Criticism of AG More Than Politics
by admin on 09/10/08 at 1:13 pm
The State Journal
The federal government contends that West Virginia owes it money from a $10 million OxyContin settlement — money that McGraw doled out to a number of parties, including lawyers who represented the state in the case. And what about McGraw’s relationship with those generously compensated law firms? It appears that a few lawyers benefit, and the rest of us pay the price.
In response, McGraw’s allies say critics ignore the attorney general’s good work, including cracking down on businesses that have victimized West Virginians. McGraw presents himself as a friend and protector of the people, and, frankly, some find comfort in his assurances. His allies say greedy business interests are behind some of the attacks, and they call criticisms of the office “red herrings” that distract from McGraw’s successes.
But McGraw and his staff have been reluctant to share their methods of handling the people’s money. They seem to be distrustful of the members of the Legislature — the people’s elected representatives who are responsible for state spending decisions.
West Virginia has a reputation that it is hostile to corporations that may consider doing business in this state. Can McGraw and his allies honestly say that his war on corporate America has had no effect on West Virginia’s reputation as a place to do business?
Look at our per-capita income. Look at the out-migration of young, educated people. We cannot be satisfied with those statistics, and we cannot be pleased that West Virginia — a state that desperately needs job-creating investment — is seen as hostile toward corporations.
The people, of course, will have a say about who their next attorney general will be. For its part, the Legislature may want to follow the lead of the federal government, which prohibits its agencies from using private law firms on a contingency-fee basis. That certainly would change the dynamics of how the state would attack private businesses.
