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Ditto vec- I appreciate the values of plain old vanilla WV. Anyone who can't find something to appreciate has the option to move along if they mean to be responsible for themselves.
A basic trait is genuineness. What you see is what you get. Also, contrary to some stereotypes, West Virginians are not a bunch of biggoted hicks. Most are socially conservative, but form their opinions of people based on the individual, not on preconceived notions. Invariably, they are warm toward strangers and generally give people the benefit of the doubt. Due in part to union influence, they tend to be fiscal liberals.
The plain old vanilla West Virginian of which you speak is the descendant of Irish, German, Scotch Irish, Italian, Spanish, Slavic, and African people who grubbed out a living in harsh conditions, and has inherited a tradition of hard work and a never quit attitude. They are proud of their country and state, and generally family centric.
They do have a tendency to bicker among themselves, but quickly band together in the face of external affronts. West Virginians are the best of the best.
The job figure that I read in the Gazette online also mentioned 11,100 jobs since 2000, which is still quite impressive for a town the size of Morgantown. I guess the real million dollar question is has all that growth been solely because of WVU's incredible student growth over the past decade? Or has it been from a truly "diversified" economy? I'm not in town enough to know the true facts but I'm sure others have some insight on this.
As for the actual population growth. Morgantown has seen nice growth during this decade, there is no doubt in my mind that it will pass Parkersburg, probably within 4 or 5 years. If (key word being "if") the growth continues, then it may one day give Huntington and Charleston a run for their money.
What is alarming though, is the fact that Charleston, with a population of just over 50,000 is the largest city in the entire state. Mountaineer field on a good game day has more people than that! Give it another year or two and there won't be a SINGLE city in WV with a population over 50,000.
There has never been a large, or even a medium sized town in the State. The whole state is a collection of small towns. The issue is not one of what size a town is now, it is one of growth. Only through growth will any of West Virginia's small towns become medium sized ones. There are a couple of towns headed in the right direction. The rest are basically static. I'd be real surprised if that changes any time soon in spite of the energy boom.
Overall, growth potential will be determined by location of growth industries or activities and proximity to major markets. There are only two towns in the State that fit that category. The rest should be trying to attract new industry that is growth oriented, or trying to be the best small towns they can be. Simply doing the old Scots Irish pointing finger thing with the usual parochial bragadocia will not accomplish a single thing. The whole state should be attempting to maximize potential by doing everything it can to accomodate growth in the two areas that currently show the most potential. In doing so, they will be helping the entire State because such growth will add immensely to the State's tax base.
The alternative is to keep up the localized and regional bickering for which the State has become notorious, resulting in inhibiting growth where it has the potential to take place and a maintenance of the status quo... a State that ranks at the bottom in many significant categories.
In other words... what's good for Morgantown is good for Huntington. It is not a matter of Morgantown has something so we have got to have it too, no matter how we get it. Until West Virginia develops that mind set, don't look for significant change any time soon.
The whole state should be attempting to maximize potential by doing everything it can to accomodate growth in the two areas that currently show the most potential. In doing so, they will be helping the entire State because such growth will add immensely to the State's tax base.
That's not entirely true. This mindset is part of why the state is in the shape it is currently in. In the past, as a state we've tended to put all of our eggs in one or two baskets and when that didn't pan out as expected, it set us back. Often times, this mindset has stopped progress in the state because those in power have denied help to areas or institutions all in the name of building up another instead. This is often heard in the comment that usually goes something like "this state can't support more than one..." This holds progress back more than anything. The state does need to encourage growth where it's happening but not at the expense of the rest of the state. They need to encourage this growth while also investing in other towns to help rebuild them and diversify our tax base. Otherwise, we are setting ourselves up for huge failure and more of the same.
Does it mean that we Democrats should now put a photo of Obama on the wall with Jesus, JFK and John L. Lewis...
Bet some of the Bloggers don't even know who John L. Lewis was/is....
What? I was merely speaking of how politics of the past in WV have stamped out opportunity for the state in the present. Past leaders have often limited opportunity to maximize power and control and I don't think we should continue this. They've lived by the mindset of give them enough to keep them satisfied but not enough to mean anything. That's all I was referring to. Believe me, I'm not a democrat but regardless, you'll never see a picture of a politician on my walls. I worship no political party or man representing them. Not sure what you are talking about.
That's not entirely true. This mindset is part of why the state is in the shape it is currently in. In the past, as a state we've tended to put all of our eggs in one or two baskets and when that didn't pan out as expected, it set us back. Often times, this mindset has stopped progress in the state because those in power have denied help to areas or institutions all in the name of building up another instead. This is often heard in the comment that usually goes something like "this state can't support more than one..." This holds progress back more than anything. The state does need to encourage growth where it's happening but not at the expense of the rest of the state. They need to encourage this growth while also investing in other towns to help rebuild them and diversify our tax base. Otherwise, we are setting ourselves up for huge failure and more of the same.
Ah... Bailey, the state can't afford more than one. Show me another state with the population and income of West Virginia that affords more than one national institution. By trying to support more than one, you would end up with none. Virginia... twice the population of WV and two national institutions. Kentucky... twice the population of WV and two national institutions. Ohio... five times the population of WV and two national institutions. Maryland... four times the population of WV and one national institution. Pennsylvania... five times the population of WV and three national institutions. The state can afford one national and one regional institution, period.
Now, as to maximizing potential the money should be placed in areas that are showing the best potential, not pissed away where they will not bring the return on investment. Any sensible business approach would do things that way. As the higher returns come in, everyone benefits. Your line of thinking is exactly what has been holding this state down for decades... that protect the clan mentality. It is further epitomized in the State's one party government.
You were speaking of the antiquated Wv 'mindset...In the 'Days of my Youth...in the coal camp homes of Wv...only a few pics were on the walls of those homes...Jesus...John L. Lewis and then JFK...
Now that Obama has been touted as the Savior of the Nation..he might be due to take his place on the walls of those homes...
If Mojo does this 'Energy Thing...I'm putting his pic on MY wall...bathroom of course...but a wall, never-the-less.
Your line of thinking is exactly what has been holding this state down for decades... that protect the clan mentality. It is further epitomized in the State's one party government.
You've obviously been away too long because the state has never used a line of thinking other than what you just mentioned. It's almost been like a line from the Highlander movies, "There can be only one..." The other states you listed have more population for a reason. They've recognized the benefits of a diversified state economy rather than throwing all of their money into one thing. Notice the growth rate of VA, right beside us with similar topography, has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation. SO what's the difference then? A lot of it is the "one" mindset. An example is a Med School. When MU was trying to start theirs, the powers that be did everything to try to stop it using the excuse that if the state had 2 med schools they would both fail. Well, almost 30 years later it looks like they were wrong as the state now has three successful and growing med schools. And like it or not, Charleston and Huntington are still the population centers of the state. To let them die would be "pissing money away" as you say because of how important they are to this state. Sad that you can't see that. A better way to do funding for the areas of the state would be to use a formula based on population. This way, if an area is growing, they would get more money as they continue to grow. If they area already a large population then a lot of the money would be able to stay there. The problem with this approach though is what it might do to the other areas of WV and this HAS to be considered. Because remember, we are a state and you have to consider the impact on the ENTIRE state rather than just one or 2 areas.
And DK, I thought you were trying to ask if I was building up Obama in my post. It just threw me off since I made no reference to him. I gotcha now though.
Tim
You've obviously been away too long because the state has never used a line of thinking other than what you just mentioned. It's almost been like a line from the Highlander movies, "There can be only one..." The other states you listed have more population for a reason. They've recognized the benefits of a diversified state economy rather than throwing all of their money into one thing. Notice the growth rate of VA, right beside us with similar topography, has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation. SO what's the difference then? A lot of it is the "one" mindset. An example is a Med School. When MU was trying to start theirs, the powers that be did everything to try to stop it using the excuse that if the state had 2 med schools they would both fail. Well, almost 30 years later it looks like they were wrong as the state now has three successful and growing med schools. And like it or not, Charleston and Huntington are still the population centers of the state. To let them die would be "pissing money away" as you say because of how important they are to this state. Sad that you can't see that. A better way to do funding for the areas of the state would be to use a formula based on population. This way, if an area is growing, they would get more money as they continue to grow. If they area already a large population then a lot of the money would be able to stay there. The problem with this approach though is what it might do to the other areas of WV and this HAS to be considered. Because remember, we are a state and you have to consider the impact on the ENTIRE state rather than just one or 2 areas.
And DK, I thought you were trying to ask if I was building up Obama in my post. It just threw me off since I made no reference to him. I gotcha now though.
Tim
Tim, ... you could start 20 Med schools and they would be "successful" in terms of people attending them. You can make a lot of money as a physician. That does not mean starting them would be a wise investment, because in doing so you are diverting resources needed to keep what is ongoing in top notch condition. There was no demonstrated NEED for another med school. There was no shortage of physicians in the State. Most of those graduates end up going to other states to practice.
We all know that the State is a collection of small towns. As such, it really has not "population centers" that significantly distinguish themselves from the others. Certainly not enough to damage the only national institution in the State in order to try to make another institution into something it can never really be. There are less than 2 million people in the State. Let's say for the sake of argument 10% of them live in Huntington. That does not constitute a true "population center". Of that 10%, at least half of them actually live in other states. Even if 10% lived in the Charleston area (which they don't), and even though those would be entirely within the State, it does not constitute a significant "population center" to the extent that it would warrant a second national institution.
The state of West Virginia is really one population center, and as such it can afford one State Capitol and one national university. Now, there is a sufficient diffusion of the people scattered over 27,000 square miles to warrant a regional institution as well as a group of small colleges and one not so small one (Fairmont State). That is appropriate. What is not appropriate is to try to make West Liberty or Marshall into a WVU. It is not only counter productive... it just isn't going to happen no matter how much money you throw at it. All you are doing is weakening the overall effort. They recognize that in other states, and that is what is archaic about the protect the clan mentality we have in West Virginia.
Nobody would favor letting Charleston or Huntington die. Charleston will never die because the State Capitol is located there. That will always provide it with a measure of stability, if not of prosperity. Huntington won't die either. It is located near a thriving waterway and loads of coal resources.
To maximize its potential, Huntington needs to capitalize on its obvious strengths and develop industries in areas that go to its strengths. As a good regional school, Marshall is ideally situated to support that effort by specializing in areas that promote the region's strengths. Trying to have everything WVU has does not accomplish that goal. If that mindset is continued, Marshall will never really realize its potential.
As a Marshall alum I could go into countless examples of that protect the clan mentality and show the obvious damage done by it, but it is so pervasive in the Huntington area that the course is set on autopilot toward self harm. It would take an act of Congress to change it. It will also result in making mediocre that which could be outstanding. Ask any Marshall professor off the record, and you will know what I mean.
The population based formula to which you refer is another example of the protect the clan mentality. Throwing money at worthless endeavors just because some people are near them will not make them successful.. Putting the money where it will bear results is productive, and benefits everyone. I'm not going to go into how that has negatively impacted Marshall because you'd just launch into your protect the clan... you're against Marshall mode. But the results speak for themselves.
Marshall is actually smaller than it was 8 years ago in spite of successive give aways and lower tuition endeavors, money spent on construction projects and money encumbered in terms of long term leases for rented facilities. And, I'm not just talking about the loss of the Community College. Even more important, Marshall's instructional staff continues to be among the lowest paid in the Nation (how could they be paid more when tuition is being discounted more every year, and when more programs are being funded using the same student population base).
Like it or not the MU med school was a great investment and a wise decision as the medical community has become increasingly more important to Huntington and thus the WV economy. And it continues to grow. But it would not have happened with the mentality you speak of. And sorry but I have no "clan" mentality. My interests are for this state only. You however don't seem to care what happens to the rest of the state as long as WVU is built up. So who is exhibiting the "clan" mentality. You tell me. I've already told you that I went to WVU (never took a class at MU) and I can show plenty of examples of where money is being poured into ventures there with without the best return but like you, I won't get into that. Again, my interests are for the state and it's advancement.
That's all I'll say as again, we are going to just have to agree to disagree or this will go on forever and that's not what this forum is about.
Tim
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