Battle For Kentucky Constitution In Frankfort Today
Power-crazed politicians can sometimes be funny to watch when the curtain is pulled back and their naked desires are exposed.
But Budget Chairman Harry Moberly's illegal groping is no laughing matter.
Moberly's House Bill 184, which is set to come up for a vote this afternoon in A&R, turns the Constitution of Kentucky on its head. We already endure budgets these days crafted behind closed doors and rammed down the throats of legislators with no prior scrutiny. That's plenty bad enough. But Moberly's favorite trick is to sneak permanent laws into budget bills, a practice the Constitution prohibits. Nearly two dozen such provisions were placed in the last spending plan.
HB 184 makes it legal to continue stuffing the budget full of measures that could not pass on their own merits, like earmarks in Congress. Emboldening Moberly by legalizing his tactics can not be tolerated any longer. There is not much chance Moberly's own committee will stand up to him this afternoon, but the people of Kentucky should band together to shine the light on such corrupt practices.
If we don't stop this kind of abuse now, we deserve what we will get.
Afternoon update: The House Budget Committee passed HB 184 with Moberly saying it has the support of the Governor. (Attempts to reach Governor Fletcher's office for comment were unsuccessful.) Moberly was defiant in support of his overreaching bill, saying "The budget bill is no different than any other bill." The Constitution of Kentucky disagrees with him. The budget bill is for appropriations. He also said he thought the leaders of General Assembly could put all of their legislation in one bill if they wanted to. Since the budget bill is now negotiated in private by a handful of legislators, this runs completely against our form of government. Chairman Moberly has clearly gotten too big for his britches.
posted by Kentucky Progress @ 2/13/2007 10:57:00 AM
8 comments
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8 Comments:
I've posted a comment on KentuckVotes.org. Others should too.
It's kentuckyvotes.org and you can go directly to the bill by clicking on the "HB 184" link inside this post.
Or if for some strange reason you want to leave a comment here, well you can do that too.
You are the only one reporting on this, David. Keep it up because this is a horrible, horrible bill. Probably no one will get it until it becomes law and they make all our laws in a small conference room.
David,
Thank you so much for reporting on this and thanks to KyVotes for helping bring it to our attention before it passes.
May I suggest that any call to action have a link or advice on where one goes to find his or her representative. It might seem simple and perhaps should be unneccessary, but I think it greatly increases the likelihood of people taking action if they have a way to quickly and easily access the information they need. I know it does for me.
Thanks again!
Dawn
Moberly is a corrupt buffoon. Has been for years. He needs to be taken out, one way or another.
I can't imagine this governor being in support of this legislation and I can't see David Williams letting it go anywhere in the Senate.
horseshit. there's nothing in the Kentucky constitution that prohibits permanent legislation being paired with appropriations. You are wrong.
Technically, 9:36, you and your horse are right. There is no such specific prohibition. But when you combine the fact that bills are only supposed to be about one thing and that to amend a bill you have to restate the bill as amended in the new bill -- rather than just throw in a 'notwithstanding' -- you wind up in the same place.
"Attempts to reach Governor Fletcher's office for comment were unsuccessful."
So much for open and honest government.
I hope Fletcher goes down in the general election or the primary.
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