While some gubernatorial candidates are sitting on their hands waiting for the Kentucky Derby to pass -- except Jonathan Miller, who announced breathlessly that Kathy Stein wants him to win (and we assume by that she means he will not just hold off Gatewood on May 22) -- they may be helping the environment. Less talking means less earth-baking carbon dioxide, right?
Silence and inaction is not such a blessing in January of legislative election years, though. When our lawmakers sit on their hands waiting for the filing deadline to pass before they do any substantial work in Frankfort, they cheat taxpayers. The next time our gubernatorial candidates grab an open microphone, they should propose that we push forward the election filing deadline until after the end of General Assembly sessions.
Too many of our legislative leaders aren't interested in open government or in being accountable to the public, but we need gubernatorial candidates with the courage to stand up for commonsense action like this.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Why Is This Man Still Employed By Lexington Jail?
The FBI investigation into the cover-up of prisoner abuse in the Fayette County Detention Center is still open. After the former mayor so quickly dismissed the evidence removed from the jail last summer as no big deal, current Mayor Jim Newberry has been strangely silent.
What say you, Mayor Jim Newberry?
Maybe They Should Outlaw Unhappiness First
Strange story from Switzerland has gun control activists prying guns out of the hands of people who want to commit suicide.
Looks like some kind of stupid law is on the way. Apparently 77% of poll respondents said there is no need to store both guns and ammunition in the same Swiss home.
Looks like some kind of stupid law is on the way. Apparently 77% of poll respondents said there is no need to store both guns and ammunition in the same Swiss home.
Jody Richards Lurches Leftward On Healthcare
Jody Richards has a plan: expand government programs and everything will be just fine.
Oh, and Richards has gone up with a television ad that looks like it was filmed in a graveyard.
Good place for it.
Oh, and Richards has gone up with a television ad that looks like it was filmed in a graveyard.
Good place for it.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Gig Is Up On Northup Campaign
When the Democratic gubernatorial candidates file their next campaign finance reports, some of them may need to report in-kind contributions from Anne Northup after she featured pictures of them in her latest attack ad.
Thanks Anne.
Northup has claimed, implausibly, that she would be a fiscal conservative in Frankfort. After years as a big spender in Washington, she might have difficulty making this one stick.
In fact, her statements have drawn a strong rebuke from the Kentucky Club for Growth:
Governor Fletcher might do better on fiscal issues in his second term, and he should. But none of his opponents can claim with a straight face to possess better conservative credentials -- which is to say a record of protection of taxpayer interests.
Thanks Anne.
Northup has claimed, implausibly, that she would be a fiscal conservative in Frankfort. After years as a big spender in Washington, she might have difficulty making this one stick.
In fact, her statements have drawn a strong rebuke from the Kentucky Club for Growth:
Like Nancy Pelosi, Northup voted "no" on all the Flake amendments that would have seriously reduced wasteful "earmarks."
Governor Fletcher might do better on fiscal issues in his second term, and he should. But none of his opponents can claim with a straight face to possess better conservative credentials -- which is to say a record of protection of taxpayer interests.
Putting Medicaid And Welfare In Perspective
While everyone is talking about healthcare reform: in the name of promoting freedom and self-sufficiency, can we get a candidate for governor to talk about getting people off Medicaid for a change?
Probably not.
Probably not.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Top General Assembly Target for '08: Perry Clark
Sen. Perry Clark is a marked man for 2008. Virginia Woodward is likely to come after him in a primary and Doug Hawkins is looking like the early favorite for the GOP nod.
This will be a war, because the GOP needs one more vote to pass medical malpractice reform.
Is Jody Richards Going To Bite Lawyers' Hands?
Gubernatorial candidate Jody Richards will discuss his health care plan tomorrow in Henderson with Dr. David Watkins by his side.
Dr. Watkins is a state representative and a Democrat who won election last year on the strength of his support for medical liability reform.
Liberal trial attorneys will go crazy when they see this. Richards is already in trouble with the left for his statement to the Kentucky Right to Life Association that he would not support a candidate for office who supports legalized abortions (question #9).
Dr. Watkins is a state representative and a Democrat who won election last year on the strength of his support for medical liability reform.
Liberal trial attorneys will go crazy when they see this. Richards is already in trouble with the left for his statement to the Kentucky Right to Life Association that he would not support a candidate for office who supports legalized abortions (question #9).
KAPT For Everyone: 2008 Wrecking Education Act
Rep. Rick Nelson(D-Middlesboro) has pre-filed a bill for the 2008 General Assembly in an effort to combat rising higher education costs in Kentucky. There is no way his proposal will have the intended result unless Rep. Nelson really wants to make college unaffordable for more Kentuckians.
Rep. Nelson's bill would freeze college tuition rates for two years and then mandate that future increases not exceed the general inflation rate. The bill says nothing about fee increases, which would be the quickest way for state schools to respond to this nonsense. Cost increases have to be paid by someone. After hundreds of failed attempts at price-fixing, you would think we could all agree that this is a poorly conceived attempt to address escalating costs.
Colleges might also respond to this proposal, if enacted, by cutting services. Is that what we want?
By setting their sights directly on lowering college costs in order to increase access to higher education, legislators have increased costs faster than if they had just left them alone. This focus on expanding colleges to receive too many unprepared students has driven up costs without a corresponding benefit.
A recent study showed some benefits of expanding merit-based scholarships and using that as a focus for improving higher education. Kentucky's KEES program is nothing more than HOPE-lite. When we recognize this, we will do better.
Rep. Nelson's bill would freeze college tuition rates for two years and then mandate that future increases not exceed the general inflation rate. The bill says nothing about fee increases, which would be the quickest way for state schools to respond to this nonsense. Cost increases have to be paid by someone. After hundreds of failed attempts at price-fixing, you would think we could all agree that this is a poorly conceived attempt to address escalating costs.
Colleges might also respond to this proposal, if enacted, by cutting services. Is that what we want?
By setting their sights directly on lowering college costs in order to increase access to higher education, legislators have increased costs faster than if they had just left them alone. This focus on expanding colleges to receive too many unprepared students has driven up costs without a corresponding benefit.
A recent study showed some benefits of expanding merit-based scholarships and using that as a focus for improving higher education. Kentucky's KEES program is nothing more than HOPE-lite. When we recognize this, we will do better.
Somehow, All Is Not Well In Casino-Land
"There's going to be a lot of depression, a lot of anger. A lot drinking, gambling, and desperate stuff going on."
... and some gubernatorial wannabes still hope to make Kentucky more like Las Vegas.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
A Little Financial Literacy Goes A Long Way
A report on consumer spending Monday could cause stock market prices to take a quick hit. If it does, the media will quickly predict economic catastrophe.
Don't fall for it.
Yes, the slump in the housing market is having an impact on the economy. And yes, a recession may be in our future. But the answer is to get out of debt by any means necessary and work to improve your earning power.
The last thing we want to do now is initiate the move to socialized medicine or start another round of "soak the rich" tax increases. Economic slowdowns come and go, but socialism is forever.
Don't fall for it.
Yes, the slump in the housing market is having an impact on the economy. And yes, a recession may be in our future. But the answer is to get out of debt by any means necessary and work to improve your earning power.
The last thing we want to do now is initiate the move to socialized medicine or start another round of "soak the rich" tax increases. Economic slowdowns come and go, but socialism is forever.
Pervertphobia: Good For Kentucky
The Lexington Herald Leader argues against Kentucky's law regulating where sex offenders can live:
The point of the law limiting where sex offenders live was to respond to other states doing the same thing. If we waited while all our neighboring states made efforts to run off their sex offenders, we risked becoming a magnet for perverts.
I still say we should just make it legal to harass them.
Thanks to Kenton District Judge Martin J. Sheehan for putting in writing what other public officials admit privately but are afraid to say: The ban that Kentucky enacted last year on sex offenders living near schools, day cares and playgrounds is bad law and poor policy.
The point of the law limiting where sex offenders live was to respond to other states doing the same thing. If we waited while all our neighboring states made efforts to run off their sex offenders, we risked becoming a magnet for perverts.
I still say we should just make it legal to harass them.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Time To Get Serious About Healthcare Reform
Everyone talks about making healthcare less expensive, but nothing ever seems to happen from there. Kentucky only needs courage to lead on this.
The Left wants to chuck the whole thing and let the government run it all. The idea that the government paragons of efficiency would administer services and lower costs merely be eliminating profit margins should be so implausible as to be unnecessary to address. That it must be addressed is a testament to the dire need for improved financial literacy among the electorate.
The Right simply fails to go far enough in allowing the free market to lower consumer costs.
Kentucky should dismantle its system of mandated benefits and byzantine regulations and allow any kind of company to offer any kind of financial arrangement for any kind of health services that they can sell a policy for.
The regulatory structure currently in place could keep itself busy chasing down companies that didn't live up to the obligations spelled out in their contracts. Lawmakers could work up stiff penalties for fraudulent acts.
The proliferation of competition brought on by this plan would improve service, increase customer satisfaction, and lower prices. Increased competition always does this. Stifling competition -- as our current approach does -- always allows the opposite.
The Left wants to chuck the whole thing and let the government run it all. The idea that the government paragons of efficiency would administer services and lower costs merely be eliminating profit margins should be so implausible as to be unnecessary to address. That it must be addressed is a testament to the dire need for improved financial literacy among the electorate.
The Right simply fails to go far enough in allowing the free market to lower consumer costs.
Kentucky should dismantle its system of mandated benefits and byzantine regulations and allow any kind of company to offer any kind of financial arrangement for any kind of health services that they can sell a policy for.
The regulatory structure currently in place could keep itself busy chasing down companies that didn't live up to the obligations spelled out in their contracts. Lawmakers could work up stiff penalties for fraudulent acts.
The proliferation of competition brought on by this plan would improve service, increase customer satisfaction, and lower prices. Increased competition always does this. Stifling competition -- as our current approach does -- always allows the opposite.
Overheard At The Louisville Right To Life Dinner...
Gubernatorial candidate Anne Northup is making plans to go scorched-earth against "all the people" who set her up to run and then stood by to watch her fall in the Republican primary this year.
Someone needs to get her on the record stating whether she intends to go to the Unity Rally after the primary. She should pick an issue, encourage Governor Fletcher to move forward on it, and help his campaign work on that issue. Leasing the lottery might be a good one. We have a lot of debt to pay off and that could get it done.
Billy Harper is showing signs he will stay involved in pushing his conservative agenda after the curtain falls on his campaign. Anne has campaigned on helping the Republican party advance its issues by winning this fall. If she really wants to do that, she is in a position to do so. But if Anne Northup plans to take her ball and go home, she should go now.
Someone needs to get her on the record stating whether she intends to go to the Unity Rally after the primary. She should pick an issue, encourage Governor Fletcher to move forward on it, and help his campaign work on that issue. Leasing the lottery might be a good one. We have a lot of debt to pay off and that could get it done.
Billy Harper is showing signs he will stay involved in pushing his conservative agenda after the curtain falls on his campaign. Anne has campaigned on helping the Republican party advance its issues by winning this fall. If she really wants to do that, she is in a position to do so. But if Anne Northup plans to take her ball and go home, she should go now.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Stumbo Favors Taxpayer Subsidy Of Universities' Unconstitutional Health Benefits
The downside of hitching a ride on a gubernatorial campaign is you wind up sticking your neck out on issues. Now that Bruce Lunsford has come out of the closet with a position on taxpayer dollars funding political activism on college campuses, Attorney General Greg Stumbo is going to have to come clean with whether he agrees -- which appears to be the case -- or not.
Lunsford told Polwatchers:
Does Stumbo agree with his running mate that the Kentucky constitution doesn't apply to state universities when they are promoting their liberal political agendas?
Lunsford told Polwatchers:
Public universities should be allowed to make their own decisions to hire the best and most talented professors, researchers and other staff.
Does Stumbo agree with his running mate that the Kentucky constitution doesn't apply to state universities when they are promoting their liberal political agendas?
Studying Blogging's Impact On Campaigns
What will this from Anne Northup's campaign do to the GOP gubernatorial primary? What about the general election?
How Do You Define Government Waste?
Everyone likes to talk about cutting government waste, but when it comes down to actually doing it too many supporters of the spending seem to come forward.
Citizens Against Government Waste, nonetheless, has 750 recommendations that would cut $280 billion in federal spending in the next year and $2 trillion over the next five years.
After the president vetoes the surrender budget, Congress will have another opportunity to ignore recommendations like this. But as our population ages, we are going to have to change the way we think about entitlement spending. As public retiree health spending bankrupts Kentucky, Medicare's red ink looms large on the federal front.
A fundamental shift in the function of government is necessary. It is one thing to rail against subsidies for studying methane production by cattle or bridges to nowhere, but until we get government out of places where it doesn't belong, such efforts will amount to nothing.
We must begin to cut back on the kind of businesses governments can get involved in. If we can manage that, we will eliminate a whole segment of government spending that generates much of the waste and corruption we see now. Only then can we get serious about cutting government spending.
Citizens Against Government Waste, nonetheless, has 750 recommendations that would cut $280 billion in federal spending in the next year and $2 trillion over the next five years.
After the president vetoes the surrender budget, Congress will have another opportunity to ignore recommendations like this. But as our population ages, we are going to have to change the way we think about entitlement spending. As public retiree health spending bankrupts Kentucky, Medicare's red ink looms large on the federal front.
A fundamental shift in the function of government is necessary. It is one thing to rail against subsidies for studying methane production by cattle or bridges to nowhere, but until we get government out of places where it doesn't belong, such efforts will amount to nothing.
We must begin to cut back on the kind of businesses governments can get involved in. If we can manage that, we will eliminate a whole segment of government spending that generates much of the waste and corruption we see now. Only then can we get serious about cutting government spending.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Libertarian View Of 2007 Race
Take Back Kentucky blasted Anne Northup and endorsed Gatewood Galbraith.
Kentucky Dem Treasurer Idol
I'm watching the Democratic candidates for Treasurer on KET, something I won't be doing for long. It occurs to me that what this debate needs is a Simon Cowell character.
"I've never heard such a dreadful answer. Why are you even here? Simply awful."
"I've never heard such a dreadful answer. Why are you even here? Simply awful."
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