Summary
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued executive orders eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state-run institutions and introducing religious exemptions to school vaccination requirements.
Morrisey claimed DEI initiatives foster “preferential treatment” and referenced the 2023 Supreme Court decision ending affirmative action.
The vaccine exemption policy overturns one of the nation’s strictest vaccination rules, which had historically maintained high rates.
Public health experts warn the change could threaten immunity levels and worsen health outcomes in a state already struggling with poor health metrics.
And what have the people of West Virginia chosen during our lifetimes? Where is that solidarity now? Where is the concern for workers rights? Where is the concern about the mountains (or lack thereof) of toxic mining debris? Where is their concern for their really amazing environment? Where is their concern about education and for their own towns, their children, their public health, their future?
Maybe you can dismiss me as an elitist snob thinking I know better than they do, but I’ve voted for better for them every time, and they consistently voted against their own best interests. I’d be more than happy for my tax dollars to invest in a better West Virginia . They just need to accept it and put it to work for more than just enriching the coal barons that have made that place a hellhole. And of course I don’t know what they need but I know it starts with an investment into their future that they need to be willing to accept and _use to better their circumstances _