West Virginia Day, June 20, 2016

Statement

West Virginians have much to be proud of in our state. We played a key role in winning the Civil War that preserved our union and ended slavery when President Abraham Lincoln by proclamation granted us statehood. We are proud of our state -- its beauty, its history, and its people. We have used the abundant natural resources God has given us and turned them into energy that has literally powered our nation, which has in turn strengthened our union.

Our heritage is rich with coal. Coal has, for generations, provided a cheap and reliable energy source for our country. But, Washington politicians like President Obama and Hillary Clinton have declared war on not just coal but on all fossil fuels. Their efforts have denied us the economic freedoms that we for generations have enjoyed. Their war has been devastating to our state budget, our economy and our communities. Sadly, it has also tarnished the pride of our people.

The pride of our state and strength of our people has always been rooted in our state motto -- Montani Semper Liberi -- Mountaineers are always free. Today, liberal politicians in Washington threaten our constitutional freedoms by trying to chip away at our Second Amendment rights. We must stand strong to protect our freedoms.

These attacks on our freedoms and on our way of life have challenged us, but we have proven throughout our 153 years of statehood that we have the pride in our culture and strength of our people to overcome these challenges and preserve our freedoms. There is nothing wrong with West Virginia that the strength of our work ethic and pride of our people can't fix. United, we can once again become West Virginia Proud and West Virginia Strong.

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