It's gross

It's been a rough week for the home team in West Virginia. After fighting hard and successfully to restore budget cuts proposed by Gov. Tomblin to early childhood and domestic violence programs in the legislature, we learned this week that he cut them anyway with his line item veto power.

And, yes, this was done at the same time that he celebrated giving $25 million in tax credits to one of his millionaire pals. As my friend Stephen Smith with the WV Healthy Kids and Families Coalition put it, "Yesterday's press conference felt like Marie Antoinette: 'Let them eat cake...Everyone celebrating a tax cut to a billionaire and a football team on the exact same day that the governor cut $980,000 out of programs for the most vulnerable kids and families in the state--it's gross."

Read more about that here.

THE NEXT BAD THING is that Brian Peterson, an attorney representing WV's ruling class, which can itself be pretty gross, issued a memo that basically calls for the governor to veto the minimum wage increase that recently passed the legislature.

The question is, how many poor people is the governor willing to shaft in the course of a week? My guess, based on recent evidence, is the number approaches infinity.

Yes, some people really do want it all.

THE SHORT(ENING) LIST. Here's an op-ed of mine on the good things the legislature did, although some of the "victories" may vanish before our eyes.

Puppies and kittens

Lots of people in West Virginia are not amused by Gov. Early Ray Tomblin's decision to use his line item veto powers to slash programs for kids, vulnerable families and battered women--while also giving millions in tax credits to a millionaire.

Here's a great editorial in the Charleston Gazette and some coverage from WV Public Broadcasting.

My favorite comment, however, is a Facebook post from a friend who had this to say:

"Puppies and kittens just got line item vetoed by the Governor."

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