Things are not great here in Dollar Store Gilead. Rural hospitals have closed because our US senators, Jim Justice and Shelley Capito, didn’t fight for the state when the Senate was allocating the meager Medicaid funding that survived the budget cuts. Wetter weather resulting from global warming has meant that parts of the state are in great danger for loss of life because of flooding, but the WVGOP could not bring itself to put flood mitigation funds into the last few budgets. Oh, and then there’s that whole no clean drinking water thing that our 2 useless House reps advocated for last week to no avail because neither of them is someone anyone takes seriously.
WV’s failed governor, “Jersey Pat” Morrisey, announced earlier that this month that the state needed to cut $168 million and proposed this clown show:
The state paid around $1 million for the audits, Morrisey said. BDO recommended a list of potential cost-saving measures for the three agencies.
Among potential savings for Homeland Security, Morrisey said the state could save $1.9 million annually by requiring that state corrections officers wear body cameras, which would provide a record of events in jails. There was no cost named for equipping corrections officers with body cameras.
How would that save the state money? No idea. And please note that there is no price tag attached to buying the cameras.
Our roads are a mess, but this does not give me confidence:
Recommendations for the Department of Transportation include a potential savings of $33 million by improving contractor and oversight accountability and additional savings by using less consultants. Overall, proposed changes in this department could save about $50 million annually.
“We’ve identified about $50 million that might be able to be retained — that’s more money back for roads,” Morrisey said. “Potholes and roads, that’s where it’s going, and that’s really, really important.”
And then there was this:
At the end of the news conference, Morrisey said that the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal block grant that pays for several children’s programs in West Virginia, is operating at a projected $43 million deficit. Program spending ballooned in the wake of federal pandemic dollars, he said, but those federal dollars have expired.
It could result in changes to that program, including cuts in the state’s child care subsidy program and clothing voucher program for low-income families.
Morrisey said that he plans to discuss with lawmakers pending changes to TANF.
It won’t surprise you to learn that this is the first the state legislators have heard about this, despite their 60 day session earlier this year. Jersey Pat works for people who want to strip WV of every resource it has, even if it hurts WV’s kids, so here we are.
Naturally Pat has spent all of his waking hours thinking about how to make up for these sudden budget shortfalls. Just kidding—he paid state money to bring a locomotive to be part of the July 4th festivities in Charleston and he was cool that the price for the project had nearly doubled to $5.3 million.
Cool. I’m sure those families which rely on TANF are happy that the state is spending money on something unnecessary in a place most of them will not visit. And don’t worry, as it turns out, Jersey Pat has a “discretionary fund”, part of which he is using to bring a Ferris wheel to Charleston for July 4th. And if you don’t live anywhere near Charleston, the state says you’re on your own for the big birthday celebration. Let them eat birthday cake, amirite?
Our freshman US senator, Jim Justice, is in a lot of legal hot water because he tends to borrow millions of dollars and not pay them back. He’s not really interested in doing the work of being a US Senator because he’s only sticking around until President Grievance makes his legal woes disappear. While WVians struggle with high gas prices and high food prices, Jim is making sure state residents have the attention they need:
No, you didn’t read that wrong—Jim has been hard at work at a bill about…grouse:
There are 7 more fucking slides about the fucking grouse. I can’t with these people anymore.
And then today the scaffolding began going up on the White House lawn for the thug fight, I mean UFC fight, our president who loves to see people get physically hurt is hosting on this birthday. It’s supposed to cost $50 million and of course it’s just another tacky Trump pay-to-play event:
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani discussed the alleged offers on his podcast, claiming “high rollers” were being approached with premium packages carrying a $1.5 million price tag.
As per OK! Magazine, the package allegedly includes access to multiple UFC events, reserved seating, weigh-ins, receptions, concert access, and floor tickets connected to UFC 329. The event is also rumored to feature Conor McGregor’s return.
Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White confirmed the general public will not actually sit on the White House lawn itself. Instead, many of the roughly 4,300 seats will reportedly go to military members, guests, and people personally selected by Trump and UFC leadership.
Will there be cake?
I’ll leave you with this: