repubgazette7-27-07losingmoneyforjobssaintjohn

Having Fun

With Mojo

Hanging out with all my suitors

Hey kids! Mojo here! After the big Democrat debate Monday night, I hung out with all the candidates! Just me and them! I was the only governor there! I talked to Hillary and Barack and John and pretty much avoided the other losers, except for Bill, 'cause he's my friend. It was kinda like being the prettiest girl in the room! Everybody was checking me out! Cause, you know, I'm VP material! And who knows, I might actually decide to accept a VP offer after all, cause I could still run for governor at the same time! Joe Lieberman did it -- in 2000 he ran for VP and also for the Senate, so even though Al Gore lost, Joe was still re-elected to the Senate! Not a bad deal! See, I would provide what they call "balance" to the ticket! What that means is, they're all way out there on the far left, but I'm a conservative! So that "balances" the ticket! And even if we lose, I'm still the governor (getting re-elected to that is a no-brainer) and I'm also sitting pretty for 2012! So who knows?

Job creation usually depends on a number of factors that are winners for everyone involved. In the kind of job creation most communities attempt to achieve, a company produces a product or service that provides a benefit or useful component to society, and jobs are created to meet the demand for filling those products or services.

But when it comes to the jobs being touted by proponents of the table games bill, employment is dependent not on people prospering, but instead on people losing their money. What the tracks and the politicians who support the table games bill want is to lure as many customers as possible to the "destination resort" and engage them in gambling activities that are guaranteed to lose money for the "customers."

This is how the new jobs are funded, and it takes a politician who is quite bereft of any sound ideas for economic growth to ask voters to approve the ability for people to gamble away their paychecks, pensions and savings in order to create jobs.

Right now, the general consensus in Kanawha County -- shared in conversations with both the pro and con sides -- is that the table games bill is going down. There are still two weeks to go before the election, which can be an eternity, but the die might already be cast, to speak in terms table games proponents can understand. Recent reports indicated that some racetrack employees who showed up to vote in Charleston were turned away because they were not registered. If this is the level of organization among proponents of the measure, it never had a chance.

Assuming the measure does fail in Kanawha, that will mean that only two of the four counties permitted by the generous leaders in the legislature to vote on the referendum (when in fact the entire state should have been permitted to vote) will have passed it, completely negating the rosy numbers used by lawmakers to justify their support of table games legislation.

And where have those lawmakers gone, anyway? The refusal by most Kanawha County legislators to state publicly how they plan to vote is astounding, and must certainly be annoying to the gambling industry that largely funded the last campaign of the Democrat Party.

But it is also somewhat irrelevent. Despite their rhetoric about only wanting to let people choose for themselves, a vote for the table games legislation was in essence a vote for table games themselves. If indeed it goes down in Kanawha County, it might actually give the Republican Party a glimmer of hope in breaking through in, say, the 30th District next year.

Unable to put together the kind of physical presence at rallies that can be generated when you can round up your employees, put them in t-shirts and parade them down the street, the anti-gambling campaign has nevertheless been much more organized, consistent and effective. To my knowledge they have employed no professional consultants, have raised only enough money to produce some signs and some simple literature (compared to the bottomless well of cash into which the gambling industry has dipped), but have managed to win the debate, at least so it seems.

And what is interesting is to watch them having a blast doing it. While the anger and defensiveness of the pro-gambling forces is evident in their interviews and commercials, the opponents are having a grand old time, planning their upcoming demonstrations with the kind of excitement, enthusiasm and creativity usually exhibited by school kids planning a backyard pool party. They're dedicated to what they believe, but they're also having fun.

Aside from the merits of the gambling issue itself, it's easy to get caught up in the whole David and Goliath aspect of it all. The big corporate gambling entities that are behind the whole table games push are so far being out-maneuvered by the small but dedicated band of ragtag resistance fighters. And in America, everyone loves the underdog.

Justice's charge vs. Charleston papers hard to swallow

The much-publicized and discussed Justice Department suit against Charleston Newspapers seems rather bizarre to this former editor and reporter.

The Department of Justice claims that the Charleston Gazette has engaged in a systematic effort to weaken and eventually kill the rival afternoon paper, the Charleston Daily Mail.

Both have operated under a Joint Operating Agreement for many years -- common in the industry -- and the Gazette purchased the Daily Mail a few years ago.

Under the JOA, the papers have shared advertising and distribution departments, while maintaining separate editorial operations. That's the basic set-up of every JOA, which are designed mainly to save afternoon papers from the graveyard.

Eventually, though, even with JOA's in place, most afternoon papers fade away, sadly enough. The latest major afternoon paper to bite the dust is the Cincinnati Post, which announced earlier this month that it would cease publication after December 31.

Like the Gazette and Daily Mail, the Post has operated under a JOA with the Cincinnati Enquirer for many years. and once had a circulation in the six figures. It's latest circulation is about 25,000.

It seems to me that it will be very difficult for the feds to prove that any business decisions made by the Gazette were intended to harm the Daily Mail, versus simply trying not to lose too much money. It would be very nice if some benefactor would purchase the Daily Mail, give it an infusion of cash, and keep going a needed counterpoint to the morning paper.

But barring that, the Gazette can hardly be expected to bankrupt its entire operation to save its rival. The irony is, the Gazette -- that bastion of liberalism -- will be depending on a good old fashioned conservative corporate business argument to prove its case.

The Life and

Times of

Saint John of Martinsburg

An occasional feature examining the exploits of he who does no wrong.

And lo, it came to pass that upon the seventh month of the seventh year, Saint John was persecuted by Republicans across the land.

The High Priest said unto him, 'Why doest thou neglect to report thine income, as is required by all in your circumstance?'

And Saint John replied, 'I have no need of material things, nor do I know of whence they come.'

And the High Priest said, 'Why doest thou neglect to file thine reports on time?'

And Saint John replied, 'I am not of this earth, nor does time or space have meaning to me as it does to you and your kind.'

And the council was much amazed at his response, and spoke among themselves as to what it might mean.

And Saint John continued, saying, 'My words are a riddle unto thee, but those who follow me have the key that they might understand. For I have been sent to tell forever and ever, for time without end, the story of Mother Teresa, one who recognized my gifts and anointed me unto her path.'

And the council was much ashamed. and said, 'Now we see the error of our ways. Tell us, what must we do?'

And Saint John said unto them, 'Follow me, and do as I instruct. When I say to walk in one way, walk in that way. And when I say to walk in another way, walk in that way also. And thy reward will be great, for in my employer's house are many jobs, and little will be required, but much will be gained, just as it is for me.'

And lo, the gospel of patronage through earmarks was so established, and they went away glad.

at noon at War Memorial Park.

Meats and drinks will be provided, but guests are asked to bring a covered dish and "one item of value" for an auction.

Capito is currently serving her fourth term as the representative of the 2nd Congressional District of West Virginia. She is the only Republican and the only woman in the West Virginia congressional delegation.

The bills Capito has introduced and co-sponsored reflect her priorities to improve the quality of life for every West Virginian by creating economic opportunities and accessible, affordable quality health care including prescription drug coverage under Medicare.

One of Capito's main goals is to increase the quality of health care in West Virginia. Throughout her tenure in Congress, Capito has sponsored and supported a number of measures to increase the accessibility and affordability of health care for those throughout the Mountain State, with an added emphasis on health care accessibility in rural areas. Capito utilizes her experience on this issue by serving on the steering committee of the Rural Health Care Caucus, as well as serving as the Co-Chair of the Long Term Care Caucus, which focuses on providing the best in quality health care for our nation’s senior and disabled citizens.

The congresswoman has traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq where she was able to meet with U.S. troops fighting the War on Terror and review rebuilding efforts.