WeƵve all done it Ƶ made a decision, taken an action or said something that we later regret. These may be foolish choices or calculated options because they reinforce our personal views or give us advantages. A few recent media reports remind us that foolish choices can have untoward effects.
A quarter of a century ago, CharlestonƵs West Virginia International Yeager Airport supportersƵ decision to make sure that a regional airport on level ground midway between Charleston and Huntington never took off was foolish. It would have encouraged business and growth in southwestern West Virginia. Some folks say that thatƵs past and donƵt revisit the issue. Based on past extensive millions-of-dollar runway repairs at Yeager and Rick SteelhammerƵs recent article in HD Media, the foolishness of insisting that Yeager be the stateƵs dominant airport is still obvious.
YeagerƵs runways are limited by the geography of the mountaintop location. HuntingtonƵs Tri-State Airport is also on a mountain top, but the runways are significantly longer. Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) again ordered an environmental impact study of YeagerƵs proposal to lengthen a runway to 7,000 feet with 1,000-foot safety overruns at each end.
HereƵs part of YeagerƵs continuing problem: About 400 of the 1,000 acres in Coonskin Park, a favorite of many in the Charleston area, would be affected. About 11,000 area residents signed a petition to end the runway expansion. Some of YeagerƵs administrators indicated that if they canƵt use the large amount of money available from the FAA for airport improvements for a runway, it could be used to modernize the terminal.
The comment by Allen Tackett, chairman of the airport boardƵs construction committee, is telling. Saying that ƵBuilding the longer runway is the most important project we have Ƶ without a longer runway, building a new updated terminal is like putting lipstick on a pig.Ƶ Foolishness continues.
Speaking of foolishness now, CNN reported last week that Michigan State Rep. Matt Maddock Ƶclaimed that on social media Ƶ he had photo evidence of Ƶillegal invadersƵ at DetroitƵs Metro Airport.Ƶ The evidence cited was an Allegiant plane that had just landed and three buses. Maddox was also upset that the Ƶillegal invadersƵ also had a police escort. Even after various spokespeople confirmed that the same arrangement was made for other NCAA teams, he was still unconvinced that he was looking at GonzagaƵs basketball players rather than Ƶillegal invaders.Ƶ
Residents and elected officials in many cities are realistically concerned that planeloads of illegal and undocumented immigrants will land and have landed in their cities. This shows what happens when Congress canƵt formulate a workable immigration plan because as soon as a bipartisan committee comes close to developing a plan, extreme right congressional representatives who object to any immigration or success on President Joe BidenƵs watch manage to kill it.
And topping off foolishness now is the West VirginiaƵs LegislatureƵs action to do away with required immunizations for many children in the state. It may not happen this year, but if this plan remains in place, sometime in the future, children will pay the price for serious illness such as measles which until now have not occurred in West Virginia since 2009.
Foolishness will always be with us, but it does not improve our economics, health, safety or social interactions.
Diane W. Mufson is a retired psychologist and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch Opinion page.
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