In A Perfect World...

In a perfect world, this morning's story in the Herald Leader wouldn't be the first time the state MSM has considered whether AG Greg Stumbo was just grandstanding when he filed the price-gouging lawsuit against Marathon Oil.

In a perfect world, no one would have to be told this is what's going on.

Then again, in a perfect world Governor Fletcher would have already called off the three year old state of emergency that allowed Stumbo to file the lawsuit.

Dropping Out On The Installment Plan

Madison county is going to start a "secondary GED option" that requires high school students who are two years behind to stay in school fifteen hours a week and complete job training before dropping out.

This should be their first clue this isn't going to work out for anyone but the school system, which will get to show better "graduation" rates:

Board member Doug Whitlock described it as a great program, but he wanted to make sure it is monitored.

“I would hate to see this turn into something that other students would see as an easier way out,” he said.

Lefty Comes Unglued Over Boyfriend Bennies

Rep. Tom Burch has bought into the story that Kentucky taxpayers should foot the bill for "domestic partners" at state universities, even if they blow the lid off the costs like Attorney General Greg Stumbo wants them to:

Louisville Democrat Rep. Tom Burch, the other opinion seeker, said he is all for UK’s effort to extend health benefits. However, as chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee, he sought Stumbo’s opinion because he wanted more legal standing before allowing his committee to pass the measure that would have explicitly blocked Kentucky’s public universities from providing domestic partner benefits.

“I figured if we had a clear decision on it, one way or the other, then it would be a more opportune time to deal with that issue. It was strictly to clear the air on that, (because it) might be wrong just to cave into a minority group out there that was raising Cain about it,” Burch told Business Lexington.

While the bill was in front of his committee, Burch said, he got more calls from people urging its passage than anything else he could remember, but said when he returned constituent calls, their information on the bill was lacking.

“I called these people back and talked to them about it,” Burch said. ‘They said, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that bill; my preacher asked me to call.’” “Talk about an uninformed public,” Burch continued, “and believe me, the preachers don’t know anything either ... Let them stick to what Jesus said: ‘Give to Caesar those things that are Caesar’s and to God those things that are God’s.’”

“Everybody should have health insurance, and we should be encouraging people to get health insurance,” he added.

Thanks to Erik Carlson at Business Lexington for getting what has to be the goofy quote of the day. And thanks to Rep. Tom "Caesar" Burch for depicting so precisely what is wrong with Frankfort.

WalMart Shoppers Should Demand Health Reform

There is a big change coming to health care and Kentucky would be very wise to get on board. (Here's a hint: Hillary Clinton had nothing to do with it.) Health clinics in WalMart stores will heat up competition and Kentucky would do well to drop all barriers to health insurance companies returning to the state and to repeal Certificate of Need laws so we can have more competition across a broad range of health services.

WalMart really is amazing. What are they going to next, in-store private schools?

Late Night Lexington Jail Cover-Up Open Thread

What's your favorite part of the Mayor Jim Newberry scandal?

New Liberal Plan To Get Money Out Of Politics

Taxpayer-funded Democratic Party Chairman Jonathan Miller got Common Cause chairman Richard Beliles to file an ethics complaint against Senate President David Williams for raising money for Republicans.

KY 3CD Action Ramps Up

Erwin Roberts is running for Congress.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dan Seum, who is looking at the same race, just got back from a testing-the-water trip to Washington D.C.

Mitch McConnell Jumps The Shark On Gas Prices

Sen. Mitch McConnell today messes up his own call for expanding domestic petroleum production by playing a partisan political game that out-lived its usefulness the first time it was used:

The average price of gas has gone from $2.20 to $3.15 a gallon since the Democrats took over the Senate.

Good grief. Republicans aren't going to win on gas prices any time soon because too many people think the government can lower prices by making up more price gouging laws. Blaming gas price fluctuation on Harry Reid isn't going to advance exploration efforts or anything else.

Putting The Cart Way Before The Horse

Senator John McCain is interrupting his faltering campaign for the GOP presidential nomination to hold a press conference today in Los Angeles. He will be discussing Hillary Clinton's hidden earmarks inside the Defense spending bill.

Rude Awakening On Tap For Fayette Jail Union

The CWA union thugs representing corrections officers at the Lexington jail have joined hands with Mayor Jim Newberry in his cover-up of the wild array of misconduct surrounding the facility.

If the union thugs expect Newberry and his crowd will protect the union when the poop hits the fan at the jail, they just aren't thinking it through.

Bunning Joins Eight Senators In Calling For Enforcement Of Current Immigration Laws

So my question is how can there be just nine U.S. Senators who want to enforce current laws before passing more?

Just nine?

Yes, just nine.

Bipartisan Agreement On Barbara "Typo" Erwin

What in the world are we doing messing around with an education commissioner who can't get her story straight on her own resume?

Surely there is someone out there who can do this $220,000 a year job without causing more embarrassment to public education in Kentucky.

Would we have a problem like this if the education commissioner were an elected office?

Michael Moore Endorses Al Gore

Get your tin foil hats ready, folks. The interview goes a little long -- okay, nine minutes of Michael Moore is a lot long -- but he waxes goofy about what a great thing "free universal health care" will be. This should help Gore in the primary. At least until Streisand, Rosie, and the Baldwin brothers weigh in.

Maybe We Should Check Her Socks

Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton's former Secretary of State, has formed a group in support of "strong liberal values, and the need for strong national security."

The site is remarkably free of any kind of specifics. These folks really are going to keep their mouths shut until Hillary's move-in day, aren't they?

Rudy, Mitt, McCain Are Falling For It, Will You?

GOP presidential contenders are lending their names to a global redistribution effort (USA pays, everyone else receives) that won't earn any of them one single vote. I'll give you a hint, the ONE campaign's Kentucky director just moved to Montana.

Lowell Reese Says Fletcher May Lose And Take Trey Grayson Down With Him

He says it on this podcast.

"I don't think anybody else (other than Richie Farmer) on the Republican down ticket will be elected unless Fletcher is elected. And furthermore, Fletcher will have to get over 53% maybe somewhere around 54% of the vote in order to pull anybody in with him on down ticket. So you've got Trey Grayson, Melinda Wheeler, Linda Greenwell and the others. They're not going to make it. They don't have really a chance of making it unless Fletcher gets 53% or 54% of the vote which he is not expected to do. It's beyond precarious. It's dismal at this moment, because I think it is very uphill for Fletcher given the mood of voters in Kentucky."

Interesting. What do you think?

Floyd County Prepares For Stumbo AG Term End

Call it the anti-Greg Stumbo ordinance.

Volunteer State Candidates About To Step Up?

Funny to see Dem and GOP front-runners for the White House in 2008 trailed closely in third place by former Senators from Tennessee, neither of which is officially in the race.

Fred Thompson trails Giuliani and McCain, while Al Gore trails Clinton and Obama. It would be fun to see Al Gore run twice and lose his home state both times.

Scrap The Tax Code Now

If you don't know the history of the the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, now would be a good time to read a little history about how we started on the path to what is now a ridiculous monster of a federal tax code.

I think the debate should be between whether we start with repeal of the 16th amendment or with instituting a new method for funding the government and then clean out the anachronisms later. The only option that doesn't hold any water is sticking with the status quo.

For the record, I think repealling the 16th amendment now and forcing Washington to come up with an alternative is the only way to go because it is the best way to get started on change.

Even the very blue states are going to have a tough time resisting a loud and persistent call to move away from the mess of a tax code we have now. Alternatively, they can shut down a specific reform proposal in a variety of ways, in which case we wind up with nothing.

Jack Conway, Call Your Webmaster

The Conway for Attorney General team still has on the front page of its website an article that chides his opponent Rep. Stan Lee for advocating a ban on taxpayer-supported boyfriend health benefits at state universities.

Conway used the "domestic partner" benefits issue as part of his liberal campaign agenda until he was forced to admit its unconstitutionality eight days ago.

Better work up a new one, boys. What's next Jack, diapers for politicians?