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Trump’s tariffs

Donald Trump’s tariff policy startled world stock markets and threw financial institutions into turmoil. It represented a considerable gamble, but it should not have been unexpected. Trump has been, since 1987, an opponent of globalization, seeing it as a threat to both producers and workers. As with Ross Perot in 1992, Trump foresaw the “great sucking sound” with the advent of NAFTA. The only question that should bother Trump’s advisors is whether the President had waited too long to introduce them. Many years have passed since “the new world order” economically went into ...

Jordan House

Members of the Davis & Elkins College community are familiar with the historic campus mansions of Graceland and Halliehurst. But did you know there’s a third historic home on campus? In 1936, construction was completed on the home of Sue and Thomas Davis Lee, known today as the “Jordan House.” If her walls could talk… She appears like a hidden gem above the long winding gravel drive off Harpertown Road, on the eastern edge of campus near the Sigma Phi Epsilon lodge. Like the campus’ other storied mansions, the Davis family tree ties all three properties together. Senator ...

The final countdown

Finally, we’ve come to the final six days of the 60-day legislative session. At midnight on Saturday, April 12, the lawmakers will complete their work and adjourn sine die. The budget bill is in the process of being worked on, with the House of Delegates passing its budget Friday and the state Senate set to insert its version of the budget bill this week. The budget can be somewhat of a game, even though it’s literally the only bill required to be done. It also must be balanced in compliance with the state Constitution. But by game, I mean it’s the job of the House to defend ...

Tariffs are stupid and self-defeating

A Wall Street Journal editorial described President Donald Trump’s tariffs as the “dumbest trade war in history.” It’s important not to overrate intelligence, even in leaders. Judgment and maturity may be more crucial. But Trump is no ordinary dunce. He displays a stubborn stupidity that threatens to plunge the world into chaos and potentially into depression. It should go without saying that our constitutional system was never meant to be so vulnerable to the whims and fantasies of one man. Nothing as critical as the entire world trading system or the maintenance of the NATO ...

Easter egg events in Barbour

Hello from Barbour County! Spring is hopping right on in and making itself at home. The news this week is full of egg hunts and spring parties. Today, April 5, from 8 -11 a.m. there will be a buckwheat and pancake breakfast at Feed My Sheep Christian School in Philippi. Eat in or take out is available. After getting your fill of breakfast, head on up to Battlers Knob for their Spring Craft Show from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. More than 50 vendors will be present. Stop by and see what kind of nice things that they have. My aunt will be there with her handmade blankets. Stop by and tell her ...

Free speech and educators

Recent media coverage involving an ongoing investigation at Elkins High School has raised questions about the boundaries between personal expression and professional conduct within our schools. While I will not comment on any specific personnel matter, I want to address a broader, important issue: how the First Amendment applies in public education and what we expect of our teachers and staff. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and expression. These rights are foundational to our democracy and apply within our public schools. In Tinker ...