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Pretty much all of the governor candidates are fairly young.
Potential gubernatorial nominee Moore Capito would put a relatively "young" face as the head of WV. He's 41, which is over a decade older than me, however it would make him the youngest current governor in the US.
I think I will be rooting for him, a Charleston-based Duke Law grad with a young family is just what WV needs to move past yesterday and head into a brighter future that isn't limited to coal and low-wage labor. He says he wants to work to improve job growth and bolster WV into leveraging kids through a revamped education system with expanded resources. I also think having his mother in the US-Senate can be beneficial, and will hopefully equate to trickling funds going towards WV's much needed revitalization.
That's not to say that I think "old people" are ineffective and can't make great politicians. In fact, I strongly dislike the youngest congressmen from both parties (AOC and Madison Cawthorne), however, I think a clean-cut and well-educated "young" person as the face of WV certainly makes the state look good and improve it's image to a nation where many people have the idea that the WV populace is entirely uneducated and severely impoverished.
One thing is for sure, I will not vote for any candidate for any office that has an obsession with coal. It's not because I think it's "dirty" or "bad for the environment", but objectively it is a near century-long declining industry of hard labor found in many isolated WV towns that offer some of the lowest quality of life in the nation. What I would like to hear about, is an obsession with manufacturing, technology, finance, aerospace, research, logistics, cybersecurity, and infrastructure.
I largely believe the vast majority of issues WV faces is a result of coal. Beating a dead horse for decades causes you to neglect other responsibilities and what should have been priorities. I do however think the state seems to be heading in the right direction, and although I do really like Jim Justice (I know, I'm the only one), I cannot support any (other) candidate with coal-interests.
That entire family is sorely lacking in morals and ethics. I don't trust any of them to do anything but act in their own best interests.
I disagree. I have worked for the coal industry for many years. Coal is a necessary part of energy security and frankly national security. WV still has a lot of it. Coal jobs are well-paying and these are good honest people. I am not in favor of mountain top mining but I think that is pretty much a thing of the past, hopefully. I've seen natural gas fracking doing way more damage than coal. WV can still mine coal, honor its heritage and yet get into what I think is even better industry - like eco tourism etc. John Denver's estate should be on WV's payroll for life. Almost heaven.
But current times with the baby boomers are the exception and not the norm. It is the largest generation in the history of the United States. Never before has the oldest generation alive been still able to outnumber the next three generations of people after it.
This country and state has a massive over representation of folks over 60
Running the government and in charge of business. If the boomer population was somewhere in size between the xers and millennials Donald Trump would’ve never been elected president let alone be the nominee in the first place
So we have a massive over representation with folks that want the country to be as it was when they were teens or working in their prime. And these folks were in their teens in the 50s, 60s and early 70s
Biden 2024! huh? can't get much older than that. West Virginia can have all of these deficiencies fixed, all you have to do is initiate a large tax increase on it's citizens.
I disagree. I have worked for the coal industry for many years. Coal is a necessary part of energy security and frankly national security. WV still has a lot of it. Coal jobs are well-paying and these are good honest people. I am not in favor of mountain top mining but I think that is pretty much a thing of the past, hopefully. I've seen natural gas fracking doing way more damage than coal. WV can still mine coal, honor its heritage and yet get into what I think is even better industry - like eco tourism etc. John Denver's estate should be on WV's payroll for life. Almost heaven.
WV will continue to mine coal. Very little of it will be going to power plants in the future. Nobody is building new coal fired plants. There are a number of reasons for that, but regardless of the reasons, coal power plants are not being built, and the newest ones are approaching the end of their useful life. Studies are underway now on the viable life left at the John Amos plant in Winfield. The Willow Island plant is only a few years younger.
Biden 2024! huh? can't get much older than that. West Virginia can have all of these deficiencies fixed, all you have to do is initiate a large tax increase on it's citizens.
Instead, the idiots in the legislature passed an income tax cut. There is still a huge funding problem with PEIA.
You’ve made it very clear in multiple posts now that you just have an issue with younger generations, period. Who hurt you?
Ha, nobody hurt me. Just have issue with one poster in particular here that displays little respect for his elders unfortunately. Justice or Manchin may be ineffective politicians but it has very little to do with age.
I disagree. I have worked for the coal industry for many years. Coal is a necessary part of energy security and frankly national security. WV still has a lot of it. Coal jobs are well-paying and these are good honest people. I am not in favor of mountain top mining but I think that is pretty much a thing of the past, hopefully. I've seen natural gas fracking doing way more damage than coal. WV can still mine coal, honor its heritage and yet get into what I think is even better industry - like eco tourism etc. John Denver's estate should be on WV's payroll for life. Almost heaven.
Coal is objectively important, however, its importance has rapidly declined over the last 50+ years. My point is, the state should not incentivize a dying industry. The natural resources are here, if a company finds that it's profitable to mine here, then let them. But focusing on it as a "sole industry" has caused WV more harm than good. WV relying on coal is the equivalence of relying on paper mills. I'm not saying the state should close down coal mines, however, using "we have coal mines" as an excuse to not focus on actual economic development has led to extreme poverty, poor education levels, low opportunity, and up until very recently, catastrophic budget issues.
I don't want any politician that says something along the lines of "I'll work for coal miners" or "Restore coal in WV" or the like because it's a tell-tale sign of someone coming into office like the absolute idiots that voted/argued against the Form Energy incentives.
The state needs about 50 Form Energy, Nucor, and Procter Gamble like-incentives in order to catch up with the top half of the national economy after decades of abandonment.
At this point, I think I'd make a great WV gubernatorial candidate, although I am too young (to run), and not obsessed with coal so I probably wouldn't win a party nomination. I'd instead focus on things like infrastructure with major broadband expansion and road improvements to include beautification, while removing isolation by creating easily accessible thoroughfares connecting every county in the state with one of WV's 10 largest cities, education ratings/scores & overall state education percentages, teacher & correctional worker pay, economic development through nationally-lead incentives for white collar careers and blue collar manufacturing, and focusing on rehabilitation to address our opioid crisis and extreme penalization to those responsible. I would address the absolutely disgusting living conditions some rural WV's face by working with HUD to incentivize the development of quality affordable apartment communities, while purchasing run-down "hollers" and restoring them to their former natural beauty. I would encourage community consolidations and weaken annexation laws to allow for cities to have an actual tax base.
I dream of a WV that is home to thriving cities and vibrant towns and suburbs. Natural beauty and outdoor recreation, but also entertainment venues, shopping/dining options, tourist attractions, nationally-ranked schools, and a plethora of job opportunities for those growing up in WV, as well as bringing in out-of-state transplants who can take advantage of a state with quality schools while experiencing growth and still holding true to "West Virginia" values.
I think the issue here is also term limits, which everyone should support. Every political party is guilty, even Independents like Bernie Sanders and Angus King.
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