the growth rate for the nation.

Personal income in small and medium-sized counties grew 3.9% and 3.6% respectively in 2010.