Into the weeds

Some people think things like the state budget are boring. I always say the breathing is kind of boring too, unless someone is choking you. Then it's fascinating. The latest Front Porch is about WV's budget woes.

The quality of mercy

It's sad, but it looks like the Second Chance for Employment Act won't make it out of the WV House. It would have allowed nonviolent nonsexual offenders with one felony conviction to petition the courts to expunge their records after five years. On the other hand, things look better for a bill that would help people regain their drivers licenses.

We talked about those bills in addition to the "religious freedom" bill and mandatory minimums on a bonus Front Porch. If you listen, it was recorded on Friday so is a bit behind the times.

For those self-identified Christians who may not have got the whole mercy memo, here's a cheat sheet from Shakespeare:

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings,
But mercy is above this sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings.
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

The struggle to stay (in WV)

The latest Front Porch podcast from WV Public Broadcasting seems to have really hit a nerve. It's had more Facebook "likes" and "shares" than any program I remember since we started doing them last April.

It's a short one about how hard it is for young people to stay here and why that might be. You can find what articulate West Virginians have to say about that struggle if you search #thestruggletostay on Facebook.