BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Governor Jim Justice made an appearance at Word Park in Beckley Monday to address the residents of Raleigh County regarding the upcoming vote on Amendment 2, which stands to affect West Virginians statewide in various capacities.
The governor’s remarks were preceded by introductory comments from West Virginia Secretary of the Department of Revenue, Dave Hardy, and followed of course by an enthusiastically received appearance from the one and only Babydog.
Governor Justice himself has taken a stance against Amendment 2, having the gazebo area from which he would address the crowd endowed with signage confirming as much on this afternoon, one which was sunny and windy in equal measure.
“I want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, always,” he said Monday.
Having held the office of governor for over half a decade, Justice has developed a rapport of sorts with his constituents, his “no frills, nothing fancy” presentation striking a chord with residents of the Mountain State.
“Think about how much Jim Justice would benefit if you get rid of the machinery and inventory tax,” he said, asserting that the passage of the amendment would take money from the pockets of the working-class and funnel it to big business.
“Jim Justice’s businesses will benefit to the tune of millions of dollars, and I’m telling you not to do it.”
When questioned by LOOTPRESS regarding the progression of the amendment through various legislative stages and its having arrived at such a crucial stage today approaching November’s vote, the governor pointed out an apparent lack of understanding with regard to the implications of the legislation.
“I think a lot of people [in the legislature who] very innocently thought ‘well this is not a bad thing, this is a good thing,’ are now sitting back thinking ‘wait a minute, hold on’ because this thing is getting away from us,”
Governor Justice spoke for roughly an hour, discussing personal viewpoints, fielding questions from audience members in attendance, and regaling guests with the origin story of Babydog’s given name.
The debate surrounding Amendment 2 has progressively intensified with the approach of the November 8th election and, as with all issues, voters would do well to conduct thorough research in reaching a voting decision which stands to best benefit themselves and their loved ones.
Additional LOOTPRESS coverage of events at which Governor Justice has been featured can be found here.