West Virginia Isn't Healthy Across the nation, West Virginia is known for its poor health. We face an opioid epidemic, have the highest obesity rate in the country, and rank 1st in coronary heart disease. To make things worse, we lack access to basic health care with more than 1 out of every 5 residents…

Addiction Recovery in West Virginia Addiction stinks: it drains individuals, families, and entire communities. We have lost thousands to this plague, but there has been hope in those who have overcome it. If Mountaineers are ever to overcome this horror, the focus should be on getting more people into treatment, not fewer. There are many…

Why Are Taxes So Hard? As tax season winds down and you’re deep in your last-minute filing, you’ve probably caught yourself thinking, “why are taxes so stinkin’ hard?!”   No doubt, I’ve sat in front of my computer on late nights trying to figure this all out. More than once, I’ve yelled at the umpteen…

  “I’m a native of Arizona and I grew up in Arizona public education. I love this state. I was a huge public education advocate for years. When I raised my own kids, I started to take a more active role and visited hundreds of classrooms, then I started to shift in my thinking.”  …

2020 United States Census Results On Monday, the United States Census released results of the 2020 apportionment count. The results revealed what West Virginia had forecasted for months: We will lose a Congressional seat.   This trend has continued for nearly 60 years in West Virginia,. The Mountain state had six Congressional districts until the…

West Virginia Needs More Hope West Virginia has always had one big problem. We don’t have enough opportunity for everyone that needs it. No matter if it is agriculture or mining, there has yet to be an answer for the future of the Mountain State. Fortunately, the Hope Scholarship offers a roadmap out. The Hope…

Licensing and Justice Occupational licensing is a criminal justice issue. Aggressive legal strategies have left many individuals incarcerated. Once they've served their time, they attempt to re-enter the workforce. Regardless of any changes an individual has made in their personal life, occupational licensing often prevents them from finding work. Even minor felonies and some misdemeanors…

COVID Hit Restaurants Hard 2020 was a year full of struggle for every American. Job losses, constant worries about health and wealth, and isolation generally made this year one we all want to forget. But while we are doing that, we should make sure that we don’t forget our hospitality industry, especially restaurants, with it.  Confusion and panic are not good strategies for…

West Virginia just made history by passing the broadest school choice program in the nation – the Hope Scholarship program. Time will be the judge of our grand experiment. However, one thing already needs to be cleared up about this program. It’s not a voucher.   Is the Hope Scholarship a Voucher? The Hope Scholarship…

On this blog we've written about occupational licensing reform before. For workers to freely pursue happiness, we need to reduce the red tape that stands in their way. Over the next few weeks, we'll discuss a few options to remove those barriers to work. Today, I'd like to briefly discuss universal occupational licensing recognition.  …