Friday, September 08, 2006

School Choice Friday

Rep. Stan Lee will hold a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda next Thursday to announce a school choice bill.

The KEA won't let the Democrats discuss this critical issue intelligently, but it will be very interesting to watch the interested parties come together to promote real improvement in public education in this state.

The starting point is the abuse of special education students by pubic school systems.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Grayson In The Spotlight Again

Impeccable timing is becoming a Trey Grayson hallmark. Looks like everyone is talking about him and spelling his name correctly today -- even the liberal bloggers.

Mel Gibson Democrats?

Wow.

Breaking The Logjam

Nancy Pelosi isn't going to like this.

Democrat Congressman Dan Boren of Oklahoma has broken through his party's restriction against supporting HR 25, The Fair Tax. Closer to home, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) also signed on as a cosponsor yesterday.

Playing To The Peanut Gallery

"There was a complete systemwide effort to purge the merit system of anyone but Republicans," Attorney General Greg Stumbo told Sue Wylie on her Lexington radio show this morning.

Nothing Going On: How About A Headline?

This should be a good indication of what the next fourteen months will look like. Wall-to-wall merit hiring scandal. Hey, I thought that was over!

What is over is any chance of an effective defense.

A Sneak Peak At A Dem Majority

Here.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Slick Willie Coming To Lexington?

A good source reports perjurer-in-chief Bill Clinton is coming to Louisville in October to help raise money for Kentucky Democrats.

Don't Blow Up My WalMart

The Democratic Party's war on WalMart took an odd turn this morning in Nicholasville when a young man named Kenneth Wesley Brady was arrested for terroristic threatening.

2007: Expanding The Slates?

Gubernatorial hopefuls for 2007 in Kentucky are taking an unusual approach to next year's campaign: putting together de facto teams of candidates for all the constitutional offices to run together as expanded slates in the primaries.

Developing...

Money-Motivated Learning In America

Robert Samuelson has an interesting essay about formal education versus lifelong learning in America.

He says Americans' thirst for practical knowledge is an explanation of our high productivity despite our schoolkids' poor standing on international math and science tests. In short, we start learning when it starts mattering to us financially.

The trick is to engage that motivation before middle school.

Return Of Government Takeover

The Lexington Herald Leader is back on the water takeover bandwagon. The evil perpetuated by RWE now involves the most democratic of business moves: taking their company public.

If all those energetic folks who want the government to condemn the water company really want local ownership, they should put their money -- and not taxpayers' -- where their mouths are. Buy some shares.

Today's editorial adds nothing of value to the debate. Just more whining. More on the way between now and election day.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Merit Hiring Mess Starts Again

With a bipartisan grouping of three nominees for the Personnel Board, AG Greg Stumbo begins anew his death of one thousand cuts for Governor Ernie Fletcher.

The bleeding caused by Republicans was slowed briefly two weeks ago when the criminal case against the Governor was dismissed, but it should begin again soon as Stumbo's Personnel Board coup takes shape.

More Chaos In Mexico

Mexico's Al Gore refuses to concede the Presidential election he lost in July. This should be interesting.

KY Senate Dems On Thin Ice Tour

State Senate Democrats depend very heavily this fall on two of their members and one candidate, all with serious legal problems, to prop up their party's agenda next year.

Convicted felon Carroll Hubbard's race is the subject of a column in the Herald-Leader today. Paul Patton restored his rights to run for office.

Sen. Johnny Ray Turner has been indicted in a vote buying scandal.

And Sen. Ed Worley is embroiled in LandScam, a racketeering lawsuit in which he is currently struggling to have tape recorded evidence of himself contradicting his own sworn testimony suppressed from the public.

Nice work guys.

Monday, September 04, 2006

We Need A Boston Tea Party

A year ago, Congressional Democrats were congratulating themselves for stifling Social Security reform. Since then, they have refused to suggest an alternative. Their rigid support of the status quo must not go unanswered.

Click here for a bipartisan suggestion, and here for the Republican bill to make it happen. And yes, I know it is a new bureaucracy. But it is one specifically designed to cut spending and we are having no luck cutting spending through the political process.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

"Give A Man A Fish" Democrats

Labor Day is a good time to give thanks for the freedoms we Americans enjoy because of the continued growth of our economy for future generations. Recognizing that entrepreneurship brings unparalleled vigor to our way of life, forward-looking American public policy generally encourages individuals to strike out boldly on their own in pursuit of the American Dream.

Sadly, Democrats can only manage to nip at the heels of the great American economic engine with pitiful, counterproductive minimum wage tax increase proposals. On Friday, Senator Ernesto Scorsone (D-Lexington) gave us another one.

Massachusetts Train Wreck 7/1/07

The Boston Globe reports on progress for socialized medicine in Massachusetts. It will be in place by July 1 of next year. The best part will be all the people appealing their premiums on an individual basis, sitting in hearings explaining why $18 a month is too much to pay for health insurance with necessities like cable tv, cell phones, junk food, booze, tattoos, tricked out cars, bling, etc. Should be a hoot seeing all the whining this one is going to cause.

I can't imagine Governor Mitt Romney's bid for the GOP Presidential nomination surviving this mess.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

"Invincible" Americans

My wife and I went to see the Disney movie "Invincible" last night.

Don't go see it unless you actually like inspiring, moving experiences that make you laugh, think, cry -- I got some popcorn in my eye, but you might be moved to tears -- and that leave you wondering how you would stand up under truly difficult economic challenges.

The true story is based on the life of Vince Papale, a 30 year-old Philadelphian struggling to make ends meet in 1976. He lost his job, his wife, and his sense of hope in rapid fire succession before an open tryout with the NFL's Eagles led to a three year pro football career. Part of the story was the pervasive hopelessness spawned by limited economic opportunities for Vince and his friends in their south Philadelphia neighborhood.

That subtext of the movie had me wondering how we would survive under truly difficult circumstances in this country. Some would have us believe we are now about to slip into a Depression to make the 1930's look good, but the truth is we are so wealthy in America that a real downturn would be a horrific shock to most of us.

How would we survive it? I can't help wondering how long we would bicker, fight, and blame before we pulled together and made do to the best of our abilities.

As the fifth anniversary of 9/11 draws near, it is hard to not feel a little nostalgia for the brief time when Americans were on the same page, as well as what it would take to get us back there.

Go see the movie. I think anyone would enjoy it, but it just might leave you pondering the invincibility of Americans.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Northern KY Scandal Brewing

Sources in Frankfort report a juicy lawsuit is about to explode all over Democrat House candidate Randy Blankenship.

Apparently he has a little problem with other people's right to privacy. This one will be fun to watch.