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Manchin Skypes with Elkins High students

Seniors at Elkins High School spoke with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday, raising a variety of questions.

ELKINS — Putting politics aside, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told Elkins High School students that he will continue to put West Virginia and the United States first in any decision-making processes.

On Wednesday, students in Shelly Burda’s advanced placement U.S. Government class at Elkins High School spoke with Manchin via Skype, an online, live video feed.

Zach Hyre asked, “As a Democrat, how do you plan to work alongside Republican Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled congress?”

“If you’re a Republican and I’m a Democrat or I’m a Republican and you’re a Democrat, that doesn’t all of a sudden put up a blockade where we have to say, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t work with you because we’re on different sides.’ We might have different ideas and we might have different approaches on how to solve things, but I don’t look at that branding of a ‘D’ or and ‘R’ as an obstacle for me or a barrier that I can’t cross,” Manchin said.

The senator added he plans to work with Trump with the mindset that both individuals are Americans wanting to move the country forward.

“I was governor of our great state; I was your governor for six years. I never governed by thinking that a Republican was not my friend.

“I knew that he or she was a West Virginian and I was a West Virginian, and I would always believe at the end of the day that we all wanted to do what was best for West Virginia. So, I will look at Donald Trump and think he’s an American and I’m an American,” Manchin said.

Further, recent media rumors have pointed toward the possibility of Manchin being named to President-elect Trump’s cabinet which was mentioned by one student on Wednesday.

In response to the question from EHS senior Keaton Cooper regarding this possibility, Manchin noted he had “heard the same rumors.”

Manchin did confirm he has spoken with Trump and that their conversation was “interesting.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything there. We have not discussed any kind of an opportunity or an offer. I think it will be a well-rounded discussion concerning where our state of West Virginia is, how hard we’ve been hit economically, where the country stands. And I’m on (the Senate Armed Services Committee), so I have some knowledge about the challenges and the threats we have around the world,” Manchin said. “So, I think we’ll have a very in-depth conversation, but I have no clue that anything will come from that.”

Manchin is scheduled to meet with President-elect Trump on Friday morning.

As a collective, students came up with a total of five questions for Manchin during their video chat on Wednesday.

During their discussion, students took a stand for their collective opinion as they confronted Manchin with a question regarding standardized testing.

Cambrie Currence said, “Education in America is a hot topic. With evaluations based on examinations and assessments that mean little to students. How do you propose to modify or change education in West Virginia to promote higher student performance though realistic and meaningful data assessments like the ACT or SAT?”

Largely, Manchin addressed the importance of standardized testing across the country in all age groups.

The senator explained that in 2006, he and a group of other governors including Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney came together to discuss the importance of having a nationwide standard for students in each of their respective grades.

“We all got together and we said, ‘If a family transfers with a child in third, fifth or eighth grade, and they move to Florida, don’t you think that that third-grader should be at the same level as a third-grader in Florida or California or Massachusetts?,'” Manchin said.

However, in an open dialogue, students at EHS said their concern was more in relation to testing that assesses their college-readiness level, such as the ACT and SAT being put in place of general standardized testing.

“There is a huge inaccuracy in the ratings. I went to a program over the summer and talked with kids from all over the country, and we’ve all agreed that these general assessments are not accurate because by one month before summer, we’re not ready to test. We’ve been testing all year, and some of us take tests every other day. I don’t think the tests themselves are that accurate because we don’t try hard enough,” Cooper said.

“Students have to be tested, they have to see where they are in comparison to the rest of the country. So, whether it’s the ACT or the (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), that’s up for debate,” Hyre said.

Manchin offered to look further into this possibility for students.

In addition, students asked questions that were directly related to the state of West Virginia.

Ashlee Bennett asked, “West Virginia continues to be a state with a migratory population. People often leave looking for work and arrive looking to qualify for public assistance. This has seen an increase in unemployment, violence and drug use. What are your plans to help stem the growth of these negative activities in West Virginia?”

Manchin explained 14 job fairs have been held across West Virginia, where some 100 employers who are looking to hire people in the state have taken part.

“Here’s the reputation we have as West Virginians: We’re the hardest workers, we’re more productive than any other state. You find a good West Virginian worker and you’ll find a good worker — they’ll produce,” Manchin said.

The senator added the state must work to sell itself better in addition to becoming educated. However, it was added that drug issues must be addressed in order to put people in the work force.

In reference to jobs, Cooper asked, “West Virginia is a state that is prosperous in coal economies. Throughout the years, bureaucrats in Washington have been threatening West Virginia jobs by making gains to kill coal. Seeing how one of West Virginia’s biggest job providers is coal, how would you protect our jobs and do you have any legislative ideas to improve or protect coal jobs?”

Manchin touched on the difficulties that are created when particular policies are pushed by government officials.

“What happened was President Obama wanted to switch as quickly as possible towards renewables. Well, the market has to be able to absorb that; you just can’t force policy. So, what they did, was they put so many over-regulation and over-burden on coal because they didn’t want to use any fossil, and that made it much more difficult and gave much less of a market for us to sell our product in because a lot of the coal plants have shut down across the country — so, it put us in one heck of a mess. It has just crippled our economy, but I’m afraid it’s going to cripple the United States energy grid if we don’t do something,” Manchin said.

Manchin emphasized in his response that he is in favor using technology in effort to better utilize resources.

“If you can use technology and you can develop technology that helps you use the resources that you have in a much better, clean fashion — in balance if you will — then that’s what we should be doing,” Manchin said.

Jacob Earle asked, “How do you plan, as a member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, to address problems with VA hospitals and benefits?”

In response, Manchin explained it is important veterans are able to receive treatment whenever and wherever they need it. In addition, Manchin discussed work that has been done to address making veterans feel comfortable in hospitals that understand their specific needs.

Before leaving students, Sen. Manchin encouraged all students to get involved and give something back to the community.

“I hope you all have the desire to be public — to be public servants. Everybody has to serve the public in some way; you have to have a public conscious. We’re all responsible; we can all do something. You don’t have to be an elected official, you don’t have to run as a politician, but you should be able to contribute something back,” Manchin said.

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