After a long hiatus, the folks at BluegrassRoots.org are back to posting their stuff on the net.
They allow anonymous posts and they don't block comments expressing ideas they fear.
Check them out here.
Friday, June 30, 2006
John Yarmuth's Culture of The Kook Left
As I write this, 3rd district congressional candidate John Yarmuth hasn't gotten the word that he has been voted off Virginia tax-raiser Mark Warner's island.
When he does -- good morning, John! -- expect him to scrub any evidence of his support for Warner's presidential bid and go looking for another national Democrat to lock arms with.
Yarmuth is clearly following the Dem strategy of nationalizing congressional races. His site is heavy on minimum wage tax increase, socialized medicine tax increases, and refusing to derail the Social Security/Medicare train wreck while we can still do something about it rather tha raise taxes. Oh, and he is going to "stand up to George Bush." What is funny is the races are becoming nationalized but only helping to underscore liberal weaknesses on the key issues.
What will John Yarmuth think of next?
When he does -- good morning, John! -- expect him to scrub any evidence of his support for Warner's presidential bid and go looking for another national Democrat to lock arms with.
Yarmuth is clearly following the Dem strategy of nationalizing congressional races. His site is heavy on minimum wage tax increase, socialized medicine tax increases, and refusing to derail the Social Security/Medicare train wreck while we can still do something about it rather tha raise taxes. Oh, and he is going to "stand up to George Bush." What is funny is the races are becoming nationalized but only helping to underscore liberal weaknesses on the key issues.
What will John Yarmuth think of next?
Chandler Acting Like D.C. Democrat
A good indication of his 2007 plans comes again from Rep. Ben Chandler's actions. Yesterday he voted against tracking terrorist financial records and rebuking the New York Times. He also has issued a press release apologizing for voting for the recent resolution against cutting and running from Iraq.
The one thing Chandler had going for him in his 2003 run for Governor was he had no voting record.
The one thing Chandler had going for him in his 2003 run for Governor was he had no voting record.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
ACLU Aids Georgia Sex Predators
A U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order this afternoon against a new Georgia law that would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of places where children congregate.
Are we going to have to pass a constitutional amendment to get rid of child molestors?
And no, I don't care a bit about their "rights."
Are we going to have to pass a constitutional amendment to get rid of child molestors?
And no, I don't care a bit about their "rights."
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Shooting The Wounded
David Williams put a bullet in Ernie Fletcher today.
It's an age-old practice and the timing, really, is good. President Williams did the right thing in an effort to provide guidance to GOP candidates who have essentially no Governor to campaign with. Governor Fletcher, I know, has a better response to Williams' non-endorsement than he gave today. Holding his fire for later is no longer an option. Fletcher's timeframe for making his case just got scooted forward for him. This is going to get uglier, but the main point is that it is going to happen now and that is a good thing.
The wound Williams inflicted on the Governor is not on Ernie's back. As such, now is not the time to feign hurt feelings and retreat to safety. Let's have this out now. The Democrats are hoping we let this continue to fester.
It's an age-old practice and the timing, really, is good. President Williams did the right thing in an effort to provide guidance to GOP candidates who have essentially no Governor to campaign with. Governor Fletcher, I know, has a better response to Williams' non-endorsement than he gave today. Holding his fire for later is no longer an option. Fletcher's timeframe for making his case just got scooted forward for him. This is going to get uglier, but the main point is that it is going to happen now and that is a good thing.
The wound Williams inflicted on the Governor is not on Ernie's back. As such, now is not the time to feign hurt feelings and retreat to safety. Let's have this out now. The Democrats are hoping we let this continue to fester.
Let's Do Tax Holiday Right
Pre-filed bills are rolling into Frankfort and another shot at the bogus "Back to School Sales Tax Holiday" should be coming along soon.
It sounds good at first, but the tax holiday -- which exempts clothing and computer items from state sales tax, usually for a three day period in late summer -- is nothing more than a political stunt.
In fact, retail groups betray the fallacy of sales tax holidays by promoting the additional expenditures consumers will make while out shopping their 6% sale. So they know -- but hope you don't -- that you will probably spend more elsewhere than you will save on sales taxes. Further, I don't know about you, but I would never be motivated by a 6% sale. Better to wait until inventory change time and buy at 50% or more, don't you think?
Of course the largest thing we are supposed to overlook in weighing the Sales Tax Holiday is that all the back-to-school items are already burdened with embedded income taxes that far outweigh state sales taxes. That's a far more egregious wrong to address, and a permanent fix as well.
If you haven't already, go to www.fairtax.org and see what real tax reform looks like.
It sounds good at first, but the tax holiday -- which exempts clothing and computer items from state sales tax, usually for a three day period in late summer -- is nothing more than a political stunt.
In fact, retail groups betray the fallacy of sales tax holidays by promoting the additional expenditures consumers will make while out shopping their 6% sale. So they know -- but hope you don't -- that you will probably spend more elsewhere than you will save on sales taxes. Further, I don't know about you, but I would never be motivated by a 6% sale. Better to wait until inventory change time and buy at 50% or more, don't you think?
Of course the largest thing we are supposed to overlook in weighing the Sales Tax Holiday is that all the back-to-school items are already burdened with embedded income taxes that far outweigh state sales taxes. That's a far more egregious wrong to address, and a permanent fix as well.
If you haven't already, go to www.fairtax.org and see what real tax reform looks like.
Abortion Sally Gets Off Easy
Sally Jacobsen, the disgraced NKU professor who went on a mad rampage through a campus pro-life display in April and got caught, isn't going to jail. After she "apologized" and paid for the property she destroyed, the charges of criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, and criminal solicitaton were dropped yesterday.
I wish she could be hauled back in again and charged under the desecration of venerated objects (the crosses she broke) statute. The same kind of criminal behavior Sally Jacobsen exhibited at NKU has happened at other schools -- including the University of Kentucky in March -- but this one got all the publicity because Abortion Sally got caught. If there is no real penalty for these people, they will just keep doing their thing.
I wish she could be hauled back in again and charged under the desecration of venerated objects (the crosses she broke) statute. The same kind of criminal behavior Sally Jacobsen exhibited at NKU has happened at other schools -- including the University of Kentucky in March -- but this one got all the publicity because Abortion Sally got caught. If there is no real penalty for these people, they will just keep doing their thing.
School Choice, Not Racial Quotas
Race-baiter Jesse Jackson was in Louisville yesterday issuing plans for a 10,000 person rally in support of racial quotas in city public schools.
He would do better to support school choice for everyone instead of artificial racial-assignment policies that now cause some children to be denied admission based on the color of their skin. It flies in the face of all reason to suggest that a percentage of students with a certain skin color in any school would affect educational achievement for anyone. Of course that is beside the point for Jackson, but his hypocrisy didn't need to no unanswered again.
It is a bugaboo to education establishment types, but vouchers would at least give some at-risk kids a chance. Racial profiling student populations only provides press conference fodder for aging demagogues.
He would do better to support school choice for everyone instead of artificial racial-assignment policies that now cause some children to be denied admission based on the color of their skin. It flies in the face of all reason to suggest that a percentage of students with a certain skin color in any school would affect educational achievement for anyone. Of course that is beside the point for Jackson, but his hypocrisy didn't need to no unanswered again.
It is a bugaboo to education establishment types, but vouchers would at least give some at-risk kids a chance. Racial profiling student populations only provides press conference fodder for aging demagogues.
Warren Buffett Gives It Up
Uber-investor Warren Buffett's donation of $30 Billion to charity last week might have you thinking what good you could do with so much money. His ill-considered comments in favor of the Death Tax -- "It's very equitable," he said -- and the money it sucks from the economy suggests an idea that puts another bad liberal plan in some perspective.
Refusing to reform Social Security put that system another $600 Billion in the tank last year. Buffett's gift is much less impressive when thought in terms of picking up the tab for only two weeks of intransigence on this one federal program.
Refusing to reform Social Security put that system another $600 Billion in the tank last year. Buffett's gift is much less impressive when thought in terms of picking up the tab for only two weeks of intransigence on this one federal program.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
While You Were Working...
J.R. Gray (D-Benton) pre-filed a 2007 bill today to raise taxes.
Yes, it is a minimum wage bill -- a wedge Democrats hope to use in November -- but it works just like an off-the-books tax increase for businesses who employ minimum wage workers. Why don't Democrats show some courage and propose a tax increase rather than try to make it look like some kind of a fairness issue?
The Kentucky legislature is in special session right to trying to cut taxes on small businesses and Rep. Gray wants to raise them back up at the same time.
By the way, take a look at Gray's Republican opponent Marvin Wilson.
Yes, it is a minimum wage bill -- a wedge Democrats hope to use in November -- but it works just like an off-the-books tax increase for businesses who employ minimum wage workers. Why don't Democrats show some courage and propose a tax increase rather than try to make it look like some kind of a fairness issue?
The Kentucky legislature is in special session right to trying to cut taxes on small businesses and Rep. Gray wants to raise them back up at the same time.
By the way, take a look at Gray's Republican opponent Marvin Wilson.
Media Appearance
I will be weighing in on the goofy, pointless, and ultimately harmful liberal efforts to rewrite the First Amendment on tomorrow's Lexington Herald Leader editorial page.
Speaking of the First Amendment, here it is:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Nothing in there about state employees not having to bring a laptop to work so they can read blogs all day long.
The low point of today's update on this ridiculous "scandal" was in this quote: "The government is not a private employer, the government cannot decide what content they want to ban," said Mark Nickolas, U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler's former campaign manager and operator of a Web log. "It's not constitutional."
While the libs are distracting with this stuff and the Fletcher Driving-Not-Walking scandal, the General Assembly is getting away with tweaking the AMC when they should be repealing it.
Speaking of the First Amendment, here it is:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Nothing in there about state employees not having to bring a laptop to work so they can read blogs all day long.
The low point of today's update on this ridiculous "scandal" was in this quote: "The government is not a private employer, the government cannot decide what content they want to ban," said Mark Nickolas, U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler's former campaign manager and operator of a Web log. "It's not constitutional."
While the libs are distracting with this stuff and the Fletcher Driving-Not-Walking scandal, the General Assembly is getting away with tweaking the AMC when they should be repealing it.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Required Reading in AP Economics
While Kentucky politicos are irrationally consumed with what can or can't be read in the state Capitol, one Georgia high school has the right idea.
An Advanced Placement Economics course at Northview High School in Duluth is requiring students to have read The Fair Tax Book before classes start in the fall.
That should get Nancy Pelosi worked up since she won't let her minions talk about the Fair Tax, but it is good news for the future that these kids will be learning about it now.
An Advanced Placement Economics course at Northview High School in Duluth is requiring students to have read The Fair Tax Book before classes start in the fall.
That should get Nancy Pelosi worked up since she won't let her minions talk about the Fair Tax, but it is good news for the future that these kids will be learning about it now.
Yarmuth Won't Get Warner Nod
Kentucky's 3rd district U.S. House challenger John Yarmuth can't catch a break.
Yarmuth's frustration with his inability to draw support in the district will be compounded this week when he fails in his bid to get an endorsement from presidential wannabe Mark Warner.
If you look at the list of names who applied for Warner's endorsement, you will see he did succeed in making it to the second round in the selection process. Maybe Yarmuth's campaign should be called the "Close But No Cigar Tour."
Yarmuth's frustration with his inability to draw support in the district will be compounded this week when he fails in his bid to get an endorsement from presidential wannabe Mark Warner.
If you look at the list of names who applied for Warner's endorsement, you will see he did succeed in making it to the second round in the selection process. Maybe Yarmuth's campaign should be called the "Close But No Cigar Tour."
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Don't Go Easy On Sex Offenders Now
The Pandora's Box opened by the new Georgia law which prohibits convicted sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of areas where children congregate can't cause us to give in to criminals' convenience just because the ACLU types want us to.
Georgia's law is probably the toughest in the nation. Despite the activist whining, the result of this policy will be a mass exodus of sex criminals from that state. Kentucky would do very well to ignore the bellyaching and further stiffen its own restrictions.
Georgia's law is probably the toughest in the nation. Despite the activist whining, the result of this policy will be a mass exodus of sex criminals from that state. Kentucky would do very well to ignore the bellyaching and further stiffen its own restrictions.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Repeal AMC Now!
Joe Fischer(R-Ft. Thomas) did the right thing this week when he filed an amendment in the House to repeal the Alternative Minimum Calculation and the limited liability entity tax.
The debate shouldn't be about how much we will tax unprofitable Kentucky corporations, but whether we should tax their business activity at all.
As Rep. Bob Damron(D-Nicholasville) said back in March, there is something un-American about taxing companies that aren't making a profit.
The debate shouldn't be about how much we will tax unprofitable Kentucky corporations, but whether we should tax their business activity at all.
As Rep. Bob Damron(D-Nicholasville) said back in March, there is something un-American about taxing companies that aren't making a profit.
Friday, June 23, 2006
It Gets Worse For Yarmuth
John Yarmuth wants Anne Northup's job in Congress. He has set up some pretty rough roadblocks for himself, like pushing to double payroll taxes, surrendering Iraq, and resurrecting public financing of national political campaigns -- welfare for politicians again!!
Now we see that Yarmuth has picked up a major endorsement that he isn't exactly promoting on his website or crowing to the media about: Los Angeles shock-jock John Ziegler hopes Louisvillians will lurch leftward for Yarmuth in November.
It's no surprise Yarmuth isn't trumpeting this one: Ziegler was run out of Louisville in August 2003 in the midst of a sex scandal.
Now we see that Yarmuth has picked up a major endorsement that he isn't exactly promoting on his website or crowing to the media about: Los Angeles shock-jock John Ziegler hopes Louisvillians will lurch leftward for Yarmuth in November.
It's no surprise Yarmuth isn't trumpeting this one: Ziegler was run out of Louisville in August 2003 in the midst of a sex scandal.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Sixty Five Cent Solution
We are always hearing about how Kentucky's schoolchildren need more money. This is a great way to increase classroom spending $174.5 million each year without raising taxes.
All the Sixty Five Cent Solution folks (including Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell) want is to cut down on the administrative waste in our public school system.
All the Sixty Five Cent Solution folks (including Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell) want is to cut down on the administrative waste in our public school system.
Blog Blockergate A Pathetic Scandal
I don't blame liberal bloggers for trying to make Blockergate into some kind of constitutional crisis. If conservatives didn't have any ideas, we would probably be doing the same type of thing. (As it is, we can let them yammer about censorship. We need to continue working for tax reform, school choice, and fiscal responsibility in Kentucky.)
But my scorn for all this hubbub does have its limits. The Bluegrass Institute adds to policy debates in a way the partisan blogs don't. If anything, state workers need to be encouraged to read www.bipps.org and to check www.kentuckyvotes.org to keep tabs on the legislature.
Now that people can surf the web on their cell phones, or download software to get around "blocks" on sites, and when rumor, innuendo, and hearsay zooms through Capitol offices faster than a T1 modem, I think we will survive this just fine.
While the Lefties are going gonzo on this, it might be a great time for the Fletcher Administration to start to work on a solid conservative initiative for the next session. Repealing Certificate of Need restrictions on medical care would be a good one.
But my scorn for all this hubbub does have its limits. The Bluegrass Institute adds to policy debates in a way the partisan blogs don't. If anything, state workers need to be encouraged to read www.bipps.org and to check www.kentuckyvotes.org to keep tabs on the legislature.
Now that people can surf the web on their cell phones, or download software to get around "blocks" on sites, and when rumor, innuendo, and hearsay zooms through Capitol offices faster than a T1 modem, I think we will survive this just fine.
While the Lefties are going gonzo on this, it might be a great time for the Fletcher Administration to start to work on a solid conservative initiative for the next session. Repealing Certificate of Need restrictions on medical care would be a good one.
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