Incoming Senate President Randy Smith told a television news station this week that he plans to address “social issues” as early as the 2025 session.
“I would like to get something like this out of the way so we can focus on economic development and job creation…,” Smith told the station.
I couldn’t facilitate but find his comments naive. Even quaint.
“Social issues” are one of the right’s poster children when it comes to legally victimizing everyone from trans kids to librarians. If Smith thinks he can ever get them out of the way so they can focus on substantive issues, he’d better think again.
I hate to break it to the president-elect of the Senate, but once you try to appease the anti-freedom movement, they won’t let you stop. They will never reach the point where their agenda “goes off track.” Once they take back rights from one group, they immediately move on to the next.
Ban trans children from sports? Next comes Police work The femininity of cisgender girls.
Ban gender-equal childcare? Next up is restricting healthcare for transgender people Adult.
Ban abortion? Next up is electronic Persecution Menstrual cycles of people.
Ban same-sex marriage? Next comes Elimination of no-fault divorce for all.
This is the defining characteristic of a movement that lacks real solutions to our real problems.
West Virginia is 48Th in education. We have this Third highest health insurance premium in the country, even though it is also one of the poorest states. Tens of thousands no access to neat water. Our twin crises of addiction and care continue to spiral out of control. Our prisons are overcrowded and among the deadliest in the nation.
But instead of finding solutions to these sophisticated problems, it is much easier to demonize our fellow citizens and pit neighbors against each other. Somewhere out there there will always be someone who just has too much freedom.
But Smith should also realize that we are just as relentless as our opponents.
While they never stop looking for a group to oppress, we never stop looking for ways to expand the sacred promise enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
Where the other side looks at the world and sees an excess of freedom, we will utilize every tool at our disposal to get government out of people’s lives and personal choices.
We and our allies have been at the forefront of this fight for more than 100 years and we are not going anywhere.
And we will be prepared for the Senate President on day one.
