WKKX EDITORIAL NO. 99
(Governor Manchin - Inauguration Party)
Far too often our political leaders disappoint us. Leaders should lead by example -- they are supposed to set the standards.
We are presently in the worse financial crisis that the United States has ever experienced. Unemployment rates are at an all-time high and the pensions we earned over the years for our retirements has been significantly reduced.
Money is tight and jobs are scarce. No one can afford to be extravagant.
Despite the suffering and sacrifices of all of the citizens of our Mountain State, our Governor has decided to throw an inauguration party second to none to honor himself. Such arrogance is not needed, and the $1.5 million being spent on shrimp and booze could serve as a blessing to many citizens, students, or our homeless.
Instead of wasting $1.5 million on an inauguration party to glorify yourself, Governor, I have a proposal:
I will personally pay for a life-size cut-out of yourself so you can look at yourself each day, or I will pay to build you a small pond in your backyard so you can look at your reflection just like Narcissus did many years ago.
In exchange, Governor, we would ask that you spend the $1.5 million on any one of the following things:
(1) Give each County Board of Education $30,000 to be used to purchase new equipment in our schools;
(2) Give the $1.5 million to the state treasury to reimburse us for your screw up when you unilaterally changed all of the state motto signs to “Open for Business”;
(3) Give $100,000 to the 15 poorest counties in the State to encourage new business;
(4) Give the $1.5 million to West Virginia University to be used on clean coal or coal liquidification research; or
(5) Give $1.5 million to help re-train displaced workers in the State.
Governor, when your smiling face appears on the TV or in the newspaper following your coronation party, I hope everyone knows that you decided to honor yourself rather than helping the children and needy people of West Virginia.
