Musical Chairs In Lexington's City Hall

Some observers thought Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry might be serious about cleaning up the mess in Lexington's public safety bureaucracy when he fired Rebecca Langston from her post as Public Safety Commissioner.

Alas, it was not so.

Langston has re-upped as Council Administrator, Grade 121E, and is being paid more than $85,000 a year for her trouble.

Union Attorney Champions Government Healthcare

Polwatchers just needs a different headline on this post.

Battling It Out In A Casino Town

Since Ernie Fletcher reported from Aurora,Illinois, the town has been in an uproar. The hubbub isn't because of the controversy over its casino, but because Planned Parenthood is trying to sneak a huge abortion clinic into the town.

There has already been a big pro-life rally. Next Tuesday, the pro-abortion folks will take to the streets.

Just Like Being Homeless, Except When It Isn't

Cardboard box? Check! Outside all night? Check! Pizza, movies, and live music? Check!

In what is easily the most ridiculous thing I have heard since Speaker Jody Richards blew up the July special session and promised to return legislators' paychecks but didn't, Eastern Kentucky University students are going to sleep outside overnight to "to create a sense of empathy for problems the homeless face every day."

If you've seen the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," this next part will infuriate you:

Participants will partake in free pizza and refreshments, as well as enjoy live music during the event. At 9 p.m., a speaker from United Way will take the stage, followed by a screening of the Will Smith film "The Pursuit of Happyness." The film was chosen for its relevance to the issue at hand.

"We have a big outdoor screen," said David Fifer, student body president. "It's a moving tale on the plight of homelessness."

There is more, but I just can't stand it. Read it yourself.

"Honey, The Union Thugs Are At The Door Again"

Kentucky's most politically active union members will be knocking on doors this Saturday to benefit the big government, high tax, anti-growth policies of gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear.

Don't Lose Jack Conway's Pants If He Wins AG

Remember the story of the bozo judge who sued his Washington D.C. dry cleaner for $67 million after his pants went missing?

Well, the bozo didn't get the money but he did destroy the business.

The bozo judge has graciously lowered his demand from $67 million to $54 million.

By the way, if anyone finds Jody Richards' pants let us know. He is carrying around hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

George W. Bush The Fiscal Liberal

Alan Greenspan says George W. Bush has been a big spender. Dick Cheney says it ain't so.

The data says -- Republicans deserve to lose when they spend like Democrats.

Taking A Break From The Action

Still waiting for Jody Richards and the House Dems to pay back our tax dollars? Me too. While we are waiting, hit this link and play a little chess.

If you can beat that darn thing, you are a better man than I am. Pay up Jody.

Beshear Can't Back Up Education Statement

The Louisville Courier Journal reports Steve Beshear wants to depend more heavily on CATS testing because, he says, it is a better measure of skills than NCLB.

Better at what, keeping liberal hacks employed at the Kentucky Department of Education?

In the face of no evidence to back up his confidence in CATS testing, Beshear should have to explain what he means by this.

Can Ernie Fletcher make him do it?

BIPPS Rips Questionable School Data, Spending

The conclusion of this article is that Kentucky public schools don't need more money as much as they need more honesty and greater accountability.

These incremental rates of educational improvement seem out of whack with the massive new spending that accompanied the Kentucky Education Reform Act. So those expecting reform from within the Kentucky Department of Education best look elsewhere.

Research Report 338 published last year by the Legislative Research Commission found that while educators now devote more money to improving key educational outcomes, “spending for programs linked to specific accountability areas, such as reading and math core content, currently cannot be analyzed” due to misreporting of expenditures. The report stated that such misrepresentation “limits the ability to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs.”

For several spending categories at some schools, the commission found it impossible to determine where much of the money went, concluding in its report that “there is no way to identify the specific purpose of the expenditures or to evaluate the impact of the spending.” Due to this atrocious accounting, it’s likely that even a competent audit could not track the money.

Following Through On Jody Richards' Political Stunt

Remember after the aborted special session this summer when legislators promised to return the paychecks they didn't earn?

Those checks still haven't been returned.

Get them in now, folks, and let us know when you did it.

The 45 Million Uninsured Looks More Like 8 Million

Before you run off to your next "Socialize Me More" rally, please watch this:

What The AG Race Poll Numbers Tell Me

Attorney General candidate Stan Lee needs to start talking about why he voted against the budget bill that heaped over $2 billion in debt onto future Kentucky taxpayers.

The poll released last night says Lee won't win unless he clearly displays his record of independence.

Disappointing

I just spent an hour watching our gubernatorial candidates not talk about the elephant in the room: our public employee benefit plans.

On Having, And Eating, Government Cake

Ohio is considering a couple of bills to cut down on public employee double-dipping.

We should do the same here.

Where's My Socialized Car Insurance?

Despite existing laws mandating car insurance, Kentucky has as high a rate of uninsured drivers as it does of people without health insurance.

So on the day President Hillary is set to announce how she is going to force everyone to buy health insurance and then make taxpayers pick up the cost for everyone who "can't" afford it, I have to wonder when she is going to socialize our car insurance as well.

But, of course, if we "go Canada" on car care, will we have to wait a year to get our cars fixed in the event of an accident? Cars are a necessity, you know. Actually, they are a right...

Can I get an Amen for universal cars?

Make mine a Mercedes!

Rewriting History Of Recent Fiscal Insanity

The Club for Growth points out liberal former Senator Lincoln Chafee is no longer a Republican.

There is one point in the article about Chafee that needs to be addressed, though.

Yesterday, he criticized Republican leaders for abandoning fiscal conservatism, once a mainstay of Republican politics, by passing tax cuts without spending cuts to balance the resulting loss of revenue.

The truth is federal tax revenues are at an all-time high. Excessive "Republican" spending -- championed by RINOs like Chafee -- was the problem, not "Republican" tax cuts.

"Let The People Decide" Baloney

The Lexington Herald-Leader has released another poll about how overwhelmingly the people of Kentucky want to vote on casinos.

The only question that matters needs to be asked of Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Jody Richards.

If they won't both bring it up for both chambers of the legislature to approve, it is a moot point.

And they won't.

Wouldn't it be great if they did a poll instead on public pensions, prevailing wages, repealing certificate of need, repealing prevailing wage, making Kentucky a "right to work" state, public school accountability, or economic development accountability?

Casinos + Cigarette Tax Increase = ???

You wouldn't know it from reading the Lexington Herald-Leader or the Louisville Courier-Journal, but a couple of issues Kentucky will face in 2008 are hitting Indiana now.

We would save ourselves a little time if we paid attention.

Indiana already has casinos, but they just raised cigarette taxes another 44 cents per pack to expand health insurance coverage.

This is happening while gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear is promising to expand government-paid health insurance and several other initiatives with new casinos alone.

Beshear's scam might get him elected, but his questionable proposals have done little to inspire confidence that anything more will come of that than putting Democrats back in charge of abusing the merit system.

Yellow Jacket Family Day Open Thread

I'm in Atlanta for Georgia Tech's Family Weekend and don't expect to have time for getting online.

By the way, my son just got his KEES scholarship money credited to his checking account. So for all you lottery ticket buyers -- and losers -- thanks again.

And since KEES' open-ended promise and declining lottery sales cause us to dip into the General Fund now, thanks to everyone else.

And ... for the parents who encourage their kids to take easy high schoool courses so their kids can maximize KEES awards -- and then flunk out freshman year due to lack of preparation -- thanks even more. I'll have two kids using your money next year!