Thursday, November 08, 2007
Fayette Jail Abusers, Call Your Lawyers
A federal grand jury in Covington indicted several people this afternoon, but won't say whose number got called. Is your name on the list?
The Effeminate Men Unemployment Act of 2007
(Advance warning: There is no "gay-bashing" in this post. It is about economics.)
The U.S. House passed a bill last night which would criminalize employment discrimination based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation."
Rather than risk lawsuits, employers will simply avoid hiring anyone whose sexual orientation might be in question. It is much easier to come up with a reason for not hiring an individual than it is to get rid of a problem employee who may then sue under anti-discrimination laws.
But don't ask me, ask a black economist.
Rep. Barney Frank sponsored the bill and, in a blow to Kentuckians of various sexual orientations some will fail to recognize, Rep. Ben Chandler and Rep. John Yarmuth voted for it.
The U.S. House passed a bill last night which would criminalize employment discrimination based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation."
Rather than risk lawsuits, employers will simply avoid hiring anyone whose sexual orientation might be in question. It is much easier to come up with a reason for not hiring an individual than it is to get rid of a problem employee who may then sue under anti-discrimination laws.
But don't ask me, ask a black economist.
Rep. Barney Frank sponsored the bill and, in a blow to Kentuckians of various sexual orientations some will fail to recognize, Rep. Ben Chandler and Rep. John Yarmuth voted for it.
Governor Fletcher, Call Off Ed Comm. Hiring
Governor Fletcher would do his political legacy some good if he were to join Governor-elect Beshear in successfully encouraging the state school board to call off hiring one of the current four finalists for the education commissioner job.
We can do better.
We can do better.
The Next Education President
Found an interesting search tool that allows you to see some of the education proposals of each of the presidential candidates.
A couple of interesting points I hadn't seen before:
Mitt Romney supports English-only education and proposes a federal program waiving in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for top students.
Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Tom Tancredo are all on-record supporting some form of parental choice in schools.
Barack Obama wants students at high schools without AP courses to apply for grants to pay for college courses.
Hillary Clinton wants to spend $10 billion on universal pre-kindergarten and increase the tuition tax credit from $1650 to $3500.
A couple of interesting points I hadn't seen before:
Mitt Romney supports English-only education and proposes a federal program waiving in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for top students.
Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Tom Tancredo are all on-record supporting some form of parental choice in schools.
Barack Obama wants students at high schools without AP courses to apply for grants to pay for college courses.
Hillary Clinton wants to spend $10 billion on universal pre-kindergarten and increase the tuition tax credit from $1650 to $3500.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
First Word On 2008 Budget
Well, it's not quite as bad as "I don't have a clue," but Governor-elect Steve Beshear's first crack at comment on his first budget is not too inspiring.
And this is before he has been hit with the two ton gorilla Beshear was stumped by on the campaign trail: public employee benefits.
And don't forget about that promise to repeal the dreaded LLET.
And this is before he has been hit with the two ton gorilla Beshear was stumped by on the campaign trail: public employee benefits.
And don't forget about that promise to repeal the dreaded LLET.
Shutting Down Treasurer's Office Still Good Idea
If the idea of shutting down the Treasurer's office hadn't been presented as a deathbed conversion three months into a four-way primary and then backed away from late, Melinda Wheeler might have had a chance.
The important thing to realize is we still have a bill.
The important thing to realize is we still have a bill.
Still Good For Wrapping Fish
The Louisville Courier Journal went all in for the Louisville Library Tax Increase and got hammered by a two-to-one margin.
What's next, guys?
What's next, guys?
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Best New Rumor On Election Night
Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer may file to run against Congressman Ben Chandler next year.
Congrats To Steve Beshear
Steve Beshear ran the race he needed to run to win. And he won big.
Those of us who have seen the great hopes we had four years ago dashed and stomped upon over these last four years by people we gave our trust to can still hope we won't fare too much worse at the hands of those we trust very little.
So the new sheriff has his town. Hope he does things that benefit us all.
Governor Beshear will find bipartisan support in calling for the state school board to abort their hiring plans for a new commissioner and start a real nationwide search for a superstar to come in here and really get our public schools on the right track.
Those of us who have seen the great hopes we had four years ago dashed and stomped upon over these last four years by people we gave our trust to can still hope we won't fare too much worse at the hands of those we trust very little.
So the new sheriff has his town. Hope he does things that benefit us all.
Governor Beshear will find bipartisan support in calling for the state school board to abort their hiring plans for a new commissioner and start a real nationwide search for a superstar to come in here and really get our public schools on the right track.
Changing The Subject? You Bet...
Ron Paul is raising enough money get some serious attention and Fred Thompson is on the air someplace. Wonder how much money the candidates will save not actually buying advertising time now that YouTube lets them get their message out for free:
One Overlooked Indicator Of Changing Winds
On his campaign blog, Senator Mitch McConnell has links to several blogs under the heading "Recommended Reading." Included in the list are Kentucky blogs Blue Grass Red State, Cyberhillbilly, KYPolitics.org, and Osi Speaks.
It will be interesting to note what happens to that list of state links after today's election.
It will be interesting to note what happens to that list of state links after today's election.
Happy New Media Day!
The first time I ever read a political blog was less than four years ago. Then I started this one in the spring of 2005. Now they are everywhere.
The political landscape in Kentucky is in for a big shakeup tonight and the blogs will have a lot to do with what things look like when the dust settles.
The political landscape in Kentucky is in for a big shakeup tonight and the blogs will have a lot to do with what things look like when the dust settles.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Ho-Ho-Ho-Hosed!
Another fine Christmas present for Fayette County taxpayers will be the soaking they get from a wage abuse class action lawsuit stemming from mismanagement at, you guessed it, the Fayette County Detention Center.
Read it and weep.
Read it and weep.
Tax-For-Hacks Showdown Tomorrow
The Club for Growth has picked up on the Louisville Library Tax increase. The city's big taxers found a loophole in the law against using municipal workers to run an on-the-clock campaign and Sen. Dan Seum has pre-filed a bill to close the loophole, but the cat is already out of the bag. Louisville voters decide on the tax increase tomorrow.
Hillary Clinton Freaks Too Early
Now might be a great time to ask Hillary Clinton how she is going to handle the terrorist threats:
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Huckabee For Breakfast
Before Mike Huckabee can be taken seriously as the "God candidate," he should stop lying about the Club for Growth.
Is Kentucky Moving To The Left?
Al Cross said this:
This election is almost entirely about Fletcher and his record, so Beshear should be careful about claiming any sort of mandate.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Courier Journal Exposes Self On Education
... and the Bluegrass Institute is there to shine the light.
Pimping My Ride
We are working on some major improvements to the Kentucky Votes website. Tuesday night, win or lose, the next item of business will be limiting the damage to taxpayer wallets in the 2008 General Assembly starting in January and Kentucky Votes can help.
A great way to keep track of the action is to go to www.kyvotes.org and register for daily updates. You don't have to put any personal information in to register (though it would be nice if you did!). All we really need is an email address to send your updates.
So, if you haven't already, please take a minute to register on Kentucky Votes and leave the driving to us!
A great way to keep track of the action is to go to www.kyvotes.org and register for daily updates. You don't have to put any personal information in to register (though it would be nice if you did!). All we really need is an email address to send your updates.
So, if you haven't already, please take a minute to register on Kentucky Votes and leave the driving to us!
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