Editorial voices from elsewhere
Editorial voices from newspapers around the United States as compiled by the Associated Press:
The autopsy report released June 2 underscored the tragedy of a Minnesota superstar’s recent death. Prince Rogers Nelson not only died too young but joined the long list of music legends put in an early grave by drugs or alcohol.
The average American may never understand the pressures that drive such gifted musicians, who seem to have it all, to drug use. But it’s easy to see how money and fame ease access to these substances. Those whose careers soared to uncommon heights may well be at greater risk of being brought down by a common disease: chemical addiction, a condition that too often inspires condemnation rather than the compassion the victim desperately needs. For those wanting to honor Prince, reaching out to someone struggling with addiction or advocating for policies broadening treatment access would be worthy choices.
It’s a surprise when something that happened 100 years ago tops the list of social-media trending stories – but that was the case recently with an event one could safely say is rarely on the minds of most Americans.
That’s the infamous Armenian genocide of 1915-1916, an ugly chapter in European history when Turkey – then constituted as the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany during World War I – slaughtered more than a million ethnic Armenians. Historians said the event presaged the many later genocidal waves across Europe, Asia and Africa in the 20th century. The Turks, however, disagree.
What drove the headlines recently was a resolution by the German parliament to officially label the event a genocide, partly as a way to acknowledge its own complicity in the Armenian deaths, and as a continuing effort to come to terms with its own bloody history. Now, Turkey and Germany are at diplomatic odds.
Does history ever really go away?
College graduates looking for a place to start their careers are bombarded by information as they try to make good decisions. One of those pieces of information comes from a career-planning website called Zippia, which ranked the “living wages” in all 50 states.
Based on the amount of income needed to support two adults and one child in each state, using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage calculator, Zippia said a living wage in West Virginia is $44,823 – the third-lowest in the country, behind only Arkansas and Kentucky. In Ohio, the living wage is listed at $45,853 – still within the bottom 10.
Those numbers would be much more appealing, however, if most West Virginia households earned enough to cover them. According to 2014 figures, the median household income – that is, the total income of everyone over the age of 15 living under one roof – was $41,059 in the Mountain State. Half of households in the state bring in considerably less than what MIT and Zippia consider to be a living wage for two adults and one child.
In Ohio, meanwhile, the 2014 median household income was $49,308; quite a bit more than the state’s reported living wage.
When faced with numbers like those, it is no wonder West Virginia’s best and brightest look for greener pastures when considering where to put down roots. When lawmakers talk about finding ways to bring more jobs to West Virginia – or simply replace the many we have lost – it is essential they work to attract employers who will bring good, decent-paying jobs, not just another round of minimum wage positions.
Having a low cost of living is attractive. But when wages are not enough to keep up with even that low cost, lawmakers should be doing double duty to keep residents from feeling any more pinch than they already do, while encouraging the kind of economic diversification that might put a few more dollars in their pockets.