Lexington's WTVQ ran a Sunday night news story about a new "foreign ownership" scandal.
It is a totally bogus story, and if WTVQ has any journalistic scruples at all they will drop it and hang their heads in shame. I expect, however, they will run this Monday with much fanfare.
AKAL Security is a New Mexico company that provides security services for a long list of companies and the federal government, including the federal courthouse in Lexington, the Bluegrass Army Depot in Richmond, and Fort Campbell.
Their great crime seems to be that the company is owned by the Sikh Dharma Church. You know, the turban-wearing evil Indians. (No doubt it is a George Bush conspiracy.) Mistaking these people for terrorists is way beyond moronic.
Actually, the New York Times had this story almost two years ago. So the WTVQ expose was cute, with its ominous Indian music and its eager investigative reporter knocking on office doors, but it was horrible, lazy journalism.
Check back often for news and commentary about Kentucky by David Adams. Contact via email: kyprogress(at)yahoo.com or Lexington area telephone 537-5372.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Stupid Republicans Prop Up Bad Liberal Arguments
The liberal Louisville Courier Journal rarely carries a strong point on its editorial page through to a conclusion. Today is no exception, but pitiful Republican pandering from Capitol Hill gives them every opportunity.
The topic is gas prices and the opportunity comes in the form of a GOP proposal to send out $100 checks to make people feel better about gas prices. Stupid. Then Republicans joined in the call for a soak the rich oil companies tax on profits. One might think that after so many failed soak the rich plans in the past, no one would still be holding out hope for one to not drench the middle class.
The CJ editorial concludes with the requisite call for increased taxes to fund government study of alternative fuels that the oil companies are already doing. Then they jump on ANWR again. They finish by charging political leaders with not leading.
To the extent Congressional Republicans side with Dems in an overly adversarial role against the energy companies, they give left-wing journalists the opportunity they seek to score points against a vital engine of the U.S. economy.
The topic is gas prices and the opportunity comes in the form of a GOP proposal to send out $100 checks to make people feel better about gas prices. Stupid. Then Republicans joined in the call for a soak the rich oil companies tax on profits. One might think that after so many failed soak the rich plans in the past, no one would still be holding out hope for one to not drench the middle class.
The CJ editorial concludes with the requisite call for increased taxes to fund government study of alternative fuels that the oil companies are already doing. Then they jump on ANWR again. They finish by charging political leaders with not leading.
To the extent Congressional Republicans side with Dems in an overly adversarial role against the energy companies, they give left-wing journalists the opportunity they seek to score points against a vital engine of the U.S. economy.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
"Vermont Says No To War"
It is despicable that "tens of thousands" of protesters took to the streets in New York City today to demand an end to the war.
The guy holding the "Vermont Says No To War" sign should leave his cozy spot in Manhattan and take his complaint to the people who actually started the war. And no, I'm not talking about Bush and Cheney.
The movie "Pearl Harbor" was on tonight. It's noteworthy that the FDR administration which was full of real live communists and socialists was able to put foolishness aside when the need to "awaken the sleeping giant" slapped them in the face. That so many in today's Democratic Party and their loyal soldiers in the mainstream media prefer to play politics and march in the streets for "peace" hasn't escaped the notice of those who might otherwise be disaffected Republican voters in November.
The guy holding the "Vermont Says No To War" sign should leave his cozy spot in Manhattan and take his complaint to the people who actually started the war. And no, I'm not talking about Bush and Cheney.
The movie "Pearl Harbor" was on tonight. It's noteworthy that the FDR administration which was full of real live communists and socialists was able to put foolishness aside when the need to "awaken the sleeping giant" slapped them in the face. That so many in today's Democratic Party and their loyal soldiers in the mainstream media prefer to play politics and march in the streets for "peace" hasn't escaped the notice of those who might otherwise be disaffected Republican voters in November.
Who Is This Guy, An Illegal Alien?
We all know there is no penalty for breaking our nation's immigration laws. Now we see that Kentucky criminals who scalp event tickets need not worry about the alleged illegality of their activities either.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Copy Cat Vandals Caught
Less than three weeks after Abortion Sally was caught pillaging the NKU campus, two copy cat vandals struck Lawrence County High School.
Yesterday, they were caught as well. Fortunately for them, they couldn't afford a nitwit liberal defense attorney like Abortion Sally hired to spin mayhem as free speech.
Stupid kids, but at least they didn't out themselves as pro-abortion fanatics.
Yesterday, they were caught as well. Fortunately for them, they couldn't afford a nitwit liberal defense attorney like Abortion Sally hired to spin mayhem as free speech.
Stupid kids, but at least they didn't out themselves as pro-abortion fanatics.
Day of Shame: Jane Fonda Visits Lexington, KY
Saturday morning loads of liberals will be bussed in to red states like Kentucky for a door-to-door complain-athon. And Jane Fonda will be in town to sell her book to war protesters at Lexington Center.
It is a big day for the Kentucky Democratic Party. I wonder which one excites them more, Hillary Clinton or Jane Fonda?
It is a big day for the Kentucky Democratic Party. I wonder which one excites them more, Hillary Clinton or Jane Fonda?
Hyperventilating Over Gas Prices?
Here is a little sanity from Thomas Sowell.
Not that sanity will help the people clamoring for a windfall profits tax to "get" the oil companies. As Sowell points out, taxing windfall profits without making corresponding allowances for windfall losses will cause damage to the oil industry we really can't afford.
Not that sanity will help the people clamoring for a windfall profits tax to "get" the oil companies. As Sowell points out, taxing windfall profits without making corresponding allowances for windfall losses will cause damage to the oil industry we really can't afford.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Ben Sticks It To The Taxpayer
House Democrats have voted three times in the last month to kill the extension of the Bush tax cuts.
Fortunately, they failed all three times.
Predictably, Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Versailles) voted (today for the third time) to increase your taxes with his liberal buddies.
Sheesh!
Fortunately, they failed all three times.
Predictably, Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Versailles) voted (today for the third time) to increase your taxes with his liberal buddies.
Sheesh!
"Abortion Sally" Charged With Theft
NKU professor Sally Jacobsen has been charged with vandalizing and stealing part of a pro-life display on the college's campus.
Her nitwit attorney's quote in this AP story suggests Sally is in for rough sailing when she goes in front of the judge. Margo Grubbs is the attorney's name.
"The intent was just an expression of freedom of speech," Grubbs said. "She saw harm coming from it, and she was just expressing her attitude toward the harm."
Even in your upside-down worldview, Ms. Grubbs, stealing and destroying personal property is a lot worse than a peaceful demonstration against killing babies.
Her nitwit attorney's quote in this AP story suggests Sally is in for rough sailing when she goes in front of the judge. Margo Grubbs is the attorney's name.
"The intent was just an expression of freedom of speech," Grubbs said. "She saw harm coming from it, and she was just expressing her attitude toward the harm."
Even in your upside-down worldview, Ms. Grubbs, stealing and destroying personal property is a lot worse than a peaceful demonstration against killing babies.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
(Expletive Deleted)
The arena deal tar baby in Louisville gets worse and worse. Should have seen this coming.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Liberal Takeover of South Lexington Sputtering
Democrat Senate candidate James Keller is floundering in his effort to bring a liberal voice to South Lexington.
His campaign finance report will show that he has donated $5000 of his total balance of $7400. Senator Alice Forgy Kerr, a conservative Republican, reports a balance of $50,659.59.
Maybe the busloads of left-wing canvassers coming in to Lexington this Saturday can cheer Keller up a little.
Get your money out now, Jim.
His campaign finance report will show that he has donated $5000 of his total balance of $7400. Senator Alice Forgy Kerr, a conservative Republican, reports a balance of $50,659.59.
Maybe the busloads of left-wing canvassers coming in to Lexington this Saturday can cheer Keller up a little.
Get your money out now, Jim.
Politicians For Polar Bears
Kentuckians who might be a little disappointed by the small cuts to Kentucky's budget have to be warpath-bound by House Speaker Jody Richards' latest bid to become Minority Floor Leader.
"I will emphasize in the future never to let that happen again," Richards said of the cuts. "We have a moral obligation to put all these projects back."
I guess the Louisville-bound polar bears can take solace in that, as they wait for their $6 million appropriation to get rescued in January.
"I will emphasize in the future never to let that happen again," Richards said of the cuts. "We have a moral obligation to put all these projects back."
I guess the Louisville-bound polar bears can take solace in that, as they wait for their $6 million appropriation to get rescued in January.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Budget Mess
The projects cut from the state budget tonight will reinstated next year. Unfortunately, we are still over two billion dollars in the hole and show no signs of fixing our overspending problem or our long-term shortfall in the state employee pension fund.
Damn...
Damn...
The Best Disinfectant Is KyVotes.Org
Frankfort insiders freaked out last year when the Bluegrass Institute asked for General Assembly floor votes to be published online. When they saw the train bearing down on them, they jumped on board and www.kentuckyvotes.org had a strong presence in the state this session.
Well, now the freak out is over BIPPS' request for committee votes. We expect a similar outcome, when the whining and complaining runs its course.
If you are interested in helping expose the inner workings of official Frankfort, you will want to attend a special lunch in Frankfort this Thursday.
See you there!
Well, now the freak out is over BIPPS' request for committee votes. We expect a similar outcome, when the whining and complaining runs its course.
If you are interested in helping expose the inner workings of official Frankfort, you will want to attend a special lunch in Frankfort this Thursday.
See you there!
Bloody Monday: D.C. Dems Rear Flank Exposed
Nancy Pelosi might need to take a break from picking out drapes for her House Speaker's office.
Read this.
Read this.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
On Politics and Gas Prices
Hastert and Frist are decrying Exxon CEO Lee Raymond's compensation package, claiming that too many Americans can't buy groceries and put gas in their cars.
I don't like paying $3 for a gallon of gas either, but this mindless rhetoric from top Republicans is just ridiculous. We don't need Congressional hearings into gas prices and pay for oil execs. We need leaders who can take a break from the pandering long enough to pursue real domestic issues like entitlement and tax reform. Screaming about gas prices doesn't solve anything except make politicians feel better.
This guy agrees. He is no Bush fan, but he quotes internal Democrat memos encouraging their candidates to do campaign appearances at gas stations. Don't suggest any solutions, they say, just complain and rail against all things GOP.
The truth is the best thing we can do to lower prices is to drive less. Americans are showing some willingness and ability to do this, but not much. The obvious corollary to this supply/demand problem is that gas prices aren't too high. Yet. But it is political silly season, so don't expect much intelligent discourse on this very soon.
I don't like paying $3 for a gallon of gas either, but this mindless rhetoric from top Republicans is just ridiculous. We don't need Congressional hearings into gas prices and pay for oil execs. We need leaders who can take a break from the pandering long enough to pursue real domestic issues like entitlement and tax reform. Screaming about gas prices doesn't solve anything except make politicians feel better.
This guy agrees. He is no Bush fan, but he quotes internal Democrat memos encouraging their candidates to do campaign appearances at gas stations. Don't suggest any solutions, they say, just complain and rail against all things GOP.
The truth is the best thing we can do to lower prices is to drive less. Americans are showing some willingness and ability to do this, but not much. The obvious corollary to this supply/demand problem is that gas prices aren't too high. Yet. But it is political silly season, so don't expect much intelligent discourse on this very soon.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Setting The Bar Low Enough For Bad Republicans
More Democrat plans are unveiled. Here.
And next Saturday the Deaniacs will be going door to door in your neighborhood.
And next Saturday the Deaniacs will be going door to door in your neighborhood.
Friday, April 21, 2006
We Need Communist Free Radio In Kentucky
Jane Fonda is coming to Lexington April 29. That should be enough of a problem. More troublesome (for any of you anti-communists out there) is that she seems to have some friends here.
To be more specific, she has some friends here who hold FCC licenses and might be a little troubled by an effort to protest the renewal of said licenses.
Are you following me so far?
OK, here's the deal: LM Communications' 96.1 FM and Eastern Kentucky University's campus radio station WEKU are sponsors for Jane Fonda's invasion of the Bluegrass.
Here is the site.
You know what to do, don't you?
Try going here. Might also be a good idea to let these people know about it. And an earful for these guys is definitely in order.
To be more specific, she has some friends here who hold FCC licenses and might be a little troubled by an effort to protest the renewal of said licenses.
Are you following me so far?
OK, here's the deal: LM Communications' 96.1 FM and Eastern Kentucky University's campus radio station WEKU are sponsors for Jane Fonda's invasion of the Bluegrass.
Here is the site.
You know what to do, don't you?
Try going here. Might also be a good idea to let these people know about it. And an earful for these guys is definitely in order.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Newberry: Insert Political BS Here
Lexington Mayoral hopeful Jim Newberry's tv commercials are full of a lot of the same platitudes he has built his campaign on. Watching his most recent pitch, though, I was struck by his promise to end the bickering and political infighting.
How the heck is he going to do that?
Incidentally, Councilman Bill Farmer's ads are on the air.
Good timing.
How the heck is he going to do that?
Incidentally, Councilman Bill Farmer's ads are on the air.
Good timing.
Democrats To Tell Us What They Really Think?
I spoke yesterday to a conference of the Kentucky Association of Government Communicators. Mark Nickolas of Bluegrass Report joined me in a presentation about blogging.
At one point, Mark said Democrats need to develop the same kind of message discipline Republicans have had.
I would like to see that. Democrats in Washington are pushing hard for tax increases and surrendering against terrorists. They should certainly do a better job of getting that word out.
At one point, Mark said Democrats need to develop the same kind of message discipline Republicans have had.
I would like to see that. Democrats in Washington are pushing hard for tax increases and surrendering against terrorists. They should certainly do a better job of getting that word out.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Conservatism: The Answer To Immigration Trouble
Human Events has an interesting article about immigration. It isn't a new idea, but the point is a good one that conservatives need to be pounding on: economies run on conservative principles work better than those run on the liberal/socialist model.
It should be clear that if Mexico had an economy like ours, their people wouldn't need to risk life and limb fleeing to America for a chance at a better life. We are enabling their liberal inner child, really. So if we start treating the lawbreakers like lawbreakers (felon sounds about right) and going after employers who hire illegals, we should clear them out pretty quickly. The spread of socialism in central America will slow when the countries that adopt those policies are forced to pay their own price. Right now, we pay the price and it is getting too expensive.
It should be clear that if Mexico had an economy like ours, their people wouldn't need to risk life and limb fleeing to America for a chance at a better life. We are enabling their liberal inner child, really. So if we start treating the lawbreakers like lawbreakers (felon sounds about right) and going after employers who hire illegals, we should clear them out pretty quickly. The spread of socialism in central America will slow when the countries that adopt those policies are forced to pay their own price. Right now, we pay the price and it is getting too expensive.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Hillary Squeezed Out of Liberal Convention
Hillary Clinton's move to the Left for 2008 has been frustrated mightily as Kentucky Progress has learned that the Daily Kos annual convention will feature her opponent Mark Warner and not her.
Getting a picture of Gov. Warner with liberal flamethrower Markos Moulitsas will be a big help for '08. But for now, just imagining Hillary, rejected by her own, seething and throwing lamps makes today a good day.
Getting a picture of Gov. Warner with liberal flamethrower Markos Moulitsas will be a big help for '08. But for now, just imagining Hillary, rejected by her own, seething and throwing lamps makes today a good day.
Worley No-Shows Pro-Lifers
Sen. Ed Worley (D-Richmond) has done little to endear himself to Christians in 2006.
Despite the trail of fraud scandals plaguing the Senate Democrat Leader, Madison County Right to Life organizers invited him to a forum they held last night. Worley accepted the invite.
Then he didn't show. (free registration required)
The money quote of the evening from the Register story: "Worley has been weakened, Metcalf said. “since I lost to him four years ago by only 1,700 votes. He creates limited liability companies to hide nefarious business deals. He has used his positions as Richmond city manager and then as state senator to increase his own wealth and further his own ambition.”
Despite the trail of fraud scandals plaguing the Senate Democrat Leader, Madison County Right to Life organizers invited him to a forum they held last night. Worley accepted the invite.
Then he didn't show. (free registration required)
The money quote of the evening from the Register story: "Worley has been weakened, Metcalf said. “since I lost to him four years ago by only 1,700 votes. He creates limited liability companies to hide nefarious business deals. He has used his positions as Richmond city manager and then as state senator to increase his own wealth and further his own ambition.”
Monday, April 17, 2006
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Pro-Abortion Ignorance, Arrogance At NKU
A tenured professor at NKU has been exposed as a vandal and a blithering idiot this past week, in an event involving abortion/sanctity of life, freedom of speech, and and separation of church and state issues in the days before the most important Christian holiday of the year.
And the Lexington Herald Leader or the Louisville Courier-Journal couldn't muster much curiosity about the debacle.
It took a student publication to expose a picture of the professor participating in the melee she denied participating in. And, of course, bloggers to help get the word out.
And the Lexington Herald Leader or the Louisville Courier-Journal couldn't muster much curiosity about the debacle.
It took a student publication to expose a picture of the professor participating in the melee she denied participating in. And, of course, bloggers to help get the word out.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Flattery Earns A Plug
Yes, this site flatters me beyond all reason, so I guess you could say I am just paying it back. It's neat to see someone covering only the Lexington Mayoral Race, though.
The author is a UK Economics professor with a no-nonsense view of this very important race.
The author is a UK Economics professor with a no-nonsense view of this very important race.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-KY6)?
Terrorist Website: Impeach Bush, Please
This should tell the Democrats something.
Al Jazeera is doing a poll on its English language website asking if readers think President Bush should be impeached. Not surprisingly, by a three-to-one margin, terrorists and their English-speaking sympathizers say "yes."
Al Jazeera is doing a poll on its English language website asking if readers think President Bush should be impeached. Not surprisingly, by a three-to-one margin, terrorists and their English-speaking sympathizers say "yes."
Think about this...
Watching Kentucky lawmakers slap each other on the back for borrowing and spending Kentucky into oblivion is a lot like watching the actors on the tv commercial smile and say "I LIKE it that Wellbutrin has a low risk of sexual side affects!"
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Paging Doctor Dan...
By now Rep. Harry Moberly is recuperating from his heart attack. Good. May he recover fully.
One funny thing though. Media outlets reported breathlessly all day today that when Moberly fell ill, Sen. Dan Mongiardo was quickly on the scene. My only thought when WVLK-AM in Lexington was reporting on "Doctor Senator Mongiardo" and his heroics was that it was a good thing he didn't do anything to hurt Harry. You see, Dr. Mongiardo doesn't carry medical malpractice insurance. Would have been fun to watch the liberal lawyers jump on that one.
One funny thing though. Media outlets reported breathlessly all day today that when Moberly fell ill, Sen. Dan Mongiardo was quickly on the scene. My only thought when WVLK-AM in Lexington was reporting on "Doctor Senator Mongiardo" and his heroics was that it was a good thing he didn't do anything to hurt Harry. You see, Dr. Mongiardo doesn't carry medical malpractice insurance. Would have been fun to watch the liberal lawyers jump on that one.
There Oughta Be a Constitutional Amendment
Seems like we might save ourselves a lot of trouble catering to illegals in our hospitals and health clinics, public schools, and courtrooms if we changed the wording of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to benefit "citizens or documented visitors" rather than just "persons."
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Welfare For Politicians, Take Two
Congressman Ben Chandler spoke to students at Eastern Kentucky University yesterday. He told them he has a plan to limit the influence of lobbyists in Congress.
His plan is nothing more than welfare for politicians.
The Richmond Register reported: "Public financing of congressional campaigns would be the best way to limit the influence of lobbyists in Congress, Chandler said."
Wow. Very deep.
His plan is nothing more than welfare for politicians.
The Richmond Register reported: "Public financing of congressional campaigns would be the best way to limit the influence of lobbyists in Congress, Chandler said."
Wow. Very deep.
Three Words: Line Item Veto
I hear too many people making too many good points about the lack of difference between Republicans and Democrats.
Governor Fletcher has a great opportunity to show that a distinct difference still exists.
The folks at the Bluegrass Institute are leading the charge again, urging readers to send the Governor a pen to strike offensive spending from the state budget.
My favorite, by far, is the $50 million bonded to buy computers for schools. Let them use a pencil and a piece of paper for just one more year and you will be able to buy the same computers for about $30-$40 million. There is no more misused tool in our schools than the computers. Better still, keep the $50 million out of it, concentrate more on teaching kids to think, and then computer "literacy" will be a snap when one is needed for more than word processing or playing games.
Governor Fletcher has a great opportunity to show that a distinct difference still exists.
The folks at the Bluegrass Institute are leading the charge again, urging readers to send the Governor a pen to strike offensive spending from the state budget.
My favorite, by far, is the $50 million bonded to buy computers for schools. Let them use a pencil and a piece of paper for just one more year and you will be able to buy the same computers for about $30-$40 million. There is no more misused tool in our schools than the computers. Better still, keep the $50 million out of it, concentrate more on teaching kids to think, and then computer "literacy" will be a snap when one is needed for more than word processing or playing games.
The New Political Slur
Senator Dan Mongiardo sank to a new low yesterday. Liberals have apparently gotten tired of calling Republicans "Hitler." Now they are invoking the the specter of Benito Mussolini.
Blaming Senate President David Williams for Mongiardo's own failure to read a bill that was coming up for a vote, Mongiardo whined: "We don't have leadership; we have dictatorship. My grandparents came here from Italy to flee fascism."
This guy is a little light in his loafers to be running for Governor. And no, I'm not talking about his questionable "dating" habits.
Blaming Senate President David Williams for Mongiardo's own failure to read a bill that was coming up for a vote, Mongiardo whined: "We don't have leadership; we have dictatorship. My grandparents came here from Italy to flee fascism."
This guy is a little light in his loafers to be running for Governor. And no, I'm not talking about his questionable "dating" habits.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Normalizing Homosexuality, Kentucky Version
A dog biting a man is not news. Neither should it be newsworthy when a private, Southern Baptist college that prohibits sex outside of marriage and homosexuality kicks out a homosexual student. That didn't stop the Lexington Herald-Leader from putting this story on its front page.
Again, unfortunately, the homosexual lobby is demanding special rights. Their rabid supporters in the MSM are only too happy to help. People who practice homosexuality can freely attend lots of colleges in Kentucky. They just can't go to University of the Cumberlands. If they really wanted to be treated like everyone else, they would see that school as just like Midway College. Men can't go there.
But no. They won't be happy until homosexuals are celebrated everywhere and rules apply to them nowhere.
Again, unfortunately, the homosexual lobby is demanding special rights. Their rabid supporters in the MSM are only too happy to help. People who practice homosexuality can freely attend lots of colleges in Kentucky. They just can't go to University of the Cumberlands. If they really wanted to be treated like everyone else, they would see that school as just like Midway College. Men can't go there.
But no. They won't be happy until homosexuals are celebrated everywhere and rules apply to them nowhere.
A Warning For Immigrants?
This is interesting.
Maybe we should put together a DVD and distribute it around Mexico. We could explain to them that using a hospital emergency room as a family doctor, sucking up welfare dollars, and otherwise leeching off our taxpayers will not be tolerated in the United States of America.
Wait a minute... Are we holding Mexican illegals to a higher standard than we do our own citizens? If we would only clamp down on the citizen-bloodsuckers who won't take jobs here in America, maybe we wouldn't have to worry about getting and keeping enough Mexicans to do the work "Americans just won't do."
No matter where you stand on immigration, you have to know that if the illegals keep taking lessons from the leftist protest groups they are going to set off a war they will surely lose.
Maybe we should put together a DVD and distribute it around Mexico. We could explain to them that using a hospital emergency room as a family doctor, sucking up welfare dollars, and otherwise leeching off our taxpayers will not be tolerated in the United States of America.
Wait a minute... Are we holding Mexican illegals to a higher standard than we do our own citizens? If we would only clamp down on the citizen-bloodsuckers who won't take jobs here in America, maybe we wouldn't have to worry about getting and keeping enough Mexicans to do the work "Americans just won't do."
No matter where you stand on immigration, you have to know that if the illegals keep taking lessons from the leftist protest groups they are going to set off a war they will surely lose.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Ben Chandler's Faith-Based Plea
And they say we are crazy for suggesting humans didn't evolve from lizards and monkeys.
Rep. Ben Chandler declared in a newspaper column that global warming is no longer theory, but is now "an unsettling reality."
The following sentence from Chandler's essay is a stark example of the vacuousness of the radical international enviro-left:
Whether or not you believe recent weather patterns are a result of global warming, there is no doubt that future generations will be drastically impacted by climate change.
In other words, "Even if you are too stupid to understand that George Bush and his oil buddies are causing global warming, you will still be swept up in a hurricane, parched in a drought, or die some other kind of horrible death at the hands of our global warming bugaboo."
Rep. Ben Chandler declared in a newspaper column that global warming is no longer theory, but is now "an unsettling reality."
The following sentence from Chandler's essay is a stark example of the vacuousness of the radical international enviro-left:
Whether or not you believe recent weather patterns are a result of global warming, there is no doubt that future generations will be drastically impacted by climate change.
In other words, "Even if you are too stupid to understand that George Bush and his oil buddies are causing global warming, you will still be swept up in a hurricane, parched in a drought, or die some other kind of horrible death at the hands of our global warming bugaboo."
Sunday, April 09, 2006
A Cautionary Tale About Runaway Courts
Courts Flunk the Civics Test
By ROSS SANDLER and DAVID SCHOENBROD
April 8, 2006 ;
On March 23, a New York appellate court ordered the state legislature to provide an additional $4.7 billion for operating the New York City schools, plus another $9.2 billion for construction. These are immense sums, even in the Empire State . The advocacy group that brought the suit, Campaign for Fiscal Equity, declared the court's decision would "get real action" because the legislature must "come up with a solution now, right now." This was good spin, but it's not true.
Contrary to a widespread misconception, courts have no power to force a state legislature to appropriate money; nevertheless the ersatz order, coming as it did in the final days of the state's budget process, could tilt the legislators towards more spending. This is apparently what is happening in Albany , where, in a partial tip of their hats to the court, legislators authorized $11.2 billion in new debt to pay for school construction in New York City .
And what was pulled off in Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc. v. New York seems to be part of a pattern. Last July in Kansas a similarly timed judicial decision prodded its state legislature to pony up a hefty increase in school funding. This year Texas is under a June 1 deadline to change the source of school funding. Before the scam spreads further, it's time to lay it bare.
In New York , the courts found that the government is violating a state constitutional clause that the legislature "shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free common schools, wherein all the children of the state may be educated." The Kansas case was to enforce a similar clause. That most children in New York City and elsewhere in the state are not getting much of an education is not the question. What to do about it is.
Plausible suggestions include freeing the schools from rigid union contracts and bureaucratic procedures that make it all but impossible to fire incompetent teachers, reward good ones and remove disruptive students from the classroom. Other potential solutions include more charter schools and vouchers. One strand of thinking relates school failure to cultural norms rather than lack of money. In New York City , spending per pupil is among the highest in the nation, $13,400, and the educational results among the worst. The plaintiffs chose, however, to focus on the solution -- more money -- that delights teacher union allies. The courts played along.
Most people assume that the legislature must cough up the cash because courts have the power of contempt, which allows them to punish those who disobey their orders. In the school case, however, the courts can't punish anyone. State legislators are not defendants in this case, and even if they were, they can't be punished because they are immune from suit. The state's treasury is immune because the court lacks authority to appropriate more funds and can't fine the state for the legislature's unwillingness to do so. The remaining defendants are officials, including Gov. George Pataki. They can't be held in contempt for failing to produce the money because they are powerless under the state constitution to spend money the legislature has not appropriated.
Longstanding impediments to coercing legislators and governors have never stopped courts from nullifying statutes that violate constitutional rights by, for example, segregating schools, or suppressing free speech. But courts rightly have a tougher time when they want to exercise the legislature's power of the purse.
There are, to be sure, cases where courts have indirectly pressured legislators to spend more. The leading one was in New Jersey , in 1976. After the state Supreme Court found that the state had violated a constitutional requirement that all school districts have equal per-pupil funding -- and the legislature failed to give more money to the poorer districts -- the court ordered state officials to close all the schools until the legislature equalized spending. Faced with that prospect the legislature passed an income tax to raise the extra money.
The New Jersey court argued that its job was to vindicate the constitutional right to equal spending and, if the legislature would not achieve that result by increasing spending, the court would get it done by reducing spending for everyone to zero. The argument has a certain cold logic, but it's a nonstarter in New York and Kansas , where the right being enforced is to a sound basic education.
If a New York court closed the schools, it would be the judges who violated the state constitutional right, by denying any education to all students. That would undercut the only leg the court has to stand on, the rule of law. Nonetheless, when the Kansas court raised the question of whether it should close the schools, the threat was enough to pry some money from the legislature.
New York 's high court made a grave mistake when the judges transferred the power to decide what is a sound basic education from the legislators to themselves. Assuming it is too late to admit its error, the court should stick to issuing a declaratory judgment that the state does not deliver a constitutionally adequate education rather than ordering the legislature to do anything. This, as it happens, is precisely the position urged by both Gov. Pataki as defendant, and his counsel, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
The coercive force behind such a declaratory judgment would come from all those who want to improve the schools, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who demanded and got responsibility for the city's schools, and the voters of the state, for whom there is no more important issue.
When courts claim that they have power to make legislatures spend more to vindicate a constitutional right to basic education, they tamper with a basic tenet of our democracy -- no taxation without representation. Voters are entitled to hold political officials accountable for the taxes they levy, the money they spend, and the education they produce. When judges pretend that legislators are their marionettes, the legislators can escape accountability, but only if the voters are fooled. They shouldn't be.
Messrs. Sandler and Schoenbrod are professors at New York Law School and authors of "Democracy by Decree: What Happens When Courts Run Government" (Yale University Press, 2003).
By ROSS SANDLER and DAVID SCHOENBROD
April 8, 2006 ;
On March 23, a New York appellate court ordered the state legislature to provide an additional $4.7 billion for operating the New York City schools, plus another $9.2 billion for construction. These are immense sums, even in the Empire State . The advocacy group that brought the suit, Campaign for Fiscal Equity, declared the court's decision would "get real action" because the legislature must "come up with a solution now, right now." This was good spin, but it's not true.
Contrary to a widespread misconception, courts have no power to force a state legislature to appropriate money; nevertheless the ersatz order, coming as it did in the final days of the state's budget process, could tilt the legislators towards more spending. This is apparently what is happening in Albany , where, in a partial tip of their hats to the court, legislators authorized $11.2 billion in new debt to pay for school construction in New York City .
And what was pulled off in Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc. v. New York seems to be part of a pattern. Last July in Kansas a similarly timed judicial decision prodded its state legislature to pony up a hefty increase in school funding. This year Texas is under a June 1 deadline to change the source of school funding. Before the scam spreads further, it's time to lay it bare.
In New York , the courts found that the government is violating a state constitutional clause that the legislature "shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free common schools, wherein all the children of the state may be educated." The Kansas case was to enforce a similar clause. That most children in New York City and elsewhere in the state are not getting much of an education is not the question. What to do about it is.
Plausible suggestions include freeing the schools from rigid union contracts and bureaucratic procedures that make it all but impossible to fire incompetent teachers, reward good ones and remove disruptive students from the classroom. Other potential solutions include more charter schools and vouchers. One strand of thinking relates school failure to cultural norms rather than lack of money. In New York City , spending per pupil is among the highest in the nation, $13,400, and the educational results among the worst. The plaintiffs chose, however, to focus on the solution -- more money -- that delights teacher union allies. The courts played along.
Most people assume that the legislature must cough up the cash because courts have the power of contempt, which allows them to punish those who disobey their orders. In the school case, however, the courts can't punish anyone. State legislators are not defendants in this case, and even if they were, they can't be punished because they are immune from suit. The state's treasury is immune because the court lacks authority to appropriate more funds and can't fine the state for the legislature's unwillingness to do so. The remaining defendants are officials, including Gov. George Pataki. They can't be held in contempt for failing to produce the money because they are powerless under the state constitution to spend money the legislature has not appropriated.
Longstanding impediments to coercing legislators and governors have never stopped courts from nullifying statutes that violate constitutional rights by, for example, segregating schools, or suppressing free speech. But courts rightly have a tougher time when they want to exercise the legislature's power of the purse.
There are, to be sure, cases where courts have indirectly pressured legislators to spend more. The leading one was in New Jersey , in 1976. After the state Supreme Court found that the state had violated a constitutional requirement that all school districts have equal per-pupil funding -- and the legislature failed to give more money to the poorer districts -- the court ordered state officials to close all the schools until the legislature equalized spending. Faced with that prospect the legislature passed an income tax to raise the extra money.
The New Jersey court argued that its job was to vindicate the constitutional right to equal spending and, if the legislature would not achieve that result by increasing spending, the court would get it done by reducing spending for everyone to zero. The argument has a certain cold logic, but it's a nonstarter in New York and Kansas , where the right being enforced is to a sound basic education.
If a New York court closed the schools, it would be the judges who violated the state constitutional right, by denying any education to all students. That would undercut the only leg the court has to stand on, the rule of law. Nonetheless, when the Kansas court raised the question of whether it should close the schools, the threat was enough to pry some money from the legislature.
New York 's high court made a grave mistake when the judges transferred the power to decide what is a sound basic education from the legislators to themselves. Assuming it is too late to admit its error, the court should stick to issuing a declaratory judgment that the state does not deliver a constitutionally adequate education rather than ordering the legislature to do anything. This, as it happens, is precisely the position urged by both Gov. Pataki as defendant, and his counsel, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
The coercive force behind such a declaratory judgment would come from all those who want to improve the schools, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who demanded and got responsibility for the city's schools, and the voters of the state, for whom there is no more important issue.
When courts claim that they have power to make legislatures spend more to vindicate a constitutional right to basic education, they tamper with a basic tenet of our democracy -- no taxation without representation. Voters are entitled to hold political officials accountable for the taxes they levy, the money they spend, and the education they produce. When judges pretend that legislators are their marionettes, the legislators can escape accountability, but only if the voters are fooled. They shouldn't be.
Messrs. Sandler and Schoenbrod are professors at New York Law School and authors of "Democracy by Decree: What Happens When Courts Run Government" (Yale University Press, 2003).
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Courier Journal Goes Daily Kos
The Courier Journal editorial board has a deep-seated dislike for Republicans, but sometimes they veer from political rhetoric to visceral hatred.
Today is one of those days.
That is the only rational explanation for them joining in the extreme "Bush is and Evil Leaker" parade usually reserved for the extreme left on the blogosphere.
Compare this and this.
There is a big difference between leaking classified information and divulging non-classified information. If this is the best they can come up with now, it is not hard to expect that by November most people will decide that empty rhetoric isn't worth the risk of putting them back in charge. Unfortunately for us all, deceptive practices like this from the left make it easier for bad politicians in the GOP to skate by knowing the public holds little real hope in a liberal alternative.
Today is one of those days.
That is the only rational explanation for them joining in the extreme "Bush is and Evil Leaker" parade usually reserved for the extreme left on the blogosphere.
Compare this and this.
There is a big difference between leaking classified information and divulging non-classified information. If this is the best they can come up with now, it is not hard to expect that by November most people will decide that empty rhetoric isn't worth the risk of putting them back in charge. Unfortunately for us all, deceptive practices like this from the left make it easier for bad politicians in the GOP to skate by knowing the public holds little real hope in a liberal alternative.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Don't Just Do Something, Protest!
If we keep expanding our government entitlements, we could wind up like France. Today, their future generations are learning that mass protests to avoid work are more profitable than actually working.
National GOP Like Kentucky Dems?
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney earned Kentucky Kudos on Monday with a good teacher pay plan.
Today, he gets the opposite for his compulsory health insurance plan and another very dubious political move.
Supporters point to requirements for drivers to carry car insurance, but that is a weak analogy. The government doesn't spend taxpayer dollars buying car insurance for low-income people. The law requires them to stay off the road and offenders face jail time if they drive without insurance. Romney's socialized medicine deal expands the entitlement mentality further up the income scale. Some people complain about pay increases putting them into higher tax brackets, but that is only a marginal increase. Under Romney's plan, upwardly mobile workers would find increasing incomes causing a tangible loss to their government health insurance subsidy.
Do we really want entitlement disincentives to plague the middle class just as the old "War on Poverty" has crushed the poor for decades? I suppose if we really wanted to follow this track we could provide government car insurance and subsidies for car purchases and sliding-scale prices for gasoline and car repairs based on income. Hey, where's my leather seat subsidy?!
Anyway, as 2008 draws ever closer, national Republicans wanting to keep the GOP in the White House face the same problem as Kentucky Democrats who want their party to regain the Governor's Mansion. No candidate.
Today, he gets the opposite for his compulsory health insurance plan and another very dubious political move.
Supporters point to requirements for drivers to carry car insurance, but that is a weak analogy. The government doesn't spend taxpayer dollars buying car insurance for low-income people. The law requires them to stay off the road and offenders face jail time if they drive without insurance. Romney's socialized medicine deal expands the entitlement mentality further up the income scale. Some people complain about pay increases putting them into higher tax brackets, but that is only a marginal increase. Under Romney's plan, upwardly mobile workers would find increasing incomes causing a tangible loss to their government health insurance subsidy.
Do we really want entitlement disincentives to plague the middle class just as the old "War on Poverty" has crushed the poor for decades? I suppose if we really wanted to follow this track we could provide government car insurance and subsidies for car purchases and sliding-scale prices for gasoline and car repairs based on income. Hey, where's my leather seat subsidy?!
Anyway, as 2008 draws ever closer, national Republicans wanting to keep the GOP in the White House face the same problem as Kentucky Democrats who want their party to regain the Governor's Mansion. No candidate.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
It Just Gets Worse For Worley
As Senator Ed Worley(D-Richmond) prepares for an April 19 hearing on the ethics complaint regarding his hidden business interests, he faces even more bad news.
One of his companies, Highland Centre LLC, has over $11,000 in delinquent property taxes owed to Madison county, according to the Richmond Register. The Madison county clerk's office confirmed the delinquency and plans a sale of the tax liens.
One of his companies, Highland Centre LLC, has over $11,000 in delinquent property taxes owed to Madison county, according to the Richmond Register. The Madison county clerk's office confirmed the delinquency and plans a sale of the tax liens.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Terrorists Find Another Downing Street Memo
Al-jazeera is at it again. How long will it be before the American Left picks up this story?
I'd say by this weekend we will be hearing in the MSM how attacking Iraq made the terrorists mad at us and caused the subway bombings in London.
Once again, the Bush administration is stuck between those who want to surrender the war and those who want to turn the Middle East into a sea of glass. It is a shame when protecting America's interests responsibly is the minority position.
I'd say by this weekend we will be hearing in the MSM how attacking Iraq made the terrorists mad at us and caused the subway bombings in London.
Once again, the Bush administration is stuck between those who want to surrender the war and those who want to turn the Middle East into a sea of glass. It is a shame when protecting America's interests responsibly is the minority position.
The Bio-terror Lab That Could Have Been
When Hal Rogers was putting together a Kentucky-Tennessee coalition to bring the federal bio-terror laboratory to Somerset, where the heck was Ben Chandler?
Lexington is a much better fit, with the University, the educated workforce, and the infrastructure needs already in place. I'm all for southern Kentucky getting this and it will be a great boon to the state, but it would be nice if central Kentucky had an alert Congressional representative as well.
And yes, it is sour grapes. It is also an I-told-you-so.
Lexington is a much better fit, with the University, the educated workforce, and the infrastructure needs already in place. I'm all for southern Kentucky getting this and it will be a great boon to the state, but it would be nice if central Kentucky had an alert Congressional representative as well.
And yes, it is sour grapes. It is also an I-told-you-so.
It's Another Isolated Incident!
As Tom DeLay steps down, we are reminded that Republican officeholders under ethical clouds usually step down (Newt Gingrich, Robert Livingston, Tom DeLay) and Democrats usually cling to power as if their lives depended on it (Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Johnny Ray Turner, Ed Worley).
The point is that all the Democrat tv commercials already in the can for running every race against Tom DeLay just lost their sting.
The point is that all the Democrat tv commercials already in the can for running every race against Tom DeLay just lost their sting.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Stumbo Runs Aground
Does anyone doubt there is more to this story?
Seems interesting that the AP reports he went out last night looking for fishing locations, but wasn't reported missing until 9 AM today. Has his family grown accustomed to Stumbo's all-night excursions not ending until the middle of the next morning? Also, don't most people carry a cell phone in case of a "boat accident?"
The Pinellas county Sheriff's Office says that charges will not likely be filed against Stumbo in the incident.
Seems interesting that the AP reports he went out last night looking for fishing locations, but wasn't reported missing until 9 AM today. Has his family grown accustomed to Stumbo's all-night excursions not ending until the middle of the next morning? Also, don't most people carry a cell phone in case of a "boat accident?"
The Pinellas county Sheriff's Office says that charges will not likely be filed against Stumbo in the incident.
Hey, A Republican With An Education Plan!
Gov. Mitt Romney deserves major points for taking on the education establishment in Massachusetts.
The top teachers union thug in his state calls Romney's plan to bring sanity to the teacher pay issue "inequitable, divisive, and ineffective."
In English, that means it is good.
The top teachers union thug in his state calls Romney's plan to bring sanity to the teacher pay issue "inequitable, divisive, and ineffective."
In English, that means it is good.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Frustrate A Liberal: Support School Choice
Fear is a great motivator. Fresh off two consecutive Frankfort wins versus taxpayers, the education establishment, for their own good, really needs a little healthy fear thrown their way.
It is high time we give it to them.
Since most of us know throwing more money at our public school administrators isn't the answer to improving student education, when are we going to realize we don't have to sit back and keep endorsing blank checks to an unaccountable school bureaucracy? Seriously, how much better would our public schools be if parents could choose to take their tax dollars and their children elsewhere if they saw a better educational opportunity?
The education establishment doesn't want you asking questions like that. Unfortunately, too many elected Republicans (a seemingly natural anti-government monopoly constituency) have turned into nervous Nellies at a time that taxpayers have every reason to be questioning the status quo.
They really, really don't want you to click here to see what is coming to Kentucky. But go ahead, you rebel, and do it anyway.
It is high time we give it to them.
Since most of us know throwing more money at our public school administrators isn't the answer to improving student education, when are we going to realize we don't have to sit back and keep endorsing blank checks to an unaccountable school bureaucracy? Seriously, how much better would our public schools be if parents could choose to take their tax dollars and their children elsewhere if they saw a better educational opportunity?
The education establishment doesn't want you asking questions like that. Unfortunately, too many elected Republicans (a seemingly natural anti-government monopoly constituency) have turned into nervous Nellies at a time that taxpayers have every reason to be questioning the status quo.
They really, really don't want you to click here to see what is coming to Kentucky. But go ahead, you rebel, and do it anyway.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Howard Dean At Your Front Door
The DNC has put the word out for Democrat volunteers to go door-to-door across the nation on April 29.
Here is part of their script:
Democrats are working on the following issues:
Which issues are the most important to you?
Honest Leadership & Open Government
Real Security
Energy Independence
Economic Prosperity & Educational Excellence
A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone
Retirement Security
I would choose each one of these issues and ask the volunteer to describe in detail what the Democratic Party is going to do differently. If this effort receives the media scrutiny it deserves it could amount to a monumentally hilarious screw-up. Think one part Jay Walking and one part Dean Scream. Then multiply those by thousands of mad-as-hell half-cocked lefties invading neighborhoods from sea to shining sea and getting their empty rhetoric thrown back in their faces, making up silly answers to questions, and melting under the pressure of real world situations.
Someone needs to follow these people around with video cameras. What we really need to do is come up with a great name for the reality show that would come as a result of all this.
Here is part of their script:
Democrats are working on the following issues:
Which issues are the most important to you?
Honest Leadership & Open Government
Real Security
Energy Independence
Economic Prosperity & Educational Excellence
A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone
Retirement Security
I would choose each one of these issues and ask the volunteer to describe in detail what the Democratic Party is going to do differently. If this effort receives the media scrutiny it deserves it could amount to a monumentally hilarious screw-up. Think one part Jay Walking and one part Dean Scream. Then multiply those by thousands of mad-as-hell half-cocked lefties invading neighborhoods from sea to shining sea and getting their empty rhetoric thrown back in their faces, making up silly answers to questions, and melting under the pressure of real world situations.
Someone needs to follow these people around with video cameras. What we really need to do is come up with a great name for the reality show that would come as a result of all this.