VOTE FOR VANNOY, CAMPAIGN WEEK 2 RECAP, CALL TO ACTION!

     Its been another interesting week running for office. I set up my facebook/twitter page for my campaign. Thats "Roger Vannoy for WV House of Delegates district 42" on facebook, and on Twitter, its "@VannoyforWV." I also went to Beckley, WV to protest the Tax reform bill that is working its way through the US Congress. In case you haven't heard, its a tax break for all, but mostly for the wealthy. It will end up costing the US budget 1.5 trillion dollars and it will strip the ACA of its mandate, making the ACA unaffordable to many citizens. Millions of Americans could lose their health insurance. Also the Childrens Health Insurance Program (C.H.I.P.) was not reauthorized after it expired on September 30th. 9 million American children rely on C.H.I.P. for their health care, and Congress hasnt re-authorized it, because Congress isnt sure how to pay for the program. Which means that the Republican controlled U.S. Congress is perfectly willing to give money that we dont have to the wealthy, but funding C.H.I.P. is unaffordable. Its nice to know where their priorities are. So, I went to protest in Beckley with Womens March West Virginia, outside the offices of my Republican congressman, and my Republican Senator. It was good to exercise my freedom of speech in this manner. If enough of the American population were to speak out on these issues, maybe the final version of this tragic bill wont pass, and maybe C.H.I.P. could be re-authorized.

     Also this week, I spoke with the owner/operators of the Irish Pub on Washington Street, and they have agreed to allow my campaign to host a trivia night. I'll have categories that are about important issues for West Virginia and some pop culture and general trivia categories. It will be January 25th and if you are able, come on out and have some fun. Also, bring canned food, if you can. We will make a donation to the local food pantry afterwards.

    That was the second week of my campaign, I look forward to the third. If you are an American citizen, and are concerned about the state of healthcare in our country, if you dont think our government is doing enough to lift its citizens out of poverty, if you feel that our politicians are more worried about giving money to the wealthy than actually helping our citizens, as I do, then I urge you to run for office as well. America needs you.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/18/16792702/health-care-questions-tax-bill-answered

VOTE FOR VANNOY, CAMPAIGN WEEK 1 RECAP. FIRED UP! READY TO GO!

     I made my announcement last week that I was running for the West Virginia House of Delegates district 42 seat, and, the level of support and interest I received was overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who had a kind word of support and expressed interest. My blog tells me how many people read my posts. If I write a blog about any particular issue, I can hope for 50 views. I think with those 50 views, perhaps I showed some of my readers a view they haven't thought of before. Maybe I motivated someone to write to their congressman about a particular issue. My announcement blog has gotten well over a thousand views. I don't think that all of these people are excited about me running for office. Some are, and again, thank you. I wont let you down. Most, I think, are like me and are fed up with how our state and federal government is being run. I had a hunch that more people than ever are considering running for office, and wanted to see what I, or anyone, has to say about running for office. Turns out, it looks like I'm right. According to the VOX article below, there are 391 Democratic challengers running for the US House of Representatives who have raised at least 5 thousand dollars. There isn't a mid term year that even compares to this according to the article. I think Democrats are very excited for the 2018 election, and are putting their money where their mouth is. In my own election, there will be, I believe at least 4 people running in the Democratic primary for the 2 potential seats from the 42nd district. Last year, there was only one Democrat who ran. Democrats in 2017 are......... FIRED UP! READY TO GO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AhRqg0ADbk&t=45s

    On Sunday, my wife and I went to the Greenbrier County Democratic Executive Committee's annual Christmas party at Hill and Holler, a local restaurant. Where I met a lot of great people. Fellow Democrats who are ready to take back our country and state from the Republicans who only seem to work for the very wealthy. The Democrats at this party were excited to take back our country and state from the Republican politicians who put tax breaks for the wealthy over any kind of standard of decency.

    While there I spoke with State Senator Stephen Baldwin who is running for re-election for West Virginia's 10th Senatorial district. Stephen is a preacher, all round nice guy and wants to improve quality of life for West Virginians. Here's a quote from his ballotopedia page

• Ten years from now, I envision a state that is in the Top 10 for quality of life indicators. Our citizens are healthier because parents are not smoking around their children, we're choosing to exercise and eat well, & drugs are no longer the path of least resistance. Our population is educated because we enacted major reforms to put our dollars in classrooms to pay teachers significantly higher salaries and rebuild smaller community-based schools with health centers. This is truly the key to changing quality of life. When we build our human capital, as social scientists call it, we are primed for growth and development. Our economy is stable because it is diverse, buoyed by new small businesses in backyards and town shops. Our families are together because the kids no longer have to leave the state to find meaningful work. Our business climate is booming because companies want their employees to live, work, & play in Almost Heaven. A high quality of life leads to happier people who produce at higher levels for better pay. And all the while, the quaint West Virginia we all love with outdoor activities and starry skies is still available for us to enjoy...a little more sweetly now.

Senator Baldwin sponsored bills that would establish a Earned Income Tax Credit for low wage earners, reestablish the prevailing wage for skilled workers, to exempt industrial hemp from being classified as a schedule 1 drug, as wells as many more that you can look at by following the address https://ballotpedia.org/Stephen_Baldwin_Jr.
 or
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Baldwin


    While at the Greenbrier County Democratic executive committees Christmas party, I also met Huntington's mayor, Steve Williams, who is running for West Virginia's third Congressional district. The Mayor also has previous experience in the West Virginia State House of Delegates. He wants to diversify Southern West Virginia's economy, he states that Coal will always be important in West Virginia, but diversification is key. In April, Huntington won Americas best communities competition (https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/huntington-wins-million-for-urban-development/article_a98dee60-de0e-535f-85f4-90c24944b534.html), which provided Huntington with 3 million dollars for city revitalization. To read the Mayor's announcement, use the address below. I think the Mayor likes this quote, as he uses it in the opening of the video address below "Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir mens blood." In the video, the Mayor speaks of what he will do with the three million dollars that Huntington has won. Watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tHrIxcEY8g

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/huntington-mayor-steve-williams-to-run-for-congress/article_d28801b2-3ad4-5d7b-8ba3-4d9590b97a12.html


    While speaking with some of the Democrats there, I learned about Act blue, a fundraising website for Democrats and the left. I haven't set up an account yet, but plan to. I also learned about campaign strategy, and there may be a campaign strategy class coming up. Which I will gladly go to.

    I also spoke with the Democratic candidate for West Virginia's third congressional district in 2016, Matt Detch. He is a 2nd Lieutenant in the National Guard now, and I want to take this opportunity to say congratulations to Matt, and to say thank you for your service.


    Thats all for now, I plan to continue these blog updates through the campaign. I know I'm going to stay FIRED UP! READY TO GO! You should too.






https://www.vox.com/2017/12/11/16748716/chart-democrats-2018-midterms-elections

https://mountainmessenger.com/baldwin-announces-candidacy-wv-house/

VOTE FOR VANNOY IN 2018

        West Virginia is my home. It has been all my life, including when I was in the Marines for four years. I remember wherever I went in the service, I always missed the Appalachian mountains. I've been home for 14 years now, and West Virginia has been going through some tough times. The opioid crisis, the 2016 floods, the continual budget cuts, a nearly non-existent middle class, a coal industry that is doing marginally better but far from its peak, only four states pay teachers less at a time when we desperately need the most educated work force that we can have, we have a teacher shortage in our state topping 700 unfilled positions, in-state college education costs continue to climb, WV cant keep state employees because the pay is low, etc. etc. I wouldn't mind so much, that we had these problems, but it seems our Republican led state legislature has no interest in fixing any issue, other than getting rid of state income taxes. One year they reduce taxes, the next the year, the Republican leadership declares we don't have enough money, act surprised, and then cut budgets. Then they do it again. This past session in 2017 the Republican leadership in the state Legislature wanted to do away with the state income tax. That would have been devastating for the state of West Virginia. It would have given a tax break to the wealthy and would have increased taxes on everyone else. I have good news, there is an election in 2018, and we can make a change in leadership. The Republican leadership, Senator Carmichael in the state Senate and Speaker of the house Tim Armistead, have failed. They've had their chance, and they have failed to help the people of our state. Its time for new leadership, new voices with new ideas. Its time to elect a new generation of Democrats, and I have some ideas that I think can help, and may appeal to both Democrats and Republicans.

           

1.  We need to make the WV state budget the priority. Each of the last two legislative sessions have taken longer than they should have, costing the WV tax payer 1.45 million dollars. The state legislature should be able to get a budget done on time. We need new leaders who understand that this level of waste is a terrible thing.

2. WV's economy needs a boost. Our opioid epidemic continues. Recreational Marijuana can help with both. Colorado brought in an additional 150 million dollars in taxes on their more than 1 billion dollars in sales of legal marijuana in 2016. Legalizing marijuana has also lead to a decreased number of opioid deaths in Colorado. If the state legislature wont approve recreational marijuana, then there should be a referendum on the 2020 ballot. Let the people of WV decide.

3. Make hunting legal on Sundays just as it is the rest of the week. During the last session, hunting on private property was legalized on Sunday, but I think we can do more. This would help WV capitalize on hunting tourism to the tune of millions of dollars, and would help to reduce the deer population, which may help reduce car insurance in our state. I know that sounds strange, but its true. According to the state farm address below, WV is the state in which you are most likely to hit a deer, causing car insurance to go up.

4. WV should reduce income taxes on the working class, and make up the lost revenue with increased taxes on the wealthy. Even a small reduction on income taxes for the working class would be a step in the right direction. A tax break for the working class goes right back into our economy. Enacting the Earned Income Tax Credit would benefit the working class nicely.

5. Increase WV's minimum wage to $10 an hour. 123,000 workers in the state of WV would benefit from a increase to the states minimum wage. That's a lot of families with more income. Imagine what that kind of boost could do for our economy?  Real WV families with more money to spend. 25 percent of workers in Greenbrier county are low wage earners. They need a raise.

6. WV should protect its Medicaid funding. Right now, the program is to be funded with Excess funds. Medicaid funding should be a priority, it should be protected. Real lives depend on Medicaid, and the way the legislature "funded" Medicaid in 2017 is risky. 560,000 West Virginians rely on Medicaid, the government should protect them.

7. If WV legalizes recreational Marijuana, if we legalize hunting on Sundays, if we reduce the waste by not having the State legislature in extra sessions, and perhaps if we raise taxes on the wealthy, we should give our teachers and state employees a raise. If you want the best education for our children, and we do, then you need to pay our teachers like they're the best. We may then cut into our Teacher shortage. If you want the best at any position, you have to pay the employee well. Thats common sense.

8. Reduced sales tax on guns with built in trigger locks. Using trigger locks makes guns safer around children, and will potentially help to protect from theft. It may increase gun sales as well. If residents of border states realize certain guns are cheaper in WV, gun sales could go up.

9. Gun safety needs to be taught in our schools. Even if thats something as simple as sending kids home with a set of instructions on what to do if they come across a gun on accident, or showing kids this video from the NRA on what to do if they find a gun on accident ( https://eddieeagle.nra.org/) or making the hunter safety education course mandatory to high school students. I think we as a society could do better with Gun safety education. About 6,000 children in the USA are treated for a gun related injury, and 21 percent of those are accidents. We can do better.

10. WV should look into planting trees on reclaimed mine sites. Reclaimed mine sites, from what I've seen, look like fields, without trees. Without the trees there is more rain runoff from the mountains. With more runoff, its more likely to flood. Never mind that trees take in carbon and produce oxygen. Trees help with flood prevention and mitigation.

     All of these ideas will help WV, but the most important idea that the WV state government needs to get on board with, is that compromise is key to governing effectively. Whenever either party has both sides of the legislature and the executive branch, they both think they can push through any idea that they want. Its not true. Governor Justice (R) has both the state house of delegates and the state Senate controlled by his fellow Republicans, but the Governor does not have a big legislative victory. The Governor dislikes the current budget so much that he refused to sign it. The only victory that he has attained was given to him by the people of WV, the roads bond. My fellow citizens, hyper-partisanship is not the way. To have a functioning government we all need to remember that compromising with others is necessary. Every day so many of us go to work, and work with others we may not always agree with, to complete our daily tasks. I'm ready to compromise with the other side for the greater good. So, in this upcoming election, vote for common sense interventions, vote for the candidate who is willing to compromise for the greater good, vote for me, Roger Vannoy. Democrat running for the house of delegates, 42 district in WV.


 

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/business/after-sunday-hunting-approvals-supporters-look-for-economic-benefits/article_6ff0c6cd-2c5b-54e0-8c59-16f7db27a21b.html

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/business/report-many-wv-jobs-don-t-pay-living-wage/article_fd4c79b9-f7c7-5508-ae5c-e5b930288f3d.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/16/legal-marijuana-is-saving-lives-in-colorado-study-finds/?utm_term=.2a52e412b1d0

http://fortune.com/2016/12/13/colorado-billion-legal-marijuana-sales/

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/custom/statehouse-beat-special-session-costs-and-golf-ethics/article_e729ebb6-fd60-5524-a5af-f58e86c0f6ca.html

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/lawmakers-extend-committee-deadline-on-revenue-bill/article_e8a1d43c-c663-59f7-8aef-56443e3379dd.html

http://wchstv.com/news/special-reports/waste-watch-how-much-is-special-session-costing-the-state

https://newsroom.statefarm.com/state-farm-releases-2016-deer-collision-data/#ciVmZPZkHEUgWCDo.97

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-business/20161112/after-sunday-hunting-approvals-supporters-look-for-economic-benefits

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/14/the-5-highest-and-lowest-paying-states-for-teachers-in-the-us.html

https://www.theet.com/prestoncountyjournal/news/higher-education-institutions-forgo-five-year-teaching-programs/article_053f03b3-1913-52c3-9e61-6b3d9b8b3596.html

http://lmi.workforcewv.org/DataRelease/CountyRelease.html

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/custom/gerald-spiegler-wv-missed-out-on-population-wage-growth-daily/article_aa1072b8-74bb-5059-9a13-01247a54fba6.html

http://www.wvpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/WVCBP_SOWWV2017-FINAL-.pdf