Skeletal Writings

Normally I don't share personal information, but I thought it was important in this case.  So, here's the thing: I live in West Virginia.  Never mind the jokes about how we're all stupid and backwards (although some folks kind of live up to it, so...yeah).  We have some of the WORST stuff going on at the moment.

-Right now, people in the West Virginia state legislature are debating about returning the death penalty to West Virginia.  The people that support it are all emotional and "They killed my *Insert name of person who is somehow related to them* and they deserve to die, die, DIE!"  Okay, you know what?  There are ways you could make a good case for the death penalty.  If West Virginia has a ridiculously high rate of violent inmates, you might be able to say "Well, if they're such dangerous people, why are we keeping them alive?"  That at least could lead to good discussion.  I don't think emotional testimonies (or whatever they're called) make a good case.  I do not want to live in a state that might seriously considering reinstating the death penalty because of people who come in and cry and rage.

-So, the city of Morgantown is looking for a new police chief (I think that's it; I haven't followed the story that closely).  There were at least five people who applied for the job, and three were out-of-state and two were in-state (possibly Morgantown residents).  The two in-state folks weren't even considered.  Of the three remaining applicants, the first guy was a little handcuff-happy, the second guy caused all sorts of drama in his home state, and the third guy wants to enforce a strict curfew of 11:00 in a college town (and while I hate the bar scene and hate the party-school reputation, this is flat-out ridiculous).  I want someone who understands Morgantown (that it is a college town and that like it or not, we have students, that it is also has residential areas, and so on) and seems reasonable.  

-Let's talk about a certain county's superintendent.  For some semblance of internet safety I won't mention the county.  I was never a fan of him (he made some dangerous decisions about sending kids to school in horrible weather), but he seemed like a decent guy.  Well, he's getting a 15.2 percent raise while the teachers are getting no raises and are actually at risk for being cut.  I agree with one of the teachers when he says a superintendent is only as good as the teachers below him.  Also, there were some counties in the state that had positions available for teachers that were willing to take them, until the teachers found out the pay was less-than-impressive.  I understand why teachers are going out-of-state after getting their degrees and certifications.