The Front Porch Story Archives - Page 11 of 11 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The Front Porch: Anna Sale on Loving and Leaving West Virginia

As host and executive producer of the hit podcast “Death, Sex & Money” from WNYC, Anna Sale asks famous people and regular folks about the things we need to talk more about, but don’t.

On this week’s “The Front Porch,” Sale talks about her complicated love of West Virginia, and the bittersweet experience of visiting home, once you know you’re gone for good.

Sale remembers starting her career as a journalist at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. She said people would come up to her and say, “That was a great story. Please don’t leave.”

She says moving to a larger city for your career may happen in all small cities and towns, but “it has more of an edge here…I think there is a pride certainly in cheering on West Virginians who are successful outside of West Virginia. But there also comes with it that sense of loss.”

“But it is a strange thing when you are an ambitious young person, who’s excited to explore the world, to have people who love and the community you care about say, we hope you’re successful, but maybe not so much that you leave,” she said.

Sale is interviewing New York Times book reviewer Dwight Garner, a Fairmont native and former Charlestonian, at a live, free show on June 24 at the Clay Center in Charleston. You can RSVP here.

Subscribe to “The Front Porch” podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

The Front Porch: Five Taxes That Could Be Cut

Reforming the tax system is a major priority for the new GOP leadership of the West Virginia Legislature. Senate President Bill Cole has even floated the idea of eliminating the state income tax.

Like the cicadas, the issue seems to come up every few years, sometimes leading to changes, and sometimes not.

This week, The Front Porch gang debates whether West Virginia needs to change its tax system, and if so, who should benefit.

Rick Wilson of the American Friends Service Committee says that previous cuts to business taxes have not led to new jobs. He argues for investments in early childhood education and higher education over any tax cuts.

Laurie Lin of the Charleston Daily Mail says its too early to tell whether business tax cuts from a few years ago are working. As a former tax lawyer, she hopes lawmakers will try to make a simpler system.

Both Wilson and Lin agree that expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit would reward West Virginia’s low-income working families.

West Virginia ranks 35th in combined state and federal taxes

Here are some predictions for other proposed tax cuts:

1. Eliminating the state income tax – UNLIKELY. This is the biggest source of state revenues. Replacing it would require big hikes in sales and property taxes, which would be regressive and unpopular.

2. Increasing “sin” taxes – LIKELY. Despite the regressive nature of taxes on tobacco and alcohol, Wilson says they’re an easier target because they lead to better health outcomes

3. Decreasing severance taxes on coal – POSSIBLE. Never underestimate the power of the coal industry in West Virginia, especially amid a downturn. But cutting severance taxes would leave a big hole in state AND local government budgets.

4. Eliminating the tax on business inventories – POSSIBLE. This is one tax that most of our surrounding states do not have – the last business tax that sets West Virginia apart from its neighbors in a negative way. Wilson says the tax is not too burdensome considering the low real property taxes some businesses pay. But again, eliminating this tax will reduce revenues at both the state and county level, much of which goes for education.

5. Increasing the sales tax on services -POSSIBLE. Right now, West Virginians pay a sales tax on most tangible good, except for food, but they don’t pay sales tax on many services, from haircuts to legal advice. Taxing services would raise millions every year, but could prove unpopular with consumers and the lawyers and barbers who provide services.

Subscribe to “The Front Porch” podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

The Front Porch: Outsiders in Appalachia

Jesse and Marisha Camp were driving through McDowell County when they were confronted by angry residents who believed they were taking photos of their children.

No one was injured, but Marisha Camp recorded the tense encounter and shared it with photographer Roger May. It’s become a national story, especially among photographers. What can explain a group of people reacting so negatively to someone taking a few pictures?

There’s a bigger context for this incident. Appalachia has a long and troubled history with outsiders. And more specifically, some of those outsiders with cameras have portrayed residents as depraved and freakish.

On The Front Porch this week, we tackle the third rail of Appalachian culture: outsiders, and how we deal with them. Daily Mail columnist Laurie Lin and Rick Wilson of the American Friends Service Committee bravely delve into this tough topic with host Scott Finn.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available at wvpublic.org and as a podcast as well.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

King Coal is Dead! Long Live King Coal!

Hard times have come yet again to the coalfields of West Virginia — massive layoffs, big cuts in production. The coal severance tax is down by about half in many coal counties.

That’s what we’re talking about this week on “The Front Porch”, our podcast where we bring together people with diverse views and backgrounds to see where we can find common ground.

This week, we debate two responses to these facts our state can take:

1. We need to double down on the War on Coal. It’s the state’s most important industry and will continue to be so for a long time. State leaders must do everything in their power to protect and preserve the industry, because in southern West Virginia, it’s the best bet we’ve got for prosperity.

2. Coal is dying in West Virginia. We should stop trying to save it. State leaders should stop fighting the war on coal and focus on trying to help individuals and communities make the transition to something else.

On “The Front Porch” with us this week are Laurie Lin, columnist for the Charleston Daily Mail, and Rick Wilson of the American Friends Service Committee.

We also discuss this hypothetical: What would West Virginia have looked like if coal wasn’t here? Would we be worse or better off?

And, do you really think this is a permanent, irreversible decline? Or has the death of the coal industry been greatly exaggerated?

It’s all part of our new project, “The Front Porch,” where I will serve as host and provocateur, tackling the tough issues facing West Virginia and Appalachia with some of the region’s most interesting thinkers.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 5:44 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available at wvpublic.org and as a podcast as well.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail sfinn @ wvpublic.org