Most campaign websites list a candidate's positions on various issues. But we don't need politicians who take divisive, thoughtless positions just to satisfy interest groups. We need public servants with a vision for the future. 

 

A vision starts with a goal. My goal is for West Virginia to be in the Top 10 of states with a high quality of life. We can accomplish this in the next 10 years. We already have the nicest people you could ever imagine. We already have the most beautiful landscape God ever created. What we lack is quality of life--education, health, freedom, opportunity, equality. 

 

Currently, we are 46th in America in terms of quality of life. Why? Less than half the population works. More people die of drug overdoses than in any other state. One out of every four children lives in poverty, and that number increases continually. We have the lowest percentage of citizens who vote in the whole nation. We live shorter lives than our neighbors; the average West Virginians lives 8.5 years less than the average Virginian. More adults live in poverty than hold a college degree. 

 

Beyond statistics, we know what our quality of life feels like.  It feels like waving goodbye to children and grandchildren who go away to college...and don't come back. It feels like holding down three part-time jobs because one isn't enough to keep the house warm in the winter. It feels like closing the doors of our dream business two years after we opened it because we don't have the demographics to support it. It feels like reading the newspaper to learn that we are yet again ranked last. It feels like coming home late, again, because you're one person doing the work of three at your job. It feels like wanting to take our family out to the theatre or a nice restaurant in a nearby town but not being able to afford it. It's time all that changed. 

 

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. 

 

What do I envision? A high quality of life. Top 10 in the nation. How do we achieve it? By aggressively investing in education reform, which produces a domino effect in the economy, environment, and health of our state. But am I serious? Yes, I am. It's time we all get serious about building a better life for future generations in West Virginia. We should be Top 10 within 10 years. 

 

In the coming months, I'll be talking details with small groups at events across the 42nd District. Join the conversation. It's time for West Virginians to live a high quality of life.