Letter to the Editor: Demands for lawmakers
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As we begin a New Year, I would hope that our state delegates and senators would truly consider their work in the West Virginia Legislature as being representatives of all the people in their district and the state of West Virginia.
William Anderson, Vernon Criss, Bob Fehrenbacher, Scott Heckert, Mike Azinger, Donna Boley, I am speaking to all of you. You represent me and my friends in Wood County. That means that you need to represent the 25% of the people who are in poverty; the people who are homeless; the fathers and mothers who are working to keep a roof over their head as their husband or wife stays home to care for the children because child care is so expensive; the senior citizen who skips needed medication so they can eat or have heat; the single parent who is afraid to get a raise because they will lose their health care, SNAP and WIC; the person who just got laid off and fears they will be sleeping in the car, the young teenager who is afraid to come out, afraid to seek needed mental and physical health care; the black couple who is denied a loan because of the color of their skin; the person who has to drive to work or health care appointments on poor road surfaces, the relative of an incarcerated person as they fear for the life of their loved one.
We are finishing the "Christmas Season" and then we turn our backs on the people who are in need. It is so wonderful to see people giving to "the poor kids." Then many return to their 364 days of living for self.
Yes, we have organizations that continue the good work like soup kitchens and food banks. But, that does not solve the poverty problem. When we were able, my husband and I worked at soup kitchens and food pantries. My husband helped to build several Habitat houses in Wood and Washington counties. This is all charity. What we need now is justice, fairness, equity.
The groups in Wood County who are helping people are Habitat, Circles, House to Home, etc. I have never read in the paper that our legislators visited any of these groups or the soup kitchens. I guess the reason is that no one in these places would make large contributions to them.
Legislators, what we need now is that you will stop helping the outside companies who promise they will hire, stop giving tax breaks to the wealthy, stop using our tax money for private schools or home schooling. We ask that you stop pretending you are medical doctors and can determine what health care a woman or a teenager needs. We ask that you stop calling for special sessions because you couldn't get anything accomplished during the regular session.
As a citizen of West Virginia, I am asking you, I am demanding you to do the following:
* Protect voting rights, voters, and poll workers
* Raise the minimum wage so it is a living wage, equal pay for equal work, and the right to join a union.
* Work to protect social programs such as SNAP, CHIP, HEAP, WIC, and the Child tax.
* Keep our tax money in state to secure a high quality of education for all.
* Pay money owed to land grant West Virginia State University.
* Work to provide affordable housing.
* Work to provide medical care for all. Stop the closure of rural hospitals
* Instead of cutting taxes for the wealthy, increase them so they pay their fair share.
* Make it easier for people to transition to clean energy, ban the pipeline, compensate the people who live in high pollution areas.
* Clean up our prisons and hire reliable guards.
* Ensure all asylum seekers are welcomed.
* Work to alleviate poverty through education, retraining, and fairness
The above demands must be met by the entire body of legislators. I send this message to the leaders in the senate: Craig Blair, Donna Boley, Tom Takubo, Ryan Weld. Mike Woelfel, and Robert Plymale
I send the message to the leaders in the House of Delegates: Roger Hanshaw, Eric Householder, Marty Gearheart, Paul Espinosa, Sean Hornbuckle, Shawn Fluharty and Kayla Young.
We will be watching. We will be requesting times to meet. We will be coming to Charleston. Don't say we didn't warn you.
It is time to work for all the people regardless of sexual orientation, the color of one's skin, religious affiliation, or country of origin.
Margaret Meeker
Member of Poor People Campaign
Williamstown