It has been nearly a year since Gov. Joe Manchin declared that West Virginia is open for business. He unveiled new signs to be displayed on the highways as motorists entered the state telling them that the state is taking a new approach when it comes to business. I assume, with his name on the signs as well, he has appointed himself to the position of CEO. I am not too sure who comprises the board of directors of this company but whomever they are, they need to start looking after their interests or we can kiss this state goodbye.
Yes, the governor can put up his ridiculous looking signs if he wants, but where is the real change that needs to take place? It is not unheard of to see the vacant shops around any town you pass through in West Virginia. In fact in any city here, it is actually the norm to see the disappearance of stores.
Countless studies and polls from the U.S. Chamber Commerce to Forbes Magazine tell us that our state is heading in the wrong direction, yet the state government fails to listen. For 70 years there has been one party in power in this state and all that we have seen is our state driven into the ground. We have seen so many jobs leave this state to head to others with better business climates.
As with any good business, we need the workers to really make the company run. But what attracts those workers? Good-paying positions and job security are just a few factors and it is sad to say that West Virginia offers nothing in any of those categories. Just look around your community and count up the number of businesses big and small that have taken a graceful bow. I did that the other day when realizing my favorite movie rental place had packed up and was surprised at the number of places there really were.
When you look to the graduates of West Virginia’s higher education institutions, you tend to notice a pattern. That pattern is that so many of them are leaving the state for better jobs elsewhere — jobs that actually pay well enough to raise families, jobs with better places to educate their children, and places that have a better environment to do business. The real losers in this situation are the citizens of the state who continue to see their children and grandchildren move.
I think that we, the citizens of West Virginia, are the board of directors in this new business that Gov. Manchin brought to be. And with this position that we have as directors, we must look to our CEO and his advisers in the state Legislature and ask what they have done for the stockholders. How do they plan to make this business grow? In the next session of the West Virginia Legislature, we must take note of how they act on issues that could help or hurt our state and act accordingly. If we continue to see our workforce and families leave this state, if jobs become fewer because of the continuance of failed policies, then we should take care of business at the next election.
Sure, Gov. Manchin and the party in power can scream “open for business” from the peak of Spruce Knob and post signs at every entrance; but as with any business no one will come if there is nothing to sell.