Bad Bills

HB 165
HB 54
HB 158
HJR 6
HB 83
HB 107
HB 102
HB 87
HB 126
HB 153
HB 162
HB 148

Good Bills

HB 113
HB 18
HB 19
HB 58
HB 138
HB 45
SB 14
HB 85
SB 16
HB 118

Bad Bills

HB 38
HB 56
HB 46
HB 94
SB 36
HB 86
SB 7
HB 64

Good Bills

HCR 4
SB 5
HB 26
HB 15

Bad Bills

HB 111
SB 19
HB 11
HB 12
SB 20
HB 81
HB 72
HB 14
HB 156

Yarmuth: I Wanna Go Home NOW!

An hour ago, House Democrats in Washington D.C. tried to shut down their session for the year. Yarmuth voted to surrender.

Has he been talking to Jody Richards?

Smart Republicans Won't Touch Medicaid Fight

I just got off the phone with a spokeswoman from the Cabinet for Medicaid Services who told me they didn't have a comment on the Auditor's Performance Audit of their activities. She told me they are reviewing the audit and might have a comment by the end of the week.

The only problem with that is the audit included -- on page 108 -- a letter from the department dated December 5 responding to the audit.

This doesn't look good for what is left of the Fletcher administration.

Sniffing Out (Some) Conflicts Of Interest

The state just lost an appeal to eliminate what it said was a conflict of interest for a lowly technician at the airport in Frankfort who took on a second job to improve his skills.

But there has still been no official action taken against Rep. Harry Moberly in his conflict of interest as Budget Chairman and Vice President of Eastern Kentucky University.

I thought Governor Beshear said he was going to be different.

Tax Reform Idea Catching On

I will be on Leland Conway's radio show at 9:00 Monday morning talking about the Fair Tax. You can catch it in the Lexington area on 630 AM or on the net at www.wlap.com.

Boycott of Golden Compass A Success

The anti-Christian film Golden Compass has been a flop.

Merry Christmas!

Baseball Analogy For Fayette Jail Employees

Some of the criminals working inside the Fayette County Detention Center continue to delude themselves. They seem to think lack of mainstream media interest in their crimes and the fact no one with dark sunglasses and arrest warrants has shown up yet means no one is coming for them.

But several internal conversations at the jail have turned to the the inconvenient fact investigators took four years to indict slugger Barry Bonds.

The jail abuse evidence isn't nearly as hard to sort through as the steroid evidence, though.

Happy Hanukkah: MIller "Mistakes" Like Noodling?

Told you three weeks ago about the Lexington Herald Leader sitting on a Jonathan Miller scandal. Why they put it out now, in the middle of December and on one of the slowest circulation days of the year, makes about as much sense as this:

Overall, Parker saw her salary rise from $21,000 a year when Miller hired her out of college as a secretary in 2000 to $78,981 a year this year as deputy state treasurer. That's an increase of nearly 380 percent in seven years.

Miller denied any suggestion that he gave Parker undue favorable treatment but said he has relied on her input regarding "personal business" matters such as future job opportunities.

For instance, Parker accompanied Miller on a trip to Las Vegas between May 14 and 17, just after Miller dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor.

Miller said in an interview in September that he flew to Las Vegas in May for a trip that was "personal or personal business" in nature.

"No state government work," he said. "I'm kind of looking at my own job opportunities after I'm treasurer and also it's a nice place to relax."

It may well sound like sour grapes at this point, but this sordid episode displays perfectly how the mainstream media in Kentucky covers for Democrats. Can there be any doubt if Miller were a Republican that the last three weeks would have featured wall-to-wall news stories speculating about wild sex and gambling parties in Las Vegas and systematic abuse of the merit system?

This story is far from over.

Blog Blockergate 2

The Beshear administration is trying to decide if state employees should be reading political blogs on the job.

Is A Blog Without Comments Really A Blog?

Kentucky's Rep. Adam Koenig has started our first state legislator blog. It will be interesting to see how he does with it, who else follows him in putting one up, and if he decides to accept comments.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell already has a blog.

Sentenced To Life In New Jersey

We already know that half the people living in casino paradise New Jersey want to leave the state as soon as they can.

So it's hard not to wonder if they are now getting rid of the death penalty as some kind of economic development ploy.

Price Tag For Relevant KY Schools? $60 Million

This bill might have a chance to improve low-performing schools if it didn't have to depend so heavily on the Kentucky Department of Education.

Better Point Out Penalty For Misuse Of Military ID

Rep. David Floyd has pre-filed a bill to allow underage military members to purchase, possess, and drink alcohol.

Lexington's Wildcatting Taxi Service

Not everyone in the Lexington Police Department is happy that University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie gets a free ride home when he gets pulled over in town and needs a little extra help finding his way home safely.

Hitting The Ground Walking

Since Governor Beshear seems to be struggling to find things to talk about since his inauguration on Tuesday, may we suggest he seriously engage in the effort to open up the state's finances for oversight by those of us paying his bills?

I Admit I Am Biased

I don't have a problem with a Mormon getting elected President of the United States. What I have a problem with is this.