We're not in Kansas...yet

The Republican-led WV legislature continues to mull an overhaul of the state's tax system. I just hope the end result won't be a redo of the Kansas tax cut massacre. Fortunately, at least some people are talking sense about state taxes. I just hope somebody listens before too much damage is done.

Annals of bad ideas

While the newish Republican majority of the WV legislature keeps pushing for a big tax shift, folks at the county level are trying to talk sense. I hope somebody listens.

This is your higher education system on tax cuts

It's no secret that a tax overhaul is on the newish WV Republican legislature's to-do list. This is kind of ironic, since we are still dealing with the impacts of the last round of tax cuts, courtesy of the then Democratic majority.

The jury is in on that: the main result of cutting taxes in WV is making higher education MUCH less affordable than it had to be in a state with the lowest educational attainment in the nation.

I guess learning from the past isn't much of a strong suit around here.

ONE MORE THING. Last year's chemical spill could be even more toxic than we thought.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Another installment

This week the topic at WV Public Broadcasting's The Front Porch is state tax reform. Producer Scott Finn once again tries to stir up stuff between Charleston Daily Mail columnist Laurie Lin and myself, although so far we've been pretty civil and subdued.

A little win for workers

During the last legislative session, the newish Republican majority severely weakened WV's prevailing wage law by raising the threshold for projects to which it applies. By way of background, prevailing wage laws ensure that contractors working on public projects pay decent wages to workers.

Anyhow, the Kanawha County Commission voted to continue to support its prevailing wage policies at the previous level (it's near the bottom of the linked article). That's a win, albeit a small one, for local contractors, local jobs, and local workers. I'll take any win I can get these days.

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD. Here's another take on the Republican efforts to overhaul the state tax system. 

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.

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.