Manchin open to dishonest business

Editor:

As a former teacher, I find the scandal involving the improper awarding of a WVU degree to a member of Gov. Manchin's family offensive. What is alarming as a father and property owner in West Virginia, however, is that this scandal reveals the governor's office openness to engaging in dishonest business.

The proposed Trans-Allegheny transmission line has been terrorizing my family and thousands of others for over a year now. If completed as proposed, the project would increase the risk of leukemia in my children, decrease our property value, and degrade our quality of life.

Protest letters on the Public Service Commission Web site by families, farmers, religious groups, Native Americans, conservation groups and others illuminate the fact that this project is a civic evil. Earlier this year I learned that agents of the project had trespassed and taken photos of my property and home. Officials at the Louis Berger Group characterized the incident as an honest mistake. Byron Harris, consumer advocate of the PSC, however, informed me that such trespasses were a pattern of behavior discussed at PSC hearings. This week a neighbor observed and confronted project representatives on his property.

In 2006, Gov. Manchin wrote a letter to the Department of Energy supporting the transmission line project and National Interest Energy Corridor designation in West Virginia. In past elections, he has accepted substantial contributions from the energy industry. West Virginians deserve to know the governor's current stand on the proposed project and the role he is playing in its advancement.

Ralph Wojtowicz

Yellow Spring

Senators leading health care reform

Editor:

Health-care reform is both a moral and economic imperative. Health care should be a basic right, along with the necessities of food and shelter. Workers, businesses and government are trapped in an endless spiral of unsustainable costs. It is clear that the present system does not work. As health care costs increase, employers that offer health care coverage for their employees are finding it harder and harder to compete with companies that don't offer coverage. We have to find a way to make health care more affordable and accessible for all West Virginians. A national solution would be ideal for all Americans; however, we can't afford to sit idly by.

That's why I'm delighted that Sen. Roman Prezioso and Delegate Don Perdue have committed to leading the charge in the Legislature, embracing the proposal of West Virginians For A Healthy Future, to enact reform legislation that will reduce costs and make high quality care accessible to every West Virginian.

Elaine A. Harris

CWA International

representative

Charleston

Byrd helped damage W.Va.

Editor:

Manchin open to dishonest business

Editor:

As a former teacher, I find the scandal involving the improper awarding of a WVU degree to a member of Gov. Manchin's family offensive. What is alarming as a father and property owner in West Virginia, however, is that this scandal reveals the governor's office openness to engaging in dishonest business.

The proposed Trans-Allegheny transmission line has been terrorizing my family and thousands of others for over a year now. If completed as proposed, the project would increase the risk of leukemia in my children, decrease our property value, and degrade our quality of life.

Protest letters on the Public Service Commission Web site by families, farmers, religious groups, Native Americans, conservation groups and others illuminate the fact that this project is a civic evil. Earlier this year I learned that agents of the project had trespassed and taken photos of my property and home. Officials at the Louis Berger Group characterized the incident as an honest mistake. Byron Harris, consumer advocate of the PSC, however, informed me that such trespasses were a pattern of behavior discussed at PSC hearings. This week a neighbor observed and confronted project representatives on his property.

In 2006, Gov. Manchin wrote a letter to the Department of Energy supporting the transmission line project and National Interest Energy Corridor designation in West Virginia. In past elections, he has accepted substantial contributions from the energy industry. West Virginians deserve to know the governor's current stand on the proposed project and the role he is playing in its advancement.

Ralph Wojtowicz

Yellow Spring

Senators leading health care reform

Editor:

Health-care reform is both a moral and economic imperative. Health care should be a basic right, along with the necessities of food and shelter. Workers, businesses and government are trapped in an endless spiral of unsustainable costs. It is clear that the present system does not work. As health care costs increase, employers that offer health care coverage for their employees are finding it harder and harder to compete with companies that don't offer coverage. We have to find a way to make health care more affordable and accessible for all West Virginians. A national solution would be ideal for all Americans; however, we can't afford to sit idly by.

That's why I'm delighted that Sen. Roman Prezioso and Delegate Don Perdue have committed to leading the charge in the Legislature, embracing the proposal of West Virginians For A Healthy Future, to enact reform legislation that will reduce costs and make high quality care accessible to every West Virginian.

Elaine A. Harris

CWA International

representative

Charleston

Byrd helped damage W.Va.

Editor:

In the opinion of Hillary Clinton, no man has loved a state more than Robert Byrd loves West Virginia. Did Ms. Clinton actually have time to look at West Virginia while she was here? Did she ever get out to see the reality of mountain range removal? It has been called the "largest environmental disaster in North America" and is a national disgrace. Hopefully she took the time to at least fly over and witness the blasted, irreparable landscape, the ruined waters and the destroyed lives. These are all stark testimony of how much Robert Byrd loves West Virginia.

No one person could have done more to prevent this environmental catastrophe than Mr. Byrd, but in reality no one did more to facilitate its ease and speed. Helping it happen has been an active, open-for-business part of his platform. I have heard Mr. Byrd, a fervent Christian; speak eloquently of Heaven and Hell. I reckon the latter will look a lot like southern West Virginia.

Carol A. Ross

Glenville

Coddling at root of WVU problems

Editor:

Poor, poor Rich Rodriguez. He was getting a gazillion dollars to do his job, but it was impossible for him to stay and do it because his employer didn't immediately concede to every additional demand he had. How sad! I believe the problem is not due to President Mike Garrison, but to the previous David Hardesty administration kowtowing to every whim and creating a spoiled brat who expected someone to hop to every time he whined. And I believe the Bresch fiasco is pretty much based on the same sort of expectations.

Mary Swim

Morgantown

Health coverage flawed for many

Editor:

I got a call from a man who had $7,000 dollars in medical bills he was responsible for because his insurance company declined to cover his wife's operation as a pre-existing condition. He had to re-finance his home to pay off the medical bills. 

He had just upgraded his health insurance policy to one that provides more coverage. He did not change insurance companies; he just switched policies within the company. On the last day of coverage of his old policy, an ultrasound was performed on his wife and the doctors discovered a cyst on his wife's ovary that had to be removed. Seven days into his new policy, the cyst was removed. Thankfully, it was not cancer.

The insurance company denied the claim as a pre-existing condition. Their reasoning for denying this claim was because the diagnostic test occurred on the last day of the old policy. Consequently, the insurance company claims this was now a pre-existing condition. How absurd! How much longer do we allow the insurance industry to continue to do this to us? 

West Virginia needs legislation to make denials of pre-existing conditions like this improper! Why should we cause people to go into debt to just pay off medical bills like this when they supposedly had health insurance? They relied upon this coverage and instead, they were just left to fend for themselves. This is outrageous and everyone should demand that this practice become a thing of the past!  

Roger A. Decanio

Charleston