Candidate’s plan for
keeping seniors involved
Seniors are at a distinct disadvantage for being involved in our communities. Staying engaged equals better health and an improved quality of life.
As a 77-year-old Mon County resident, retired professor of public health and former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (representing Wheeling and Ohio County), I am pleased to see West Virginia gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith’s plans to promote health and prosperity in our state among his well-thought out 30+ policy platforms (https://wvcantwait.com/platform-plans/) — the most recent of which focused on seniors. It came from listening to thousands of seniors throughout the state.
According to Smith, West Virginia has “the second highest rate of people over the age of 65 in the country, and nearly half have a disability, while roughly a third rely on social security as their only income source.” Challenges include a lack of transportation, economic insecurity, food insecurity, a lack of affordable and safe housing and lack of access to affordable health care — including mental health care.
Within his Empower WV Seniors proposal is the Mountaineer Senior Service Corps, which will enroll talented seniors as mentors, advocates, organizers and community leaders.
This would mean real opportunities for seniors. The program will offer mentoring to younger people for much needed jobs such as carpentry, auto repair and teaching — as well as providing lectures, establishing community educational programs and will even provide union jobs to motivated seniors.
Those of us who live outside the city limits are limited by the lack of transportation, but Smith’s plan calls for transportation services as needed by seniors. We all need to be able to safely pick up groceries, attend appointments, visit the library and vote. His plan also calls for intergenerational senior and child care centers — a priceless way to mend our torn social fabric.
We can delay disability the more we stay involved. Opportunities like these will keep us on the go and give us a chance to help others in our state succeed.
Dr. Bill Reger-Nash
Morgantown
China’s coronavirus numbers not reliable
I was quite surprised to read the editorial piece in The Dominion Post on April 9. I didn’t think I was the only one who knew that:
C.I.A. has for several weeks told White House officials not to trust the numbers that Beijing was handing to the World Health Organization.
Wuhan’s death toll could be astronomically higher than the Chinese government has reported, some residents say.
Most of us have known for decades that anything coming out of China regarding numbers cannot be trusted. But just to give a recent update … officials also said that China’s underreporting of its pandemic totals was unsurprising, saying that official statistics from the country are often lies. A simple Google search can verify the more detailed wording and sources of my above statements.
The writer surely realizes that due to our freedom of the press, all per capita number of cases and deaths in the U.S. will appear to be larger than those reported by many other nations.
Leo Brewer
Morgantown
College student access to alcohol fuels problems
I agree: Liquor stores aren’t essential businesses during a pandemic (DP-04-10-20) and yet equally dismayed that the governor would now extend the sale of alcohol to those possessing a student ID. Very bad move “Guv.”
Anyone who lives around off-campus student housing knows how parties fueled by alcohol can get out-of-hand, putting in harm’s way our first-responders who are called out to “calm the waters,” so to speak. Couch fires, car fires, anything that burns. What a waste of resources!
It only takes a few alcohol-fueled hooligans to get the ball rolling. The city knows the “hot spots” as do most of us who live near them, but does WVU Student Life and Housing? What role does WVU play in this scenario? Who rents to these students? Are profit-seeking landlords properly vetted? Do you know? Do you even care?
Liquor stores (grocery and convenience stores included) need to seriously consider how they conduct business during this pandemic keeping in mind first responders who are always left to “clean up the mess.” Why not WVU?
Char Pyles
Morgantown
