IF insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and the people of Charleston and the rest of West Virginia are not insane, then perhaps it is time for me simply to accept that the Charleston and the West Virginia we see today are the Charleston and the West Virginia that are desired by most of the people in Charleston and throughout West Virginia.
IF insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and the people of Charleston and the rest of West Virginia are not insane, then perhaps it is time for me simply to accept that the Charleston and the West Virginia we see today are the Charleston and the West Virginia that are desired by most of the people in Charleston and throughout West Virginia.
The city and the state have become old, poor and dying, and the people of Charleston prefer things that way.
Since the end of World War II, the people of the city and the state have done the same thing over and over again, which is to do their best to drive away businesses and the jobs they create and the people they would employ.
The Hillbilly Highway has sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women off in each direction to build the economies of other, more ambitious and energetic cities, places like Charlotte, which want to succeed.
When he was mayor, Jay Goldman described Charleston as God's waiting room.
That's an apt description.
Not many cities own the distinction of having a McDonald's restaurant fail - in its downtown.
Despite the best efforts of Goldman's successor, Mayor Danny Jones, to shake things up in God's waiting room, Charleston remains a quiet, pleasant, little town whose population slowly is succumbing to that inevitable grace that awaits us all.
I am not going to say that Mayor Jones has given up, but I will point out that when Forbes magazine listed Charleston among the nation's 10 most dying cities, his honor could not work up a good protest.
His reaction was, well, at least they ran a nice picture of Charleston to go with the obituary.
The city looked so lifelike.
Perhaps speakers could be set up around town to softly play Muzak to help people while they wait.
The Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority can replace its buses and trolley buses with hearses so everyone can get used to the feel of the vehicle of choice for their final ride.
IF insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and the people of Charleston and the rest of West Virginia are not insane, then perhaps it is time for me simply to accept that the Charleston and the West Virginia we see today are the Charleston and the West Virginia that are desired by most of the people in Charleston and throughout West Virginia.
The city and the state have become old, poor and dying, and the people of Charleston prefer things that way.
Since the end of World War II, the people of the city and the state have done the same thing over and over again, which is to do their best to drive away businesses and the jobs they create and the people they would employ.
The Hillbilly Highway has sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women off in each direction to build the economies of other, more ambitious and energetic cities, places like Charlotte, which want to succeed.
When he was mayor, Jay Goldman described Charleston as God's waiting room.
That's an apt description.
Not many cities own the distinction of having a McDonald's restaurant fail - in its downtown.
Despite the best efforts of Goldman's successor, Mayor Danny Jones, to shake things up in God's waiting room, Charleston remains a quiet, pleasant, little town whose population slowly is succumbing to that inevitable grace that awaits us all.
I am not going to say that Mayor Jones has given up, but I will point out that when Forbes magazine listed Charleston among the nation's 10 most dying cities, his honor could not work up a good protest.
His reaction was, well, at least they ran a nice picture of Charleston to go with the obituary.
The city looked so lifelike.
Perhaps speakers could be set up around town to softly play Muzak to help people while they wait.
The Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority can replace its buses and trolley buses with hearses so everyone can get used to the feel of the vehicle of choice for their final ride.
West Virginia is like the old man who, when asked what happened, says his get-up-and-go got up and went.
Some people don't like the phrase "brain drain," and I agree that its accuracy is uncertain, because most states have a substantial number of ambitious young people who leave the home state for some other state (or even country).
But most states attract enough ambitious young people from other states and countries to replace the "lost" children.Therein lies the problem, as we fail to attract ambitious young people or even resigned middle-aged people.
Young lawyers we do seem to have in abundance.
Like young doctors and young nurses, the young lawyers serve their elderly clients who sue long-gone businesses departed from the area.
The people of Spelter in Harrison County sued over a smelter that had been shuttered and the site cleaned up.
That case is curious in that the $135 million in legal fees went to a Florida law firm.
Oh, no.
We have fallen so far that the West Virginia Bar can no longer meet our slip-and-fall needs.
Perhaps that will be the spark that ignites the state, but my guess is that the law school at West Virginia University could shut down tomorrow and no one would care.
It would be just one more industry that left a state that apparently isn't all that industrious.
Surber may be reached at donsur...@dailymail.com. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber.
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The funny thing is, we used to think of McDonald's as a kid's fast food joint, but as I travel I see the playgrounds disappearing, and more retired and elderly hanging out having breakfast clubs at these restaurants.
So maybe that's why the one downtown failed. There's no old folks to go to it, and there's no kids who hang out downtown. That must mean the people downtown are young professionals with busy, upscale, non-MickeyD lives. We certainly don't want THOSE people in our downtown!