repubgazette6-27-07manchinhinorockefellerunions

sounds like a great gesture from a caring chief executive, except for the fact that he didn't really mean he, personally, would buy the land -- he meant that the state economic development authoritywould buy it.

According to the Charleston Daily Mail, it happened like this:

The governor said that when he heard of Hino's need for buffer land, "I said, 'I'll buy the property.'" He instructed the West Virginia Economic Development Authority -- the state's agency that finances economic development projects -- to buy it for $1.2 million.The authority acted Monday, two hours before the ceremony.

He "instructed" the authority to buy it, and told the how much they would pay? More than a million dollars for about 12 acres? Nice deal. (No word on who owned the land in question.)

The location of Hino Motors in Wood County is good news, and a governor who does what he can to make sure it happens is to be commended. But since when does the economic development authority spend money on the order of the governor, as though it is his personal checking account? The development authority does have an oversight committee, right?

No one is suggesting that making the deal to buy the land was not the right move. The question is, how much power has Manchin accumulated? Power that apparently allows him to confidently promise state purchase of land in an amount exceeding a million dollars. Power that even leads him to think of it as his money, i.e., "I'll buy the property."

In reality, it is a telling piece of verbal evidence that Mojo's power and authority knows no bounds. The fact is, he can apparently commit the state or its agencies to courses of action or expenditures of funds with virtually no thought of the need to gain approval or sign-off from those keeping the chairs warm at board meetings.

It is not that these boards or commissions are mere rubber stamps for the governor; it is that the governor apparently has the only stamp in state government, and uses it at his whim. It was almost embarrassing to read about Sen. Jay Rockefeller's efforts to appear relevant at the Hino announcement; this was Joe's show all the way.

Manchin doesn't want to move too quickly in making the state more business friendly. He whittles away at the food tax as though it was made of reinforced steel. He criticizes Republicans for wanting to act more boldly on business tax cuts or to change other government regulations that hold West Virginia back. But when it comes to quick and dirty decision making, Katie bar the door -- the governor acts like a benevolent dictator with the government purse at his personal disposal.

What it all adds up to is a governor who has always been concerned about "owernship" of issues and events. If good things are going to happen, it's going to be because of Joe Manchin personally, not because of legislative ideas conceived by others. It makes for good campaign fodder, i.e., "When the Hino plant was wavering, Joe Manchin swooped in and personally saved the day."

It is the kind of government by personality that has long been exemplified by everyone from Robert C. Byrd to Darrell McGraw and now Joe Manchin. It is not the system that is working; rather, it's the generous benefactor to whom we must pay homage and forever be grateful.

The Hino Motors plant is a good news story for West Virginia, although its promised 80 jobs pales in comparison to the launch of manufacturing plants in many parts of the nation. But in West Virginia's business climate, the first truck assembly plant in the state is nothing to sneeze at. Hopefully, it leads to auto parts makers locating nearby, and spurs further spinoff activity.

Whether that happens or not appears to be entirely up to the decisions made on the spur of the moment by Joseph Manchin III. Everybody else just gets in the way, if they even exist at all.

Senators Jay Rockefeller and Robert Byrd on Tuesday voted to end the protection of workers to vote a secret ballot in deciding whether to form a union.

Rockefeller's vote for cloture on Senate debate of the issue was largely seen as a thank you to Big Labor donations over the years.

But the Senate fell well short of passing the cloture vote, thanks mostly to Republicans who stood against union intimidation in cases where employees are asked to form unions.

Supporters of the bill failed to get the 60 votes needed to cut off debate and allow a vote on the bill. The vote was 51 to cut off debate and 48 against.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said, “By preserving the secret ballot in union organizing drives, Republicans made sure America’s 140 million workers are not intimidated or coerced into siding with either labor or management.”

Meanwhile, many West Virginia observers were still waiting on the condemnation from business groups of Gov. Joe Manchin's signing of a letter urging passage of the bill. In particular, as one reader asked, "Will we hear anything out of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce? Not hardly."

Hey kids! Mojo here! You've probably read the reports that West Virginia has just about the slowest Internet in the nation! I'm working on that. But there's good reasons the Internet moves slow here! Look at all the mountains we have! Sure, the Internet speeds along in places like Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and all that flat land in Kansas and Nebraska! But in West Virginia, it has to climb over mountains, and through valleys and over streams and rivers! It's a wonder it ever gets anywhere! I can tell you that it also affects how fast our email travels! For example, when somebody like my buddy Larry Puccio sends me an email, it gets here like lightning! But Larry's right next door, so it makes sense! But Republicans have the slowest email. They ask me all the time, "Hey, Governor, did you get the email I sent you asking about the money for my district I've been waiting on?" I hate to keep telling them no, but facts are facts! Those emails never seem to get to me! Of course, the emails that take the longest are the ones that come from far away, like the Eastern Panhandle! I haven't gotten an email from there for at least a couple of weeks! But no wonder! Look how far it has to travel! All the way down I-68 to Morgantown, then a sharp left down I-79! Unless you take the John Unger route, which takes even longer! Someday I'll probably open my email account and it will say, "Hey Governor, You've Got Mail -- From The Eastern Panhandle!" I'll read it all then, promise! But my worry is that a lot of what it says will be out of date and way too late to do anything about it! Oh well! But it helps explain to people why Charleston gets everything it wants, and the rest of the state kinda has to wait! It's the email! Once we get the whole state wired for high speed, Charleston won't get nearly as much more as everybody else! Promise!