To the Formers and to the Incumbent:
While we are positive Gov. Patrick Morrisey will be running for a second term, we are only hearing speculation that two former governors – Joe Manchin and Jim Justice – are entertaining thoughts about launching campaigns for the office, as well.
Hell, the current governor (Morrisey) and the most recent former governor (Justice) seem to be campaigning against each other already! And the videos and images on the internet?
Funny? Sure. But not funny? Absolutely.
That’s because it would mean we’ll have an incumbent, as we’ve witnessed, unafraid of breaking Ronald Reagan’s unofficial 11th Commandment (Republicans should never attack Republicans), a former Democrat who switched parties for his friend in the White House, and another former Democrat who finally switched to his rightful color of “Independent purple” when he realized he no longer could win in West Virginia as a Democrat.
And while y’all are worrying about how to angle-out and defeat one another, we’re worried about our state and its future. Think about it: We’re ranked at or near the bottom with horrible economic conditions with very low wages and worker participation; we’re one of the sickest states with below-average public education; and our lawmakers are so divided that a make-sense child protection law can’t even get approved.
Facts are facts, and for West Virginia to truly improve and attract a flow of newcomers, all of the above issues – and, unfortunately, soooo many more – must be resolved and it doesn’t matter who wins as long as that’s THE objective. But – BUT!! – if all you’re doing is trying to land in your final political position, or to springboard into a cushy, elected spot in D.C., we’d like to respectfully take a pass and consider our other options.
Who those other candidates might be, we don’t know yet, but we’ve determined what their priority list needs to be:
- Us.
- Them.
And that means lower taxes, a pro-economic development mindset, improved health care access, affordable childcare, and let’s not forget – local control is the best control.
We’ve been “wild and wonderful,” “almost heaven” and “open for business” for as long as most can remember, and here we are – still – fighting for respect on the national level because we won’t insist that West Virginia is ours and no one else’s.
It’s time to claim what’s ours, folks.
Sincerely,
Montani Semper Liberi
