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Bright Spot: West Virginia has successes on which we can build

Last week, a writer for Bloomberg View took a stance on West Virginia that likely surprised many readers who do not live in the Mountain State. He said West Virginia is an example of a “productivity miracle,” and that we must focus more on our successes than the many obstacles in our path.

According to Tyler Cowen, our per capita income of approximately $37,000 a year matches up with our low cost of living to give us “real incomes roughly equal to the French or Japanese,” where per capita income is in the $40,000 to $41,000 range.

Cowen went on to explain those who really are hard at work in West Virginia — in industries such as chemicals, biotech, aerospace, tourism and, yes, even coal — must be knocking it out of the park on a daily basis, if the “compounded rate of growth for net earnings has been estimated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis at 2.1 percent,” despite the opioid epidemic, the incredibly low rate of workforce participation and the very high number of people receiving disability insurance.

He points out most of the states industries have added workers since 1990; the population — while aging — is growing slightly; and while the unemployment rate is quite high, “it would be the envy of many a European country.”

Cowen’s point should be considered by all proud West Virginians looking for a bright spot at which to aim. We have faced, and are facing, challenges that probably should have crippled us, and we are fighting. In some very important ways, we are winning; even if the victories seem small. He suggests, “improving West Virginia won’t get very far without an understanding of its significant successes.”

He is right. Look around you. Do not give in to the temptation to see nothing but the negatives that threaten to overwhelm us. Be determined to keep those small successes going, and growing.

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