"Whose side are you on"

This week in the newspaper a story appeared to the effect that the Putnam County Fair Board had asked the County Commission for help in meeting its liability insurance premuim payments needed to insure the operation of this year's County Fair. It seems that despite the promises of the insurance industry during the 2005 legislative session to lower rates in exchange for the surrender by West Virginians of significant legal rights, the cost of insurance for the fair has actually gone up dramatically. One would expect this news to be greeted with outrage at the deceit and greed of the insurance industry and calls for an investigation into the claims history of the Putnam fair and other similar events around the state to see if there is any legitimate basis for these increases or if we are just seeing price gouging.

Well, with the predicatability that comes with slavish devotion to the interests of the vested interests, the Charleston Daily Mail on May 4, 2006 blamed the people of West Virginia themselves for insurance company greed. You see, if we get hurt we may bring a lawsuit. We have lawyers who are not afraid to take and prosecute claims for innocent people who are injured by the negligence or even criminal conduct of others. Have any of these calims involved West Virginia county fairs? Apparently not or we would have been given specifics by the fearless editorial staff of the Mail. Instead all we get are the same old generalities and platitudes--give up more rights and we will make things cheaper. How much cheaper? Well, we won't tell you that until you give up your part; then we will give you what we think is fair, if anything. This is the most shockingly shallow response possible to news of possible price gouging of our non-profit organizations. As the words of the great labor anthem of the nineteen thirties asked "Whose side are your on?" I think we can all figure that out from the Mail's disgraceful response.