Dear Editor,
For a few months the circus was in town in Charleston. For 60 days the state legislature met to try to look like they were helping West Virginia. The basic salary for a state legislature is $23,000 plus expenses, some in West Virginia would consider that a full-time salary. We get part time legislators who introduce hundreds of bills, in which legislators can honestly say they didn’t read the whole bill because they didn’t have the time. Many bills were introduced that were ludicrous, like allowing the sale of machine guns. Many of the ridiculous bills were never seriously considered. But some got passed, like lowering the age of concealed carrier without a permit. The wisdom if they can serve in the Military, at 18, they can carry a gun. Carry that logic one step further then they should be able to drink at 18.
Morrisey wanted his 10% tax cut and full funding of Hope scholarship. Regarding the income tax, Morrisey has said it is immoral. It punishes work. Is it immoral to have a tax cut that will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy? The projected tax cuts will benefit the wealthy, while the poorest might be able to afford a couple of lottery tickets. The average family would save $138 enough for a dinner. According to the state budget director, Morrisey’s cuts would cost $125 million. If Morrisey’s cut of 10% had passed it would have cost the state $250 million. Del. Vernon Criss chair of the House Finance Committee said he wasn’t interested in the cuts or using one time money to cover it.
Morrisey signed the final budget. He got a 5% tax cut and full funding for Hope Scholarship. Morrisey claimed the 5% tax cut would save the people $230 million. His budget only called for a 5% tax cut, but he wanted the legislators to come up with another 5% cut, he didn’t get it. The Senate’s budget gave Morrisey a 10% cut but went with a compromise of 5%.
Did the legislature do anything to control the rising costs of the Hope Scholarship? The cost this year will be $230 million. The cost has risen over the years. There are no controls to stop it from going higher. Del. Criss had said it had a lot of expenses that had nothing to do with education. The finance committee released a bill that would cap at $5,200. Also, the money could not be used at out of state schools. Criss went on to say that the cuts and unlimited funding for Hope scholarship was not going to happen. The house bill would have also restrict what was eligible for the scholarship. It would also require testing for scholarship recipients. The Senate bill would fund the Hope Scholarship to the tune of $300 million. A 400% increase.
Morrisey signed budget included $300 million for Hope Scholarship. It is hoped to sustain the program through fiscal 2028. Money taken away from public schools. No controls on how or where the money is spent. No caps on who should be able to collect the scholarship.
After the circus members left town, the public school system is still lacking in funding. Clean water is still a scarce resource for some people. These guys will have to campaign for reelection achieving nothing to help working people in West Virginia.
Bill Bisset
Maxwelton, WV
