LARRY HYPES
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
— Our Thursday headline “Proposed toll cut scratched” reminded me once again of one of the main reasons why my wife and I have used the West Virginia Turnpike only twice in the last five years. It simply is not fair that of the state’s 55 counties, there are four — Mercer, Raleigh, Fayette, and Kanawha — where the tolls are a constant presence. The citizens of those counties should be saluted for their patience and applauded that they have not banded together and descended upon the state house.
Sen. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, has earned praise for trying to alleviate much of the unnecessary cost. His plan to promote a giveaway of 250 Transponders in scheduled meeting in the four counties to cut the $2 toll in half is a step in the right direction, although I am not certain how safe it will be to be in a crowd of maybe 500 to 1,000 people and having to wrestle for those 250 items!
As a fairly experienced traveler, it occurs to me that the I-77 segment from Princeton to Charleston is not really a good enough road, anyway, to be worthy of the tolls. The twists and turns and bumps occur often enough to give much of the journey a “second class” feeling. In fact, after traveling from the Midwest through Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky on smooth, flowing interstate, the “bumpity-bump” from the north almost immediately begins after entering the Huntington area. It certainly does not present travelers with a positive impression.
West Virginia has some of the greatest scenery in the world — not just in the United States — and some of the most irritating highway concerns to go along with it.
To hear that the proposed rate relief will “mess up the bonds” is saddening, to say the least. Once again, southern West Virginia citizens have been victimized by legal issues almost certainly not of their own making. Whoever put that bond issue through the Legislature many years ago surely did not have the best interests of Four Seasons Country at heart.
As a Virginian who also loves my neighboring state, I feel truly sorry for those of you who have to use the Turnpike. We use the alternate routes when going upstate. The Turnpike should have been paid for years ago and this toll business put to rest. Although my own state capital of Richmond is farther away, I can travel without paying one toll penny on I-77 (south from Bluefield) to I-81 and on to I-64 all the way to Mr. Jefferson’s building on Broad Street.
West Virginians should be extended the same courtesy on their journey to Charleston.
lll
Columnist Reginald Henry, syndicated writer from the Pittsburgh area who is a contributor to the Daily Telegraph’s editorial page, made a point earlier this week that bears repeating. Our political wrangling has taken a sharp turn in recent years. I noticed on a televised political ad a few minutes ago that the local Congressman, Nick Rahall, and President Obama, were not given the courtesy of having their first names used in the message about an upcoming vote until the very last segment of the ad.
Henry made a tongue-in-cheek observation about Republicans, whose leadership in several years past implied that Democrats were most likely not Christians. That silliness worked fairly effectively, though, and many church groups were skillfully manipulated by the national GOP to promote their candidates and agenda over the past 20 years.
There are good candidates in both parties and good Americans in both. I don’t mind being liberal at times and a little conservative at others. I have always been leery of the folks who want to give everything away and downright scared of those who are against everything except the almighty dollar. One does not have to be much of a historian to know the difference.
The same party that gave women the right to vote, instituted Social Security, made certain all American soldiers of all races were paid equally, and made civil rights legal for all citizens has done a pretty good job of looking after the common people.
The same party that promoted the cause of the North and worked to rid the country of slavery, helped give America world-class security by producing some of the greatest generals in World War I and II, and providing the impetus to bring down the Communist Cold War era, has also earned a round of applause.
And the leaders of both have earned, as American citizens, the respect to have their full and correct names used.
Larry Hypes is a teacher at Tazewell High School and a columnist for the Daily Telegraph.
