So. Our legislative priorities here in West By God Virginia so far have been 1) pay people less, in fact, pay them as little as possible (Repealing the Prevailing Wage) 2) break up whatever power the unions have left (“Right to Work”) 3) Give any wingnut an excuse to do something, or not do something, in the name of the Lord. (WV Freedom of Conscience Protection Act). In fact, the first two bills were vetoed by Governor Tomblin, only to be overturned by the bullies in the WV legislature.
Good going, guys. You just keep it up.
Ask Wisconsin, which has lost 10,000 jobs since implementing “Right To Work” just a year ago. As far as repealing the prevailing wage, I’m wondering why any talented, hard working person would stay in, much less move to, a state where wages are already low, and not at least be guaranteed a fair wage? The argument that West Virginia’s cost of living is lower than surrounding states is bogus. We have the 47th lowest wages in the nation, but we are in the top 20 when it comes to cost of living.
And why on earth would a major or emerging company want to come here once West Virginia is lumped in with all the other states that have legislated their bigotry? Sorry folks, but that attitude is just not identified with intelligence out there in the world that you are supposedly trying to attract to our state! Well, we can only hope our voters will “remember in November.” They have in other states. For example, in Indiana, which passed such a law recently, 75% of all likely voters think that the law has hurt their state’s economy; and the governor’s popularity has sunk by 20 points. The state has had to spend $2 million to repair the state’s image.
So, Charleston. What’s next? A voter ID bill? That’s great for jobs, too!