Posts that cover the broad issue of fairness in society in regard to jobs, insurance, business startup, etc.

The “Flat Tax: Stupid But Possibly Workable

John Doyle speculates on how to make a flat tax adaptable so that it doesn't take a sizable chunk of a worker's earnings from they need to pay for critical everyday expenses. Maybe set a threshold below which the flat tax is exempt? Ideally that would be something like the prevailing poverty rate. Above that you pay tax, below it you don't. John goes on to consider the likelihood of such an adaptable tax passing the Republican legislature.

Let’s Revive West Virginia’s Future Fund

Companies that take our coal and natural gas pay a royalty, called a severance tax, to the state. Other states with exportable natural resources have saved a part of those taxes into what's called a sovereign wealth fund. It's kind of an insurance policy to provide some financial security when the resources run out. West Virginia had one, called the Future Fund, for almost a decade, but the legislature cancelled it in 2023. That was a mistake.

We’re Teachers…We’re Drowning (Part 2)

The teacher pay crisis in the Eastern Panhandle has a solution often proposed by our local legislators. It's locality pay. The idea is to pay teachers a wage that they can live in in the counties where it costs more to live. The state legislature can't or won't get it done.