Thursday, October 19, 2006

Julian Beard Quits Race For Council?

Teresa Isaac's economic development director Julian Beard has effectively abandoned his campaign for Lexington's 4th district council seat. Rumor has it his campaign officially died someplace between the mayor's short-lived effort to turn Lexington Mall into a softball field and the killer September flooding in downtown Lexington.

When last seen, Beard was still carping about the questionable judge's ruling that put him on the ballot even though he failed to get the necessary 100 petition signatures to qualify. His empty campaign never really got over that first hurdle.

On top of all that, his support for eminent domain abuse was enough to doom his campaign.

In other news, 7th district council candidate Justin Dobbs is still sorry for making up stuff about his opponent and putting it on the internet.

Kentucky Cameras For Bubba?

When Bill Clinton comes to Louisville next Tuesday, you can bet the television stations will all be there to record the fabulous non-event. So it was noteworthy today that not one single Lexington television station showed up when the next U.S. Senate Majority Leader spoke at a downtown event.

Clinton is bringing his irrelevent show to town to raise money for Democrats without ideas or money. Sen. Mitch McConnell came to a rally -- not a fundraiser -- for a dynamic House candidate. He spoke about Republican ideas.

Mike Farmer, the candidate, gratefully accepted the offer from McConnell to join him in Lexington and it was a good event. Rep. Susan Westrom (D-lightweight) says the event "shows how desperate they are to win."

Someone should ask the former state Democratic Party chair what it shows that her party is bringing in the impeached former President.

Elect Our Guy But Don't Ask Why!

The Lexington Herald Leader usually doesn't mince words on their editorial page when it comes to endorsing one particular party's candidates. Seems this year they aren't saying anything at all. It sounds a lot like when an outflanked, exasperated parent screams "Because I said so!"

Their ringing endorsement today for Rep. Charlie Hoffman (D-Georgetown) climaxes with the claim "Hoffman has developed into an effective lawmaker, albeit one who gets things done so quietly you hardly notice it."

Like when we hardly noticed him sneaking out of the debate about homosexual marriage two years ago to hide in the Capitol Annex until it was safe for him to come out?

Something like that, perhaps.

His one legislative accomplishment the Editorial Board could point to in eight years was last year's seat belt law.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Not MLK's Dream: Obama Says "I Had A Sense"

Sen. Barak Obama (D-IL) was on Oprah's coach yesterday auditioning for Vice President. He has a ton of charisma and will be a player in 2008 in some form.

The interview was actually going very well until he started talking about his perception of the war about to begin in Iraq, in the days before he started his run for the Senate.

"I said this is wrong," Obama said. "I had a sense that we would not find evidence of weapons of mass destruction."

For someone who liberally quotes Martin Luther King Jr., he sure does a fine Howard Dean impression now.

No, They Aren't Serious

Hey, look!

Yarmuth?

When Can We Schedule Miami U. in Football?

University of Miami President Donna Shalala has issued a no-tolerance policy for fighting on the football field.

UK needs opponents like this.

All Other Things Being Equal

A study of cocaine addicts tries to explain what motivates them. What a complete waste of time it is to worry about whether someone who has fried his brain is money-motivated or not.

Seems like they might start by asking themselves what kind of moron shows up for a "scientific" study and self-identifies as a criminal rather than simply ignoring the variable as they do here.

Kentucky's public school drug education program, DARE, seems to be effective. This is actually one program I would like to see expanded. Probably wouldn't hurt to start kids into the program earlier.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

It's Raining Doctors!

Even some good conservative folks are starting to talk about the inevitability of single-payer healthcare.

The problem is that it is too easy to say "healthcare is a right" unless you stop and think about what a heartless slogan this is. If healthcare is a right for you, whose responsibility is it to provide you with your right? Seriously, point him out.

Don Boudreaux wrote a good column that compares healthcare rights to food rights.

Legislators Shouldn't Get Pensions

The Bluegrass Institute takes on Kentucky's public pension crisis.

Very important issue.

Tax Me More. I Love It!

Rep. David Floyd has filed a bill to create a fund for people who want higher taxes to put their money where their mouths are.

I know it is not new, but this is a terrific idea.

The Brainless Lobby

The KEA cemented its reputation as a bunch of political hacks long ago.

So it serves merely as some form of sick comedy -- as in the joke's on us -- to read in the Lexington Herald Leader this morning that KEPAC, the teachers' union political action committee, endorsed a Senate challenger who purchased his college diploma from an unaccredited, online "university." They chose to do this merely on the strength of his being a Democrat and for his opposition to school choice in Kentucky.

School choice opponents never do explain how introducing market forces into the educational system -- that work well everyplace else they are tried -- presents such a threat to Kentucky students.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Whither The GOP?

Is Rudy Giuliani the next leader of the Republican party?

Overpopulation: Another Great Reason To Panic Unnecessarily

Now that we have 300 million Americans, isn't it time NOW started campaigning for more abortions?

I found a great article about why there is no reason for concern that we are going to overpopulate ourselves to death.

Dem Tidal Wave Fading Fast

A Washington Post story about election confidence in the White House is driving Democrats to distraction.

As weak as the argument is, the fact remains that would-be emergent Democrats are worse than the Republicans. All the scandals and difficulties would have been a golden opportunity for a stronger opposition party.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Jay-Walking With Andy Mead

Have you seen the funny segment on Jay Leno where he asks random clueless people questions about current events? The Herald Leader did something similar Sunday with a story in which they made up questions, supposedly from the "man on the street" and then provided answers.

The topic was the government takeover of Kentucky American Water Company. Great way to start a rumor. Here's the question:

Q: Yeah, I heard that a Middle Eastern country was going to buy it. Is that right?

What a ridiculous stunt. I would expect as much from the editorial page, but this was from a reporter.

The Worst Public Policy: Casino Gambling

Isn't it pathetic that some Kentucky lawmakers have given up on conventional, effective methods of funding state government and are hanging their hopes on littering the state with out-of-state casinos?

Just got my copy of the non-partisan Kentucky Candidate Information Survey. It includes the following question, posed in the form of a statement for candidates to agree or disagree with, which in my edition goes out to all state candidates in central Kentucky:

"The General Assembly should pass a constitutional amendment to legalize casinos."

The only "undecided" was from the leading supporter of casino gambling in the state, Sen. Ed Worley (D-Richmond).

Worse than trying to sell the idea that casinos will add revenues to the state coffers is hiding your avid support for the bad idea from the people you represent.

They Spent $37,500 For This?

The six month long project to produce a Lexington Herald-Leader hit piece on Mitch McConnell looks pretty weak so far.

But hey, we got a meaningless email and a memo!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

A Cause Worthy Of Your Support

My oldest son spent much of this past summer at Centre College for the Governor's Scholars program. If you went -- or know someone who did -- you probably agree it is a crown jewel in Kentucky's educational system.

The only thing that would make it better is participation in greater numbers. As it is, admittance into the program is highly competitive and can usually serve little more than 1000 students statewide. My son's school sent only five students. Lack of resources is the only reason they couldn't send more.

Private donations could help greatly expand the program. More info about GSP is available on their website. Check it out. And then go here and send them a few bucks if you can.

Barbra Streisand In A Bikini

Looking for a movie to take my boys to this morning and I came across a review written by Eleanor Ringel about the Robin Williams for President film, Man of the Year.

Best line of the review:

Further, Levinson's ideas are the expected liberal entreaties for fair play, tolerance, no-more-politics-as-usual. I imagine that, in Hollywood, these sentiments sound populist, evenhanded. But in a good chunk of the country, Levinson's pronouncements come off as if he spends every weekend swimming in Barbra Streisand's pool.

I think we will skip this one.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Pasley Goes Deep To Keep Liberal Base

Another day, another liberal politician in Kentucky pushing for socialized medicine...

Today at a lunchtime candidate forum at EKU, State Rep. Don Pasley (D-Winchester) flatly stated that America has to go to a single-payer health system.

His opponent is Ralph Alvarado, a Winchester physician.

It is highly unlikely Pasley came up with this left-wing idea on his own. I think Pasley is just trying to play some kind of weird class-envy card. That might work better for him if he talked to his neighbors and certain local groups of people more regularly than just at election time.

Democrats in Clark county are split on Pasley. Better keep an eye on this race.