West Virginia University Faces Budget Deficit Here in the Mountain State, it’s hard to miss the news that West Virginia University is facing a $45 million budget deficit. Over the coming 5-7 years, the university is projecting a need to reduce their overall budget by at least $75 million due to declining enrollment trends. In […]

A Conservative Mountaineer Budget for West Virginia:   While conservatively aligned politicians have more recently taken power in West Virginia, the state has a strong history of practicing responsible, conservative budgeting. Through these practices, the growth of state government has stayed within the bounds of the average taxpayer’s ability to fund it. In this context, […]

For Immediate Release CONTACT: Garrett Ballengee 304-561-7634 Governor’s budget doubles down on bet that West Virginia’s prosperity to come from Charleston CHARLESTON, WV (February 9, 2017) — During yesterday’s address, the 36th Governor of West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice, offered his budget proposal. Unfortunately, Governor Justice decided to double down on the ideas of the past […]

Governor Morrisey’s 2025 State of the State Address: An Analysis On the evening of Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Gov. Patrick Morrisey delivered his first State of the State address. An annual tradition, the address is largely intended to set the tone for the upcoming legislative session and present the governing agenda for the year. One-half […]

35th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall Earlier this month, lovers of freedom throughout the world celebrated the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Not only did it mark the beginning of the end of the Cold War, for many, it also signified the philosophical triumphs of freedom and democracy […]

Good Governance & Finance Audits are not sexy. They are not even exciting, enticing, or exhilarating, however, what they are is . . . revealing. A common talking point amongst fiscal conservatives and general free-market types is the need to cut spending and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the budget. The Cardinal Institute even […]

The Challenges Of The Public Education System  It’s difficult to overstate the challenge of thinking critically about the public education system — mainly because we love teachers. And let’s be honest, cognitive dissonance plays a role too. After all, most of us went to and sent our children to public schools. Thinking critically would put most […]

Spooky Policies to Beware of As Halloween creeps around the corner, let’s expose the ghosts of bad decisions past and unearth insidious policies lurking in the shadows of bloated bureaucracy. A few of these policies may appear innocuous on the surface. However, as many horror films demonstrate, sometimes the seemingly innocent ideas can harbor bone-chilling […]

Governor Justice Calls a Special Session On September 30, Governor Jim Justice called the legislature to convene for a special session. The initial call had 27 items for lawmakers to address. The call was then amended twice, bringing items of business up to 40. Supplemental appropriations to a wide variety of agencies and associated services […]

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2024    FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Amanda Kieffer, VP of Communications & Strategy, Cardinal Institute for WV Policy PHONE: (304)-541-9551| EMAIL: [email protected]     New Survey Reveals West Virginia Families’ Dissatisfaction with Lack of School Choices   Charleston, W.Va. – The Cardinal Institute in partnership with 50CAN and Edge […]