West Virginia can offer many things to many types of people if we are smart about the proper growth-facilitating policies . There is nothing unique about West Virginia that keeps it from enjoying the kind of economic prosperity that so many others in the U . S . take for granted . I have no doubt that if we can get the correct policies in place , one day we will be reading an article in The Wall Street Journal titled “ The West Virginia Miracle .”
Ted Boettner
Executive Director , West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy
WVE : Tell us about your background and your personal mission .
TB : I grew up in Charleston , WV , and graduated from West Virginia University . I received a master ’ s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire a couple of years later . In graduate school , I found out quickly that I was keenly interested in public policy and especially data-driven policy analysis to find solutions to social and economic problems such as income inequality , climate change , affordable health care , foreign interventions and racism . Before being hired as the executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy in late 2007 , I worked for the West Virginia Citizen Action Group .
I believe privilege confers responsibility . As a college-educated white male , I have a moral responsibility to speak out against the misery that people suffer from and the misery for which I share responsibility . That ’ s why my mission has always been to try to advance the causes of freedom , justice , equality and peace and try to speak out against the abuses of power that create so much hardship in our society .
WVE : When was your organization founded , and what type of research does it conduct ?
TB : The West Virginia Center for Budget & Policy was founded in 2007 to ensure that sound research and analysis help provide a foundation for advancing public policy in West Virginia . Our mission is to support an informed public dialogue on public policy issues that impact working families and ensure our work is timely , relevant , accessible and credible . The center also believes in the necessary and positive role the public can play in shaping positive outcomes while also making government more transparent and accountable to West Virginians . Our research is focused on three central areas : tax and budget , family economic security and economic development .
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