EDITORIAL: Who Will Ransom West Virginia?
Cynicism reigns supreme, even among some of the better journalists in the state capital of Charleston these days. "We could do a lot worse than Earl Ray," says one longtime observer.
That is not much of an endorsement. In fact, if that is the best response that we can muster for the new acting Governor from Logan, who has presided over the State Senate during record job losses in recent years, then the next generation might as well go straight out of state to find work after high school or college.
No, the state's economic plight is not all Earl Ray Tomblin's fault. But he certainly had a prime seat at the table for the past three decades as a member of the West Virginia State Senate. Moreover, for several years as Senate President, he has been the second most powerful man in West Virginia politics. So has he earned a good share of the blame for joblessness across the Mountain State? Sure.
We don't recall Senator Tomblin coming out with many pro-business reforms over the course of his tenure. What we remember of Tomblinomics include gray machine legalization, state grayhound breeding contracts for his family's kennel, and business as usual for lobbyists. Same old, same old.
So it comes as no surprise that two of the most ubiquitous lobbyists, Louis Southworth of Jackson and Kelly law firm and Bill Raney of the West Virginia Coal Association, have announced the first fundraiser in support of the Acting Governor.
Well, of course they want Earl Ray to continue on after his appointment. He will make sure that their wheels get greased regularly. It's all about control, and Raney and Southworth have clients who want to control Tomblin. He will give them the same access as Governor that they have had while he has been Senate President.
That is access the average person in West Virginia simply doesn't have.
After three decades in the legislature, we believe Tomblin has had more than a fair chance to make whatever contribution to the state he is going to make. It's not enough anymore to have people in power who just "want to be Governor." We hear that Tomblin and now Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, House Speaker Rick Thompson, and State Treasurer John Perdue all just "want to be Governor."
Quick: can you name one thing any of these politicians stand for, other than themselves? Seriously....can you? We're sure they're all nice people. But leaders of a state?
We believe the time is ripe for a true, reform-minded candidate to step forward and show us a real plan for West Virginia's economic future. If the Democrats can't find such a candidate, perhaps Mike Stuart over at the West Virginia Republican Party can persuade John Raese or Shelley Moore Capito to jump in the Governor's race, whether it falls in 2011 or 2012.
One thing's for sure: West Virginia is running out of time. Baby boomers are going to be retiring bigtime soon, and if we don't start creating more jobs here with the revenue they bring to the state's coffers, we're going to be hurting.
We need a Governor who knows how to get the job done, not just say in the family album, "Here's when I was Governor." Thus far, the crop put forward by the Democrats fails to inspire.