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Taking the clickbait

Last week, we had the first of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s bills be signed into law. Senate Bill 456, the Riley Gaines Act that defines “male” and “female” in State Code, is now the law of the land. We in the media are sometimes criticized by lawmakers for focusing on the social conservative bills over the other work that lawmakers are doing during the legislative session. And no doubt, some in the media do focus on bills with no chance of being taken up that are easy clickbait for people who wish to be outraged. But it is very hard to say that the press are unfairly shining a ...

No, Teslas are not actually fascist vehicles

It’s a trope to say that Donald Trump’s opposition has been shell-shocked and rudderless in the wake of his election victory and his fast start out of the gate. Not to fear, though. The Left has hit on its next big project — an intifada against the country’s largest maker of electric cars. The progressive fear and loathing of Elon Musk now may be greater than that directed at Donald Trump. Since protestors don’t have ready access to SpaceX’s rockets or to Starlink’s satellites — absent finding a way to launch their own rival satellite network into space — they’re ...

Alternative to tariffs

Contrary to what some supporters of President Donald Trump claim and the President himself asserts, tariffs are not paid by foreign governments, but by the American people. Importers pay taxes on each part or whole product imported into the country. They then raise the price of goods to recoup the American people’s cost. The increased cost is typically not 100%, at least at first. Many companies eat into their profits first. They slow hiring and increase layoffs. They avoid a full increase in prices passed on to consumers, but it comes at the cost of jobs or rates of return to ...

More school funding needed in rural WV

Five years ago on Friday, March 13, 2020 Gov. Jim Justice announced a state of emergency, and all public places closed down. Private businesses were able to reopen sooner, but the public schools opened slowly because of concern for the health and safety of children. Randolph Co. Schools reopened after Labor Day 2020 with students going two days per week on a rotating schedule: those whose names began with A-L went on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday was a deep cleaning day and those with names beginning with M-Z went on Thursday & Friday. Our own grandchildren continued with online ...

Patterns of the past

Voters feign shock at Elon Musk’s raid on the treasury, but they should not be surprised. Republicans have long wanted to dismantle aspects of what they call the administrative state. For instance, abolishing the Education Department was placed on their platform in 1980. Had it not been for President Dwight Eisenhower, they may have taken a swipe at Social Security in the 1950’s. Muskism is not alien to the GOP. It is an essential part of that party’s canon. Of course, you have so-called moderates in the GOP. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and others are no less eager to gut the ...

Mr. Senator

Some call him “Mr. Senator.” Sam Rolle, a fifth-year senior from Riviera Beach, Florida, has made his mark on the basketball court as well as within the Davis & Elkins community. Head men’s basketball coach Daniel Harris said, “His dedication to excellence has made him a great representative of what it means to be a student-athlete at D&E.”  In 2020, Sam was recruited by coaches Dan Mondragon and Dan Harris. This past weekend, as the Senators’ journey in the Mountain East Conference Tournament concluded, Sam’s D&E basketball career came to an official end. His career ...