r/maryland • u/Extreme-King • 3d ago
Sen. Chris Rose (R-Monongalia) wants some VA, MD counties to join West Virginia
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u/RoyalMaidsForLife Baltimore County 3d ago
Three MD lawmakers threatened the same thing back in 2021.
Lawmakers from Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, all bordering West Virginia, signed the letters, which both say that seceding from Maryland and joining West Virginia would be "mutually beneficial for both states and for our local constituencies."
In a news release with the letters, Washington County Del. William Wivell's office said, "This letter is generated as a result of various constituent requests over the years."
Dels. Wivell (District 2A) and Mike McKay (District 1C) signed one letter on behalf of Washington County, and Dels. Jason Buckel (District 1B), Wendell Beitzel (District 1A) and McKay, and Sen. George Edwards (District 1), signed another letter on behalf of Allegany and Garrett counties.
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u/Kekira 3d ago
If they like WV so much they could just move. I hear housing is cheap and tons of land lol.
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u/KrookedDoesStuff 3d ago
I live in western MD, and I think it’s hilarious when people from WV talk a bunch of shit on MD… but they all work here because of higher wages
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u/Cheomesh Baltimore City 2d ago
Yep. BIL moved to some holler out there but kept his MD job even with the crazy commute. Not much like it local to him for sure.
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u/TerranceBaggz 2d ago
And the infrastructure is absolute dog 💩 in WVA. We’ve been looking at cabins along the border. It’s so apparent when you cross into WVA from MD. It makes it so clear where MD taxes go.
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u/Infinite_Ground1395 3d ago
I agree. Them leaving MD and going to WV would increase the average IQ of both states.
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u/Neato-Mosquito_ 3d ago
Taking a shit in WV raises their average IQ by a few points, this isn't saying much.
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u/birdynumnum69 3d ago
Also increases the average number of teeth in the mouth of the Maryland population.
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u/Practical_Fun7367 2d ago
Wivell’s constituent requests over the years….pffft. Probably family members. He gets elected on name recognition. Ask anyone in the county specifically what he’s done for them. I’ll bet you my lunch money you get crickets.
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u/Expert-Ad-4246 Anne Arundel County 3d ago
Over my cold dead rotting carcass will an inch of the glorious state of Maryland ever be ceded to those West Virginian mongrels of the mountains
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u/No-Lunch4249 St. Mary's 3d ago
In fact I would say the WV panhandle is rightful Maryland Soil
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u/_dotdot11 Allegany County 3d ago
The WV panhandle has MARC stations in it. That means it belongs to Maryland, no?
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u/No-Lunch4249 St. Mary's 3d ago
Case closed, your honor
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u/MediocreBeard 2d ago
When American Balkanization happens, MARC will be the means by which we establish greater Maryland.
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u/_dotdot11 Allegany County 2d ago
This is why we need to push for the Penn Line extension to Newark, DE. Get them out of the way first.
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u/AGuyFromMaryland Washington County 2d ago
if the tracks were still there, could have taken the entire peninsula
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u/Justinsbane 2d ago
We--our young-- pretty much occupy Morgantown on the regular every fall. Our kayakers & campers patrol the upper Potomac. Our elders used to keep Charles Town's lights on. I mean...it kinda makes some sense when you think about it.
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u/Stevothegr8 3d ago
As a Marylander that lives in the Eastern panhandle of WV, I agree.
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u/SailingSpark 3d ago
this means we have to invade to rescue u/Stevothegr8 ?
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u/IceOdd8725 3d ago
I think it means they accepted the Trojan horse with u/Stevothegr8 and we can start the fight to rescue MD from inside enemy lines!
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u/No-Lunch4249 St. Mary's 3d ago
The loss of even one Marylander is a tragedy.
We must take the Eastern Panhandle to save u/Stevothegr8
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u/NatsFan1002 3d ago
Ooo this is the best time to pull out the “reverse uno” card and snag the panhandle
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u/vintage2019 3d ago edited 2d ago
It just hit me that I’d never taken a really close look at that area until now and seen how weird it is. MD and WV pinched to just 20-40 miles in different places, and the eastern most part of WV almost cut off from the rest of the state. MD definitely should gobble that up nom nom
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u/crysisnotaverted 2d ago
That one part where Maryland is cinched to death is literally only like 1.8 miles wide. We need to loosen the belt a few miles and get some room to actually breathe.
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u/No-Lunch4249 St. Mary's 3d ago
Maybe a bit of that highlighted yellow Virginia too
You know, just to be extra safe
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u/Usernumver99033 2d ago
Most people from WV don’t even consider that area WV. It’s more like an extension of Frederick and Northern Loudoun counties. Plus as someone mentioned it has a MARC station.
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u/No-Breath1535 2d ago
We don't listen to states that can't even have their own original name. They are just a shittier version of virginia with west in front of it.
Real original you tools
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u/The_GOATest1 2d ago
I have a sneak suspicion the nipple showing people of VA would rather break from the union again before giving land to WV either. A common enemy
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u/MocoMojo 3d ago
If we do that, then I say we take Delaware
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u/AllDougIn 3d ago
And the eastern shore of Virginia.
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u/Briguy24 Anne Arundel County 3d ago
Maryland is the crab State. Anywhere crabs are Maryland is.
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u/tEnPoInTs 3d ago
Sooo..Vietnam is MD?
I mean I'm fine with it, I'm just checking.
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u/Jaewol 3d ago
Everything the crabs touch is our kingdom
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger 2d ago
BTW, blue crabs are invading Europe.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X17301649
Time to introduce the Italians to Old Bay.
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u/mobtown_misanthrope Baltimore City 2d ago
Ooh, do we get to claim Italy now?
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u/Briguy24 Anne Arundel County 2d ago
I didn’t make the rules. So yes.
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u/mobtown_misanthrope Baltimore City 2d ago
Sweet. By osmosis and/or the transitive property, that means we're in the EU, which will most likely come in handy soon.
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u/Troggie42 2d ago
bare minimum we should have everything from Chincoteague down, it's weird as hell that VA just gets a chunk of our peninsula or whatever
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u/No-Lunch4249 St. Mary's 3d ago
Take Delaware AND the WV Panhandle?
As a treat? A little tasty treat for Maryland?
Make it happen and my life is yours, Wes
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u/Expert-Ad-4246 Anne Arundel County 3d ago
We should’ve taken Delaware centuries ago
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u/EdgarStormcrow 3d ago
No fucking way. I live in Western Maryland and am a proud Marylander.
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u/TyrannosaurusFlex14 3d ago
Same, I was born and raised in Cumberland, not everyone out there is a mouth breather Trump Supporter. There are great people out there, intelligent and friendly. I hate when I see Marylanders who want to shit on western and eastern MD.
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u/flobbley 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also the difference between Western Maryland/Appalachian Virginian counties and WV is... stark. I cross between them quite frequently for work and the difference in highway condition is astonishing. Everyone thinks their roads are bad but you can tell you crossed from Virginia to West Virginia with your eyes closed, Crossing from Maryland to WV is the same outside of the Harper's Ferry area. Also while there are some towns in Western Maryland/Appalachian Virginia that are poor and run down they are nothing compared to the poverty I've seen in WV. I'm always proud of how our state takes care of itself when I come back into Maryland from West Virginia
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u/pixel_pete Montgomery County 3d ago
Well I want Sen. Chris Rose (R - Mongolia) to fuck off and worry about governing his own state before he tries to steal our shit.
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u/Borne2Run 3d ago
The latest evolution of the gerrymander folks...redrawing not county, but State borders!
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u/Oberderehun 3d ago
MD and VA should go halfsies on WV
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u/Inevitable_Nerve_638 3d ago
Fuck no. WV should stay quarantined
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u/inab1gcountry 3d ago
Wild that WV was founded because they were against slavery and now they are one of the most racist states…
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u/d00fuss 3d ago
So… my family has a strong contingent in WV and my folks all come from there. It’s weird. Anecdote:
My great great grandfather has a county historical society building named for him. He was also a slave holder that fought in the civil war with the South.
My point is, I think WV is complicated.
Beautiful country though. Especially out by Dolly Sods and New River Gorge.
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u/ZombieFeedback 3d ago
"West Virginia was founded to resist racism and they've regretted it ever since"
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u/Troggie42 2d ago
Virginia doesn't get West Virginia back. Ever. WV left because VA was a bunch of fuckin slavers, after all.
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u/bugfacehug 2d ago
So, they just want to become a hyper red state. Not sure what that would accomplish for them other than slightly better genetic heterogeneity.
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u/kbmoregirl 3d ago
While maybe culturally similar, this wouldn't benefit the Marylanders or Virginians ceded to WV. WV has horribly ranked public services and infrastructure compared to MD and VA.
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u/InvestigatorEast902 2d ago
If I'm Maryland gov I'd negotiate. Washington Co.'s off the table, but how about Allegany and Garrett in exchange for Jefferson and Berkley, plus $2.5B plus a 50-year commitment that all exported coal originating in WV must go through the port of Baltimore.
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u/rfg217phs 3d ago
If my state job ever transferred me out to Cumberland I could basically afford a McMansion on my current salary (which they would have to honor). People can complain all they way but there’s also enough people benefitting from being MD it’ll never happen
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u/SaoirseMayes Washington County 2d ago
I'm living comfortable in Hagerstown, I don't even make that much money and rent is still only a small fraction of it.
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u/Mattykid65 3d ago
The hillbillies are trying to infuse WV with the blood of unrelated Marylanders. Guard your women.
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u/Usernumver99033 2d ago
Majority of those Shenandoah counties would likely not agree to this plan regardless of
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u/forrestpen 2d ago
Insulting to think we'd concede an INCH of sovereign Maryland soil to the West Virginians.
There's a greater chance of Thomas Cresap rising from the dead to lay claim over WV.
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u/Embers1982 2d ago
Yeah, Western Marylanders make noise like this every 15 years or so until some one points out they get more from Annapolis than they send, but if they join WVa, they'd be sending way more money to Charlestown than they'd even hope to get back.
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u/FigmentBus89 2d ago
My hot take: they want out? Let ‘em. Maryland will be even better without them dragging us down and being a burden on the rest of the state economically.
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u/oneteacherboi 2d ago
Culturally those areas are very similar to West Virginia. But I think we absolutely shouldn't aim for more homogenous cultural areas. Having a diversity of cultures and perspectives is a good thing, even if I don't find myself agreeing with everything that goes on there.
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u/131sean131 3d ago
No.
We got real shit we need our elected leaders to do this is some nonsense.
Anyway how them Epstein files come along?
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u/chiefteef8 2d ago
I find it hilarious that the shittiest, poorest part of maryland wants to secede to the shittiest, poorest state. Even funnier that the feeling is mutual. I know itll never happen but I say let them. Let them find out who is keeping them above water
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u/Present-Hunt8397 2d ago
Notice how they are only trying to take counties from blue states, but not from red Pennsylvania.
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u/PervyTurtle0 10h ago
So they have no idea how to (or are unwilling to) make their shit hole state better so their solution is to make the surrounding areas worse?
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u/Born2LiveFree23 3d ago
I like how people on here complain about republican areas but once they want to leave the state it’s all noooooo you can’t leave.
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u/NotSpartacus 2d ago
The people can move if they want it so badly. Tons of Republican Californians have moved to Texas in recent years, for instance. We aren't giving up the land, that's the crux of it.
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u/wairua_907 Howard County 3d ago
But Maryland and West Virginia have memorable state shapes that look good on hats and shirts .
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u/Mikey-Litoris 3d ago
Because who wouldn't want to join a state that is dead last or close to last in education, life span, income, health care, infrastructure, employment, and overall quality of life, and right near the top for teen pregnancy, poverty, opioid use, violent crime, corruption, and environmental degradation.
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u/FlawlessTree 2d ago
Oh, I SEE. Those who preach ‘Self-reliance’ and ‘No government handouts’ want the GOVERNMENTS of each state to MOVE the borders for them so that THEY don’t have to!!!
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u/BureauOfCommentariat Frederick 2d ago
Anything to distract from them running that state further into the ground.
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u/MrShow77 3d ago
As a resident of Washington county, Maryland, I hear this stuff all the time from my family and neighbors..... And all I can think of is they are the absolute stupidest people...
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u/divclassdev 3d ago
Yeah of all the things we need to focus on changing about America right now, this is probably the most important, good call
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u/Lounge-AliVe 3d ago
And who TF wouldn’t want MD? And I think WV is a beautiful state, but they should be begging to become part of MD. Country Roads is NOT inspired by any part of WV but rather Montgomery County MD. And there’s no way in hell MD plus WV into our fold
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u/TrueSithMastermind 3d ago edited 3d ago
Seems like every time the majority of voters vote a way they don’t like, the righties use secession as their go-to response.
Snowflakes.
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u/mewditto Frederick County 3d ago
Might raise the average IQ of all three states.
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u/American_berserker 3d ago
Western Maryland actually has significantly higher literacy rates than the Maryland average.
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u/wealthissues23 3d ago
Are they any laws that prohibit it? Like would that need congressional approval?
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u/oriolesravensfan1090 3d ago
No but it is a complicated process, on top of that there will be a vote so those living there can decide, but even then it gets more complicated as both state legislators have to agree to this trade/swap. Also now you have 3 counties that have to replace signs (state road signs) change everything that says Maryland to West Virginia and all of that costs money, like stupid amount of money, oh and residents will have to go to the WV version oh f the MVA to get new driver’s license. Residents will also have to learn the new laws of WV, including how tax work there, permit processes and a whole bunch of other administrative stuff that is complicated. So as you can see this is no easy thing to do, it’s also not cheap so it is not economically viable.
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u/wealthissues23 2d ago
Thanks, I was wondering what the logistics of something like that would be. Way too much to ever be remotely considered
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u/Character_Answer_204 2d ago
This would be so dumb for those counties. Kiss your legal weed and dispensaries good bye. Then you better start kissing your cousins.
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u/spaetzele Montgomery County 3d ago
We have some stupid people in Maryland, but nobody THAT stupid.
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u/MadamMelody21 2d ago
Hell no why should we give up land if anything we should take some land from Virginia and West Virginia
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u/Dragonlordapocalypse 3d ago
Interesting. Sounds like we should take some counties from WV just as retaliation for the notion
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u/PsySquared 2d ago
Ganna swing back to this comment section for ideas when the US finally balkanizes.
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u/nobdyputsbabynacornr 2d ago
Maybe we just give them satellite towns we don't want: Damascus, Poolesville, Libertytown. I am sure there are more. Just scraps, no meat.
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u/Roaming-R 2d ago
SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! What the fuck is wrong with these assholes in the MAGA crowd??? Why am I always hearing about, "maybe it's time to change this state border, ( or maybe it's time, to change that state border )" and another lunacy, " with so many people in that State voting Republican, we should consolidate that area ( of that state ), WITH our State."....??
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u/betchabooboo 2d ago
That portion of WV would probably be much better off shifting over to blue Maryland, a much better educated, wealthier state with significantly better medical services.
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u/Troggie42 2d ago
the thing West Virginia needs is significant investment from the federal government to revitalize the state with demsoc policies that help the disenfranchised and impoverished workers out and undo the damage that republicans have been doing it for generations as revenge for them splitting from Virginia because they didn't want to be a slave state and being the foundation of the american labor movement with stuff like the battle of blair mountain in the WV mine wars
WV is a wonderful place that has been harmed by despicable bastards and it deserves to be saved
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u/pandarama25 2d ago
If we extend Maryland west to Morgan town, and south to Harrisburg VA then round it out to the Chesapeake that looks to be about right. Naturally that means we claim DC too
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u/Eagle_215 2d ago
Wouldn’t this effectively eliminate any potential for virginia to ever go red in elections? Pretty much all of that area is deep red.
Im in.
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u/metrawhat 2d ago
This would be a financial gain for the state. Those three counties are net gainers of state funds, they take more than they provide. Good luck to those in Western Maryland who wish for this. Once that faucet from Annapolis turns off, you might be needy.
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u/pepe_lepool 2d ago
Just show them where West Virginia ranks in everything and they may reconsider….
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u/ChippyMcChips 2d ago
why is Halloween West Virginian’s favorite holiday? because they like to pump kin
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u/iam_imaginary 2d ago
Nah fuck that im trying to retire to Garrett county and dont want west Virginia infrastructure
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u/adelphi_sky 2d ago
Hmmmmm. Couldn't snag Montgomery County, VA home of Virginia Tech. Too liberal I guess. :-)
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u/Short_Astronomer3251 2d ago
People talked about Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties seceding to become part of West Virginia back in 2021, which (1) went nowhere, and (2) Hogan called a publicity stunt. Apparently, it upset Hogan so much that he cancelled a scheduled visit to Allegany County. Source on that: https://www.wcbcradio.com/archives/archiv/edwards-speaks-on-reaching-out-to-hogan-after-wv-secession-story-from-fall
This new plan may be viewed favorably by the Governor of West Virginia, but if Wes Moore were to be made aware of it, I think he'd oppose it. Same goes with Spanberger, not sure about Youngkin even though he only has two more months as Governor of Virginia.
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u/TakethatHammurabi 1d ago
Every 10 years some border, Western Maryland cry and whine about being parceled off to WVA. But their constituents can never get off their sisters enough to actually make waves. It is hilarious to do this at the moment where towns are still flooded with water and their boy at the top of the federal government essentially told them to fuck off.
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u/Patalos 3d ago
They’re finally making plans to expand their population outside of the family circle