GOP candidates attend Tea Party forum
By NATALEE SEELY nseely@newsandsentinel.comArticle Photos
PARKERSBURG - Six Republican candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., in the state's 1st Congressional District attended a forum Monday evening to introduce themselves and answer questions from the public.
About 75 people gathered at the Judge Black Annex on Market Street for the congressional candidate forum organized by the Parkersburg Tea Party.
Mollohan and the other Democrat in the congressional race, state Sen. Mike Oliverio, D-Monongalia, did not attend the forum. Event organizer Sandra Staats said all candidates were invited.
Each candidate was invited to make a five-minute introduction to the audience before a question and answer session. Candidates spoke on job creation, federal government regulations and threats to the coal industry in West Virginia.
Cindy Hall, owner of a real estate and management company in Wheeling, called herself a social and fiscal conservative. Hall, a licensed pilot, is a partner in an aviation company and director of the Wheeling Downtown Business Association. She spoke on her opposition to large government and the proposed health care reform.
"We need change. We need to bring business back by taking care of our own towns and then working out from there," said Hall. "I am a Tea Party patriot."
Hall said the focus of her campaign is the encouragement of a robust economy.
Patty Levenson of Wheeling spoke about her commitment to family and the country's deficit. She called for a review of the tax code.
"Family - that's why I am here. It's for them that I'm fighting this fight," she said. "No one will take our freedoms away from us."
Levenson said the tax code has become too cumbersome and the government is pulling money from the private sector and giving it to non-producing special interests.
Mac Warner of Morgantown was born and raised in Charleston. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and owner of a real estate business, Warner said his top priority is the creation of jobs.
"This election is about jobs. Profit is not an evil thing. Unleashing capitalism will allow the country to get back on its feet," said Warner. "When you get to keep what you earn, that's an initiative to do more."
Warner touched on the threat to West Virginia's coal industry and his hope to limit government regulations to allow for an energy-independent policy.
"The government shouldn't be picking the winners and losers. A lot more should be decided by the states," he said.
Sarah Minear, who served three terms in the state Senate from 1994 to 2006, is a native of Tucker County.
"It is clear that Washington has failed us," she said. "There have been record job losses and a takeover of the health system. I don't know all the answers, no one does. But I know where to find them," she said.
Minear is a proponent of successful health insurance reform that ends the ban on pre-existing conditions. She is in favor of a comprehensive energy plan that expands the state's energy-producing industries.
David McKinley of Wheeling, founder of an architectural and engineering company, represented the 3rd District in the state Legislature from 1981 through 1994. He spoke about his passion to create jobs and his hope to restore the coal industry.
"We need to create an environment where people want to invest in West Virginia. The war on coal has got to stop," he said. "Coal creates jobs; it is the backbone of West Virginia."
Tom Stark of Parkersburg served in the U.S. Air Force before his 20-year career in management positions with private-sector employees.
"I am still waiting to see someone step up and offer specific solutions to our federal problems," he said. "Our tax system is totally broken. The government is taxing you for working hard. The budget process also needs to be revised tremendously."
Stark is a proponent of consumption-based taxes and is opposed to regulations by the federal government on the state's coal industry.
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freerange
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02-10-10 1:12 PM
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Im a vegan....my knuckles aint draggin.
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freerange
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02-10-10 1:11 PM
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Im a vegan....my knuckles aint draggin.
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dowatican
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02-10-10 12:39 PM
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DevilsAdvocate I am an independent voter not a democrat,and as a concerned American I went to one of the first tea party events.I saw republicans supporting republicans (Tom Azinger and Donna Boley are two that I remember) looked one sided to me.I also would like to know why no tea party event when George Bush was getting us into debt starting a war on a lie.Osoma bin Laden was in Afghanistan and there where no weapons of mass deception, I mean destruction.DevilsAdvocate you remind me of faux news,you speak half truths and state them as if they are the truth.
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WORKINGSTIFF
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02-09-10 11:04 PM
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If solar or wind or landfill methane or whatever were economically viable energy plans, some bright young American enterpreneur would have his name on the corporate HQ building by now. This is not "new" or "green" or any such thing. It's all been around since Woodstock. And like so many old hippies, it just won't grow up and face facts. Coal is cool. Oil is black gold. Natural gas is just that. Carbon is natural. Why ya think we stopped using windmills in the first place???? They suck. We like heat and lights all night long, not just when the sun is shining. Neanderthals.... knuckledraggin' vegans.
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 10:34 PM
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surfer- I don't see why we can't do both. There is no reason to scrap the past for just green tech. Like you said, R&D has made the shale usable...so that should make the greenies happy. The job growth the shale introduces is welcome to all the states. And who knows what new tech will come from this.
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bhsurfer
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02-09-10 10:27 PM
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I understand that we can milk more than 2 year's worth of revenue out of it. The point is that gas is a finite resource while the ones I listed, for all practical purposes, are not. I also realize that they aren't as well-developed as gas & oil are in terms of efficiency and infrastructure. That, however, is just a matter of time & effort. The shale deposits in question weren't accessible with older technology either - R & D is what made it possible. Why not at least occasionally look toward the future instead of fighting to cash in on the past?
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WORKINGSTIFF
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02-09-10 10:06 PM
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This is SOOOO different from previous years. In 2008, Charlie Wilson had a very weak opposition from only one candidate....Dick Stobbs. This year Stobbs is in the primary. He is competing against Bill Johnson and Donald Allen, two well-spoken, experienced, strongly Conservative, telegenic men. The race is on!!!! Wilson is toast. 6th District Ohio has THREE good candidates to choose from !!!! O-bamma's Ohio rubber stamp lap dog will get sent home this November. Hope he gets a job and pays some taxes for a change. Dick-A... this is the result of the "patriot" movement ...you just don't get it, bro.
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WORKINGSTIFF
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02-09-10 9:56 PM
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What's this? "Stark is a proponent of consumption-based taxes" Is it the FAIRTAX ? This is not just a pipe dream... it is a well-thought out tax overhaul that has dozens of co-sponsors already in then house and the Senate. Read the Book! Check out the website. FAIRTAX is an idea for all Americans to benefit from.... except crooked politicians, drug dealers, illegal aliens, off-shore corporate fat cats... Learn people!
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 9:05 PM
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bhsurfer- Actually, I don't think you understand. The two year stat is arrived if the US would use exculsively the Marcellus Shale Formation. In reality, the revenue and resource would last alot longer than two years.
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 9:04 PM
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The CBO Estimates a Federal Budget Deficit of $434 Billion in the First Four Months of Fiscal Year 2010, almost $40 billion more than the shortfall recorded in the same period last year. CBO expects that the federal government will end fiscal year 2010 with a deficit of about $1.35 trillion, slightly below the $1.4 trillion deficit recorded in 2009. (From the CBO website)
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bhsurfer
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02-09-10 9:01 PM
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The Marcellus Shale Formation thing sounds great - we can put off the energy debate for another 2 years. That sounds like a really viable option to wind, solar & geothermal solutions. Thanks for the tip!
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 8:55 PM
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Armey-Legion-"But under the Bush Administration, net-zero jobs were created." I'm sure if we use Pres Obama's equation for knowing how many jobs have been saved...Bush could probably show as many as he can. Plz Lily..tell us how Obama's admin arrives at thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of jobs saved as they claim?
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 8:53 PM
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Armey-Legion-"that's why you have very few mountains left in Boone County" Oh yeah..last time I was there..it was all flat. No mountains anywhere *roll eyes* Come on lily...show some common sense.
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Kendall78
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02-09-10 8:52 PM
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Armey-Legion-"Finally, people looking to the coal industry in WV as "the future", shall we say, lack creativity." The future is in the Marcellus Shale Formation which, according to some estimates, could supply the entire US with natural gas for 2 solid years. All it needs is for the self proclaimed intelligent ecotwits to help make it a cleaner process. That would bring money and jobs into WV and the surrounding states. Unless one is foolish enough to think solar, wind or water power could create more employment.
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DickArmey
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02-09-10 7:32 PM
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Finally, people looking to the coal industry in WV as "the future", shall we say, lack creativity. Go check out the number of people directly employed by the coal industry in WV by year since 1955. Tell me what those figures tell you.... Fewer and fewer every year, despite getting the biggest deregulatory gift in history from George W Bush (that's why you have very few mountains left in Boone County; just SLUDGE ponds). Yeah, that's the future all right: Sludge Pits. How d*mn stupid can you get in WV and still be popular??? Answer: Very
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DickArmey
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02-09-10 7:29 PM
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A HUGE COMPONENT of the current deficit is directly traceable to the Bush tax cuts. But under the Bush Administration, net-zero jobs were created. Can the tea party and their Republican pals explain that? By the way, there is nothing wrong with "unleashing capitalism"; but it isn't regulation that is "leashing" it. It's lack of demand. So if some tea-party 'thinkers' (if you can find any) have ideas for stimulating demand without also cutting government revenue, let's hear it. But I will bet we don't. The tea party can generate noise. They can also put on suits. What they don't have are ideas or solutions.
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DickArmey
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02-09-10 7:26 PM
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I love how tea-party nut cases use: the "Constitution" (that they neither read nor understand), ideas of 'liberty' (which excludes religious liberty for non-Christian, of course), and free-market and unregulated capitalism (which was not endorsed by the founding fathers, is not enshrined in the Constitution, and WAS - insofar as it was unregulated - responsible for the recent economic mess) as rallying points for the stupid. And the Republican party, under the leadership of George Bush the Second, is also responsible for over 75% of the 2010-2011 deficit (see CBO figures) So check the academic attainment credentials of those tea-party folks at the door. Betcha there are very, very few with four-year or more degrees in the PBurg organization... And similarly, few who can read past the 7th grade level...
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WAuvil
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02-09-10 5:11 PM
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"Unleashing capitalism" - This the theory that we followed to an absolute extreme under Bush. Result = almost destroyed the entire world economy. We still have not recovered. Heck of a job Brownie. Great idea - lets "unleash" that again. But hey, it has never been "leashed" - same deregulation that allowed the disaster is in place - Republicans oppose all efforts to curb any bank abuse. Yeah lets make sure they are never "leashed" - "leashing" the banks only worked to protect us for 50+ years after the New Deal . . . why try that again?
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bhsurfer
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02-09-10 4:43 PM
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What kind of statement of character is made by a "leftist" not attending a right-wing organization's shindig?
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DevilsAdvocate
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02-09-10 4:01 PM
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dowatican, you are a blind and deaf with comments like yours: "The Tea Party is suppossed to be for democrats and republicans and anyone else who loves America.Strange the only people we ever see at these events are Repubs,another lie...." If you attend a mtg in Mtta or attend the one here in P'burg, you will observe folks from both ends of the spectrum! Your leftists were invited and chose not to attend! Speaks volume about character. I know for a fact that in Mtta public officials that sit opposite of one anohter attend the meetings every week because they cannot stand the destruction of the Constitution. It is less D.C. and more State and community. It is less D.C. tax and more personal expenditure that will drive this success. D.C. is wrong, and right now that are the folks sitting on the far left....
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GoldNBlue
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02-09-10 12:20 PM
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This is a perfect example of what is wrong with America today. Why look to a politician to "create jobs"? All you will get is some sort of government policy that will restrict job growth in the long run. Right now the politicians should focus on creating a economic environment that encourages competition in the open market. The days of a few investment bankers making terrible decisions that negatively impact millions should be over. A well balanced economy with an expanded middle class is what we need. Not the government running things into the ground.
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gorilla
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02-09-10 11:42 AM
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Whether the candidate has a "D", "R" or "I" alongside their name, we have an opportunity to select a new representative in D.C. All of us should question each of their postion on social and fiscal issues.
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AnalogKid
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02-09-10 11:27 AM
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Dirt Diver00 wrote: "I love how the Republicans use terms like "patriot" and "freedom" to rally the mindless." I love how the Dems use words and phrases such as, socialized medicine, wealth redistribution, class warfare, etc.. It is amazing how many of them are able to speak more than one syllable words.
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Belmont
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02-09-10 11:16 AM
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I love how the Dems use terms like "hope" and "change" to rally the mindless.
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dowatican
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02-09-10 11:02 AM
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The Tea Party is suppossed to be for democrats and republicans and anyone else who loves America.Strange the only people we ever see at these events are Repubs,another lie from one of the big parties.In my mind this tea party movement wants another dictator like G W Bush in the White House.Repubs are so out of touch with normal America(not that the Dems are any better)lose your party interest people and vote for an independent,these 2 parties are fighting amongst themselves so much nothing is getting done and Americans have had enough.Don't get duped by the Repubs tea party.
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