West Virginia Blue
The Best Blogging Community in West Virginia Democratic politics, progressive policies, the good life and free living in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman John P. Murtha (PA-12) passed away peacefully this afternoon at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. At his bedside was his family.
Murtha, 77, was Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in February of 1974, Murtha dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. A former Marine, he became the first Vietnam War combat Veteran elected to the U.S. Congress.
This past Saturday, February 6, 2010, Murtha became Pennsylvania's longest serving Member of Congress.
Time for another link dump... here's some of my Facebook and Twitter stream from the past week:
* Stop Senate obstruction #ReformSenate --> Poll: Wide Support for Strong Climate & Energy Policies even Cap & Trade http://bit.ly/dhk5hp
* Wind may blow away WV coal --> Eastern US Could Feasibly Meet 20-30% Of Electricity Needs From Wind By 2024 http://bit.ly/anh2qc
* Good for Perdue! --> Del. Perdue to Manchin: Put your money where your mouth is http://bit.ly/b2Ec5z
* What will teapartiers say? --> Democrats passed 25 tax cuts last year without the help of Republicans - http://bit.ly/cEm8Fa
* Matthew Yglesias - The Filibuster Was Never a Good Idea http://bit.ly/9CakhQ // And it still isn't!
* Everybody counts! --> Sign the petition asking the U.S. Census Bureau to Queer the Census http://bit.ly/signQtC
* Fascinating direct action with worldwide help --> Greenpeace to Build Fortress on Heathrow Airport Runway http://bit.ly/dnhPcu
* Axelrod agrees --> Changing Senate rules to allow 51 votes for passage "a worthy discussion" http://bit.ly/9AYbKW
* Great idea: start next Senate with 50 vote cloture --> The future of the filibuster http://bit.ly/dsTGoZ
* A picture of the Bush recession and the start of the Obama recovery. Alas, we've still got a long way to go... job losses have slowed down, but the economy is not creating jobs fast enough to employ new entrants, much less the huge number of unemployed. I hope Congress starts passing bills aimed at job creation and stop worrying about deficits--new revenue from new jobs will take care of deficits a lot faster than freezing gov't spending that helps people. PICTURE
* RT @RepowerAmerica Study: Mandating we get 25% of our energy from renewable by 2025 would create 274k high-quality jobs http://j.mp/aCkJXl
* RT @charyl: Palin's new tagline for 2012 -- "Read my hand: No new taxes!"
* RT @KagroX How many people do you know who have to CROSS OUT MISTAKES in their own palm crib notes?! #telepalmer
* RT @KagroX If writing crib notes on your hand for a prescreened question isn't instant death of all credibility, the media should just kill themselves.
* RT @Kenwardjr Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) demands that Obama to even MORE to kiss up to Big Coal: http://nyti.ms/9aOiLM (via @drgrist)
* RT @Demockracy The Difference Between New Democrats and Blue Dogs: http://bit.ly/crKDJO
And, a West Virginia Winter picture for your pleasure:
What State Sen. Joe Minard did is appalling and a total abuse of his position of public trust. This week's WVEC legislative update has the story:
By Donald S. Garvin, Jr.
WVEC Legislative Coordinator
Week 4 - Dirty Pool
In Week 1's issue of our Legislative Update we reported to you that DEP's proposed changes to the Oil and Gas Well Rule (35CSR4) passed out of the Joint Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee "with no changes to the proposed rule."
We also mentioned that industry lobbyists were out in force, but no amendments were offered.
Well, late last week I discovered how wrong we were.
What actually happened was that we got "snookered" (to use a more polite term for what I am really feeling).
Here's what happened:
While the Rule-Making Review Committee was considering other rules, the Senate Chairman of the committee, Joe Minard (D-Harrison) went out in the hall and huddled together with industry lobbyists, and DEP staff.
They made a deal in the hall to change the language in the rule that requires all oil and gas well drilling pits and impoundments to use impermeable synthetic liners. They agreed to add the following language: "except those pits and impoundments authorized by the Office, based on soil analysis from the operator."
DEP agreed to this new language as a "modification," so a committee amendment would not need to be offered (it's the agency's rule, so they can simply agree to the modification).
When the full committee deliberated on the oil and gas rule, committee staff explained that the rule had been modified because a previous rule on marking gas pipelines at coalmine sites had to be combined with the new rule covering impoundments.
Committee members - and those of us in the audience - were never told that there was an additional modification, or what was in that modification.
Senator Minard then moved the rule "as modified," and the committee voted unanimously to approve the rule.
Delegate Bonnie Brown (D-Kanawha), the House chair of the Joint Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee was not aware that a deal had been cut in the hallway, and never saw the modified language.
Senator Herb Snyder (D-Jefferson), the Senate vice-chair of the Joint Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee was not aware that a deal had been cut in the hallway, and never saw the modified language.
In fact, no one on the committee - other than Senator Minard - knew that a deal had been cut in the hallway and what the modified language was.
Certainly we didn't know. John and Leslee and I were sitting right there, along with Julie Archer from WV CAG. The public was never told that a deal had been cut in the hallway, and never saw the modified language.
On Wednesday this week the Senate Judiciary Committee took up the oil and gas rule and an amendment by Senator Clark Barnes (R-Randolph) was adopted that tightened up the modified language somewhat.
As it stands now the rule reads, "All pits and impoundments shall have an impermeable synthetic liner to prevent seepage or leakage, except those pits and impoundments deemed to be suitable to prevent seepage or leakage based on soil analysis from the operator and standards developed and certified by a registered professional engineer and approved by the Office."
And as it stands now, it is no longer mandatory under the rule that all pits and impoundments use synthetic liners, as originally proposed by DEP's Office of Oil and Gas.
This is absolutely the worst breach of the legislative process I have witnessed in the years I have lobbied for WVEC.
I am totally disgusted.
And there are still almost five weeks of the Session remaining.
Meanwhile, I am taking solace that most of the legislators took off early this week to get home before the next winter storm hits. Maybe they will fill their bird feeders.
Don't you forget to fill yours.
I'm not one for telling Republicans how to run their campaigns, but if I was challenger Russ Snyder I'd see a huge opening there for a populist campaign against someone in big business' pocket. Government regulations exist to protect people from polluters, not to protect polluters.
(One might also wonder where was Gov. Joe Manchin's DEP Secretary Randy Huffman in all of this?)
C-Span has been running the videos from the Tea Party Convention in Nashville all night, and I started watching when I got up in the morning... and, believe me, this is scary stuff. I especially was taken by one Joseph Farah, who is the Founder, CEO and Editor In Chief of WorldNetDaily.
Lower Taxes: Building Futures for Families, Jobs and Businesses
Lower taxes, tax cuts, and tax breaks help build futures for our families, by creating jobs, and benefiting small businesses. The savings can be significant in the wide range of tax benefits Congress has passed in the last year such as the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, the Making Work Pay Tax Cut, which was in the Recovery Act, and the $1.7 trillion in tax cuts for Americans over ten years in the FY2010 budget.
The expanded Earned Income Tax Credit could make a significant financial difference for thousands of households in southern West Virginia, particularly as families struggle during the economic downturn. Currently the IRS estimates that 20 to 25 percent of EITC-eligible workers, or 5-7 million people, fail to claim this tax benefit each year. In order to qualify for the expanded EITC you will need to be a working individual with an income of less than $43,279 for a single person or $48,279 if you are married and filing jointly. In southern West Virginia in 2008; 52,829 West Virginians received the EITC for a total of $98,243,737, with West Virginians who filed receiving an average credit of $1,800.
The Making Work Pay Tax Cut credit, a refundable tax credit of up to $400 per worker or $800 per couple filing jointly, provides over 110 million working families the tax relief they need right now and is being distributed largely by reducing tax withholding from workers' paychecks.
In addition the Child Tax Credit cuts taxes for the families of more than 16 million children through an expansion of the child tax credit. This provides a new tax cut for more than 6 million children, and increases the existing credit for more than 10 million children.
Today education costs continue to mount, which is why the American Opportunity College Tax Credit is available to help more than 4 million additional students attend college with a new, $2,500 tax credit for families.
This past year Congress also voted to extend and expand the Homebuyers tax credit which is available to provide assistance to the struggling housing market and the millions of small businesses involved with homebuilding and construction. Before the recession, building new homes accounted for a significant part of our gross national product, and this legislation amended the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and replaced the current tax credit for first time homebuyers to allow for a one-time credit for 10%- up to $15,000 - of the purchase price of a principal residence. Under the new law, an eligible taxpayer must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2010 and close on the home by June 30, 2010. For qualifying purchases in 2010, taxpayers have the option of claiming the credit on either their 2009 or 2010 return.
There have also been significant business tax incentives put in place to create jobs such as the small business expensing provision, spurring investments by extending expensing, and doubling the amount businesses can immediately write off their taxes for capital investments and purchases of new equipment within a certain cost range made in 2009.
In addition legislation passed that helps small businesses by allowing investors to exclude 75% of the gain from the sale of small business stock that is purchased and held for at least 5 years. It also allows small businesses which are looking to reduce their debt burdens by delaying taxes on discharged indebtedness. This will help these companies strengthen their balance sheets so they can invest in job creation. It will also encourage investments in small businesses by cutting the capital gains tax on investors in small businesses that buy stock in the next two years and hold it for more than 5 years.
Congress also included incentives to create jobs and support our veterans by providing business tax credits for hiring recently discharged unemployed veterans or youth who have been out of school for 6 months prior to hire.
The Earned Income Tax Credit and the many other tax credits and benefits may work for you and your family and/or your business. Please take a look at them during this tax season as the savings can be significant. To find out more information about the EITC and other tax credits please call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 10:00p.m. or visit the IRS website at: http://www.irs.gov/.
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) represents West Virginia's 3rd District
Until the filibuster is ended in the not so much a gentleman's club in Washington, the US Senate, our nation will never come out of the dark ages of the Bush years. Every day that goes by requiring 60 votes to bring righteous legislation into law insures that nothing will be done to bring hope to those whose lives are made so difficult by allowing those that have so much to keep the rest of our nation behind. I think that there is nothing so selfish as the behavior of the blue dog democrats and their partners in crime all of the Republican Senators that have brought President Obama's promise of hope for our nation to an absolute standstill because the Senate has the archaic and absurd filibuster. Their co conspirators in the medical industrial complex and the financial industry are no less guilty as they make it possible for the aforementioned elected officials to ignore the needs of their constituents by handing them campaign contributions that reward them for bringing us bad government.
We have watched health care, bank reform, and wall street reform weakened or defeated either by the greed of these Senators or by the absolute Bull S**t financed by the corporations that permeates the airwaves because it is so easy to buy off media. That media isn't just Fox or Rush Limbaugh it is every person that calls themselves a reporter who fails to report the lies and deceptive stories for what they are.
Now we have a whole new category added to the fray with the actions of Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama who feels that he has the power to keep good Presidential nominees from being confirmed by putting a hold on their nominations until he gets earmarks for his state passed and signed into law by the President. What he is looking for is best described in New York Magazine (HT Balloon-Juice) in an article published on Tuesday...
So why exactly has Shelby taken such drastic action? Because he wants some pork for Alabama. Specifically, one earmark for a $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers, and another for a $45 million FBI testing lab. It's a $40,045,000,000 ransom demand to the United States government. When did Dr. Evil become a senator?
Note that the contract mentioned involves an aircraft built by Airbus, a European company with facilities in Alabama that is competing with an American company, Boeing, with facilities all over the United States.
Time to call Senator Rockefeller and Senator Byrd and tell them point blank that the filibuster must go and tell them that it is necessary to do this so we can have true representative government back in Washington.
"A history museum is as good as the history that goes into it"
source: Dr. Ken Sullivan, Executive Director of the West Virginia Humanities Council, speaking about the $17 million dollar renovation of WV's main official state museum located at the Capitol.
Most folks wouldn't think that he's admitting that the chunks of WV's history which are dark and full of desperation were purposely left out of in order to make the museum "good". But after considering what's not in the museum, and upon close inspection of what's actually there, it begins to appear as if Dr. Sullivan meant that if our history isn't good enough to make an attractive display, then it should be revised.
WV History: Why Accuracy MATTERS
I remember back in 1976 when they first opened the museum exhibit at the state capitol in Charleston. They called it the West Virginia Science and Culture Center, probably because they knew the history presented therein couldn't pass muster as a "historic museum". I also remember when I first heard the term "Arch's Culture Palace". A young store clerk for a downtown Charleston small business used the term when asking if I'd seen it yet. Some thirty years later he was fired from that same position after having faithfully worked there for all that time. That small business never put him, nor any other of its many clerks on as "full time" employees, mainly because of the shamefully regressive labor laws in West Virginia. If, back then, our "Culture Palace" had properly detailed the history of the stranglehold that coal operators and land companies have had on WV's political system, then maybe, just maybe, that business owner would have taken better care of his faithful employee. And think about this. Everyone from well established small businesses to national franchises like Starbucks all across the state would likely be giving their experienced workers full-time employment today.
WV's dirty little labor secret is that NONE are.
UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts recently felt compelled to write a letter to WV Director of Museums Adam Hodges, admonishing,
"if the story told in the museums do not depict the full story or worse, slants the facts to fit a preconceived view of what that history is and what it represents, then the purpose of the museum changes from one of providing information to one of spreading propaganda."
The state's museum director never responded.
Dr. Ken Sullivan was one on a short list of experts who, according to Director Hodges, were allegedly consulted regarding not only what historical facts went on display, but how each was to be featured.
Considering that two of the remaining four on that list besides Dr. Sullivan are on record as having flatly denied that they had anything to do with the museum's contents, I now wonder if Sullivan is even willing take full responsibility for his own statement.
Read it again.
"A history museum is as good as the history that goes into it"
Is he actually saying dark past = bad museum?
Now to be fair, taken in context Sullivan most certainly meant to say that the museum should be great no matter what our state's history was, because in the same breath he went on to opine
"The West Virginia State Museum is based on the very best scholarship that's available in this generation. Top historians were involved from start to finish and their thoughtful work underlies every part of our spectacular museum"
Note that I used the word "opine" because his claims appear disconnected from the facts. Upon request, a list of Sullivan's "Top Historians" was provided to Wess Harris, who has also been recognized as a historian of note.
Unfortunately, Mr. Harris didn't make the director's list. Perhaps it's because he's one of WV's top labor historians.
That list of experts as provided by the museum director's office who were allegedly consulted were:
1. Dr. Ken Sullivan,
2. Dr. John Williams,
3. Dr. Ron Lewis,
4. Dr. Ron Eller, and
5. Dr. Jerry Thomas
The results of Mr. Harris' polling of the members on that list compels me to challenge Dr. Sullivan's statement. Using the exact vernacular of one expert on the Director's list, his assertion that all on the list were consulted is "BULLSHIT".
Another expert on the list confirmed it by flatly stating that he was never even contacted by the WV Division of Culture and History, although he lives very close to the museum and was available during the planning phase of the renovation.
Dr. John Williams, yet another on the list of WV's top historians, is on record as having strongly objected to the "Disneyfication" of the museum. He said that his strong objections to the way that $17 million renovation was being spent actually made him a hero to many WV Culture and History staff members.
He also said that although the museum director may be technically correct when stating that he was consulted, the way they renovated in spite of his objections shows that his advice carried little weight.
So reportedly the lion's share of the state's top historians have either distanced themselves from the way our history is presented, or else were never consulted.
Speaking of lists, I'm beginning to wonder if the WV Director of Museums had anything to do with the dead land owners who recently requested that Blair Mountain be eradicated. Let's not confuse WV museums director Adam Hodges with the state Commissioner for the WV Division of Culture and History though. Because it was Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith who controversially balked at taking Blair Mountain off the list of National Registry for historic preservation, despite having been shown evidence that dead owners had been improperly listed.
Although the action of destroying a powerful symbol of the history of the labor movement on Blair Mountain is similar in result to undermining that same movement at the museum, these two aren't the same individuals, even though bogus lists were utilized in both cases. Two or more coalocrats conspiring to change history might actually be a crime. But it certainly wouldn't be the first time that it happened.
Although Commissioner Reid-Smith doesn't officially hold the same position as the WV Director of Museums, there is much reason to believe that Randall Reid-Smith had lots of input regarding what's on display in the state's #1 historical museum. Plus, the photo below reveals several additional cozy relationships.
UNDOCTORED SCANNED PHOTO OF Randall Reid-Smith's personal Sports Utility Vehicle Check out the close cropped zoom of the Friends of Coal sticker and Commissioner Randall Reid Smith's distinctive vanity plate at this link and also the zoomed shot of the sign marking not the COMMISSIONER'S parking spot but MUSEUM DIRECTOR'S slot at what should perhaps be renamed the Arch A. Moore, Jr. WV Center for the Revision of History at this link.
Does anyone really wonder why Randall Reid-Smith is balking at taking Blair Mountain back off the National Registry of historical places to be preserved?
Actually, no one should be that surprised by the fever to take Blair Mountain out, since it's certainly not the first WV historical landmark removed from the registry and demolished..
Below the jump, I'll demonstrate how, a century ago, robber-barons used the awesome power of the state to shaft the working people by manipulating political leaders on behalf of mine operators. Then I'll produce evidence that modern-day coalocrats are doing the same in an effort to revise our history just to bury their bloody and greed-driven record.
COALOCRAT:
1. Any partisan politician or political appointee that will to do anything and everything within their power to benefit coal operators.
For those of you who read what this blog frequently, you know I criticize Democrats more than Republicans because Democrats are the ones in power. When Republicans were running government in Washington, I spent more time pointing out how misguided their ideas and political philosophy are. Now, what the GOP says or does is largely irrelevant.
As we enter Election Season 2010, it's good to remember all the ways that Democrats who represent West Virginia do a good job. For example, the majority (though not quite all) of my disagreements with Reps. Mollohan and Rahall are around the single issue of coal. I feel they over-emphasize the importance of coal to West Virginia and under-represent the interests of the other 90% of the state's economy.
But, putting that aside, there are many ways that Reps. Mollohan and Rahall do a great job of looking out for the interests of the average West Virginian. This is something that all liberals and progressives in the state should be proud of. I was reminded of that this week when the NAACP released their score card for 2009 votes on a broad range of civil rights issues.
The NAACP score card covers votes on issues related to economic justice--things that directly and indirectly make a positive impact on the lives of West Virginians.
Thank you Rep. Alan Mollohan and Rep. Nick Rahall for a job well done in 2009.
Verizon is trying to sell its landline operations to Frontier. The Public Service Commission's Consumer Advocate has voiced opposition to this deal which must be approved by the Public Service Commission. Please call Governor Manchin, write a letter to the editor and learn more by visiting www.bad4wv.com or www.wvcag.org.
This deal is worth $8 billion to Verizon tax-free. Similar deals in other states have resulted in the new company filing for bankruptcy. Please voice your opposition to this sale!
First, it calls for big cuts in Social Security benefits for everyone currently under 55 years of age. On top of the cuts it also calls for privatizing Social Security.
Basically the exact plan President Bush tried in 2005. Next, it calls for the full privatization and phasing out of Medicare. It'll be replaced by a system of vouchers in which instead of getting Medicare you get a voucher to buy un-reformed private insurance.
Weirdly, with all that, the draft GOP budget doesn't get the federal budget into surplus until sometime after 2060, which seems like a pretty long time. But isn't this sort of a big deal? House Republicans are poised to run in 2010 on slashing or abolishing the two most popular federal government programs -- Social Security and Medicare.
You may remember that Capito brought President Bush to West Virginia to talk up his Social Security privatization plan, so presumably she'll be on board with that.
Really though, someone ought to ask Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) what she thinks of her party's budget. And, if she's not for it, what is her plan for reducing the deficit?
I'm hearing reports that in advance of this weekend's blizzard, supplies of beer, wine and whiskey are running DANGEROUSLY LOW in the Eastern Panhandle. Hopefully Governor Joe Manchin is prepared to mobilize emergency aid for desperate residents in the Eastern Panhandle with needed liquor supplies and National Guard troops to prevent the expected rioting.
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