Members of Mountaineers Reclaiming the American Dream (MRAD), a group of Progressives from WV-01 went on tour this week to inform the public about " 'Acting' As Governor" Earl Ray Tomblin.
You Tube Videos of the tour can be found here: Good-bye Earl Ray and here: Why the Good-bye Earl Ray Tour was necessary.
MRAD members had this to say:
As members of MRAD, we are all politically active in our own communities and in our own ways. We are also among a portion of the Democratic Party that wants to elect âreal Democratsâ! Those are the folks who really stand for the Democratic Agenda, ones who have a steely determination and drive, who will work to achieve those ideals; and not the ones who simply put a D behind their name and then follow the Republican Agenda. We want to elect the profiles in courage and not the professional politicians!
At this stage in the special election, we think there are two types of people. The first are those folks who havenât been exposed to the truth about our acting governor. The second are the folks who do know things, but are afraid to say them out loud. From our conversations with friends and family, we know there are many folks out there with our same opinions, but sadly they fear they can't exercise their rights to free speech. We call them the people in the WV Democratic Witness Protection Program, who will not speak out for fear of retaliation. Given the actions of this acting Governor, maybe that fear is well-founded.
But we cannot see any reason why normal, everyday folks shouldn't speak up and speak out. After all, that is the only thing that will change this race for the better. That, and VOTES! We hope everyone will go and vote in this race. The Primary Election Day is May 14th. Remember, only people and their votes will beat big money in this or any political campaign, and for those folks out there who remain fearful, rememberâ¦itâs a secret ballot! You may notice there is very little coverage of these incidents outside Charleston, WV.
Earl Ray Tomblin & Gambling
The Legislature started setting aside money for dog racing in 1993 as an incentive for dog owners to breed greyhounds. Tomblin, who is now acting as governor by virtue of being Senate president, was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee when the fund was created. Racing Commission records show $2.5 million has been paid since 2000 to Tomblin Kennel Inc., which is owned by Freda Tomblin, or specifically to Carl Tomblin. That includes nearly $900,000 in payouts that have apparently not been previously made public. http://www.dailymail.com/...
So what a shock for us all when we learned at the end of the past legislative session that Acting Governor Tomblin and the legislative leaders had somehow found $100 million dollars over the next several years to give to the state's casinos! What was this largesse needed for, you might ask? Why to help the casinos purchase even better slot machines. http://www.huntingtonnews.net/...
Earl Ray Tomblin & the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
Acting as governor, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin on Wednesday vetoed legislation to increase a variety of DMV fees. The bill (SB608) was intended to raise about $40 million a year for the state Road Fund, to maintain secondary roads. http://www.wvgazette.com/...
Members of WV Senate & House have cited meetings with Tomblinâs staff asking them to pass increases in DMV fees.
Earl Ray Tomblin & the West Virginia Troopers Association
The current and former presidents of the West Virginia Troopers Association union have both been involuntarily transferred, and a union representative wonders if it's because the group endorsed state Treasurer John Perdue instead of acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in the race for governor. http://www.wvgazette.com/...
This week it was revealed two West Virginia State Troopers, who serve in elected positions in the West Virginia Troopers Association (WVTA), were involuntary reassigned from the criminal investigations unit to uniform duty due to appearing in an endorsement photo with gubernatorial candidate John Perdue. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/...
Earl Ray Tomblin & West Virginia Teachers
State senators approved a multi-million dollar pay raise for teachers and other state government employees Monday, breaking away from a proposal by acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to limit the increase to one-time bonuses. Tomblin ⦠proposed one-time âsalary enhancementsâ for teachers and other employees, saying the state couldnât afford a permanent salary increase at this time. Tomblin has provided mixed messages to reporters about whether he would support a permanent raise. So far, he has made no definite statement about the proposal. http://yourwvabc.com/...