The Path of Most Resistance

President Bush is coming back to Kentucky for a Thursday lunchtime visit in Hopkinsville to bring attention to the need to reform Social Security.

Consistently and persistently "misunderestimated" by political opponents, Bush is, according to the liberal media, wasting his time trying to get Democrats to address entitlement reform. They are wrong on two fronts. If reform passes and the program's shortfall is addressed successfully, Democrats will have to hope no one notices. And they will be beyond help if personal accounts become the law of the land. While some conservatives complain that the President himself is selling PSA's short by making them too small for maximum effectiveness, anything that provides ownership and better returns on payroll taxes will be wildly popular. What may be even better is if reform opponents prevail and meaningful reform can't be enacted this year. Republicans love running against ideologically intransigent obstructionist Democrats. Democrats were supposed to be idealistic and optimistic. How fortunate for Republicans that Harry Reid's Dems get so juiced by grinding reform to a halt. It is almost as fortuitous as the circumstance of last year that had Democrat candidates running against the War on Terror. (For fun you can look up Ralph Nader's call to impeach Bush for "sexing up" the case for attacking Iraq. Last year? No, today!)

Politicians are famous for taking the easy way out. President Bush is gaining a reputation as one who makes decisions and goes to work to enact his ideas. History may well judge this hard-headed man favorably. If it does, his opponents will take in on the chin.

More fun reading can be found here in another "what liberals have to do to win" essay.

Cat Fight: 2006 Democrat Primary in 76th

The Kentucky Democratic Party is preparing to unveil a primary opponent for Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo. She squeaked past John Hampton by 221 votes in her 2004 re-election bid.

Last Year, Rep. Palumbo was named one of Kentucky's Dean's Dozen candidates and was endorsed by DNC Chairman Howard Dean's Dean for America political organization.

"In today's highly competitive environment, we have to cut loose some of our weak links," an insider said.

Stumbo Mumbo Jumbo Meets Changing Winds

A shift in the focus of the so-called JOBTROT affair (with apologies to all the girls Greg has, uh, loved before) happened today.

"Greg Stumbo has no plans to run for governor," Greg Stumbo, egomaniac, said.

It's about time for challengers for the sadly diminished office of Attorney General to start coming forward, actually.

MarketWatch: Fletcher Up, Clinton Down

Kudos to Governor Ernie Fletcher for sticking it to the obstructionist hacks accusing him of merit system violations. I loved this:

“After 30 years of Republicans not being in here, we have been flooded with recommendations of folks feeling like in the past they had absolutely no opportunity, and now they did have an opportunity of being part of state government and moving this state forward,” Fletcher said.

And this:

Kentucky has had a Democratic patronage system for two decades, Fletcher said, and his Republican administration is being investigated for what he said were “no irregularities.” In reviewing the 495 names, “no merit system irregularities were discovered,” Fletcher said.

Meanwhile, Arianna Huffington jumps on Hillary Clinton:

Judy Woodruff asked a very specific question: “Record numbers of Americans continue to die in Iraq. No end to the violence in sight that most people can see. When should the United States begin significant troop withdrawals?”
Hillary reacted like a vampire being shown a cross or an ABC executive seeing the ratings for their Trump TV movie… then offered up the following head scratcher:
You know, I am not one who feels comfortable setting exit strategies. We don't know what we're exiting from. We don't know what the situation is moving toward…. How do we know where we're headed, when we don't know where we are?
Wow. Very existential. Very Zen koan. If a foreign policy disintegrates in the desert and no one hears it fail, what does this mean for our country and for our safety?

Moonbat Arianna can't be expected to question Judy Woodruff's "record numbers of Americans" goof. What record is that Judy?

And for those of you worried about the poll said to show Hillary on her way to the White House in 2008, don't go buy your "Hillary Lied and Vince Foster Died" t-shirts yet. The coverage of the poll seems unusually short on details. With the blogosphere jumping on recent bogus polls who publish their methodology, Gallup/USA Today/CNN isn't going to invite any unwanted scrutiny into their little news creation device.

Back to Basics: Saving Social Security Reform

Future Social Security recipients have been the losers in the political wrangling over Social Security reform. Democrat do-nothingness has, unfortunately, been met with confusing language from the Bush Administration. Now we are facing the false choice of raising taxes or cutting benefits (or both, for heaven's sake.) Peter Ferrara sums up where we went wrong trying to bring the Democrats to the table and how we can effectively promote the reform agenda with personal accounts.

Fletcher Embroiled In Hair Care Scandal

Calling Fletcher Administration officials "a well-groomed bunch, very suspiciously well-groomed," Attorney General Greg Stumbo launched an investigation into what newspaper columnists are calling MOPTROT.

At the heart of the investigation is a disturbing number of grooming-tip emails confiscated by the AG's office. Stumbo found his most incriminating evidence here in an advertisement for Duurstede Shampoo-EF.

"The evidence (of a Republican hair conspiracy) is pretty substantial at this point," Stumbo added "and it is mounting."

No Administration officials could explain why the governor's initials were part of the name of the shampoo or why their hair looks so nice.

D.C. Democrats Are The New Soviets

Beltway Democrats are up to the same old tricks, surprising the heck out of useful idiots Lindsey Graham and John McCain et al., but no one else. Tonight Dems used procedural moves to prevent a straight vote on John Bolton's UN nomination.

They are putting up a smoke screen about wanting more information from the state Department. I would bet they haven't even read the 500 pages they already have. We need someone like Bolton to bonk heads in the UN. Unfortunately, we need to start in the Spineless Senate.

And yes, I'm talking about the Republicans. The Democrats are just doing what they do. They can be trusted to obstruct, name call, and waste time. The only way to break the partisan logjam is to strengthen the majority in Congress. We have serious fiscal and national defense issues to address and the opposition has no ideas whatsoever.

Can you really believe we are losing to this?

Pathetic.

Google Search Fun

Someone in a government office in Arizona did a Google search for "alligators in Kentucky" and, you guessed it, the first option was Kentucky Progress.

Tax Reform Step One: The 16th Amendment Must Go

Before we take on the topic of tax reform, please read this for an interesting history of how we created this mess.

Lexington PVA Office Investigation

Fayette County's Property Valuation Administrator's office has been plagued by serious mismanagement issues that have been covered up by local media.

Insiders are talking. As we confirm details, we will report them here.

Kentucky Progress Radio

I'll be on the radio this afternoon (WEKY 1340 AM) 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm. Call in number is (877) 620-1340

2006 Election Preview

Kentucky Democratic Party insiders are preparing a full-scale attack on the Republican Senate Majority in next year's elections. Just what we need, more Deaniacs in Frankfort.

Meanwhile, the highest concentration of Republican voters in a Senate district currently held by a Democrat reside in the 34th (Madison, Lincoln, Rockcastle). That's the district of Senate Minority Leader Sen. Ed Worley.

Mad Science A Wedge Issue?

Congressman Ben Chandler firmly established his Beltway liberal credentials last year when he voted to raise taxes, set up abortion clinics on overseas military bases, and to throw extra money at the National Endowment for the Arts. He surely sealed the deal yesterday when he voted to spend taxpayer dollars to create a market for human embryos.

Democrats think they have found a wedge issue for the 2006 elections in embryonic stem cell research. Proponents of this research claim that destroying live human embryos can yield material to cure a long laundry list of diseases and conditions. There is, of course, no evidence to suggest that this works.

Fifty House Republicans went along with the scheme. Fortunately, a more rational version of a research bill passed as well.

President Bush will veto the bad bill if necessary.

UPDATE: It would be funny if it weren't so cynical and stupid. Goofy Senators Reid and Kennedy are both calling for an "up-or-down vote" on federal embryonic destruction. The AP writer on the story unwittingly ads more of the same with this helpful sentence: "He called for an "up-or-down vote," meaning one with no amendments attached." Oh. Is that what it means when Democrats say it? Last week it was just something Republicans said when they wanted their fascist judges pushed through with no regard for "minority rights."

GOP Meltdown In US Senate; Moderate Lovefest on Judicial Nominees

Go ahead and kick me while I'm down. With the gutless wonders we have in our fake majority in the US Senate, I'm quite used to it.

The only thing worse than hearing about the cave in on judicial nominees is the having to endure the left-wing crowing that is sure to come.

Do Nothing Chandler Stays His Course

Rep. Ben Chandler continues to trade in his middle-of-the-road appeal for Beltway Liberal brownie points by joining in with what passes for Democrat Do-Something-ism these days: building a shrine to FDR.

Rep. Chandler signed on with Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Jim McDermott, Jim Moran, and other such left-wing luminaries in co-sponsoring HR 197 Honoring Franklin Delano Roosevelt or The I'm a Democrat and, Doggone It, I Like Myself Act.

This resolution celebrates FDR's role in lengthening the Depression, building the welfare state, creating the Social Security ponzi scheme, and promoting Communists to the highest levels of the United States government.

All this is supposed to cover up the fact that Democrats don't want Social Security reform to diminish their power any faster than their misstatements, election thefts, and tax increases do.

Stanford Mayor's Faked $500,000 Federal Grant Application

Developing...

Howard Dean: Why JOBTROT Doesn't Mean Much

Kentucky's Governor's office may even be overrun with incompetents, but who cares? Democrats are still likely to put up AG Greg "Who's Your Daddy?" Stumbo or Treasurer Jonathan "I've got $150 million, make that $30 million, hey where's my money?" Miller versus Fletcher in 2007. That says it all. If the Kentucky Democratic Party doesn't expect to beat EF, let's get back to focusing on improving the Commonwealth. While the media have been reading meaningless emails, the Administration has been doing just that.

And thanks to Howard Dean for saying yesterday that Socialists like Senate candidate Bernie Sanders are just regular Democrats. You can look it up. Raising taxes, expanding government's reach, and obstructing progress at every turn are tactics that don't inspire anyone. If "Our Scandals Get Less Coverage Than Your Scandals" becomes a viable campaign selling point, then I will be worried.

Domino Theory 2005

Congressional Obstructionist Democrats fall like this (starting this week):

1. Judicial Filibuster
2. Bolton nomination
3. Social Security reform
4. Tax Reform
5. Medicare/Medicaid reform

Kentucky House Democrats who think they have Republicans on the run over merit job issue --that no one cares about-- hope to enact huge tax increase in 2006. Don't hold your breath waiting for that plan to succeed.

Illegal Harry Moberly Fundraising Letter Contest

We have received a copy of a disturbing fundraising letter for House Budget Chairman Harry Moberly . The letter is on Kentucky Association of School Superintendents letterhead and includes the Commonwealth's "Unbridled Spirit" and the Kentucky Department of Education's "Education Pays" logos.

See how many "problematic" elements you can find in this letter:


April 29, 2005

Dear KASS Member:

We have a very strong lobbying firm working for us in Frankfort. John Cooper, the chief lobbyist, has come with a request that we need to honor.

Harry Moberly, chairman of the House A & R Committee, had a very expensive election and has a debt that will need to be liquidated. John Cooper believes our future efforts in Frankfort (especially on principal selection) will be much improved if we can take 176 checks to Harry from superintendents in the amount of $100 each.

I have called several superintendents in different parts of the state (and different party affiliations) and have asked their opinions about this request. Everyone I spoke to agreed that we need to do this.

Please make out a check for $100 to Harry Moberly and send it ASAP to:

KASS
872 Nacke Pike
Cecilia, KY 42724


Sincerely,

David A. Baird



I'll give you the first one. David Baird didn't write the letter. He said KASS Executive Secretary Roland Haun did it.

Friday Funny

Saddam: The Comic Book

House Budget Chairman's Account Under Water

Less than three weeks after Sen. Dan Mongiardo (D-UK) came under fire for spending money he didn't have to run against Sen. Jim Bunning, Election Finance records reveal that Rep. Harry Moberly (D-Richmond) did the same thing.

Faced with a stiff challenge despite his ridiculously gerrymandered 81st House district, Moberly spent nearly $30,000 more than he had. This fact has now landed him under scrutiny after the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents got caught trying to finance Moberly's debt this spring in hopes of influencing his vote.


****UPDATE*****: David Baird, the man who wrote the "inapropriate" fundraising letter for Moberly (according to the Courier Journal) now denies writing the letter. So who wrote it? The trail seems to lead to the Eastern Kentucky Univerity campus. Stay tuned...

Social Security Silence Speaks Volumes

It has been one week since the first Democrat with an idea on Social Security came forward with his innovative proposal of the largest tax increase in history.

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) raised the ire of Democrats everywhere when he unwittingly exposed the fact that their only plan is to raise taxes.

When we get this dust-up over the judicial nominees out of the way next week, we can get back to entitlement reform. Until then, here is a great article about the difficulty Dems face with the debate on Social Security since Wexler spilled the beans.

Harry Moberly's Campaign Finance Scam

If you want a potentially explosive newspaper story to not get much attention, you give it a headline like "Moberly Will Restrict Donations."

The Louisville Courier Journal reports today that the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS) sent out a fundraising letter for Rep. Harry Moberly (D-Richmond) dated April 29, 2005 telling members "our future efforts in Frankfort (especially on principal selection) will be much improved if we can take 176 checks to Harry from superintendents in the amount of $100 each."

Bad enough, but read on...

The letter said Moberly "had a very expensive election and has a debt that needs to be liquidated."

That's where the red flags went up. Moberly claimed in the article that he had less than $30,000 in campaign debt. His Registry of Election Finance Statement, however, shows a campaign surplus of $1971.58.

So we called the Registry of Election Finance. It turns out that Moberly has turned over to them a bill for $99,698.45 from Emmons And Company Inc. for "management and payment of campaign activities" that isn't reflected in the online filing. Further, payments of $65,000 and $5000 have been reported as paid. That leaves an unpaid balance of $29,698.45.

Moberly reports campaign disbursements of $148,265.94. His opponent spent just $41,224.06 and got 44% of the vote in the heavily gerrymandered 81st district. No doubt Moberly needed every bit of what amounts to a $30,000 campaign contribution from Dale Emmons' company to pull off the win.

With any luck, though, Moberly's next effort to get lobbyists to pay his 2004 campaign expenses won't receive even this much attention.

As Scandals Unfold, Who is Watching Stumbo?

As twin scandals plague Kentucky's state capitol, mounting concern has Frankfort observers wondering about the role of the one known link between the two events: Attorney General Greg Stumbo.

Elected narrowly as one of three scandal-ridden 2003 candidates for the office, Stumbo finds himself under a cloud of speculation for his role in election year 2000 vote buying and under fire for his own alleged abuses of the merit system under Democrat governors.

These scandals both appear to involve wrong-doing by Republicans. But someone should be watching the Top Cop of the Commonwealth to ensure that justice is served fairly.

Tick, Tick, Tick...Boom!

U.S. Senate goes nuclear today. Harry Reid and Tom Daschle made this happen. Don't forget that.

Boy, Do We Need Judicial Reform

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Reagan appointee and poster boy for term limits on the Court, is upset because he thinks the United States keeps it's criminals in prison too long.

At a speech Friday, he bemoaned the fact that U.S. sentences are eight times longer than those in Western Europe. (Yes, he really did. Here's the article.)

"We need to rethink the sentencing system," Justice Kennedy said Friday. "We have 180,000 prisoners in the California state system alone."

Great advice, Justice Kennedy. Let's just turn them loose in your neighborhood.

Did Fletcher Admin Stop Another Sandy Burglar?

Lost in the hubbub of the Transportation Cabinet hiring feeding frenzy is the fact that when Greg Stumbo sent two men to sneak into the Personnel office and take files, he lost a lot of credibility with objective observers.

Brings to mind Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger's efforts to stuff classified national security documents into his socks.

Howard Dean: Terrorist Sympathizer?

Mr. Open Mouth Insert Foot does it again.

North Carolina Congressman on KY Progress Radio

Tune in this Wednesday to 1340 WEKY AM 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm for my interview with Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), sponsor of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act.

Passage of this bill would end the gag order placed on churches by the IRS.

Call in number is (877) 620-1340.

This is the bill that has David Hawpe all worked up at the Louisville Courier Journal and will cause many liberal heads to spin around before this year is over.

Say It Ain't So: Dems Insist Howard Dean Must Go!

The best thing to happen to the Republican party in many years has been the ascension of Howard Dean to the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. The least reported political story of the year is how Dean's zany comments and policy positions have helped mobilize Republicans and a surprising number of Democrats upset by their party's continued leftward lurch.

Dean's actions included the endorsement of Socialist Bernie Sanders as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Top officials at the Democratic Party of Kentucky, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have confirmed that the state party executive committee will be urged to join a coalition of state parties who will call for Dean's resignation in June.

"Dean makes it tough to stay a Democrat," said one elected Democrat legislator.

Do Your Tax Dollars Support Right Wing Churches?

On most good days, I am not going to agree with anything David Hawpe of the Louisville Courier Joural says.

Today is looking like a very good day.

Hawpe rips Rep. Anne Northup (R-KY) for co-sponsoring the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (HR 235) to return free speech rights to churches. The reason liberals wouldn't want this is obvious. What may not be so clear is how vital this issue is to America's future and why those who stand for freedom in this case deserve active support.

Critics on the left say changing the restriction on free speech for churches -- the one that threatens to take away tax-exempt status of non-profits engaging in improper speech -- amounts to taxpayer subsidies of political speech. The institutions whose tactics refute this argument are the taxpayer supported Corporation of Public Broadcasting and the liberal teachers and textbook writers in the public schools. They would cry bloody murder if someone tried to infringe upon their freedoms in similar fashion.

The language in IRS 501 (c) (3) is vague and overreaching. Did you know that your minister could face IRS punishment for speaking out against abortion, pornography, or pedophilia? The cause of this mess, the 1954 Johnson Amendment, abridged free speech for non-profits with the threat of imposed taxation. The reason this injustice has been allowed to persist is nearly all of the victims are conservative Christians. In the discussion of judicial filibusters, many have asked what might happen when the pendulum swings the other way and a Republican legislative minority would face imposition of liberal court nominees. But that is the wrong question.

Only one church in the fifty years of Johnson Amendment speech restrictions has lost its tax-exempt status. A more pertinent question may be what if the pendulum swings leftward to the extent that we have IRS agents staking out our churches in search of comments against declining moral values and the people who champion further social ruin? Amoral fascist success here may lead to threats we can't even imagine now.

When Governor Fletcher was in Congress he co-sponsored an earlier version of this bill. Kentucky Congressmen Lewis and Whitfield have joined Rep. Northup on the current one.

Expect the liberal media to be all over this if they suspect it may get a hearing. I think this fight may well become the most important one yet this year.

Democrats have overplayed their hands on everything else during this Congress. Think about this: wouldn't it be enlightening to see what Howard Dean might say about allowing ministers to speak frankly about the issues plaguing our nation? The Democrats understand the threat free churches pose to their base of power. This is an issue worth making some noise over.

2006 Kentucky House Update

Quick question: what's the most important difference between Ernesto Scorsone and Kathy Stein?

Easy. Senator Scorsone is in the minority of the Kentucky Senate so he can do little to advance the liberal agenda. Rep. Stein, on the other hand, can work with her Democratic Party leaders to frustrate conservatives from all across the Commonwealth.

Both liberals have safe seats, but the Democrat advantage in the House was halved in 2004 to seven seats. And that is where things get interesting.

Central Kentucky saw eight Republican challengers face entrenched Democrat House members in the last election. All eight Republicans lost. There are several reasons why Republicans in and around Lexington should do much better next year, but we will get into that later.

For now, we have a new candidate to tell you about. Remember the name Michael Farmer.

Mr. Farmer will be taking on 79th district Rep. Susan Westrom. She was one of twelve Kentucky candidates endorsed by the nutty Dean for America organization last year.

In contrast, Mr. Farmer is a successful attorney, husband, and father of two. He seeks to bring conservative representation to Lexington's 79th district, particularly with regard to education, health care, and government spending issues. As a member of the new Republican majority in 2007, he will be able to support the principles that have been given short shrift by House Democrats for too many years.

Quality candidates like Mr. Farmer give us lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future of Kentucky. Much, much more about him in the months ahead.

Keeping Alligators Out Of The Pool

Congressman Ben Chandler is taking credit this morning for keeping the Blue Grass Army Depot open. Someone should tell him the Depot was not considered for the BRAC list.

"This proves what I've always known," Chandler boasted.

What's that, Congressman? That it is easier to take credit for events that were going to happen regardless of your actions or lack of action?

Despite the obvious lack of substance in this Chandler statement, expect the local mainstream media suck-ups to be all over it.

Ben Chandler Fantasy Baseball Update

Rep. Ben Chandler has done it again.

In a press release dated March 10, 2005 Chandler boasts the acquisition of $3.9 million in landscape and streetscape money for Wilmore, Kentucky in Jessamine county. There are just a few teeny tiny problems with this press release.

For starters, Chandler claims to be working with Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Jim Bunning to "make sure these projects remain in the final legislation."

Right. There is no way that this "project" will be in the final legislation and Chandler has to know it. He just wants to be able to say that he tried to get money for central Kentucky but the Republicans wouldn't let him.

What happened was Chandler cooked this phony "project" up and put it into a highway spending bill. Doing this took about as much effort as the Congressman would use playing fantasy baseball on his office computer for a couple of hours. It will have about as much impact on the final highway bill.

Chandler claims to have "worked very closely with Harold Rainwater, the mayor of Wilmore" to obtain this funding. Again, he is playing fantasy baseball. Didn't happen. In fact, he even made up a quote and put Mayor Rainwater's name on it, in an effort to make Governor Ernie Fletcher look bad.

"We have wanted this for years," Rep. Chandler falsely quoted Mayor Rainwater as saying. As if former Rep. Fletcher turned a blind eye to the woeful lack of grass seed in his district during his time in Congress.

It is hard to say which is more ridiculous -- the idea that Wilmore's highest road priority is $3.9 million worth of landscaping at the entryway to Asbury Seminary or that Chandler thought he could get away with this silly scheme.

He should go back to obstructing Social Security reform.

Next Up, Dr. Dan: Did He or Didn't He?

Federal prosecutors searching the hollers of eastern Kentucky, may be taking a close look at Sen. Daniel Mongiardo (D-Hazard) and his 2000 campaign's vote hauling activities.

Mongiardo actually spent over $1000 more than Sen. Johnny Ray Turner did for the questionable campaign tactic in 2000. Sen. Turner has already been indicted for mail fraud and conspiracy.

Also no word yet on whether investigators combing the mountains have plans to scour the street corners of west Louisville looking for recipients of vote-enticing fast food coupons.

Democrats: Our SSI Plans Are In Our Pants

Male substance abusers hoping to register clean on drug tests can order a fake penis complete with urine to avoid detection of their nefarious activity.

Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats seem to be hiding any ideas they may have behind vacant stares and unconvincing denials just as busted addicts often do.

Maybe someone should check their pants.

-------------------------
Thanks to Doug Petch for the heads up on the, uh, device.

Attorney General Inaction on Vote Fraud Disturbing

Buying votes is illegal in Kentucky, right? Then why must year 2000 election vote buyers be charged with federal mail fraud?

Someone should ask Ben Chandler and Greg Stumbo, Attorneys General since 1996, who would, under different circumstances, prosecute vote fraud in Kentucky. The Feds can only prosecute federal law and they can't force Kentucky's AG to act.

Some people have asked why Sen. Ray Jones hasn't been charged yet. Could he be cooperating with prosecutors? That should make things pretty hot this summer. The five year statute of limitations means these cases need to move fast.

Don't expect much on this from Kentucky's big media outlets until Republicans start getting implicated. Unfortunately, that shouldn't be too long in coming.

Do Nothing Chandler Persists

A quick check of press releases from Ben Chandler's Congressional site shows that new media contact Jennifer Spalding is earning her keep making Rep. Chandler look busy.

She has her work cut out for her.

Today's (5/10/2005) press releases are month-old stories in which Chandler takes credit for Sen. Mitch McConnell's efforts to obtain funding for the Bluegrass Army Depot and then hands out a couple of flags on a campaign stop.

UPDATE: 5/12/05-- The month-old press releases with the current date have been pulled down. Now what are they going to do?

Herald Leader Columnist: Keep Feeding Brain Dead KAPT

The propaganda campaign to keep the money-losing KAPT program going continues with a column in the Herald Leader by KAPT former executive director Rachel Belin.

There is little new in this column. Belin does state that if mean old Republicans like David Williams and Robbie Rudolph would just keep pouring money in, "many thousands more could benefit."

Right.

That reminds me of the episode of The Lucy Show when Lucy started canning jelly at home to sell for additional income. When Ricky pointed out that she was losing money on every jar, she exclaimed "We can just make it up on volume!"

While the brainiacs running KAPT strive to "make it up on volume," taxpayers remain on the hook for their continued losses. Funny how program supporters don't mention all the other states who started pre-paid tuition plans before Kentucky and have had the good sense to shut their programs down in the face of losses as far as the eye can see.

KAPT is just another government ponzi scheme that sounded better than it has turned out to be. Stemming the tide of red ink is the only responsible thing to do.

Ask the people in Ohio.

I found an interesting quote from an actuarial consultant named Richard Kaye who works with several state plans. Way back in 2002, he said "You are not talking about an immediate cash-flow problem, but you are talking about a long-term deficit. It's sort of like Social Security."

Herald Leader: Raise Taxes Or Die

Grab your tin foil hats, folks. The Lexington Herald Leader is waxing eloquent about Social Security again.

The headline offered some hope: Social Security reality check. Could the left be coming around on actually discussing entitlement reform like adults? But, alas, it wasn't so. The editorial uses way too many words to suggest again that raising taxes for the 18th time will somehow do a more thorough job of repairing the system this time.

It's noteworthy that the last four paragraphs of their editorial could have almost been written by someone serious about the problem. Judge for yourself:
---------------------------------
There isn't a perfect plan, but it is time to craft a workable one so we can move on to other problems.
Medicare is in much more dire straits, and the deficit is spinning out of control. Social Security, for all the bombast these past many months, is an easy fix compared to those.
Of course, we could just flip the channel and ignore Social Security, Medicare and the deficit.
It worked for the Romans. The rulers offered free shows at the Coliseum, and a grateful public, eager to be entertained, filled the seats. It kept everyone distracted -- until the empire collapsed.
----------------------------------

But their proposal included eliminating the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security tax. This enormous income tax increase would hit businesses who employ the dreaded high income earners very hard. And even the far left knows what that means. Those taxes are passed along to consumers, hitting the lowest earners the hardest.

Still can't imagine how the Democrats on Capitol Hill would respond to real media scrutiny about their hard line against allowing taxpayer choice and ownership rights of Social Security.

It is shameful how their rhetoric staggers perilously close to the factual only to meander back into the dark recesses of the obstructionist's cave. They seem to understand that Social Security is one of the easier problems to handle and must properly be dispensed with so more pressing trials may be confronted. Tax increases, most of us know, won't get us past step one. And the only snake-oil solution is the do-nothing approach Democrats cling so fearfully to. But they are right to be afraid. If personal accounts pass, voters will face inescapable evidence that partisan Democrats are a gangrene appendage on the body politic.

Sunday Politics: Religion Anyone?

If the situation were reversed and a liberal minister in a blue state was booting out members who supported President Bush, it wouldn't make a ripple in the national media. But one Baptist pastor in North Carolina boots out nine members who supported John Kerry, and you will surely see and hear all about it this next week.

I'm a little surprised that a small 100-member church would actually vote nearly 10% of the membership out because of their political beliefs, but it is certainly their right to do so.

One red flag pops up in the story when the reporter mentions that "many more members have reportedly left the church in protest" but he couldn't find any to interview. With all the over-the-top hate speech we hear from Kerry/Dean folks these days, I'm a little skeptical that there would be much of a protest from remaining members.

Of course the displaced liberals have hired an attorney. Could probably have saved themselves a few bucks by starting with a call to the ACLU.

Senator Harry Reid Abuses Truth

When Harry Reid opens his mouth to talk, Truth cringes, staggers, falls, and ultimately resigns itself to the coming death blow.

News of Reid calling President Bush a "loser" has been circulating since an article appeared yesterday in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Such rhetoric should come as no surprise now, as the man who replaced the obnoxious Tom Daschle with promises to work with the President and Republicans in the Senate has long since proved himself a hopeless obstructionist.

Frankly, I'm more bothered by his claim in the story that the President is "driving the country into bankruptcy" -- referring to the budget deficit, the story adds helpfully.

In the fourty years prior to 2000, budget deficits as a percentage of GDP have exceeded the average of the Bush budget years (2002-2004) sixteen times. The high-water mark of 2004 was exceeded ten times during the same period. In other words, the world may be coming to an end, as Democrats suggest for everything but their entitlement programs, but it isn't because the budget deficits are driving us to bankruptcy. In the early and mid-1980's, at the beginning of the longest economic boom our country has ever seen, we had persistent federal budget deficits significantly higher than we have now.

Allowing President Bush to make progress in the war on terror, entitlement reform, and tax reform would present political risks to elected Democrats and their useful idiots that they aren't brave enough to face honorably.

Outlawing Vote Hauling Won't Stop Fraud

Previously convicted of voter fraud in another case, Ross Harris and Loren Glenn Turner join Sen. Johnny Ray Turner under indictment for mail fraud and conspiracy for Sen. Turner's 2000 primary victory.

The Lexington Herald-Leader's solution to this, predictably, is to suggest outlawing vote hauling.

I strongly disagree.

The well-established pattern of skullduggery in Kentucky elections isn't going away because someone makes a law any more than criminalizing adultery would stop that brand of cheating. Just as Clinton changed the definition of terms to justify his lurid behavior, unscrupulous politicians would merely set up "advisory committees" to encourage voter "loyalty."

Just as with gun violence or corporate malfeasance, we don't need more laws.

We just need continued enforcement and greater scrutiny of questionable campaign tactics by society's watchdogs.

Al Gore: Let's Encourage Him, Keep Him Talking!

Al Gore is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award for inventing the Internet. Take a look at some of the other "winners" like BBC and The New York Times for news and www.worldcitizenguide.com for "activism" and you have an idea of where these folks are coming from.

Overcome with emotion and egged on by the crowd, Al Gore didn't tear up and exclaim, "You BELIEVED me, you really believed me!!!"

But this stuff couldn't be much funnier even if he did.

Democrat Politician Press Release Printing Machines

The Lexington Herald Leader and the Louisville Courier Journal continue their tradition of printing anything Democrats want with the stupid "ethics issue" brought up by Sen. Ernesto Scorsone and Sen. Joey Pendleton.

In a thinly-veiled attempt to smear Ernie Fletcher and Dave Disponett, the papers and the Democrats join hands on a proposal to change ethics policies for Executive Branch volunteers.

Both senators claimed they were not questioning the actions of Mr. Disponett.

Sure you aren't.

Their non-solution to the non-problem is, of course, to write a new law for 2006. If actually doing something worthwhile was part of the discussion here, then someone would ask the senators exactly what they hope to accomplish by making employee ethics standards apply to volunteers. Since this is just the common practice of politicking by rumor, innuendo, and hearsay, the mainstream media will just let the implied charges hang in the air as long as Democrats want to keep the story alive.

But I would be curious to know how this latest photo-op for Sen. Scorsone would actually protect the public. The journalists might have done some good to make him answer that question.

Crit Luallen: Cruella or Ridiculosa?

A state "audit" of voting records suggests that some number of state employees (6652 or 5000 or 2500) took a four hour leave to vote but didn't cast a ballot. This is a foolish waste of time.

We wonder if state employees will remember Luallen's silly recommendations of "educating employees about the responsibility to vote and requiring workers to sign statements that they voted."

UPDATE: The Danville Advocate Messenger says end the controversy by letting state employees vote like everyone else-- on their own time. Agreed.

Jonathan Miller Thinks You Are Stupid

State Treasurer Jonathan Miller, his political fortunes under a dark cloud because of his continued support for the money-losing KAPT program, has changed his website. He apparently hopes you won't pay much attention to the "fine print."

The site includes a link labeled "Actuarial Report showing the financial soundness of the program." If you click on the link, though, you find something interesting about the actuarial surplus touted by Miller. The surplus doesn't exist without the $13.7 million raided from the General Fund on December 1, 2004 that is currently being contested in Franklin Circuit Court.

Miller embarrassed himself on March 1, 2005 by claiming falsely that the General Assembly "raided" KAPT to build a basketball practice facility for the University of Kentucky.

Miller admitted Sunday on the Kentucky Focus radio program that this statement was false.

What To Expect...

Expect Sen. Ray Jones(D-Pikeville) to be charged next for voter fraud.

Kentucky Progress Radio Wednesday

Tune in to 1340 AM WEKY Wednesday afternoon 5:15 to 6:15 for the latest on Kentucky politics.

Ed Worley Talks Tough

Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley (D-Richmond) says he isn't worried about the indictment of Sen. Johnny Ray Turner for vote fraud and doesn't think Turner should resign or that Republicans can take the seat if he doesn't. The following statement, though, will go up in the locker room for motivation and for a future laugh.

"That is a Democratic seat in a district that even the Republicans would concede it would be virtually impossible for them ever to hold," Worley said.

That reminds me of the story Governor Louie Nunn used to tell about the Barren county clerk who told him in 1950 that if he registered Republican he would never be able to make a living there.

A Tale of Two Papers: Coverage of Voter Fraud Begins

Louisville Courier Journal reporter Elisabeth Beardsley clearly got the Senator Johnny Ray Turner voter fraud story early yesterday. The Herald Leader was beaten so badly that their best quote was from a retired teacher at the end of the story who was clearly called because no else could be reached. In contrast, Beardsley's quote from Senate President David Williams, who expressed simpathy for Sen. Turner and his family added significantly to her article.

Beardsley's report took a turn for the worse, though, when she sought a response from Common Cause Chairman Richard Beliles who called the indictment a "great loss to the public" and said "They need to really have a high regard for the process and also for the legislators."

Now what the heck does that mean? It wasn't clear, but I took it to mean that Beliles was saying that prosecutors were doing something wrong. If the indictment is the "great loss," then it seems to follow that "They" in the next sentence referred to prosecutors. Was he alleging some kind of prosecutorial misconduct?

The red flag went up, so I called Mr. Beliles. He explained that he was speaking broadly about any allegations of public abuse and talking about how when any case like this comes up, the public trust in the process is diminished and more people tend to tune everything out. He said he wasn't misquoted but said other things that, when left out, made his comments difficult to decipher.

He told me twice that he has no idea about guilt or innocence in this case.

Incidentally, he told me "When things like this happen, the public develops a cynicism." I could easily make that look like he was talking about when politicians buy votes, if I chose to do so.

See my point?

Ky. Democrat Senator Turner To Be Indicted Tuesday

The interesting thing is not that Kentucky Senator Johnny Ray Turner is going to be indicted by the U.S. Attorney for vote hauling on Tuesday. The interesting thing is how curious the mainstream media will be about Attorney General Greg Stumbo's role in the scandal and who else will get caught in the net.

This will be fun to watch, as vote hauling is a time-honored Democratic Party tradition in Kentucky.

Shalom: Jewish People Fleeing Democratic Party

"The number of proud Jewish Republicans will continue to grow, and this is a trend that won't be reversed," said Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks, citing President Bush's and Congressional Republicans' support for Israel and the War on Terror.

Exit polling showed President Bush's support among Jewish voters increased nearly ten percentage points in 2004 over the 2000 election.

The Republican Jewish Coalition has a Cincinnati chapter, but nothing yet in Kentucky. I think that may be about to change...

The Conservative Case Against Bush's SSI Proposal

Peter Ferrara nails what is wrong with the Progressive Price Indexing plan and has a warning for Republicans who go along with it.

School Choice: Mean, Money Drunk Liberals Say No

Did you know that Washington D.C. spends $13,330 per student each year to educate the District's students, who score the lowest reading and math scores in the nation?

Here is an interesting article about how reform-hating politicians and their obstruction for obstruction's sake hurts poor children.

The District of Columbia School Choice Incentive Act passed despite heavy opposition from Democrats. Expanding the program to other states, according to the article, could save billions of dollars each year.

Can't have that, can we?

The Next Liberal Attack on Social Security

Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich is out of the closet with the next line of attack on Social Security reform.

President Bush just wants to avoid the smart move of creating HillaryCare, Reich says. That's why, Reich suggests, Bush continues to push Social Security reform so long after Harry Reid and Ben Chandler have announced that they don't want it. What is curious to me is why the mainstream media, nearly unanimous in calling the proposed change that really isn't a cut in benefits a cut, has missed another point. Progressive Price Indexing isn't my favorite plan, but it is significantly better than the Democrats' plan. The change from wage indexing to price indexing is not necessary and, obviously, gives the left the opportunity to scream "cuts." But it creates a reduction in the rate of increase in benefits for about 70% of recipients. The Democrats plan -- doing nothing (oh, except whining) -- would mean an actual 28% cut in baseline benefits for 100% of recipients, legally mandated for when the well runs dry.

Here is a pretty good explanation of what is happening.

Go to Covington, Hang a Hard Left

In case you needed a good reason not to send your kids to Northern Kentucky University, we now know that they have invited liberal pundit shriekmeister Helen Thomas to speak at graduation May 7.