Re: "what had Senator Byrd done to WV ? Did he diverted federal subsidies to this relatively poor state and caused his electorate who are traditionally have always been self sufficient get hooked up on fed's benefits ? "
I can't give you specifics as to his accomplishments, but the game of politics is played the same everywhere in the world, regardless of political systems.
There is always the "taint" of small-time corruption/graft associated with it, but when done honorably and properly the end result is beneficial to all concerned, and always done "within the spirit and letter of the law".
It is indeed unfortunate to witness the recent corruption and flagrant illegality in Washington coming from the former and current administrations, because such behavior makes a mockery of the only system in the world which has worked well in producing progress and wealth.
However, this blatant thievery incompetence is a very recent development. The more honorable and long-term "statesmen" like Senator Byrd and Jesse Helms never stole money or padded their own wallets for personal gain. If you don't believe that, do a quick Google search on the total assets owned by Senator Byrd throughout his Senate career and you will be shocked by what you find.
In addition to the prerequisite personal contacts at all levels of society, these Senators possessed maturity, intelligence, and sound judgement. Success called for their willingness to sacrifice certain of their 'principals' in order to reach consensus with their Senate peers in authoring and passing legislation to "bring home the bacon" [sorry for the non-Kosher allusion]. They would assist other Senators in passing legislation of no benefit to their home state, in exchange for the insertion of clauses, stipulations, and riders which would benefit their constituency back home.
The whole purpose of diverting monies to one's home state is to enlarge the revenue base through the encouragement of private business and industry. This creates jobs, which in turn creates the need for governments, schools, roads and highways, goods and services, financial sector growth, etc. - all of which in turn generate increased county, city, state, and Federal tax revenues.
In other words, a win-win situation for all concerned.
Here are the type of things Byrd did for West Virginia: (a) Arrange for matching Federal funding for the construction and long term maintenance of badly needed infrastructure such as highways, bridges, and airports to link undeveloped, underpopulated, or inaccessible areas. (b) Serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee or on similar groups to both locate and maintain Federal military bases in areas of the state badly needing a revenue base, thereby increasing local employment and generating increased tax revenues at the local, state, and Federal levels. (c) Fund the construction of medical research and hospital facilities in remote areas to attract and encourage highly educated people to move into the State and take up residence. (d) Authorize Federal funding of grants for research in matters such as "increasing worker productivity and safety in mining operations" / "timber reforestation" / "reducing or eliminating industrial waste toxins from air and water" / "ways to encourage and increase international tourism and trade" / etc.
This is the political process through which America developed into the world's greatest and most prosperous civilization. It is always a a little "shady", but when done properly was always conducted within the letter of the law for the greater public good.
Men like Senator Byrd were always reelected by their constituents because they achieved results benefiting all.
Even on the smallest of local matters citizens with a problem related to government bureaucracy would call or contact the Senator's office and their individual needs would be quickly resolved without regard to the voter's race, religion, or politics.
As far as the suggestion that West Virginians have always been traditionally "self-sufficient", that may indeed be true, but even those who are self-sufficient can recognize when their children don't have shoes, can't read, and are unable to access basic medical care. "Self-sufficiency" doesn't go very far when you have to have six or seven children in order to end up with two of them because living alone in the deep woods means that four or five out of every six children will die before the age of five from diptheria, tetanux, smallpox, or polio. Nor does it bring happiness to know that your granddaddy and his granddaddy both died in the mines before the age of 30, and that your daddy already has black lung at age 40 and can no longer support his family, and that life offers no opportunities for you in a community based around one mine owner family and several hundred other modern day serfs.
No need for me to belabor the point, but everyone in the world always wants a better life for their children than they've had, and there happen to be some areas in the world unable to overcome certain factors which have always kept them hopelessly impoverished and backwards. Search the health, educational, and income statistics of West Virginia before Senator Byrd began his Senate service, and compare them to recent statistics and you can get a good idea of why he was so highly thought of by his own people.
