This page last updated: Tuesday, February 01, 2005, 5:40:07 AM EST

February 01, 2005
 
COMMENTARY: Coming Out for Manchin’s Workers’ Comp Reform Plan Would Get Mountain State to First Base
 
by Nick Casey
West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman
 
Charleston (Special to HNN) — Our Democrat Governor, Democrat Legislators and forward thinking Republicans have taken bold steps to solve the funding crisis in workers' compensation and to fix the system once and for all.
 
Gov. Joe Manchin, Senate President Tomblin, House Speaker Kiss and all but 14 members of the 134 members of the Legislature came together to lead West Virginia forward. For decades labor, business and state government have worked to improve our workers' compensation program. Now in 6 short days, under Democratic Leadership, laws have passed that set our state on a new course. Be tremendously proud of every Democrat who worked for this great day.
 
Although this is a great day for Democratic Leaders in our state, we need to recognize that there were forward thinking Republicans who joined with the Democrat majority to bring about this great legislation. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out that there still remains a group of purely partisan political hypocrites who opposed this legislation. For years certain Republicans have campaigned on a lack of leadership by our Democrats and they have also continuously said that workers' compensation needed reform or to be privatized.
 
When the vote on these issues came up these partisan political hypocrites voted no and did it along straight Republican Party lines. Bad enough these partisan Republican hypocrites can not lead but they did not even have enough class to get out of the way of our true leaders, our progressive Democrat Governor, Democrat Senators, Democrat Delegates and forward looking Republicans.
 
Tell your Republican friends about these anti-progress Republican partisan politicians and they will be embarrassed by their political hypocrisy. They are Vic Sprouse, Russ Weeks, Frank Deem, John Yoder, Steve Harrison, Jesse Guills, Clark Barnes and Donna Boley in the Senate and Linda Sumner, Thomas Porter, Deborah Stevens, John Overington and Tim Armistead in the House. Now is the time for these Republicans to stop playing politics and stop thinking about their personal Republican agenda and start working and voting for the future of all West Virginians.

Craig Hammond is News Editor of BluefieldNews.Net, letters to the editor, rebuttals, replies, story and event submissions can be made to
 
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