Protect our precious local resource

The funniest thing I've seen all day is the Lexington Herald Leader caterwauling against itself over health benefits and sick days for the paper's employees.

The union is actually pointing out the Herald Leader is part of "a California corporation."

Somehow this reminds me of the many, many editorials in the same newspaper calling for the demolition of Kentucky-American Water Company because absentee ownership just couldn't be trusted locally.

So I just have to ask: can we really trust something as precious as our primary information source for the eastern half of Kentucky to a group of greedy bastards from, of all places, California?

Nine Minutes of Vanity, Kentucky Votes

I trade in my pajamas for a suit and go on television.

Three Things That Matter About Draud

New education commissioner Jon Draud had thought enough about that job to negotiate a four year, $220,000 contract plus $10,000 to live in a Frankfort hotel for the next six months. But he told the Lexington Herald Leader yesterday he hadn't yet gotten around to putting together a list of priorities for turning around Kentucky's schools.

Draud said he had not had time to draw up a complete list of priorities because he was only offered the commissioner's job Saturday night.

One priority we do know about is getting on the universal preschool bandwagon.

Despite this:

"A high percentage of elementary schools are on track to be proficient by that time," said Joe Brothers, chairman of the Kentucky Board of Education. But the number drops to 25 percent of middle schools, he said, and 12 percent of high schools.

In other words, Draud and the education bureaucracy want to pour more resources into the area that needs it least.

And speaking of bureaucracy: when it gets as bad as it is in Kentucky what we really need is someone to shake up the old ways and chart a new course.

Draud said two words that will define his work are cooperation and collaboration. "We've got to get people cooperating together to be successful," he said.

I'm in favor of people getting along, but the educrats have so badly mishandled the half of the state budget they are entrusted with that playing nice with them doesn't belong on our list.

Something To Be Thankful For Every Day

Three hundred sixty five days a year, we should be grateful for the many Americans who could vote themselves money out of the state and federal treasuries, but choose not to.

These are the kind of patriots we need.

Keep America Red, Nominate Hillary

Talking head Dick Morris blames President Bush for going easy on the Clintons and opening the door for Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic party's front-runner for the 2008 nomination.

Then Bush let Clinton off the hook another time when the former president’s former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger was caught smuggling classified documents relating to 9/11 and the war on terror out of the National Archives in his pockets and socks. The Bush Justice Department accepted a plea deal with Berger which did not require him to say what documents he had taken and why he had swiped them. As a result, we never knew what aspect of the Clinton record on terrorism Berger was so anxious to cover up.

I'm not a big Hillary fan, but I'm also not afraid of her. Her nomination would probably be the best thing to ever happen to the right-of-center blogosphere, which could use the help.

I think Hillary loses to whoever the Republican nominee is.

Kentucky Blogger Informs On Steve Henry

Louisville's Jacob Payne states on his blog that he turned over incriminating evidence against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Henry.

Is Damon Thayer Turning Into John McCain?

Sorry, but I can't sit here writing on a blog and have anything but disdain for more regulation of political speech. If a candidate can demonstrate claims are false, he or she can get media outlets to pull an ad. But in any case, what is more regulation really going to accomplish here? Straw man contributions got a lot of attention in the last election, but only because they were done so sloppily. In the next election, cheaters will just avoid running contributions through college students and hairdressers.

Senator Thayer says he is going to file the bill, but it isn't in yet. He should drop it.

Beshear's Chance For Change

Governor Ernie Fletcher gets thumped again by the Louisville Courier Journal this morning. But as usual, the CJ can't separate its fiction from fact.

Four years from now, Republicans are going to claim that they left Democrat Steve Beshear with a state government in sound fiscal shape.

Not true. And Mr. Beshear should say so, up front. He should make absolutely clear, without partisan carping or personal criticism, exactly what shape his predecessor left government finances in.

Clinging militantly to anti-tax dogma, Gov. Fletcher managed to create a mess, which Mr. Beshear will have to clean up.

Four years from now, Republicans are going to be as likely to bring up Ernie Fletcher's fiscal policies as Beshear will be on December 11 to devote his entire inaugural address to returning to the good old days of Paul Patton.

And this may be an opportune moment to remind Governor-elect Beshear of his October 26 promise to repeal Fletcher's LLET tax and to not raise any others.

Speaking Of The 2008 General Assembly

I will be on the Leland Conway show in Lexington this morning (630 WLAP) talking about bills coming up in Frankfort starting January 8.

Do We Really Need This?

The Lexington Herald Leader is sitting on evidence incoming Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller illegally pre-selected someone named Michael Bates to a position in the Treasurer's office and arranged special pay raises for his Chief Of Staff Brooke Parker.

A Holiday Blogger Oddity

I'm off for a while to spend some time with family, but wanted to check the site. Part of that routine is checking to see where search engine traffic is coming from.

It isn't always directly related to Kentucky politics.

Last night someone in Portland, Oregon googled "whips that make marks" and wound up on Kentucky Progress looking at an article about Rep. Stan Lee getting elected to House leadership.

Didn't stay on the site long...

Eat Like A Conservative At 40

The Wall Street Journal's Health blog says pig out on brain food this Thanksgiving! (Probably not bad diet tips for you twenty year-old liberals, either.)

Governor Beshear, Pick 1,512 Connected Friends Who Don't Need State Jobs And Don't Hire Them

If Steve Beshear is serious about operating state government employment policy within the law, he should read this.

Should We Read His Lips?

A news story from a CNBC reporter's discussion with a Treasury official suggests the Bush administration is considering lowering corporate taxes and replacing the "lost" revenue by instituting a Value Added Tax.

This is not a good thing.

If we are going to lower taxes -- and we should -- we really don't need to be creating any new ones to make up the difference. Other than as another way to manipulate corporations with the tax code, what good would that do?

MitchBlog To Bloggers: Read It And Weep

Senator Mitch McConnell's campaign blog takes issue with critics who say he is running away from the Republican party.

Picking Your Candidate

The Republican Party of Kentucky(RPK) sent out a press release this morning announcing three upcoming fundraisers for presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. The events will be in Northern Kentucky, Louisville, and Lexington on December 5.

The Lexington event will be a joint fundraiser for Giuliani and RPK.

Personnel Really Matters

One thing seems certain: if the state can reverse course on firing certain social workers...

The state has reversed its preliminary decision to fire Hardin County-based social workers who were accused in an Inspector General’s report of falsifying records and inappropriate conduct as they removed children from their parents, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced Tuesday.

...then surely they can reconsider botching the education commissioner hiring again.

Mutually Assured Casino Destruction

The Louisville Courier Journal calls Indiana "sleazy" and accuses its policymakers of "playing neighbors for suckers." In the same breath they deem the case for casinos in Kentucky "compelling."

Should Steve Beshear sign non-proliferation treaties with Tennessee, Ohio, and Virginia?

Raising The Curtain On Medicaid Miracle

Medicaid is $112 million underwater.

Not good. This hands Beshear his first big opportunity. Expect him to make the most of it.

The temptation is to think first about the role this will play in the casino debate, but it really just heightens the need for serious attention to the public employee pension mess. Also, Beshear should resist the urge to use this news as an excuse to break his campaign promise to repeal the LLET.

We can't reasonably expect Governor Beshear to recognize the need to cut government spending, but that would be his surest ticket out of this one.

Floppy Shoes, Red Nose, Grease Paint

Did Fayette County taxpayers have any doubt the FCDC guard busted last night for impersonating a police officer will be put on leave WITH pay?

Nope.

What could they possibly cook up next?