Monday, April 18, 2005
Talking Taxes on Lexington Radio
Be sure to tune in Wednesday at 9 AM to the Jack Pattie Show on WVLK 590 AM to hear yours truly talking about the upcoming tax reform debate. Call in to 253-5959 with comments, criticisms, and complaints!
Thunder Flap: Louisville Pacifists Hate Planes
Leftist wacko groups are protesting today the use of military planes in the Thunder over Louisville program.
Interesting how the story claims a coalition of "peace and religious groups" are upset. Looks like the left is holding on to their misread of last year's exit polling data by calling their nutty little confabs "religious groups."
Interesting how the story claims a coalition of "peace and religious groups" are upset. Looks like the left is holding on to their misread of last year's exit polling data by calling their nutty little confabs "religious groups."
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Homosexual "Bishop" Talks Abortion
Less than three weeks after coming under fire for suggesting Jesus Christ was a homosexual, Episcopal "Bishop" Gene Robinson, a Lexington Ky native, was caught giving political advice to Planned Parenthood in a speech Friday.
Robinson said "We need to teach people about nuance ... that this can be true and that can be true, and somewhere between is the right answer. It's a very adult way of living, you know." He added "We must use people of faith to counter the faith-based arguments against us."
Yes, he really said that.
Robinson left his wife and two young daughters in 1986 for another man.
Robinson said "We need to teach people about nuance ... that this can be true and that can be true, and somewhere between is the right answer. It's a very adult way of living, you know." He added "We must use people of faith to counter the faith-based arguments against us."
Yes, he really said that.
Robinson left his wife and two young daughters in 1986 for another man.
Sounds Like KY Budget "Negotiations"
We've made reference on this site to similarities between structural problems in Social Security and the KAPT scandal. The politics of Social Security reform, meanwhile, seems to mirror that of Kentucky's budget negotiations of the last two sessions in the General Assembly.
Just as Washington D.C. Democrats continue to insist either that there is no problem with Social Security or that it is so frail that it will not survive reform efforts, Frankfort House Democrats last year repeatedly refused to meet Republicans to discuss Kentucky's budget.
Just as the media last year failed to report on House Speaker Jody Richards' refusal to meet with Republicans to negotiate on the budget, journalists have blatantly manipulated the debate on Social Security reform. The latest example of this is noteworthy.
The Los Angeles Times yesterday reported on a Social Security opt out program in Ohio that has "attracted few takers" stating that the "popularity of the private accounts" has been "relatively low." (Note that the words in quotes above were words of LA Times reporters and were not attributed to anyone else.)
This dim view of a program that allowed individuals to opt out of Social Security for a private plan was striking. I had never heard of Ohio's plan, but every other plan I had heard of was both popular and successful. So I did a little research.
Bottom line: What was the participation level among eligible employees for Ohio's version of private Social Security accounts?
Ninety seven percent.
While Kentucky voters are asking themselves why they had to wait a year for Democrats to come to the table on the budget, national voters may soon be wondering why Congressional Democrats fiddled so long while Social Security crumbled.
Just as Washington D.C. Democrats continue to insist either that there is no problem with Social Security or that it is so frail that it will not survive reform efforts, Frankfort House Democrats last year repeatedly refused to meet Republicans to discuss Kentucky's budget.
Just as the media last year failed to report on House Speaker Jody Richards' refusal to meet with Republicans to negotiate on the budget, journalists have blatantly manipulated the debate on Social Security reform. The latest example of this is noteworthy.
The Los Angeles Times yesterday reported on a Social Security opt out program in Ohio that has "attracted few takers" stating that the "popularity of the private accounts" has been "relatively low." (Note that the words in quotes above were words of LA Times reporters and were not attributed to anyone else.)
This dim view of a program that allowed individuals to opt out of Social Security for a private plan was striking. I had never heard of Ohio's plan, but every other plan I had heard of was both popular and successful. So I did a little research.
Bottom line: What was the participation level among eligible employees for Ohio's version of private Social Security accounts?
Ninety seven percent.
While Kentucky voters are asking themselves why they had to wait a year for Democrats to come to the table on the budget, national voters may soon be wondering why Congressional Democrats fiddled so long while Social Security crumbled.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Central Kentucky Deaniacs Go To Washington
The 72% crowd went to the nation's Capitol for a sit down with Rep. Ben Chandler's staffers.
I love the part about "privatization" being a "more accurate" term than "personal account." Which is it, do they really not know what privatization means, or are they lying to each other?
I love the part about "privatization" being a "more accurate" term than "personal account." Which is it, do they really not know what privatization means, or are they lying to each other?
Debunked on SSI, Chandler Attacks Veterans
The question people should be asking in central Kentucky is "Would Happy Chandler approve of grandson Ben Chandler's undistinguished tenure in Washington D.C.?"
Chandler's latest propaganda campaign picks up the party line that Republicans are trying to shortchange veterans. Here at Kentucky Progress we are doing a complete analysis of Chandler's claims (basically the Democratic party line, it seems) and will report next week.
Given Rep. Chandler's fast-and-loose treatment of the facts on Social Security reform and his horrendous record on fiscal issues, constituents have cause for skepticism. A hint -- one thing we are looking at is Bush's record on veterans' benefits and that of Congress since 1994 versus that of the pre-1994 glory days for Democrats.
From the words-have-meaning department: Bush "cuts" don't seem to square with the $20 billion increase in spending on veterans proposed in this year's budget and the 41% increase in spending on veterans medical benefits during the President's first term.
Silly liberal, that's why veterans vote Republican.
Stay tuned for updates.
Chandler's latest propaganda campaign picks up the party line that Republicans are trying to shortchange veterans. Here at Kentucky Progress we are doing a complete analysis of Chandler's claims (basically the Democratic party line, it seems) and will report next week.
Given Rep. Chandler's fast-and-loose treatment of the facts on Social Security reform and his horrendous record on fiscal issues, constituents have cause for skepticism. A hint -- one thing we are looking at is Bush's record on veterans' benefits and that of Congress since 1994 versus that of the pre-1994 glory days for Democrats.
From the words-have-meaning department: Bush "cuts" don't seem to square with the $20 billion increase in spending on veterans proposed in this year's budget and the 41% increase in spending on veterans medical benefits during the President's first term.
Silly liberal, that's why veterans vote Republican.
Stay tuned for updates.
Tax Day Great Time To Consider Reform
On D-Day for federal taxes, now would be a great time to suggest that you go to the Americans For Fair Taxation website for a great program to reform the way we finance our government.
Any comments, complaints, or criticisms?
Any comments, complaints, or criticisms?
The Columnist Who Ate Central Kentucky
As guest host of The Sue Wylie Show on WVLK AM 590, Herald Leader columnist Cheryl Truman this morning suggested county consolidation in Kentucky that would involve expanding Fayette county to include all of Jessamine, Madison, Bourbon, and Woodford counties.
How's that for a takeover?
While an argument can certainly be made for consolidating some local governments, few residents of counties surrounding Lexington want to get sucked into that deal.
How's that for a takeover?
While an argument can certainly be made for consolidating some local governments, few residents of counties surrounding Lexington want to get sucked into that deal.
What All The Excitement Is About..
The Conservative Edge will hold its first annual Conservative Bloggers Conference! If you want to learn why blogs are getting so much attention and what their future impact will be, this is the place for you. We'll have presenters , discussing the role of blogs, show blogging technique and design as well as folks who can help you get sources for information and basic grammar. The event will be held on Saturday April 23rd, from 1 - 3 pm in downtown Lexington. Registration is limited and the cost is $5. For more information contact Brian Goettl at goettllaw@earthlink.net.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Driving Them Crazy
Lexington Herald Leader columnist Cheryl Truman has caught the "Who's the Next Mayor?" fever and it is making her get a little goofy. She cites an LBAR survey that names a few possible candidates. She speculates on one of them:
"Who is John Hampton?" she asks. "He's the young Republican who ran a well-financed campaign against longtime state Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo last year -- and came within a hair of unseating her. He could become the Scott Crosbie of the next mayor's race: the young conservative with the big war chest."
Go fish, Cheryl. Supporters of the status quo in Lexington can only hope for a repeat of the 2002 race that was close but gave power to the current mayor.
Guessing who will be the conservative candidate for Lexington mayor next year will become a major distraction for all of Leftington, but they won't figure it out until it is time for them to know.
But watching them get worked up about it will be fun.
"Who is John Hampton?" she asks. "He's the young Republican who ran a well-financed campaign against longtime state Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo last year -- and came within a hair of unseating her. He could become the Scott Crosbie of the next mayor's race: the young conservative with the big war chest."
Go fish, Cheryl. Supporters of the status quo in Lexington can only hope for a repeat of the 2002 race that was close but gave power to the current mayor.
Guessing who will be the conservative candidate for Lexington mayor next year will become a major distraction for all of Leftington, but they won't figure it out until it is time for them to know.
But watching them get worked up about it will be fun.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Flip-Flop: Chandler Changes Tax Vote
As he did twice last year, Rep. Ben Chandler voted to kill a good tax bill and then voted for it. Given his bad voting record, it is noteworthy that he is totally ineffective in Congress and has to go on expensive taxpayer-paid junkets to Iceland to get attention.
Tax and Spend Liberal
Rep. Ben Chandler voted today against making the repeal of the Death Tax permanent. You don't need Grover Norquist to tell you that would be a tax increase.
Kentucky Progress Radio
For the latest on all this and more, tune in to 1340 WEKY in Richmond, 1550 WIRV in Irvine, and 1500 WKXO in Berea this afternoon at 5:15 pm to join me in an hour-long discussion of the news.
Julian Carroll: The Party's Over?
Sen. Julian Carroll (D-Frankfort) this morning said that liberals should leave the Democratic Party and form their own party. He said this as a guest on the Sue Wylie show on 590 WVLK in Lexington.
He then added that "Hillary Clinton would be a disaster" as the Democrat nominee for President. Given that she is favorite for the party's nomination at this point, we are left with a problem understanding his comments. Who does he not want in the Democratic Party, liberals or "conservative Democrats?"
Dem Approach to KAPT Mirrors Social Security
Both KAPT and Social Security will require increasing amounts of taxpayer dollars if the status quo holds in Frankfort and Washington D.C., as key Democrats insist they prefer.
The key similarity between the two programs centers around the programs' "Trust Funds."
This is where the political obfuscation from reform opponents depends most heavily on ignorance and apathy among the general public.
KAPT's operating losses are backed by a "Fund" of abandoned property previously sold by the state of Kentucky. The problem, as we established here yesterday, is that the money in this "Fund" has already been spent. To replenish that account, the state needs additional taxpayer dollars. That is where the $13.7 million came from when Jonathan Miller, as state Treasurer authorized his raid on the General Fund on December 1, 2004. Despite the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence, he continues to try to confuse people with statements like this one still on his website. That debunked press release claimed that Senate Republicans were taking Miller's millions to build a basketball gym for UK.
By the same token, Social Security's Trust Fund has been spent and will have to be replaced with the dreaded "transition costs" of reform opponents whether or not reform is implemented. The choice is simple: we can bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best or shut down KAPT to limit future losses and change Social Security to head off fiscal disaster. Republicans need rational Democrats to step forward and help with these problems. Who will step forward?
The key similarity between the two programs centers around the programs' "Trust Funds."
This is where the political obfuscation from reform opponents depends most heavily on ignorance and apathy among the general public.
KAPT's operating losses are backed by a "Fund" of abandoned property previously sold by the state of Kentucky. The problem, as we established here yesterday, is that the money in this "Fund" has already been spent. To replenish that account, the state needs additional taxpayer dollars. That is where the $13.7 million came from when Jonathan Miller, as state Treasurer authorized his raid on the General Fund on December 1, 2004. Despite the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence, he continues to try to confuse people with statements like this one still on his website. That debunked press release claimed that Senate Republicans were taking Miller's millions to build a basketball gym for UK.
By the same token, Social Security's Trust Fund has been spent and will have to be replaced with the dreaded "transition costs" of reform opponents whether or not reform is implemented. The choice is simple: we can bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best or shut down KAPT to limit future losses and change Social Security to head off fiscal disaster. Republicans need rational Democrats to step forward and help with these problems. Who will step forward?
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Ineffective at Home? Move to Europe!
Interviewed by an Associated Press reporter recently at a swank Reyjkavik hotel, Congressman Ben Chandler said that U.S. national security is improved by taxpayers sending him to Iceland.
"I think Americans have, for quite some time, underestimated the importance of our relations with other countries and how that translates into the security of the United States of America," Chandler said.
Chandler(D-Iceland) was picked to serve as a delegate to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi(D-San Francisco). Both Democrats have been very outspoken in their opposition to America's national defense efforts.
"I think Americans have, for quite some time, underestimated the importance of our relations with other countries and how that translates into the security of the United States of America," Chandler said.
Chandler(D-Iceland) was picked to serve as a delegate to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi(D-San Francisco). Both Democrats have been very outspoken in their opposition to America's national defense efforts.
Monday, April 11, 2005
KAPT Scandal Worsens: No money in "Trust Fund"
The much beleaguered KAPT program has been losing money and drawing down the value of the little understood "Unclaimed Property Fund" for several years, but that is not news. What is alarming is how bad the situation has become.
One phone call to the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet yielded some very interesting numbers. Here's how the phone call went with spokeswoman Jill Midkiff:
KP: What is the value of the Unclaimed Property held by the state of Kentucky?
JM: As of last Friday the account for abandoned property held $118,695,719.00.
KP: That is significantly less than the $150 million Jonathan Miller insists is in there. How could there be such a discrepancy?
JM: I couldn't speculate.
KP: Does this $118 million represent actual dollars in a bank account or has the money already been spent and this is just a number on a balance sheet?
JM: It's a bookkeeping mechanism. The controller's office calls them "book dollars."
So for accuracy's sake, the fund that Jonathan Miller says backs up the controversial KAPT program has NO VALUE. To place value in it, General Fund dollars must be used. That is what happened on December 1, 2004 when KAPT raided the General Fund of $13.7 million dollars. That is what will have to happen to the tune of $50 million by 2020 according to the actuarial report. This settles it. The controversy is over. The 9000 contract holders must be made whole, but to continue the program and open the state to further losses makes absolutely no sense. The pending lawsuit is the work of Treasurer Jonathan Miller and Attorney General Greg Stumbo. Every citizen of the state should urge the Attorney General to end this lawsuit and let this money loser die.
One phone call to the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet yielded some very interesting numbers. Here's how the phone call went with spokeswoman Jill Midkiff:
KP: What is the value of the Unclaimed Property held by the state of Kentucky?
JM: As of last Friday the account for abandoned property held $118,695,719.00.
KP: That is significantly less than the $150 million Jonathan Miller insists is in there. How could there be such a discrepancy?
JM: I couldn't speculate.
KP: Does this $118 million represent actual dollars in a bank account or has the money already been spent and this is just a number on a balance sheet?
JM: It's a bookkeeping mechanism. The controller's office calls them "book dollars."
So for accuracy's sake, the fund that Jonathan Miller says backs up the controversial KAPT program has NO VALUE. To place value in it, General Fund dollars must be used. That is what happened on December 1, 2004 when KAPT raided the General Fund of $13.7 million dollars. That is what will have to happen to the tune of $50 million by 2020 according to the actuarial report. This settles it. The controversy is over. The 9000 contract holders must be made whole, but to continue the program and open the state to further losses makes absolutely no sense. The pending lawsuit is the work of Treasurer Jonathan Miller and Attorney General Greg Stumbo. Every citizen of the state should urge the Attorney General to end this lawsuit and let this money loser die.
State Media Doesn't Get KAPT Story Right
After a temporary injunction ruling Friday, Kentucky mainstream media outlets continue their poor coverage of the KAPT scandal. Broadcast reports spread the bogus concept that the General Assembly "raided" money from KAPT and the program's contract holders and missed the fact that the ruling was a temporary one. Most importantly -- and this is the concept that no one in mainstream media land has bothered to look at -- the true value of the unclaimed property fund continues to be grossly exaggerated by Jonathan Miller with no scrutiny.
The focal point of the argument is how much money backs up the money-losing KAPT program. Miller insists that it is around $150 million. This is an extremely liberal valuation that someone should challenge the Treasurer to prove. The fact of the matter is that he wouldn't fare very well under such a challenge. And when "Unclaimed Property" comes up short in paying off program losses, KAPT comes after taxpayers. That is a hit the General Assembly is trying to cushion and one that, apparently, Miller and the mainstream media want you to face.
The focal point of the argument is how much money backs up the money-losing KAPT program. Miller insists that it is around $150 million. This is an extremely liberal valuation that someone should challenge the Treasurer to prove. The fact of the matter is that he wouldn't fare very well under such a challenge. And when "Unclaimed Property" comes up short in paying off program losses, KAPT comes after taxpayers. That is a hit the General Assembly is trying to cushion and one that, apparently, Miller and the mainstream media want you to face.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Lexington Mayor 2006 Update
Speculation continues to run rampant about what conservative candidate will come forward for the quickly approaching 2006 elections.
There are indications that an alternative candidate is close to making a decision, but I still say that Warren Rogers is the man for the job.
The word from the Sixth district GOP Lincoln Day Dinner is that he has not ruled it out. Stay tuned...
There are indications that an alternative candidate is close to making a decision, but I still say that Warren Rogers is the man for the job.
The word from the Sixth district GOP Lincoln Day Dinner is that he has not ruled it out. Stay tuned...
Friday, April 08, 2005
If You Hate Republicans...
You are really going to hate this: Kentucky Republican Voice, the biggest website for Republicans in the state, is now a BLOG.
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