In the event of recurring boredom...

...here's another installment of The Front Porch, a new program on WV Public Radio which features discussions of live issues with people from different viewpoints. This time it is yours truly and Daily Mail columnist Laurie Lin again discussing the whole Appalachian outsider/insider issue with Scott Finn.

If that still won't do it, here's an op-ed on state tax reform and zombies (there is a connection) that ran this week as well.

Oligarchy 2, Democracy 0

As if there weren't enough downers out there these days, here are two more. The first looks at the power of corporate lobbyists in Washington (pretty much total), while the second looks at the Koch brothers grand design for the elections of 2016.

It's a pretty disgusting state of affairs.

A little good, a little bad

First, the good news. The state of Montana last weekend voted to join the ranks of humanity by expanding Medicaid coverage to low income working families. They won't do it by expanding traditional Medicaid, the best route, but still it's a huge win for the human race and a big loss for the Koch brothers, who spent a fortune to deprive poor people of health care.

Here's the bad: WV's new legislative majority has received its marching orders from ALEC, which consists of making the rich richer and everyone else poorer. We'll see how far they get with their tax "reform" proposals in the next year.

For real?

This news item from the other side of the country is a few days old but worth a look. It suggests that outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare is dropping off the Republican agenda. Whether that's true or not, it would be a bit of a risk to take away care from the several million Americans who have recently gained it. As CNN recently reported, 9 out of 10 Americans now have health coverage.

In case you get really bored...

...here's a link to a podcast of a new program WV Public Broadcasting is trying out. It's called "The Front Porch," and it involves people with different viewpoints discussing issues in a civil way. The different viewpoints this time are yours truly and conservative columnist Laurie Lin discussing the future of coal. There may be more to come.

TALKING SENSE ON TAXES. Here's an op-ed by a friend of mine about what's next on the agenda of WV Republicans.

WHILE WE'RE AT IT. Here's Gazette statehouse columnist Phil Kabler pointing out how ALEC is running the agenda here.