Grover Norquist Responds To Herald Leader Attack

The Lexington Herald Leader attacked Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform on today's editorial page and said gubernatorial candidate Billy Harper made a mistake by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Norquist sent me this response:

The Lexington Herald Leader’s editorial “Harper’s bad pledge,” incorrectly likens Mr. Harper’s signing of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to surrendering accountability to an out-of-state group. However, the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a commitment made to the taxpayers of a state, not to Americans for Tax Reform. This should be clear from the wording of the Pledge Mr. Harper signed: “I, ____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and all the people of this Commonwealth, that I will oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a statement of principle that one believes the government should not place higher burdens on hardworking families and businesses in order to fund ever-increasing spending.

Kentuckians should applaud Mr. Harper for putting taxpayers over big-spending interests and encourage all candidates running for office to make this important commitment.

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.

The Revolution Will Not Be Meaningful

This is not what they had in mind for internet video.

The much-hyped First 100 hours of Democrat rule of Congress has turned out to be such a waste of time they are trying to make a big deal out of video of the floor votes, for Heaven's sake. It would be funny if it weren't so pitiful.

Cracking Down On Business Activity In Kentucky

If you have never made your living in sales, you may not have been the least bit offended by the rush to stop all sales calls to people's homes a few years ago. While I'm not exactly pining for the days of abusive, incompetent telemarketers, a bill sponsored by Rep. Mitchel Denham (D-Maysville) goes way too far as an attack against business people.

House Bill 433 literally makes it illegal to do business by calling someone's cell phone. Banning and punishing deceptive sales practices is a proper and welcome function of government. But criminalizing sales calls that happen to be received by a cell phone or blackberry is ridiculous.

Bluegrass Bureaucrats To Defend Abuse Of Special Needs Students On Television Tonight

Kentucky Education Association President Frances Steenburgen and Jefferson County Teachers Association vice president Royce Whitman will go on the Kentucky Tonight program at 8 pm to explain their support for the poor treatment of special needs students in Kentucky schools.

Jim Waters from the Bluegrass Institute and LG Steve Pence will be on the program to question the status quo and to describe how HB 30 will help the children.

Jimmy Carter Won A Grammy Last Night

... which helps put into perspective the Dixie Twits' awards. The MSM will portray the awards show as another "turning point" in the war, but feel free not to fall for it.

They even had Al Gore make an appearance. Don't show him this or he will start that shrieking stuff again.

Can't Do Math? Your 'World' Needs You

Read this from the Drudge Report.

Hillary On War, Health Care; And Questions

Sen. Hillary Clinton said she would not vote to defund the war and she doesn't think reforming health care should cost additional money.

Wow. Smart politics. Obama and Edwards are running left, splitting that vote and leaving a clear path to the nomination for Hillary.

Two questions remain: do we believe her when she says things like this that make sense? Does it matter if Republicans can't come up with -- or get behind -- a candidate who can win in November 2008?

A side note: Salon.com did an expose on Obama that is still up but they did remove the term "uppity" after liberal Daily Kos called them on it. Funny!

Live Blog Lincoln Day In Jessamine County

Governor Fletcher, Rep. Jeff Hoover, and Billy Harper all spoke to the Lincoln Day lunch in Jessamine county. The three posts that follow describe their comments. As much as the state Lincoln day event was held in Northup country, this is Fletcher country. As it turns out, Governor Fletcher easily carried the day on style points. If the GOP primary is going to send a challenger in to November to try to keep the office in Republican hands, it looks like something different is going to have to happen.

After the gubernatorial candidates spoke, other statewide candidates also addressed the crowd.

Linda Greenwell said that if the party doesn't get behind the gubernatorial nominee, Republicans will lose.

Lonnie Napier said "if you want someone who can lay the Democrat nominee to rest in November, you're looking at the man who can do it."

Tim Coleman, candidate for attorney general, said that he will use the practical experience he has gained being a prosecutor. "I'm not a politician with a law degree."

Stan Lee, candidate for attorney general, gave easily the most rousing speech of the day. "I want to restore public confidence in Attorney General's office. Right now the Attorney General's office has about the same credibility as the Designated Driver program for the Cincinnati Bengals."
"I am going to win this race because I have been an attorney for twenty years, which is also the same amount of time it would take little Jack Conway to grow a moustache."
"If you still believe in the party of God, family, and country, Stan Lee is your man."

Brett Hall spoke for the Melinda Wheeler for Treasurer, saying he would be very brief in his comments. He wasn't.

John Larson, a candidate for Attorney General, said he wants to "hold the line on spending for jails and prisons." Said he is going to increase fiscal responsibility in the prosecution of crimes, suggesting that younger generation is being "picked on" by overzealous prosecutors. "Prosecutors can establish more alternative programs ... shorter sentences ... discourage unnecessary legislation."

Billy Harper Speaks To Jessamine County

"The governor bringing chili kind of adds a new dimension to delivering pork." -- This little joke was delivered and received much, much better than a similar one given to the statewide Lincoln dinner.

"We have to invest whatever it takes so every first grade student has a reasonable chance to get a high school diploma."

"Every dollar this state spends should go for education and job creation."

"The first thing we can do is have state money follow the student. If they can get a better education in a different district we should allow that, even if it means school vouchers."

Rep. Jeff Hoover Speaks

"During the past couple of years, I have worked closely with the Governor and I think he would tell you I have been a supporter of his."

"Anne and I had a discussion and we decided we would provide an alternative."

"I like Ernie Fletcher."

Regarding political problems of the Governor, "whether it is fair or unfair, it is what it is."

"When you have an election that will be focused on (scandals) we can not win. That is why we are providing an alternative."

"We can not afford to have the Democrats in charge of the executive branch of government again."

"We agree with a lot of the things the governor has said."

Hoover said the military exemption bill the governor is talking about was put up by Republican House members each of the last two years and died in part because the administration would not support it.

"We support repeal of the AMC." "That is a policy difference we have with the current administration."

Ducked question on school choice: "we just started the campaign three weeks ago." "We will be coming out with some specific policy positions very soon."

Ernie Fletcher Speaks to Jessamine GOP

Governor Fletcher speaks first:

Begins by talking about the state of the commonwealth back in 2003 when he was running for office. Says his administration kept 95% of promises made in his "Prescription for Kentucky."

Mentioned tax modernization, fetal homicide, sanctity of marriage, increased fetal screening, building schools and roads, highest rainy day fund in history of the commonwealth.

Future priorities: Exempting military from income tax, open up land to hunting, fighting war on drugs.

"Folks, we've already brought a change to Frankfort and we want to continue that."

Harvard Lecturer's Solution To Terror: Buy Advertising On Al-Jazeera

I never considered before such easy solutions to attacks by Islamic fascists as Harvard students were treated to a week ago:

...regarding how Bush might have taken the moral high ground in the wake of 9/11, Richardson said she would have had the media focus on all the Muslims killed in the attack on the Twin Towers and beam that information into homes across the Middle East.

What were we thinking trying to kill terrorists when all we needed was a good media campaign? That's just plain irrational. If only we were more like suicide bombers:

In fact, it might be said that even suicide terrorists are "extraordinarily rational, since they use minimum efforts for maximum effect."

And of course it is still fashionable on the left to give a benefit of the doubt to America's enemies that they wouldn't dream of extending to the President of the United States:

Nor, Richardson claimed, are terrorists fundamentally immoral, although their acts may seem supremely so from the point of view of their victims. An examination of terrorist Web sites reveals an obsessive desire to justify their acts morally, and some who have committed outrageous acts of brutality have at other times performed actions of conspicuous virtue.

Remember, boys and girls, war is not the answer:

Richardson replied that one of the most important characteristics of those like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. who refused to use violence to attain their ends was that they had a vision of the future, something terrorists rarely have. "For example, if you envision a Palestine where Jews and Arabs live peacefully together, it becomes obvious that the way to get there is not by killing each other."

And neither is seeing things as they really are:

"There's something about America that lends itself to exaggeration for the purpose of unification," Richardson offered. "I think it's undeniable that terrorism has replaced communism as a sort of bogeyman, that it's being used as a political football to engender fear."

Can there be much scarier to contemplate than the fact these are the kind of people whispering sweet nothings into the ear of President Hillary Clinton?

What, No Statue Of Jimmy Carter?

Looks like anti-Communists in Poland want to honor Ronald Reagan for understanding our enemies.

A Good Bill To Lower Health Costs

Senate Bill 135 changes the definition of excludable pre-existing conditions on individual health plans in Kentucky. It should allow premiums to come down by making it more difficult for people to hide illnesses when applying for health coverage.

This is only a small step, but it is in the right direction.

Ned Pillersdorf: Buying Gas Or Buying Votes?

The testimony in the Bath county vote buying case was interesting enough before one of the defense attorneys starting talking.

But Ned Pillersdorf, one of Maze's attorneys, questioned whether the money was to bring people to the polls or to help pay for gas.

Hey, isn't he the husband of Court of Appeals Justice Janet Stumbo?

What Role Will Tax Pledge Play In GOP Primary?

Gubernatorial candidate Billy Harper has signed the pledge liberals hate, the No Tax Pledge. This presents a fabulous opportunity for the Northup campaign and will be very interesting to watch.

Scandal: Toyota Doesn't Want To Go Broke

An "exposed memo" buzzing through Detroit will really get them worked up: Toyota North America wants to hold the line on wage growth so the same thing that has nearly wrecked Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors might not happen to them.

Can't have that, can we?

This "scandal" will embolden the UAW efforts to unionize Toyota.

All the more reason for passing Right to Work, filed yesterday.

Trying To Stop The Bleeding

Kentucky's long-term fiscal woes are going to get pretty scary if we don't do something about our pubic employee pension plans soon.

Rep. Bill Farmer (R-Lexington) deserves a ton of credit for trying to do something before it is too late.

The Dow Is Setting Records, Do You Know Where Your Social Security Is?

Personal accounts in Social Security are inevitable as stock ownership in America continues to climb.

The scare tactics just aren't going to last that much longer.

And when we start them, no matter who the president is, we will have to call them Bush Accounts.