Gooch Wants To Tax Free Speech

Rep. Jim Gooch has filed a bill requiring editorial writers and cartoonists for "a news organization which engages for profit" to register with the state as lobbyists.

Senate To Consider Chris Thieneman Act

The state Senate is expected to vote tomorrow on a bill to prohibit city employees in Louisville from pushing ballot initiatives on the clock like they did in support of the doomed Louisville Library Tax.

Happy Ronald Reagan Day!

The state Senate just named today Ronald Reagan Day in Kentucky.

Enjoy!

Kathy Stein Time

The House Judiciary Committee has wasted an hour and a half listening to testimony on HB 304 that has had nothing to do with the actual bill.

There is no doubt legal immigration is great in a lot of ways, but the bill is about handling illegal activities of illegal aliens.

What a complete mess and embarrassment, Chairwoman Stein.

"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me A U-Haul"

The Lexington Herald-Leader wants to amend the state constitution to automatically restore voting rights to convicted felons. The bill stands no chance of passage, which is probably a good thing since we hardly need to expand the base of voters electing themselves bigger entitlements from taxpayers.

In fact, encouraging people to get with the program or get out of the state could become a theme in this General Assembly if we were to encourage suddenly civic-minded felons to find another state that wants their problems and their votes, along with sending illegal aliens and drug-abusing welfare recipients packing.

All Eyes On David Williams

Governor Steve Beshear continues to disappoint and now there is someone who can make him pay for it.

Now that Senate Republicans have picked up Dan Mongiardo's former seat, Senate President David Williams is the most powerful man in Frankfort.

Just don't screw it up like the Republicans in Washington D.C. did.

Entitlement reform, education reform, and transparency need to be at the top of the list.

That means this, this, and this. And then, for good measure, do this and this.

Lawmaker, Lawmaker, Give Me A Clue

In separate news stories today, we have young people getting involved in the legislative process. Unfortunately, they are both going about it in a way that misses the mark.

Matthew Spicer of Frankfort has put together an automated external defibrillator bill that will give the Kentucky Department of Education unwarranted control of private schools.

"Basically I want it in every public and private school in Kentucky," he said. "They should have AEDs and sporting practices and events."

If we want to mandate them in the public schools, that's fine. But the private schools probably all already have them, and don't need the state nosing around. Spicer and Graham should leave the private schools out of it.

Meanwhile, a Rockcastle county ten year old doesn't like high caffeine "energy drinks."

"I think it should be a law because there are a lot of kids that like them; they think it gets them up but it doesn't," Tate Clements said.

The fifth grader at Brodhead Elementary drank part of his sister's energy drink after hearing friends talk about the rush of energy the beverages can give.

"It was good at first but after a few minutes you start feeling all jumpy," Clements said.

A five minute discussion with this young man about liberty and purpose of laws would do him a world of good.

Who Is Leading The House?

Kentucky's House of Representatives is in disarray. The Democratic caucus hasn't even met once since the first week of the General Assembly. While they wait for Greg Stumbo to come and tell them what to do, some enterprising lawmakers need to start filing discharge petitions to get bills moving around the stagnant leaders.

House rule 48 describes the discharge petition procedure:

Whenever a committee fails or refuses to report within a reasonable time a bill submitted to it, a member may sponsor and file with the Clerk a written request, signed by twenty-five or more members, to call the same up for consideration on the next succeeding legislative day after the filing of the request. The effect of this petition shall be to bring before the House the question of whether the committee to which the bill has been assigned has held the bill for an unreasonable time.
Upon the motion of the member sponsoring the request, and if a majority of the members elected to the House concur that the bill has been held an unreasonable time, the bill shall be considered as though it had been regularly reported, and sent to the Rules Committee.

The Rules Committee's responsibilities are covered in House rule 41. The rule reads in part:

All bills and resolutions having been reported out of the committee to which referred and having received their second reading shall be referred to the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee may refer any bill or resolution before it back to a standing committee...
No bill or resolution shall be referred back by the Rules Committee on more than one occasion...
No bill may be kept in Rules Committee for longer than five legislative days. Within that time, each bill must be reported to the floor or referred back to a standing committee.

The House is sitting on their important bills and the rules provide discharge petitions to light a fire under House leaders. Let's get on with it.

Steve Beshear's Magic Carpet Ride

We are still waiting for Governor Steve Beshear to clue us in on how he is going to handle the public employee pension disaster. I'm guessing he has amended his earlier statement to a "no comment."

For the record, here is his earlier statement on the pensions.

Are We Almost Ready To Stop Screwing Around?

Governor Steve Beshear's casino bill probably doesn't even have the 60 votes to get out of the House. The cigarette tax as savior for the state is beyond ridiculous.

The only way out of our budget mess is to cut spending and the only question that matters is "where do we start?"

Cutting out prevailing wage, raising co-pays on Medicaid and state employee health plans enough to limit overutilization, stopping welfare payments to drug abusers, etc.

The answers are there. We just need a few more politicians with the courage to get it done.

Oodles Of Doodles On Google

For vanity's sake, I had to find out where I fit in to the 6.3 million Google entries bearing my name.

I'm number eight.

Queen Hillary In Your Spam Folder

If you have an email address, you have probably gotten a compelling message from the heir to some African fortune offering to share it with you. All you have to do is send your bank account information and, of course, turn your brain completely off.

It's not hard to imagine we are looking at the same kind of sucker's bet with Hillary Clinton's offer of free health insurance for everyone:

Clinton has not always specified the enforcement measures she would embrace, but when pressed on ABC's "This Week," she said: "I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."

Do you really have to think long and hard about whether you want Bill and Hillary Clinton to have control over your paycheck or your checking account or both?

Let The People Decide

Anyone hoping to kill off the casino gambling issue for 2008 might want to pick two or three of the constitutional amendment bills and start pushing lawmakers to pass them. Kentucky law prohibits more than two amendment questions on a November ballot.

As much as I would like to see shorter, more focussed legislative sessions and the abolition of the Treasurer's office, maybe I'll pick raising the homestead exemption and limiting a governor's pardon powers just to get it done.

Puff The Magic Draggin'

Anyone who really thinks raising the cigarette tax seventy cents more is going to stop teenagers from smoking has never been in a long popcorn line at a movie theater, or a fast food restaurant, or a mall.

And the other justification -- that it will provide needed revenue for the state -- is also just smoke and mirrors. The reality is people crossing over from other states to buy low-tax cigarettes bring other economic activity that will be sorely missed if the low taxes disappear.

It would be much cheaper and easier to decrease benefits for welfare beneficiaries who smoke. Raising the cigarette tax just cuts into the help that our money provides them anyway.

We Need A Transparent Transportation Cabinet

If you are looking for a part of state government that really needs to post its checkbook on the internet to keep everyone honest, look no further than the Transportation Cabinet.

Here is a bill filed yesterday that will generate some interesting discussions in the Senate. Someone in the House might at well stick an amendment on there making the Transportation Cabinet post all its financial transactions and contracts online.

Unless, of course, the most ethical government in Kentucky history is hiding something...

Are We Buying High And Selling Low?

Could it be Governor Steve Beshear is getting us into the casino business at exactly the wrong time? For the latest, we take you to New Jersey:

Last year, for the first time in the 29-year history of legalized gambling in Atlantic City, the casinos won less money than they did the year before, figures released yesterday show.

The 5.7 percent decline to $4.9 billion was hardly a surprise. For month after month in 2007, the gaming halls reported wins that were down from 2006 levels -- all attributed to new competition from slots parlors in Pennsylvania and New York, and new smoking restrictions on Atlantic City casino floors. (emphasis added)

Still, the first year-to-year decline provided a marker that the gambling mecca did not want. It also deprived the people of New Jersey of about $24 million in gambling tax revenue, which the state uses to benefit senior citizens and people with disabilities.

"It is a shock -- a slap on the side of the head for anyone who owns a casino in town," said Carlos Tolosa, president of the Eastern Division of Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns the Harrah's Marina, Showboat, Caesars and Bally's casinos in Atlantic City. Collectively, the four casinos made up 44 percent of last year's total revenue.

"This was a wake-up call for everybody that we have to continue to build nongaming attractions and convert this resort town into a destination," Tolosa said, "and that we have a long way to go."

Source: hotel-online.com

Professional Politicians' Pay Too High

Kentucky is moving more in the direction of having professional politicians like we have on the federal level. We should begin to correct this by repealing the 2005 bill that passed the legislature with only 2 No votes and included a provision allowing state lawmakers to jump to a state job and get an enormous pension boost.

And the rich health insurance benefits for part-time magistrates and city commissioners need to go as well.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo

Still looking for a presidential candidate? Might as well try this.

Vote chooser says Mitt Romney is my guy.

Fed Fair Tax Would Necessitate State Reform

If the Fair Tax were to be implemented at the federal level, Kentucky's tax system would have to change because you can't start filling out a Kentucky tax return until you have done a federal tax return. That wouldn't be possible if individuals were no longer paying income taxes, which is what the Fair Tax does. Rep. Mike Harmon has filed a resolution to start the legislature studying how we would handle this kind of tax reform.

Entitlement Reform In Kentucky

Members of the House Health and Welfare Committee this morning discussed a committee substitute for the drug testing for welfare recipients bill that would improve the bill by adding a probable cause element.