I made a decision last year, after Joe was offered, and accepted, a five-year contract with Tree of Life here in Morgantown. I decided I was going to be happy living here. There are things I don't like, some of which I can change, and some I can't. I was unhappy with the house we were living in, an expensive rental in a sloppily-built townhouse development. I started looking at houses last winter, and now we are homeowners in a comfortable neighborhood of people who are mostly of our generation.
My other unhappiness was the Republican takeover of the West Virginia House of Representatives. Not that the Democrats were any great prize, but in our District, the four Republicans are particularly awful. One introduced a resolution to the US Congress to hold a constitutional convention to ban any recognition of same-gender relationships, one introduced a voter-ID bill, one wants charter schools in West Virginia and lobbies for the Chamber of Commercc, and the fourth introduced and passed a bill to gut safety regulations in coal mines.
I couldn't live with this. Turnout in the last election was under ten percent of registered voters. I don't want this kind of right-wing extremism in my back yard. So I've decided to run for Delegate from the 51st District of West Virginia.
I get the problems. Democrats and Republicans alike start their speeches here with "I'm an eleventh generation West Virginian." Somehow, people are impressed with that. Yet Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University, a major world-class institution. People come here from all over the world to teach and to learn. How does the insularity of so much of West Virginia work in Morgantown? My goal is to involve a different group of people in the election process.
My motto is "For a progressive West Virginia." What that means is taking the signs on the road into Morgantown that say "Building A Diverse Community" seriously. It means a stance in favor of a clean environment, despite the opposition of the coal moguls who seem to control the politics of the state now.
The economic engine of Morgantown is West Virginia University. Yet the state budget, in deep trouble, has cut funds for public schools and universities each of the last few years. Enrollment is down at WVU, possibly because of rising tuition costs. Every year, business interests clamor for tax cuts. I would not vote for tax cuts until the schools, the public health clinics and the highway funds are flush.
I would vote to raise the gas tax to pave roads and provide mass transit in the cities, and raise the tobacco tax to fund health care. I support The Affordable Care Act and oppose efforts to repeal it or the state expanded Medicaid program.
In the last legislature, there was one Jewish man, and one gay man. I could be a two-fer, doubling both of those populations. It's time West Virginia had a grandson of immigrants, a Jewish, gay, Hollywood liberal in the legislature.
Just yesterday, I saw our city councilperson, a liberal. She walks her dog up our street. She told me her tires have been slashed eleven times since she was elected to the city council. I told Joe, expecting him to discourage me from running. Instead he said "That's nothing. I'm sure you could beat that."
I know there are goons in this state. Yesterday, I saw a traveling Anne Frank exhibit at WVU. My mother was the same age as Anne, only born in New York City. The exhibit showed the rise of fascism in hard economic times. Times are hard here for many people. I'd like to find a compassionate way to alleviate that suffering, in the hopes of averting a fascist takeover.
When Joe was ordained, they singled out for praise the new rabbis who were the children and grandchildren of rabbis. I thought they should single out people like Joe, who came from a family of non-believers and found his way to becoming a rabbi. To me, it's easy to say "I'm an eleventh generation West Virginian." I will say "I was born and raised in Baltimore, lived in New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles and California's far north coast, and I chose to live in Morgantown, West Virginia." That should be worth something.
At sixty-six, I don't have plans for a long political career. Just running is something, winning would be great. I ask for your support.
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