| A Slanted Look At West Virginia News
Bob Weaver
BREATHING BETTER - The American Lung Association has slammed West Virginia and nine states for "squandering"
multi-millions of dollars of tobacco settlement money, not raising cigarette taxes and allowing teens to buy tobacco. The
group awarded West Virginia a perfect "F" for their failure to protect the public from disease and death caused by
nicotine.
The state spent a mere fraction of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials recommended on
quit-smoking counseling and youth prevention programs. In West Virginia it was described as "A drop in the bucket," with
the state using the millions to plug the state's budget.
Say it ain't so it is not about helping people get off nicotine and improving health!
WATER RESOURCES NOT ON LIST - Charleston will not seek legislation to protect West Virginia's water resources
from private companies or neighboring states, an administration official said this week.
Michael Callaghan, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, said the current administration has too many
other pressing matters.
"I certainly agree that the state needs to take a look at the water use issue," he said.
Some residents have expressed concern about the sale of West Virginia-American Water Company to a German
conglomerate, which is now a go. News of a global water shortage has many thinking that thirsty neighbors will look at West
Virginia's abundant water supply.
The state is not prepared to protect itself without a water use law, and some people feel water will go the way of the state's
other natural resources.
Say it ain't so we'll let water go the way of coal, gas, oil and timber!
COMP MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS IN RED (Actually $2.4 BILLION) - A long-awaited study by an independent actuary confirmed
yesterday that the state Workers' Compensation Fund would go bankrupt in 2004 unless the administration and the
Legislature takes immediate action to fix the problem.
Sam Cann, D-Harrison Co., said the Workers' Comp Division has never been run like a true insurance business. He said
everyone must quit treating it like a secondary welfare program providing some people with income. The problem should not
be a surprise, having been ignored by Charleston for years.
Meanwhile, in just one location, records show Logan County school board employees have filed at least 230 active workers'
compensation claims, driving up the board's premium to about $3 million between 1999 and 2002.
Bea Orr, Director of Student Services for Logan County schools, said a lot of workers have been on compensation for
several years. She said 45 cases are currently in court.
"It's a lifestyle," said Orr. "It is unreal. I'd like to find out who is really going to bring this problem to the Legislature."
She said an employee with a cut finger goes to the doctor, who in turn makes the employee fill out a workers' compensation
claim, and because the cases are months behind, the "injured" worker is off for several months, waiting for the claim to be
processed.
"There's no incentive for them to come back," she said. She said some employees have five or six claims going at one
time.
During the Underwood administration the program's director excused at least $400 million in fees owed by coal companies
who claimed their workers were not "real employees" but contract workers, although many filed for benefits.
Say it ain't so some people do not have a work ethic!
THE MALL BANDWAGON - Wheeling promoters requested millions in state funds to convert a rundown part of
Wheeling into a "Victorian outlet mall."
Politicians couldn't favor just one city, so they expanded the "economic development" for projects around the state,
selling $200 million in bonds which future taxpayers must pay. Three hundred groups applied for economic assistance.
Wheeling received a $70 million allocation, despite national business experts warning that outlet malls are fading across
America, and are bad investments.
Now the Wheeling folks say they can't raise their matching share by the deadline and they want an indefinite extension.
Editor's Note: Some of the approved project's have nothing, yes, we said nothing, to do with economic development,
except from the sly mouth of a good politician.
Say it ain't so West Virginia would move in directions that have already failed, like school consolidation!
BILLBOARDS DECLARE TROOPER PROBLEMS - Lawmakers are a little worried about the $75 million it will cost the
state because the state Retirement Board moved State Police Troopers to a more lucrative retirement plan, after the
legislature decided against it a few years ago.
The state Retirement Board voted in November to move 142 State Police Troopers from the Plan B retirement plan to a
more lucrative Plan A.
Greenbrier County Delegate Tom Campbell, says the Retirement Board may have overstepped its boundaries by making this
costly decision.
Meanwhile, Governor Wise has protected State Police from across-the-board ten percent cuts in next year's budget.
Legislators say they expect Wise to boost trooper funding.
Say it ain't so the West Virginia State Police are unionized and no longer under the legislature's control!
DESERVED BONUS? - The public-private Council for Community and Economic Development decided to postpone a
bonus for Development Office Director David Satterfield.
Council member Gale Given says a decision should be made within two weeks about the bonus, with the governor giving his
support to granting Satterfield the $25,000 bonus.
Say it ain't so the Council and Satterfield haven't helped the West Virginia economy!
HILLBILLIES FOREVER - An advocacy group placed ads in some of the country's largest newspapers regarding a
proposed reality TV series that it says is demeaning to Appalachian people. "The Beverly Hillbillies" concept show has a
family in a Beverly Hills mansion. So familiar?
"The brass at CBS clearly think it's safe to make fun of and commercialize low-income rural folks," said Dee Davis,
president of the Center for Rural Strategies. "We intend to lessen their comfort zone and make them rethink this
premise."
The show is called "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." Say it ain't so!
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