Governor Manchin says that West Virginia is “Open For Business.” I guess the majority of the citizens of this lovely state must have disagreed, and we are now going back to the motto “Wild and Wonderful”. It only makes sense, after all. All one needs to do is open their eyes to see the astounding beauty and uniqueness of this state. However, the governor’s chosen saying is a bit closer to the truth of the matter.
Some said they felt the saying “open for business” made them feel as if a brothel were being discussed instead of a state motto. And perhaps this is the closest to the reality of the situation, as West Virginia is being systematically RAPED. To the detriment of this fine state and the people who live here, West Virginia has been put on the block to the highest bidder. It is similar to the situation in which a wayward parent “pimps out” their child as a sex slave for money and expects them to simply comply, as the alternatives are presented as being far worse. Everything from landfills designed for out-of-state garbage, to mountaintop removal, to huge power lines built for the purpose of transporting electricity from one out-of-state place to another. Our tourist industry is slowly being taken over by investors from out-of-state/out-of-country.
The heart and soul of the “Mountain State”, namely the mountains, are being hauled away, out-of-state and to foreign lands at an alarming rate, with the Governor’s blessing. Jobs are being sold down the river to places where even cheaper labor can be found to manufacture even shoddier merchandise to sell to people already too poor to buy much of anything, because all the riches of their state are being handed away. And “Mountaineers”, famous for their free spirit, are NOT always free in a society where those who try to stick it out here despite the lack of any real jobs are taxed and regulated to death, and victimized by a completely out of control legal system from the top down, which, more than anything, resembles a game of Russian Roulette. Our fine Governor supports a bill to make it easier for the police to do warrant-less searches of peoples homes. He supports selling out to big business, ruining for all time our mountains. Heck, he even supports bombing Iraq…
And, altho Mr. Manchin puts on the show of being interested in our affairs, for all intents and purposes, he is a “pass the buck” governor. His main purpose seems to be to look good for the media, talk a good line about “helping” West Virginia, and making “deals” with the other authority figures in Charleston and away, for the purpose of “controlling” the citizens and making more EASY MONEY. Try contacting his office with a complaint. You will be promptly forwarded to the very agency you are complaining about.
Yes, the citizens voted to change the “open for business motto” and they did it for a REASON. This would be the same reason they should now go a little farther and say enough is enough, and begin the process of TAKING BACK OUR STATE, our HERITAGE, our HONOR and our WEALTH of natural resources from the all too powerful big-whig bureaucrats who think nothing more of us than obstacles to a goal…
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Exerpt from Hurherald news article about bringing a high voltage power line thru West Virginia:
“”Press secretary Matt Turner said “The governor believes there are benefits for our state” in the construction of this line, he wrote.
Beyond increased stability, “There would be more use of West Virginia coal, jobs created in the construction of new transmission lines, as well as the related power company jobs necessarily located in West Virginia.””
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Facts and figures, already outdated, from 2005 on “Coal Mining” in WV:
“”Few would fess up to greed being part of eliminating 40,000 mining jobs for quick and dirty extraction.
Few would fess up to corrupt government officials perpetuating the greatest ecological crime in history of West Virginia – the destruction of life-giving and water producing mountains.
Few would fess up to the long and tragic history of corporate coal in this state, loss of life, loss of employment, destruction of homes, and elimination of communities throughout the coalfields.
Few would fess up that three million pounds of explosives are detonated every day in the “mountain state,” leveling 500 square miles to barren wasteland.
Few would fess up that valley fills have buried over 1,200 miles of Appalachian streams forever.
Few would fess up that billions of gallons of chemical-laden sludge, restrained by leaky, failure-prone earthen dams, loom above our communities and schools.
Few would fess up that the Buffalo Creek disaster was the fault of an unstable Pittson Coal dam, leaving 118 dead, seven missing, 1,100 injured and 4,000 homeless. Pittson said it was an act of God.
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Article reprinted from Charleston Daily Mail:
New York firm a big player in West Virginia tourism
by George Hohmann
Daily Mail business editor
“”Fortress Investment Group of New York City is quietly becoming the biggest player in West Virginia’s tourism sector.
In October 2006, Fortress bought Intrawest Corp., including Snowshoe Mountain Resort, for $2.8 billion.
Snowshoe is the largest employer in Pocahontas County. The core staff of almost 400 full-time, year-round employees swells to about 1,200 when the ski season peaks in early January. The resort’s annual payroll is more than $20 million.
In June, funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group and Centerbridge Partners agreed to buy Penn National Gaming Inc., the corporate parent of Charles Town Races & Slots, in an all-cash transaction valued at $6.1 billion.
Charles Town Races is the second-largest employer in Jefferson County, surpassed only by the board of education. Charles Town Races directly employs 1,300 people, said John Cavacini, president of the West Virginia Racing Association. Although the company does not directly employ them, another 1,500 people work at the track for horse trainers and horse owners, Cavacini said.
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Rio Tinto’s $37.6 billion purchase of Alcan, which was announced in July, was finalized one week ago today. Rio Tinto Alcan is one of five product groups operated by Rio Tinto, a mining company based in the United Kingdom.
Rio Tinto Alcan has 73,000 employees, including joint ventures, in 61 countries and regions. The company has an aluminum rolling mill in Ravenswood that employs about 1,200 workers, making it Jackson County’s largest private employer.
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Gov. Joe Manchin isn’t the only West Virginian leading a trade mission abroad.
Don Blankenship, Massey Energy Co.’s chairman, chief executive officer and president, mentioned during a groundbreaking ceremony in Boone County on Monday that he is going to Europe and India.
On Tuesday Massey spokesman Jeff Gillenwater said Blankenship and Massey’s sales team will be traveling to Europe, India and Egypt “to sell coal and improve our market share.”
Massey exports metallurgical coal, which is used to make coke, a fuel. “We currently sell coal in Europe (Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain & Sweden), India and Egypt,” Gillenwater said. “The hope is to improve our market share in these locations.”
Manchin left for China on Tuesday. Gillenwater would not disclose the specific dates that Blankenship will be traveling but said the trip is soon.
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The fact that Blankenship manages Massey from the central Appalachian coalfields and the company broke ground Tuesday for a regional headquarters on Wash Branch in Boone County has led to speculation that Massey might shut down its Richmond headquarters and move to Wash Branch.
There are no such plans, Massey spokesman Jeff Gillenwater said.””
Calhoun Underground 