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Upshur County's Affinity for Republicanism
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Why is Upshur County Republican?
I read with great interest John Warner's self examination method of trying to define the difference between right leaning voters and politicians and left leaning citizens in the same categories. We are fortunate to have Mr. Warner with us, here in our humble little burgh, and the Charleston Gazette is wise to print his commentary for the entire state to read and contemplate. I have enjoyed at least a couple of conversations with him regarding politics and the state of affairs in American society. His conclusions represent, to me at least, a very accurate representation of the difference between the right and left. My question is, why does Upshur County lean right?
I think the answer lies in a comment that I recently heard from one of President Bush's appointees. John Bolton, the notorious never-approved by-senate-confirmation U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, asserted on the Daily Show that the president's duty is to represent the people who voted for him. Not the interest of the United States as a whole, but just those who voted for him.
Doctor Warner draws on historical distinctions of conservatism and liberalism through modern western history. His modern day conclusion rests on two things: the economic perspective of the citizen and compassion for their fellow man. Essentially, if your needs are met, and you are not a very compassionate person, then you are more likely to lean right. I have looked at this argument from all angles,, as my training as a philosopher demands, and find no faults to it. But it still begs the question. If Upshur County is a right leaning, conservative, bastion of Republicanism, in a democratic state mind you, then how does the argument apply.
It is obvious to any person that Upshur County has its fair share of social and economic problems and privileges across the board. So if the argument holds true, that right leaning people are economically well off and not very compassionate, then a right leaning county is probably well off and not very compassionate. Here is where the despotism of Ambassador Bolton plays.
Upshur county is only statistically Republican. Less than half of its eligible citizens are registered voters. Far less as republicans. BUT, the majority of registered voters are Republican. Does the government of Upshur County and Buckhannon represent the county and city or the people that voted it into place? Well... lets examine the compassion side of the question. If one were to eradicate the majority of problems from our community whether it be crime, domestic violence, maladaptive behaviors in our schools, as well as drug and alcohol abuse; two things would need to be addressed. These are poverty, and illiteracy.
I would ask our local government to explain what their plan is, has been or ought to be to address these two plagues. Take away illiteracy and poverty and the rest of the communities woes evaporate like the wind. I cannot think of a single initiative in recent history that the local elected officials have made to tackle these most crippling barriers to wellbeing among our neighbors. So... does the argument hold true? Does our local governent represent the interests of only a minority of well off and not very compassionate citizens in our community? You tell me.
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Comments
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Comment #1
(Posted by GMH-Philippi)
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Your information is flawed. Conservatives are far more compassionate in both deeds and thought. According to a recent "Gallup Poll". conservatives give far more money to charities than left leaning people and their contributions are considerably higher on a "per capita" basis. Liberals are only more generous when giving away someone else's money (ie. taxpayer dollars). You, like most liberals, think that societies problems can be solved by throwing more money at them. It has never worked and it never will. The majority of registered voters in Upshur County are to be commended for selecting leaders with conservative values that will continue to provide "opportunies" for all to prosper.
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Comment #2
(Posted by Damon)
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In the first place the premise wasn't, if you are liberal you give more. The premise is that if you are compassionate AND of limited means, you will tend to agree with the left leaning mebers of our government. For the sake of arguement, even if we equate charitable giving to compassion, which I wouldn't, you still have to address the limited means side to the premise.
I was not able to find the gallup poll to which you referred, I did however run across some information that sounded much like what you quoted from the behavioral economist Arthur Brooks who wrote :Who Really Cares". In it he does state that based on statisitcal data collected over the past decade, conservatives do give more to charity than liberals; nearly 30% more, However he also concludes that the poorest people in our society give far more a percentage of their income than the richest members of our society, well over the 30% threshhold.
In the second place, I was not providing any facts that might be considered flawed, I was hoping to get people to ask themselves if they feel that our government does a good job representing us all, the wealthy and stoic as well as the poor and disenfranchised. As for throwing money at problems with no results, I would simply point to the public works project that ended the great depression, Job Corp., Childrens Health Insurance Programs, and other governemnt entitlement programs that make our country a shining example of compassion and the standard bearer for social justice. It is the unfunded goverment intitative that always fails, like "No Child Left Behind"
Thank you for your comment.
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Comment #3
(Posted by LAGS Buckhannon)
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I am a Republician because that is how I was raised. I am not rich but I am a very caring person. I was not raised in Upshur County but moved here when I was 28. I was surprised to find out that Republicians are in the majority here. I see Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest humanitariens in history. No one would dare say he was not very compasionate or well off.
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Comment #4
(Posted by E)
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I agree with you! I often wonder why in the world Upshur County is "Republican." Then, I mention guns, war, abortion, and any religion other than Christianity and the venomous response I get from most reminds me of the reasons. It's archaic and frightening, quite frankly.
Democrats do truly care for others more than Republicans. We want to help others by lifting them up. This, too, is true.
Finally, Upshur County residents are poor, for the most part. We now have almost 70% of students on free or reduced lunch. Upshur County should be swarming with Democrats. Where are they? Democrats unite!
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Comment #5
(Posted by wvcheesehead)
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The sad thing is that so few people understand politics. Low income people are not democrats because they want to be giving and compassionate people. They want the government programs and other handouts that democrats are willing to give. As far as Upshur Counties goverment being republican; it may read republican on their registration card, but they do not have a clue what it means. Republicans are pro business, against higher taxes, and want the amount of regulation limited. Our city and county governments are anything but that. They regulate if a business can allow smoking, which is none of their business. Our property taxes are among the highest in the state, and our state is one of the highest taxed in the country. Also, we can not forget the blessed B&O tax that will cause new businesses to line up at our door. As far as socially, republicans generally want to give people a hand up not a hand out, they understand that many of the circumstances people face is a result of a bad decision they have made. Republicans think that perhaps these poor decision makers should take responsiblity for these poor choices. An example would be someone who has quit high school or went to college for something with no practical application in life (aka a language art). They can not find work and now they want on the governments till. Not my problem. Liberals are enablers, they prey on the weak minded, poorly educated, and those who are troubled at heart. They do not even realize they are being victimized.
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Comment #6
(Posted by Herb Gill)
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Having once lived in Buckhannon way to long, I would say that Upshur County was leaning way over to the right. There were and still are some leftists there, but not enough. It's funny in a way, because college towns often lean more to the left. One other observation, people who are conservative tend to be in you face about it. While liberals just do it.
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Comment #7
(Posted by John)
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In response to wv cheesehead's comment: Your comment that liberals prey on the weak minded is shakey. If liberals prey on the weak minded, doesnt it stand to reason that the wek minded would come to identify themselves as liberals? Yet liberals have historically been the more educated of the two parties. I agree with your philospohy of personal responsibility, but pigeonholing all liberals (and conservatives) is just bad form.
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