MILWAUKEE (WBOY) — During the Republican National ConventionFrontrunner for West Virginia governor and current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) summarized some of his goals for the next four years if he wins the general election in November.
“We still have a lot of work to do to raise our standard of living and raise the level of education in West Virginia,” Morrisey said in an interview with WBOY’s parent company Nexstar.
Morrisey covered three main topics: economics, workplace involvement and fentanyl.
He said that if elected, he would address the negative impacts of “Biden economy” about the people of West Virginia. West Virginia was one of the few states with a budget surplus for the fiscal yearand Morrisey said he wanted to employ some of that surplus to provide additional tax relief to West Virginia residents, particularly by eliminating the income tax.
Current Governor Jim Justice (R) has already passed and begun implementing some of the largest income tax relief in state history, including a Income tax reduction by 21.25% last year And a further reduction in income tax by 4% is to come into force on 1 January 2025.
“We need a Backyard brawl with every state we come into contact with economically,” Morrisey said to a somewhat confused interviewer from another state. Referring to the annual meetings between West Virginia University and Pitt, Morrisey explained:
“Imagine it’s game day – football or basketball game – people are taking half the day off, maybe more, to be able to watch the big game, and they want to beat Pitt. Well, from an economic standpoint, I want to beat all the states we come into contact with. I’m not satisfied with being 47th or 48th in the country. I want West Virginia to move up.”
Morrisey said he expects organic growth through tax cuts for individuals. Another aspect of winning this economic “backyard battle” is being able to market oneself better than neighboring states. He said he wants to employ some of the surplus to reduce barriers to business moving to the state, provide tax incentives and “promote freedom.”
He also announced controls and audits of the state’s executive branch.
Morrisey also mentioned the opioid problem in West Virginia and in particular fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has emerged in recent years. Morrisey said he plans to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, a a step he has been calling for as Attorney General for several years.
“We cannot allow another generation to die senseless deaths,” Morrisey said during the interview.
However, some researchers, including some at WVU, called for fentanyl not to be classified in a way that would limit research, such as by classifying it as a Temporary Scheduling Order (TSO) as it has been in the past, or as Schedule 1, which would mean it has no medical employ.
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