POLITICAL ROADS

A lot of roads in the 50’s in WV were just more or less wide dirt paths. In the winter the ruts would get up to a foot or more deep in some places. If you didn’t stay up on the ridges of the ruts you would enevitibley drag off your car muffler, at lesast if you were lucky that’s all you would drag off your car or truck.

Every now and then the state road would come by and grade the road. The only time you knew for sure they were coming was in an election year! Those running for office, it didn’t really matter which office, would try to be the one to take credit for getting the road graded and the ditches cleaned out. Just like they were going to do when they were elected they would clean out the statehouse, courthouse, ect.

This ploy worked for getting votes for quite a while. Then one savy plotico decided that he would not only grade the road but he would also put some gravel on it also! These days you may complain if you live where you have to drive on a gravel road . In those days it was a pure luxury. That guy got elected and reelected quite a few times.

Then one day someone got the bright idea to pave the roads with blacktop. Believe you me if you told the voters you would get their road paved if you were elected you were pratically a shoo-in.

These paved roads could also get you defeated. If the state was short on money, which in this state is not un common, and the roads fell into disrepair , you couldn’t buy your way into a political job. Allthough a few sure tried, and some succeded.

One of our ex governors started paving every little road he could get his hands on . He was elected and reelected and reelected. You could just mention his name and some old farmer would start praising him for paving all the roads in WV. The only reason he was able to pave them was because of all the federal money coming to WV from Wash. Of course he played the political game like no one else before him. He finally got his due when he robbed an old man of his inheratance, and when he ran out of ideas to get reelected , he started trying to buy elections, good ridance!

The next step on the paved roads to victory ploy was the introduction of “slury” . This concoction of trash and tar to cover roads and make them look like new was a disaster! Some Charleston politions seen there political careers come sliding to a halt with the use of “slurry” to pave roads around Charleston.

Then came the big interstate. Would you lose your farm to this road , or could I, as your elected leader get the feds to route it in another direction. This ploy got a lot of play in the late 60’s and 70’s.

A lot of the ones running for office are now into replacing bridges, I will be the first to admit that the bridges need to be replaced . but is promiseing to get me a new bridge, when I can’t afford the gas to drive my car . good enough to get my vote? I think not.

Now that most of the roads are paved and the interstates built, the politicians have reached new lows to try to get your vote.
Guns, patriotisim and abortion have taken the place of roads in trying to get elected. Promise to place government control over someones private life, or their ability to choose how they treat their bodies, or how they will throw all protesters in jail because someone burns a flag and you can get elected in WV.

I belive and sincerelly hope that the times they are a changing. We must stand up for the poor and elderly, and children who can’t speak for themselves. Give me an America that treats ALL it’s citizens the same.

Lets demand that the politicians speak on issues that will put more money in our paychecks, food on our tables , and give our children and grandchildren schools that will prepare them for the future.

Lets not keep going down the same old road over and over again, no matter how they pave it.