Braden Roten
How to Stand Against Political Corruption in West Virginia
Everyone knows that in a general sense, politics is a messy, corrupt business– and West Virginia is no exception. Up and down the ladder, you can find example after example of slimy politicians making back-alley deals to gain power and money. Even many of the ones who enter the political realm for the right reasons end up compromising their stated beliefs when faced with the smallest of threats to their campaign dollars or political status.
If you’ve listened to The Tom Roten Show for any length of time, you are very way of many such examples. Tom has dedicated many episodes and segments to exposing the corruption of prominent West Virginia politicians such as Governor Jim Justice for his failure to pay his bills and the State Senate President Craig Blair who faces allegations of lying on his campaign finance reports.
For the purposes of this article, I’m not going to focus on the corruption itself. You can listen to The Tom Roten Show every day for that. While it is important to expose the corruption, it can be very disheartening to focus only on the evil and how rampant it is. In the midst of the darkness, just a little light can bring hope. So today I want to share some ways you can fight back against corruption and promote conservative, Christian values in West Virginia.
First, consider running for office yourself. Pay close attention to the voting records of those in your district. Are your representatives properly representing you and your values? Don’t just assume that they are because they’re registered as a Republican. In WV, with Democrats being nearly extinct in the legislature, simply waving the banner of the GOP is meaningless. If you have a RINO in your district who is up for reelection, get in touch with local pro-freedom organizations for information about how to defeat them.
Second, if for whatever reason you can’t run for office, get involved in fighting for the issues you care about. I’m a member of a group called WV Liberty Strike Force which advocates for conservative values during the state legislative session. We spend a lot of time contacting local delegates and senators with our concerns and giving them information about important legislation. If you’re interested in joining this group, you can use this link to sign up. Many other great organizations like West Virginians for Health Freedom are doing their part in promoting freedom in the mountain state and can always use more help.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, know what you believe and why you believe it. If your beliefs are not deeply rooted, you too are capable of becoming just as corrupt as the most evil politicians in our state. As Tom always says, “Who you really are will manifest itself sooner or later.” There is no better way to know what you believe and why than to use Jesus Christ and the Bible as the rock on which your beliefs are planted. When your convictions are based on what God says rather than the opinions of men, it’s much more difficult to sway from those convictions.
And of course, to stand against corruption, you must first know where it is. That’s why The Tom Roten Show will always be here to proclaim the truth, no matter who it offends or exposes.
