- Thomas Jefferson
This seems to be the never ending story when we read/ speak of the PEIA funding fiasco at the State level. The "Our Opinion" column of the 26th is all about the "Lawmakers have time to find fiscal solution".
Really one could ask? We are already into the 2020 Election Cycle and the House of Delegates seemed to have never stopped for a day after the 2018 Election by some?
After the debacle of watching 134 Delegates and Senators play dying cockroach to the Teacher/ Support Unions, can 2020 be expected to be any different?
The no increase for PEIA through June 2020 is not by accident, but to make it a Re-election issue right in the middle of what may well be a hard fought campaign by the Democons to retake both the Legislature and Executive Branches from the Republicrats?
All of a sudden, the Fund is in "reasonably good financial condition". Up by $20 Million in last Fiscal Year and an expected $70 Million in this Fiscal Year (ends 30 June 2019). So where has all this sudden bounty come from? I for sure don't know? And one must not forget the $100 Million that Mr. Justice wishes to bestow on the PEIA Fund come 1 July 2019? And that is on top of the about $575 Million already provided by the State.
But all of the overages are expected to disappear by 2021 (seems just after the Election for the Senate and Executive Branch is put to bed in November 2020?), due to ever increasing costs. There will be a need for $50 million in the first fiscal year and $100 Million in the next one to keep it all even. So for two years, it is expected to be A-Okay and than look out, in the hole again. Back to 2021- 2022 Fiscal Year as it all goes South.
Solution by one and all in the Unions and way too many of the Legislative Branch is to find a new or existing tax to hang the PEIA Funds hat on. For example increase tax on Coal, Gas and Oil and we must not lose sight of the upcoming Internet Sales Tax that is going to come in after the 1st of Jan., 2019?
But the column also noted the "not a peep to hold down spending has been heard". Of course not, reducing spending means a reduction in benefits or an increase in user costs like Premiums. The PEIA is becoming the third rail of West Virginia Politics- touch it at your own risk?
Supposedly to the column, the State has a two year breathing period to find a solution? No sadly it does not, it has a get the Legislative Branch into gear and start with the very next Session due to begin in mid January 2019. The 2019-2020 Fiscal Year starts on 1 July 2019 and that first year of breathing room will have already disappeared.
The Daily Blat had an AP article on the 25th about the body of the little girl returning to her home town and a funeral there. Noted extreme difficulty for the family to get the money to get her back home due to its poverty.
Okay, I don't think anyone could find much wrong with that coverage, or could they? Again and yet again the inference is the wrongdoing by the U.S. Border Patrol in how it handled her during that severe period of her passing. But again and yet again, not a word on her family sending the lass North. And where was the NGO that encouraged and supported that dangerous trek to the U.S. with its support? Not a Peso to get the Lass home.
We still have the story on the little boy that just passed in Government Control to play out as he is returned to his Family/ Home? Now every child is to be medically screened for what? How do you check for just about everything under the Sun from that part of the World? I am sure we will continue to try and protect these children from Illness, but how to protect them from their families and the NGOs that send them North on a long and deadly trek? 'nuff said'.