Who is working for whom in state and federal government, which is funded by our tax dollars to help our people? State lawmakers rushed through a bill that cuts more than $12 million in state revenue to bail out a bankrupt company in hopes of keeping an uncompetitive coal-fired plant running.

If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cared about coal miners suffering from black lung disease, why is he letting the fund which pays their medical expenses go bankrupt? And why isn't WV Sen. Shelly Moore Capito speaking up?

Tracing the corporate malfeasance behind pouring a tsunami of opioid drugs into West Virginia is key to understanding who should pay for the ongoing costs as West Virginians stand up and take care of each other and their communities in the aftermath of this ongoing tragedy.

Members of the WV House of Delegates voted last week to hand over some more of our hard-earned tax dollars to wealthy investors.  It’s unclear whether the proposed bill would be a boon for most West Virginians. But one man could stand to benefit: Governor Jim Justice.

Governor Jim Justice has bragged recently about job growth and the budget surplus our state has enjoyed. But low-paying jobs and temporary jobs from pipeline construction and natural gas only provide a quick boost to our economy. It’s like drinking a Monster Energy drink when you’re sick and tired, instead of taking care of yourself. The overall symptoms of the state's problems continue to grow worse.

When the minimum wage goes up, most everyone’s pay increases. And working West Virginians earning minimum wage have not had a raise since 2015. Yet earlier this year, a bill to gradually raise the minimum wage to $12/hr. (about $25,000/yr) over three years didn’t get anywhere and was supported only by Democrats in the WV Legislature.

Senate President Mitch Carmichael penned a recent opinion piece in the Sunday Gazette-Mail entitled "A New Era for WV Education." Instead, we think it should be called "A New Error in Education."

Beholden to out-of-state corporate interests that spent millions in 2016 getting him elected, WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is using state tax dollars to support a national right-wing agenda to take health coverage away from millions of working families across America. The lawsuit, which looks increasingly threatening, would hit West Virginia especially hard, because if successful, it would also increase profits for coal companies by making it harder for disabled coal miners and their families to get black lung benefits.

If the WV Attorney General has his way more West Virginians will suffer and die. Patrick Morrisey has signed our whole state on in support of the Texas vs United States lawsuit which seeks to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. 

Fireworks or the sight of military hardware and flyovers by fighter planes on the 4th of July can stimulate patriotism. But women on a soccer field in France brought our nation together in pride even better the 4th of July weekend.