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Will falling birth rates lead to conservatism?

Columnists

George Orwell was on to it almost 80 years ago — the problem of below-replacement level birth rates. In a short book written for the Britain in Pictures series in 1947, written just as Britain was emerging from wartime rigors into an uncharted postwar future, Orwell noted that despite an upward blip in birth rates during the war, “the general curve is downward. The position is not quite so dangerous as it is sometimes said to be, but can only be put right if the curve not only rises sharply but does so within ten or at most twenty years.” “Otherwise,” he went on, ...

Losing the country

Columnists

Speaking at The New York Times, their actually conservative columnist Ross Douthat said, “I want to tell you a secret. One that most conservatives on the internet don’t want you to know. A year into his second presidency, Donald Trump has lost the country.” You might not want to hear this, but Douthat is right. Perhaps he is not right on the specific issues, but generally, he is right. Ignore the polls. The polling average is a better indication of where things are and the president is deeply unpopular. The generic ballot continues to show Democrats gaining. In 2018, the generic ...

Sub-Zero

Editorials

The several inches of snow that have hit our local region will come and go. The absolutely frigid temperatures coming with that snow will linger for a while — and that could spell big trouble for homeowners. Our area has experienced multiple days already this year, complete with cold nights featuring near-zero or sub-zero temperatures. That is definitely not good news for homes with exposed pipes. When water freezes, it expands. If it expands too much, it can burst through those pipes and create a catastrophe, especially with the inclement weather.  AAA has some tips for ...

Two-party system is important

Columnists

When it comes to contesting statewide and legislative races, the West Virginia Democratic Party should be commended for its candidate recruitment efforts heading into the 2026 elections. I don’t say that because I have a specific bias one way or another. But I do believe that a healthy two-party system is important to making our democratic republic work, because the political parties hold each other accountable. According to the state Democratic Party, there are 22 Democratic candidates seeking nomination to 17 of 19 state Senate seats on the ballot for the May primary, some of ...

Investment

Editorials

Governments have only a limited number of ways to support private businesses — large or small. Whether we like it or not, spending taxpayer money is one of them. The question becomes whether the return is larger than the investment — whether that money is being spent prudently. So, one can understand one of the objections to state House Bill 4004, to create the Recharge West Virginia program, from a few who wondered whether it was a good use of taxpayer dollars to support private businesses by incentivizing them to upskill existing employees. (It is harder to understand those who ...

Will computers revolutionize education?

Columnists

Last week The Economist carried an article under the title “Failing the screen test.” It describes examples of school systems that are not satisfied with their test results after using expensive digital learning devices. Many educators believe that increased screen time may actually impair learning by reducing the students’ attention spans and social interaction skills. “Fifty years after Apple began marketing computers to schools, classroom are awash with technology. Some 90% of high school students and 84% of primary school pupils have school-issued devices; four-fifths of ...