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West Virginia Wants to Support Foster Kids, but its Governor Wants Re-Election
It was reported on AP News yesterday, and other news outlets, that West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey has vetoed a bunch of bills designed to help some of the state's most vulnerable citizens, citing financial reasons, despite signing off a 5% reduction in personal income tax just days earlier.
Normally, a state level story like this may have passed me by. After all, I am just a bloke in the UK, and stuff like this comes and goes all the time.
Except, I have many personal feelings about one bill in particular which Governor Morrisey has vetoed: the Foster Care Transition Bill.
The bill, which you can read in full here, outlines plans to provide continued support to foster children ageing out of the system. This includes:
providing independent living and transitional services,
services to improve practical and daily living skills, social and emotional skills, and
education and career development skills, and
A monthly stipend paid directly to youth to cover basic costs needed for
a safe dwelling when the youth achieves independent living.
These would have been statewide services that ensure children in the care system are not left behind, and have access to the same foundations in life that others are born with.
This is objectively great, but its critics, like Governor Morrisey, argue the cost implications of this, estimated at $11 million annually when fully implemented.
This might not seem like a lot of money, but Trump's budget slashing combined with the tax cut (signed off by the Governor) means the state is having to offset a $230 million annual revenue drop. From this perspective, an extra $11 million of expenses cannot be justified.
But vetoing the bill on this basis is short-sighted…
Our big story this week is Donald Trump, the War in Iran, and the truly mind-boggling series of events that transpired, beginning on Tuesday morning when the President posted on Truth Social that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.’
We try and unpick the rationale behind Trump’s increasingly chaotic social posts, and the potential consequences of his actions.
Are we closer than ever to nuclear war?
Should the 25th amendment be considered?
Is Russia the real winner in this conflict?
Our guest co-host this week is Dr. Tim Galsworthy, lecturer in History and Military History at Lincoln Bishop University.
Also in the news:
Attorney General Pam Bondi is the second major casualty of the Trump 2.0 administration. We discuss why her, why now, and if this proves that the White House has become one big fraternity.
And as Artemis II continues its record-breaking mission around the moon, we discuss why this is something to celebrate and if, given the chance, we would live on Mars.
EAR CANDY
Unit 731 was a secret biological warfare and human‑experimentation program run by the Japanese before and during World War II. Jenny Chan, founder of Pacific Atrocities Education, explains what it was and why the USA decided to cover it up.
Liz Covart from Ben Franklin’s World gives an introduction to the war that started it all, explaining why it started and how the Americans managed to win against the might of the British Empire.
With only seven months until the midterms, brush up on your electoral college knowledge with this five minute cheat sheet.
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