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Having Fun
With Mojo
Wow! E. Panhandle is a whole different world!
Hey Kids! Mojo here! If you've never been here, you need to visit the Eastern Panhandle, where I am this week during the interim legislative meetings! There are new jobs, new houses being built, and it just seems like everyone is driving nice cars and wearing nice clothes! Only trouble is, there are more Republicans here than just about anywhere in the state! Hmmm. Wonder if there's a connection between Republicans and progress? Maybe I should listen more to the GOP! Nah.
McKinney: Dems should disavow MoveOn war ad
West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Doug McKinney on Monday issued the following statement calling on West Virginia Democrats to denounce the MoveOn.org attack ad in Monday's New York Times assailing General David Petraeus and America’s military.
“MoveOn.org’s malicious attack on General Petraeus and our nation’s troops should be condemned by West Virginia Congressional Democrats immediately.
"After trying unsuccessfully to block funding for American soldiers and second guess our commanders on the ground, this radical left-wing organization has resorted to launching slanderous assaults on our nation’s brave men and women who are fighting the War on Terrorism. As the father of a United States Marine, I take personal offense at this attack.
“West Virginia Democrats, including Sen. Robert C. Byrd, have benefited from donations from MoveOn.org in the past. I hope these Democrats finally denounce this insult to America’s troops, and refuse to line up with the liberal extremists that have hijacked their party.
“Instead of condemning General Petraeus, I urge West Virginia’s elected officials to condemn this advertisement and resolve to listen to what General Petraeus has to say.”
As father of Marine, GOP chair decries insult to troops
DOUG MCKINNEY
Manchin grilled by Mays during radio interview
Gov. Joe Manchin was asked some tough questions Monday by WRNR co-host Jerry Mays during the station's Eastern Panhandle Talk program.
Broadcasting live from the interim meetings in Martinsburg, Mays started with a folksy question about whether the gov's much talked about tie worn at the Friends of Coal Bowl would be for sale at Tamarack. Manchin said he would try to hang on to the garment.
Mays then asked the governor about the Eastern Panhandle's rapidly rising real estate taxes and the affect it is having on seniors. Manchin's initial response was that "people move here because taxes are low."
But when Mays countered that rising property taxes don't do much for seniors who are being threatened with being taxed out of their homes, the governor suggested that perhaps seniors' homes could be taxed at their original price, and taxes would then be reevaluated when the property was sold.
Mays mentioned that if something is not done, school bonds and levies will be threatened, since so many local real estate taxes go toward school funding.
After the governor bragged about all the "solutions" he has brought about for workers comp, medical malpractice, and business taxes -- most of which have consisted of small incremental steps -- Mays responded with a line he got from Sen. John Yoder: "We cut a hair when we needed a haircut."
Mays says that was the end of the interview.
Rockefeller got more money from Norman Hsu connection
Since 2004, three managers of a plastics manufacturing plant in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, have given more than $270,000 to top Democrats, including Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
The contributions closely track a pattern of giving by Norman Hsu, the apparel executive and fugitive who was captured in Colorado recently.
Federal authorities are reportedly probing whether Hsu "used a network of
JAY ROCKEFELLER
associates to skirt campaign contribution limits and broaden his political reach," according to a recent story in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Late Monday, Hillary Clinton announced she was returning $850,000 in contributions connected to Hsu.
Danny Lee, See Win Lee and Yu-Fen Huang are managers at Newspring Packaging in Mount Carmel and who would not appear to have the means to make such large contributions.
But according to FEC records, See Win Lee gave $2,000 to Rockefeller in February of this year. As reported here, Rockefeller had also received $4,000 from Hsu himself. Rockefeller later said he would return the Hsu contributions after he was contacted by Metro News.
Rockefeller received $4,000 since the 2006 election cycle from Hsu, getting $2,000 on February 2, and another $2,000 on June 8.
According to news reports, Hsu is a convicted felon who has apparently directed thousands of dollars in donations to various Democrat candidates, with Hillary Clinton receiving $23,000 directly from Hsu into various accounts.
Over the years, Hsu and his associates also have given to Democrats such as Dianne Feinstein, Edward M. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Joseph R. Biden Jr., Al Franken, Michael Honda, Doris Matsui, and Joe Sestak.
Since 2004, Hsu has donated $264,000 to Democratic candidates. But Senator Clinton has by far been the recipient of the most money from Hsu in recent years.
In addition to the Pennsylvania workers, Hsu has also raised
eyebrows by the fact that large contributions have come from a New York family as part of funds collected and "bundled" by Hsu.
Charles Town track boots Del. Doyle
1:30 P.M. BREAKING NEWS: Del. John Doyle was kicked out of Charles Town Racetrack Monday night during a legislative tour.
Sources say Doyle was approached during the tour by Penn Gaming Vice President John Finamore, who said to Doyle, "You have a lot of nerve showing up here."
Doyle responded that he was invited as part of the legislative tour. Lawmakers are holding interim meetings this month in Martinsburg.
Finamore responded that an individual was supposed to inform Doyle beforehand that he was not welcome. Doyle said he never received that
message, and asked Finamore, "Do you want me to leave?" Finamore said he did, and Doyle exited the premises.
Doyle voted for the table games legislation, but then vigorously opposed the referendum in Jefferson County, which he represents, saying the bill did not provide enough revenue for the Eastern Panhandle area. The issue went down in Jefferson, the only county to defeat the measure.
Ironically, while Doyle was given the boot, several lawmakers who voted against the legislation during the regular session were welcomed during the Monday evening tour.
