A SAMPLING OF YOUR RESPONSES:
I think that they need to find a way to give correctional employees a pay raise. Its been almost two years since they had one. Its a thankless job but one that is needed. The public doesnt see it. You never think about who is watching the criminals. A pay raise a good pay raise is long over due.
charles lawrence
Instead of Raising cigarette taxes and harping about paying a $1.00 a day to work in charleston when its something they passed, take their tax raises and put some on beer and liquior, thats where its needed worse look at how many times taxes has been raised on cigarettes and none on alcohol, come on people wake up cigarettes may kill but not as fast as alcohol does, especially if your under the wheel.
Kelly R. E., Clendenin
Alchol blood level and the war on teerorisom
Cody Smoot, Scott Depot
ATV Legislation! They should require all children to 18 to wear helmets and it shouldn't depend on if they are on private or public roads. They will be just as dead. They should also only allow one rider on a single ATV. No more piggy backing.
Sheila Ganoe, Tornado
Drug test for the big five , all teachers, school personell, all public employees .Safer schools amendment.
Jim Bob, Le Roy
I think the Legislature should be mostly concerned with making this state Business Friendly, to bring in jobs, and help create some relief for the over-taxed citizens. They should learn that over-taxing citizens only leads to more people leaving the state. If they are dead set on more taxes, why not increase the tax on alcohol, and put a tax on lottery tickets.
Mark Fulks, Charleston
Price of insurance, medical treatment in West Virginia, and schools.
Pamela Todorovich, Oakhill
DUI Bill, ATV Bill for children under 18, Jobs
Wendy Armstrong, Belle
The Legislature should be working on JOBS and i am talking real jobs in mining and manufacturing NOT those few rag part time jobs they have helped come into the state in the past. Also to get laws passed that have been needed for years and not let them come up year after year. And tell BOB to tax babies they cost medicaid more than smokes LOL
Larry, Cabin Creek WV
It doesn't make any difference .... they do what they want to anyway, and get paid big money for it.
Jo, Kenna
I think Education is very important. Gov. Wise is cutting our Nat. Guard program's for Mountaineer challenge Agademy. This boot camp program has made prductive and tax paying citizens out of otherwise, :lost auses. Those kids that are left behind. Why, because of politics.
Sharron Kenny, Sissinville
One of the main focuses needs to be on maintaining veterans program to include field offices and the high quality services anywhere in the nation. These offices need to remain open.
Cheryl Hersman, Spencer
I think they should cut the state tax on gas and do away with sales tax on food
Billy Rhodes, Gandeeville
Instead of raising cig. taxes they should be worried about lowering food taxes, some people have it hard enough to buy food without having to worry about paying taxes, what money they pay for taxes they could be buying another loaf of bread or something.
Angie Evans, Accoville
Protect WV water resources! Out of state business has already destroyed too much of our Wonderful WV
Louise Cunningham, St Albans
Jobs, jobs, jobs.
Tammy, South Charleston
1.Tort reform. 2.What ever it takes to attract good paying jobs to this state. 3.Curtail porkbarrel spending and cut taxes.
Elmer E. Mitchell, Jr, Danville
Lowering the state tax on food & gas
Allen, Charleston
Personally I think the legislature should not pass the tax increase on cigarettes. Yes, people may obatin lung diseases and such from cigarette smoking, but a smoker won't kill an innocent life just by driving down the road. A drunk person would. I think they are too easy on alcoholics and too hard on cigarette smokers.
Amanda, Seth
I believe Healthcare in WV is the most important issue to be addressed by our Legislature this session and I have a letter regarding this subject to e-mail to Senator Love and delegates from Fayette Co. Can you supply them? Also, can I send you the same letter? I am a retired RN due to a disability however am not ready to retire from nursing profession and think I can provide input from both sides of this important subject.
Debra Bennett, Victor
Collecting overdue workers compensation from large businesses. and leaving cigarette taxes alone.
Gary Wiliams, Oak Hill
I think the legislature needs to be doing something about the high cost of auto insurance in the state. Also I think they need to put self interest aside and do something about tort reform.
Nelson Deitz, Mount Lookout
We must find a way to stop the funding cuts in higher education. Each of the last few years state funded colleges and universities have been asked to make huge cuts into their budgets. What value is a promise scholarship to a school that keeps losing funding and thus, losing educational quality. Without an above average education and skill level for our people to lure prospective employers, how are we to bring jobs to a depressed economic area?
Shawn Cole, Ravenswood
ATV issues, drunk driving
Kimberly Bragg, Poca
Tax alochol.....maybe this will keep under aged from buying and families together. WV needs programs/centers that are more than 28 days..they need a treatment that keeps the person at least 3 mos or longer. Our kids and adults need a chance to have a good life. This should be state funded with a higher alochol tax. I don't know of one divorce over cigaretts. Certainly thousands of divorces because of alochol and drugs. Do something construtive for a change. Make us proud to live in West Virginia.
Doris Williams, Racine
I strongly feel they should be working on getting the creeks dredged, if there is so much money for them to waste on nonsense that money should be used to save lives and homes. I have been trying to get something done since the july 2001 flood, after every flood victoms are asked what could have been done and they all say dredging it used to be done on all creeks now they say a minnow is more important than a human life. Well my children are more important and so my home i have alot of money in my home and cars. I have contacted sen byrd and he is trying to do something too. Can you help get the message out to our politicians the voters should only support a gov who is going to do this for his voters.
Sue, Cannelton
Have you considered introducing the Flat Tax concept to your fellow legislators and if not why not? If the wealthy pony up as we ,the remainder of the population, have to it should become easily apparent that we will no longer have the financial crisis that we have today. The middle class of America is well aware that we bear the weight of the tax burden here in America and now it has become time to enact into law a prescription to remedy us of this burden. Try 5%-6.5% on for size as the flat tax that all of us pay annually and I believe we will no longer be an indebted nation within two to four years.
Bob, Seattle, Wa.
I think they should be working on a bill that gives hospitals and nursing homes more nurses to care for patients. In the hospital where I work, I have 22 patients I have to give medicines to and do treatments, our nursing assistants have up to 12 patients to bathe, turn and reposition, feed, take to doctors appointments, take to therapy...etc. Noone can give the kind of care these patients need, although they deserve it, we are there to take care of them, but it is just impossible.
Angelia Webb, Montgomery
One thing they need to do is to remove the GED requirement from the Homeschoolers who apply for the Promise Scholarship. Anyone who can make a 21 on the ACT does not need to take the GED. It is also an insult to every homeschool graduate. To take a test meant for high school dropouts. These students ARE in high school. They deserve the same respect as graduates of public and private schools
Edwina Williamson
I feel they should be considering another way to save money other than cutting higher education. They already know WV has one of the worst education systems in the USA and they want to hurt the schools by cutting their funding at a time when schools are seeing high student populations and more intrest in attending or working at WV colleges and Uniersities.
Jusitn, Richwood
A seat belt law! I love it how all these Legislators are so focused on the ATV issues. Yes, unfortunately people die on ATVs. I have news for all of you though. MORE people die in car accidents because they don't wear their seat belts and then get ejected. Probably in the last couple of years we've lost 100-150 people whose lives could have been saved if they had been wearing a seat belt.
A.A., Charleston
I feel that raising the cigarette tax should be an important issue. I would like the tax to be raised to at least $1.00. Tobacco is harmful and I think it is a major health issue in this state.
Andrea, Alum Creek
Uninsured issues, unemployment, bringing more jobs to the area & social issues.
Dawn, Ravenswood
Issues pertaining to children and their well being, as well as a way to permit marriage to exist between our senior elderly (male and female) without having to succumb to losing SS benefits and trading a single, low income life for marriage and poverty!
Beverly Grey, Montgomery
I think privatizing workers compensation is a must!
Carol, Ravenswood
I don't know if my comment would be classified as most important or not, but I do believe it is an important issue frequently overlooked. Child support ENFORCEMENT laws, and I stress the word ENFORCEMENT. I have a court order for child support yet, STILL do not receive any money. My ex is working under the table and the Child Advocate's office says all they can do is what the law allows. They tell me that they are an enforcement office, enforcing court orders, not an investigative office that proves whether or not a parent is working under the table. What good is the court order if he still doesn't have to pay?
Vicki Clay, Ripley
Our legislators should work on repealing the abortion laws in our state. We have sanctioned murder for too long, and I, for one, am disgusted with the fact that my tax dollars help fund these heinous acts.
Matthew Bower, Madison
Jobs... Jobs... Jobs... That pays good wages... And hurry!
Jimmy, Davin
To stop the destruction of the land and get all the politicians to stop bickering over their $1000+ plate dinners and agree on a way to get more jobs in the area
Melissa Dean, Kenova
I think they should be working on fixing roads.
Badone, Powellton
Putting a stop to the price gouging that the people are having to suffer. We have Natural Gas wells all over this state that are capped off. Having to pay almost $10.00 for 1000 cubic feet is wrong. Only residentual customers have to pay this amount.
Billie R. Paxton, Clendenin
I think we definetly need to look into the insurance disaster we have in this state. Homeowners can't find insurance for there homes. It is getting harder to get every day. Who wants to move here If they can't get a mortgage because they can't get insurance.
J im A, Rock Cave
I think that they ought to be working on them paying into social sercurity the same way that us hard working citizens do and not have their own setup for them!I think that they ought to have to pay and get their money the same way that us hard working people do and still not get it when they are out of office.Also work on lowering our insurance for our homes and vechiles like these other states that pay half of what we do!
Christine Given, Upperglade
They should riase people to work with people
Jeremy, Ivel Ky
They should be working on trying to make more laws.
Timothy Lewis, Eubank
Social Security and medicare. We do not need anyone on Mars or the moon. Get a bill started to place all politicians on social security.
Pauline Bennett, Manchester, NH
Change tax and fee laws that make it very difficult to open buisnesses in the state. I've never seen a state so anti buisness. Also West Virginia will never grow if they continue to charge the high vehicle registration fees.
David Dawson, Charleston
While some may not consider it the most importnat issue, I believe that our state legislature should vote to make WVSC a university. WVSC has met all the criteria for becoming a university. The university status would not only help the WVSC attract more students, both undergrad and graduate, but would also aide the Charleston economy.
Sarah Funk, Looneyville
Small business liability insurance has put my business out of business. I had a perfect safety record, yet my insurance quardrupled recently, forcing me to go out of business.
Pete Ferrell, Charleston
Bottle bill, put deposits on all glass beverage bottles.
Tim Cavender, South Charleston
The number of people on Medicaid needs to be reduced drastically! By half at least. The process to get on Medicaid needs to be made a lot more difficult to weed out the scammers, and time limits need to be set. For example, someone with a substance abuse problem should be given six months to a year to attend a treatment program. If they fail they should no longer be eligeble for benefits.
Susan, Charleston
On getting lower paid state employee's a pay raise. After 17 years service $20,000's not a going to make you a millionare.
C Hill, St. Albans
Why should they start working now? All they do is waste tax payers money. And the governor is on his way out so nothing will be done in the governors office either
Ron, St Albans
The question of how increased expenses of allowing gay marriage will be necessarily shifted to single people to help pay for medical expenses as a result of having no universal health care where people must be married in order to receive spousal benefits, a primary motivation underlying the gay marriage debate.
Pat R., Boston, MA
The state budget and economic development issues. Population within West Virgiginia has declined yet state government continues to grow! Not enough has been done to produce or recruit small to medium size businesses which has and is the majority of employers in WV. Technology has been ignored as a catalyst due to lack of knowlwegde of the leadership within state government. To Much Status Quoe for the benefit of a few!
Michael Stalnaker, Charleston
I feel the most important issue that my state leaders should be working on is the ability for the state government's right hand to know what the left hand is doing and vice versa.
Kirk, South Charleston
Equal schooling for our underprivelaged children
Virginia, Chehalis
Long Term Substitute Teachers - Giving Substitutes that are working in a long term teaching position medical insurance that they deserve!
Christie Conley, Amherstdale
People who drink drive and kill peoples children then get off without any charges because the highway patrole can't get to the secene untill 3 hours later and all is done then never checks the drivers blood alchol level because he was not there and thinks see or he had not been drinking
Lucille Elmore, Harmony
Protecting the business person from the cities and counties that want to tell you how you should run your business but they are not the ones that pay your bills, and at the same time want to take away your civil rights that is known of the business
Ray Scarberry, Huntington
The legislation that would make West Virginia State College and some other colleges in the state Universities is being held up... The qualifications have been met and it would be beneficial to the students attending those schools to have that status!
Heather Porterfield, Pinch
1 Drunk driving 2 drugs 3 collection of back taxes
Bob Law, Los Lunas
ANSWER TODAY'S QUESTION OF THE DAY
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READ COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
Would support legislation that would make it child abuse for a pregnant woman to use drugs?
Does a police presence on flights make you feel safer?
Do you think the amber alert system is an effective tool?
Would you vote for the city user fee?
Will you go hunting during gun buck season?
Will you give to your favorite charity this holiday season?
Do you think Jack Whittaker has a bad rap in West Virginia?
Do you think Gov. Joe Manchin would make a good Vice President?
Do you think U.S. troops should stay in Iraq?
Do you think sexual abuse in West Virginia schools has gotten out of hand?
Do you think any Republican candidate can defeat Senator Robert Byrd?
Should charges be filed against any students caught burning couches after the WVU Virginia Tech game this weekend?
Do you think Senator Robert Byrd will win his re-election bid in 2006?
MORE QUESTIONS IN THE QOD ARCHIVE
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