Letters to the editor 3-17

Government needs
to regulate oil industry
I don’t remember what year the government deregulated the  oil industry, but that was a big mistake. It was not a mistake for the  oil industry. All it did was open  the door to  more and more profits for the big oil companies.
That’s why we have the yo-yo gasoline prices every couple of months. Everybody thinks the oil companies are doing us a favor by dropping the price of gasoline and just when we think we are saving money on gasoline — Wham — they raise the price again and the money we saved last month we spend it this month.
This is a  prime example of the government being buddy-buddy with these special interest groups. The government needs to quit being a door mat for these groups and put regulations back on the big oil companies to limit how much money can be charged for a barrel of oil and the price of a gallon of gasoline.
This is  the only way  yo-yo gasoline prices are going to stop. I remember when the price of a gallon of gasoline was 75 cents. You will never see that price again. Two dollars a gallon is not too high of a price — keep the price at that and everybody will be happy and the money we save, we get to keep.
These industries will still make a profit with regulations. It will only curb the need for greed.
Ralph Correll
Morgantown
Change at the top
of DOH was essential
Leadership, whether it’s the head coach of a football team or the top person at the West Virginia Division of Highways, is essential in any operation where success is the goal. Accountability comes with the territory.
Without leadership, a program will stall, flounder and eventually fail. It is no secret — for many years — that West Virginia’s secondary roads were in deplorable condition. They still are.
Unless the DOH chief was ordered by the governor to take no action, the responsibility for the terrible road system fell directly on his shoulders. That was  not the case. The governor wanted the problems resolved. At least he said numerous times that he did.
Complaints were numerous, loud and steadily increasing. Yet, there was no plan to change or improve that the public could see. Calls to district offices produced almost no results. All of this ended up in the office of the DOH chief.
As unfortunate as it is, the governor  was left with few choices. Leadership at any level demands accountability. The status quo is not an answer when tires are being damaged on dangerous roads while drivers dodge potholes.
Harry Truman said it best: “The buck stops here.” Now the question will be if new leadership will produce different results. Time will tell, but it’s obvious a change at the top of the DOH was essential.
Mike Ellis
Morgantown