Letters to the Editor

Justice Made Right Call With Veto

Editor, News-Register: A letter to Gov. Jim Justice: We would like to extend our thanks and gratitude for your veto of HB 5105, and for standing firm for the children of West Virginia. By vetoing this bill, and preserving a strong immunization policy for our state, you have helped insure nearly eradicated diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, and polio stay a problem of the past. Upon learning of your decision to veto HB 5105, Loren Kaiser, MD, Pediatric Specialties at Wheeling Hospital, had the following to say, “We, as pediatricians of this state, will continue to advocate ...

Advocates Rally for Childcare

Editor, News-Register: In a disheartening turn of events, the West Virginia Legislature has failed to pass any childcare bills at all, notably House Bill 4797, which sought to reimburse childcare providers based on the enrollment of children rather than the daily attendance. This failure to address crucial childcare issues represents a significant setback for families across the state, particularly in the realm of workforce participation. House Bill 4797 was a vital piece of legislation designed to reform the way childcare providers are reimbursed. By shifting reimbursement to be ...

Trump His Own Worst Enemy

Editor, News-Register: Before Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican presidential primary, former President Donald J. Trump engaged in yet another of his incoherent rants. Trump stated that Mrs. Haley was in charge of security at the U.S. Capitol during the January 2021 insurrection, and was therefore largely at fault for the tragedies that occurred on that fateful day. In fact, Mrs. Haley was at that time a private citizen, and disturbingly Mr. Trump had confused her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was by no means even remotely responsible for what had occurred. ...

Memories of the Bellaire Bridge

Editor, News-Register: I graduated from Bellaire High School in 1974. I remember walking across the (former toll) bridge to West Virginia when the teachers had their 90-minute lunch meeting. It was fun. I also remember the toll-taker ringing the bell every time he took a toll. There was also a billboard in West Bellaire advertising the bridge as the quickest way to Pittsburgh. When they took the approach down on the Bellaire side, it was called “progress.” It was inconvenience. Since 1976, when the family moved to Beckley, W.Va., I have been back several times. It is sad to see the ...

Why Republicans Hate Women

Editor, News-Register: Why does the Republican Party hate women? For decades, the Republicans have fought against women’s rights to control their own bodies, lives, and reproductive freedoms. They have finally gained the upper hand in threatening pregnant women with prosecution and prison time. The GOP in Republican-controlled states is forcing women to carry pregnancies and threatening doctors with prosecution if they provide abortions, making doctors scared to even provide miscarriage management or other life-saving care. Consider the Ohio woman who miscarried in her bathroom. ...

The Future of Social Security

Editor, News-Register: This election will be a very important one for our senior citizens depending on Social Security and Medicare. I ask you to seriously review the candidates and their stance on Social Security and Medicare. There is a renewed interest in using soaring budget deficits as an excuse to slash senior earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. The Republican controlled House of Representatives have advanced the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023 (H.R. 5779) out of committee to bring to the floor for a vote. This bill will create a closed-door “fiscal commission” to ...