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Build economic freedom

As a business owner, common sense conservative, and lifelong West Virginia Republican, I have witnessed a remarkable transformation as Republicans achieved supermajority control of our state legislature over the past decade. When my father, former Congressman David B. McKinley, served in a Democrat-dominated legislature in the 1980s and early 1990s, Republicans barely had a voice — with as few as one or two senators out of 34 and as few as eight or nine delegates out of 100. Today, Republicans hold supermajority control over both houses of the Legislature and all statewide ...

Support teachers, don’t investigate them

We need to put funding into supporting public school teachers — not investigating them. The idea that the Randolph County BOE is funding an investigation of teachers is a sad sign that our democracy is not working. If teachers and students cannot have conversations about issues that directly impact them, then our public schools are not helping students learn to understand how a democracy should work. The right to free speech is a basic tenet of American democracy. Free speech should only be limited when it harms people. School funding is important to students. In all my years of ...

Trump’s advisors

Embarrassment and dismay squarely hit the Trump administration after it was revealed that a high-level foreign policy discussion had taken place on an unsecured server. Michael Waltz, the National Security Council Director, further aggravated the situation by inviting Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic, to the meeting. Despite the denials, Goldberg correctly gave a good accounting of the conference and the subsequent discussion regarding the bombing of Yemen. Waltz naturally tried to discredit Goldberg, only to have the editor produce the actual words and then a copy of the ...

Focus on continuous improvement

Things have changed so much! Hard to believe it is the same place.  When we see a community, or a place of work, or even a person often, changes in them appear to take place gradually. Things seem to move slowly or not at all. When we’re away for a while and then see the person or place again, changes may feel dramatic. After my book Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America was published, I was invited to Elkins, West Virginia, to present at the 2020 Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce event. My visit included a workshop based on the ...

Musk’s rude lesson in politics

Elon Musk received a rude lesson in American politics when his candidate for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, Brad Shimel, lost to Susan Crawford by ten points, despite Musk contributing twenty-one million dollars. Not only that, Musk treated the Wisconsin electorate to a show, wearing a cheesehead and giving out money to voters. For all his rectitude concerning governmental finances, he appeared more like an old political boss than a reformer. It is interesting that President Donald Trump avoided the race and allowed his latest partner to expose his ignorance to the voters. Musk did not ...

1904 Society

“Cultures grow on the vine of tradition,” penned syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg. A favorite tradition for me at Davis & Elkins College is the 1904 Society Gala which occurred on March 21. Inherent in this tradition is the celebration of a vibrant culture of philanthropy prevalent at D&E. This yearly gala, a thank you to donors investing at least $1,000 annually in support of our students, places those students front and center. The speakers, the entertainment, and the table hosts make evident the high caliber young men and women that are the heart of D&E. Senior Sam Rolle, ...