Frankfort's Department of Oxymoronic Redundancy

The Louisville Courier Journal's Joe Gerth today describes "legislative productivity" in terms of the number of bills that become law in a General Assembly session along the way to suggesting Kentucky may not need annual sessions.

If I believed eliminating annual sessions would actually reduce government mandates or regulations or costs that do harm to Liberty, I might be more interested in going to the trouble of amending the state constitution again to remove them.

But before we even get into that, let's make clear that the definition of legislative productivity should not be seen as the number of bills passed but instead as amassed debt and distortive impact on economic activity. Putting it in those terms would more accurately describe the failure of Kentucky's political class.

It is worth mentioning here that in 2010 state government increased our debt costs by extending the terms on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bonds in order to make the current budget appear balanced. And they authorized bonding of an additional $2.855 billion.

David Williams' pension scandal is THE issue

Kentucky's Senate President David Williams wants to be Governor in the worst way.

Ask him why he deserves the promotion and he will tell you Kentucky is "adrift" and that he has experience to make us not "adrift." Of course, that's a funny approach to take since Williams has cut his teeth over the last quarter century mostly voting in favor of making government much bigger and harder to afford. Over the past decade, in which he has held de facto veto power over the legislature, state indebtedness has exploded from $3 billion to over $44 billion.

Williams refuses to apologize for raising taxes and debt, opting when pressed to list some taxes the legislature has reduced or eliminated in recent years. Great, only 240 more taxes, fees and surcharges left, too many of which Williams has supported and continues to support increasing.

The biggest issue personally for Williams is his government pension. He is set to receive an annual pension equal to 100% of his highest legislative salary when he retires. He will get that pension for the rest of his life. In 2005, Williams pushed through a bill that would make him a government pension millionaire if he can manage to get himself appointed or elected to higher state office. If he becomes governor, Williams' years as a legislator combine with his 2005 pension grab to instantly make him a government pension millionaire. We would actually wind up paying him a governor's salary in retirement for the rest of his life. Democrats are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to make this an issue this fall. Republicans should beat them to the punch and eliminate David Williams from consideration for the state's highest political office before this scandal messes up the party's chances in November.

Steve Beshear doesn't want to have to run against tea party leader Phil Moffett and his fresh approach to managing state government. He would much rather run against Williams, who will have a tougher time differentiating himself from the incumbent.

Williams can't answer questions about his pension scandal now and he won't be able to answer them this fall if he is still running. Kentucky Republicans can save themselves a big headache by encouraging Senator Williams to drop out of the race now.

Wisconsin labor strife visits Kentucky

The Phil Moffett for Governor campaign is the only one seriously addressing abusive labor union issues.

Phil Moffett responds to Moveon.org stunt

Left-wing activist group Moveon.org held a rally in Frankfort today in support of left-wing activists in Wisconsin. They are trying to frame their effort as supporting union-provided worker rights, without which employees, they suggest, would have no rights at all.

This is absurd.

Kentucky's Tea Party Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Moffett cut through the nonsense.

"No one is arguing against workers having rights," Moffett said. "That's just rhetoric coming from the other side. We need to peel back the things we can't afford like prevailing wage laws. We need to make Kentucky a right to work state. And we need to end teacher tenure and the state merit system. These efforts to get politics out of state employment have failed. We need to try something else."

Phil Moffett is the better choice

Kentucky Senate President David Williams has been very expensive to keep around in Frankfort with his votes to pile up more than $40 billion in debt on us over the past decade. And if he were to get elected governor, we would have to pay him more than $120,000 in retirement every year for the rest of his life because of pension language he slipped into the law books back in 2005.

My memo to the movement

Yesterday a political reporter with a major national media outlet asked me if, having left the Rand Paul campaign, I still supported Rand's candidacy. I was a little surprised by the question because I thought I had made my position very clear. Then it occurred to me that my answer was not likely to wind up in print because it wasn't an explosive or damaging answer and so it was probably worth saying again and a little louder. Yes, yes, a million times yes, I will continue to support Rand Paul for the U.S. Senate and will very proudly vote for him on November 2.

It has been a wild year on the Randwagon. Wilder still has been the year and a half in the nascent Tea Party movement in Kentucky. For those of us who have poured our hearts and souls into promoting capitalism and constitutional government for years, I think the defining moment came just after enactment of the bank bailout when Congress tried and failed to pass a car bailout. When the Bush administration went ahead and gave billions of our dollars to GM and Chrysler anyway -- and out of the bank bailout bill so few people had read -- an important yet threadbare bond between government and people was irretrievably ripped apart.

And then Barack Obama came along and made it even worse.

Some of us who were there at the beginning of the Tea Party movement in Kentucky saw big opportunities right away. I don't claim any special insightfulness for having been there and for seeing in advance what could happen. There was a fundamental shift in the electorate and I didn't have any reason to pretend that it wasn't there, that's all. When I realized very few other people who were in a position to do something about it saw the opportunity, I joined others in working on a plan that will ultimately, I believe, help Kentucky achieve much more of its potential. Further, I think Kentucky will advance so quickly once it grasps correct principles and throws off forever the chains of corruption that have bound it for way too long, that the rest of the nation will take heed of our sudden restoration and want to follow along.

Rand Paul is a good man who came along at the right time with the right message. Waiting around for perfect people to run our federal government is a fool's errand and Rand has rightly campaigned on letting the U.S. Constitution bind them all down from their mischief. If we do that, there is no room for ObamaCare and no room for the wild spending Obama has already enacted or the even wilder tax increases and labor reforms he plans to enact. Rand's opponent Jack Conway largely supports Obama in his recklessness. As far as most Kentuckians are concerned, that's the end of the story. And then the Tea Party movement begins to become America's movement with the election of a few people like Rand to federal office.

That gets us to Kentucky's race for Governor. I'm going to have much more to say about this in the days and weeks ahead. For now, just let me say that those who yearn for restoration of America's guiding ideas will be emboldened by their successes in 2010 but -- and this is the key part -- they will be far from satisfied. In 2011, only three states will elect a governor. Kentucky's race will be a focal point for much of the nation and the race will go to those who best understand and can capitalize on the power of simple ideas like not obligating future taxpayers to pay future expenses they can't possibly afford to pay and knowing when government can best serve the people by getting out of their way. Kentucky will succeed when our leaders are less interested in building their own political power than they are in shrinking government's influence so the power resides with the people.

Nancy Pelosi would keep us in the weeds

Amid skyrocketing federal debt and looming Obama tax hikes, embattled Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be holding a telephone "Grassroots Strategy Call" tomorrow, apparently for anyone who contributes $5 to the Democratic Party today.

What on earth are they going to talk about: how to pretend people don't hate ObamaCare, how to say with a straight face that cap and trade won't dramatically increase energy costs, or that what this country really needs is bigger road signs proclaiming the efficacy of federal borrow-and-stimulate spending before they can get around to raising taxes next year?

In an email to supporters this afternoon, Pelosi said "Democrats will keep control of the House this year and prevent a return to the catastrophic Republican policies of the past, so long as you continue standing with me every step of the way."

This is funny because Republican primary voters have already made it clear to their candidates that there will be no return to the "catastrophic" bailout economy and reckless deficit spending that not only deflated enthusiasm for Republicans the last few years, but led directly to the catastrophic Democratic policies of the present. Also, given the growing lack of support for Democratic politicians, it's noteworthy that Pelosi qualifies her optimism by predicting Dem victories only if supporters stay on board "every step of the way." Fat chance.

It's shaping up to be a good November for Kentucky Republicans. And then in December, we get to turn our attention to Gov. Steve "Holiday Tree" Beshear.

Mark your calendars for Thursday

This Thursday, July 29, Kentucky's tea party movement takes its next big step in announcing a tea party candidate for Governor in 2011.

Everyone is invited to a press conference at Clear Channel Lexington studios at 2601 Nicholasville Rd at 3:30 pm on Thursday following an interview on the Leland Conway Show.

Anyone with questions may call David Adams at 859-537-5372 or sign up for email updates by clicking here.

The next battlefield is Kentucky 2011

You may have heard that I will be starting work on a new project very soon. This is an important time for the Tea Party movement. We have shared in some amazing success. In doing so, we have built a strong team of Americans sharing our message of smaller government operating within the limits of existing revenues and within constitutional boundaries.

Now is the time to spread the field.

There will only be three gubernatorial elections in the United States next year, so the eyes of the nation will be on Kentucky and how seriously we take our form of self-government. Building a large, national list of people who want to continue to help getting our country back on track is critical to this effort. All Kentuckians have a stake in electing a governor who believes in real reform, obviously, but people in other states do as well. That's because Kentucky gets more money from the federal government than it sends in, so all Americans depend on Kentucky to get off the dole as quickly as possible.

Now is the time to kick our efforts into a higher gear. Please spread the word to everyone you know to join us by clicking here.

Thanks,

David Adams
859-537-5372

On a personal note...

I am suspending publishing of the Kentucky Progress blog immediately to take a position as a consultant with the Rand Paul for U.S. Senate Exploratory Committee.

More about that soon.

This site has been both very hard work and a lot of fun. I expect to return to it at the conclusion of this new project. Meanwhile, the site with its existing posts will remain up as will my contact information at the top of the page.

I've met and worked with a lot of fantastic people during the 4 1/2 years on Kentucky Progress who I probably would not have gotten to know otherwise. I'll always be grateful for that.


Hope to see you soon!

David

Next episode of Ben Chandler vs. voters

Lost perhaps in the recent frenzy of Congressional pillaging is the fact that President Barack Obama's labor union payoff is not yet complete. That means card check is headed back to the front burner.

U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Georgia), speaking on a national media conference call Wednesday morning, expressed concern about the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act," which wipes out secret ballot protections for workers in union elections and forces binding government arbitration on American businesses. It's called "card check" and it means unions will be allowed to vote themselves into workplaces by forcing workers to sign cards out in the open instead of voting a secret ballot. Then, if unions and management can't reach agreement, the federal government will swoop in and dictate terms.

Rep. Ben Chandler is in favor of this.

Price said he is concerned the bill sets the stage for "making employers liable for union pensions." That would represent very large costs that will ultimately be passed along to consumers.

Price also said he expects the card check bill to go through the Senate first, where Sen. Tom Harkin is putting together a "compromise." Price is skeptical that this move will work out well for workers.

"I don't think one can compromise away the right to a secret ballot," he said.

The devastating impact this bill would have on American prosperity combined with the cap and trade fiasco, another Chandler "accomplishment," should greatly concern central Kentucky voters.

Mongiardo splits the baby on health reform

Left-leaning Kentucky web sites Barefoot and Progressive and Page One are jumping all over U.S. Senate candidate Daniel Mongiardo for not cheerleading enough on government healthcare reform in the following video.

In fact, they are calling him a "Republican" because he knows the shortcomings of the Canadian system Democrats now seem to want so badly. Mongiardo worked as a doctor in Canada for four years.

In Canada, Mongiardo said, "There's a thing called rationing of healthcare meaning you just don't give it. I never saw a patient in the clinic that I scheduled for a tonsilectomy, in the operating room. There was a three year waiting list for a tonsilectomy. And there was, you know, months and months waiting list for a lot of different things."

Mongiardo describing this experience is considered heresy among the far left. Interesting to see how his candor affects his primary election bid.



Should Mongiardo survive the primary, his big problem becomes his inability to move past what seems to be his only political solution for any political question: electronic medical records.

Closing the barn door too late alert

State Auditor Crit Luallen sures knows how to work the news cycle on an old story that is sexier than it is substantial:



It's almost as if putting government checkbooks online and doing a full audit of the Kentucky Department of Education would be bad for business.

Why not just break some windows?

Wednesday is minimum wage increase day in Kentucky. The economic illiterates at Kentucky Youth Advocates couldn't be more thrilled. So how, exactly, does the government forcibly taking money from some people and giving it to other people benefit the state's economy?



Obviously, it doesn't.

Falling for the broken window fallacy is great politics, but the math is not much different than that supporting Obamanomics.

Wild (and misplaced) rhetoric

The Lexington Herald Leader editorial board is mighty upset about the Kentucky Association of Counties misspending perhaps several thousand dollars.



The funny part, really, is that they are worried about insufficient spending documentation of an organization whose money only indirectly comes from taxpayers when they can't be bothered to look at the much larger pool of abused taxpayer funds going through our public school system.

The last time Auditor Crit Luallen perused any Kentucky Department of Education spending at all, though, she found millions being tossed around on the disgraceful CATS testing system. Fortunately for us, the CATS program was phased out by the 2009 General Assembly.

But no one knows how much the non-functioning accounting system used by our education bureaucracy is costing us unnecessarily. Those who have succeeded in pushing for Washington D.C. to audit the Federal Reserve should help us force a real top to bottom audit of the Kentucky Department of Education.

Lee Cruse looks at taking on Ben Chandler

Growing opposition to Congressman Ben Chandler has fueled quiet speculation in recent months that he might draw a high profile opponent in 2010. One candidate has started raising money and set up a web site and several others are considering the race.



WLEX TV's morning field anchor Lee Cruse says he has been approached about entering the race and is considering it. He had a brief comment about the possibility:

"I am still on the fence because of the personal sacrifice my family would have to make. That’s due to equal time regulations that would require me to leave the job that I love."

Cruse, 39, grew up in Winchester.

Grover brings Big Mo to Lexington

A top Washington D.C. Republican came to Lexington Monday with an optimistic message for local conservatives.

"One of the things that has changed is that we have learned to react to the spending rather than waiting for the tax increases," said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform.

Speaking to an energized crowd in a Fifth Third Bank conference room downtown, Norquist stressed the importance of focusing on the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 rather than getting sidetracked on animosity for President Barack Obama.

"The most important thing we can do is take the House back in 2010," Norquist said. "Nothing else comes close."

He added that he thinks this is a very realistic goal.

"There are 40 seats Republicans need to pick up and there are 49 Democrats in districts carried by McCain," he said.

That would include the Sixth Congressional district of central Kentucky.

"I think anyone who voted for stimulus, the budget, and cap and trade has a target on his back and you can beat him on those votes alone," Norquist said.

Congressman Ben Chandler voted for all three.

Norquist pointed out that the first Obama tax increase earlier this year ended the longest period in American history without a federal tax increase. The streak spanned fifteen years. He said resisting the suggestion that Republicans move to the left on their policy positions is indispensable to bouncing back in the next election.

"The fact that they want us to drop the tax issue when Obama spent so many millions promising that he wouldn't raise taxes demonstrates how important the tax issue is," Norquist said.

Healthcare reform looks to be the hottest issue for 2009. Norquist dismissed the Obama plan simply.

"I've never gotten one of them to sit still long enough to explain to me why they need $1 trillion to $3 trillion more for a healthcare system that is going to be cheaper," Norquist said.

He also made an interesting point about the global cooling/global warming/climate change controversy. He told a story about Al Gore coming to one of the Americans for Tax Reform meetings. He asked Gore which of his policy suggestions related to the climate would not apply if he suddenly learned that man-made climate change was not real. Gore responded that he wouldn't change any of them. Norquist said this makes it clear that arguing the status of the climate is a waste of time.

Norquist encouraged attendees who have grown frustrated by the Republican party to increase their involvement.

"If you want to change the Republican party, join the Republican party," Norquist said. "It's not important that people on our side of the aisle agree on everything. We just need to agree that the government should leave us alone."

Finding out what's worse than a loan shark

Another day, another one-sided, single-sourced "news" story in the Lexington Herald Leader about shutting down private businesses and turning their functions over to the state.



When are we going to see a story about how much Kentucky taxpayers "lose" to the government each year?

And if payday lending customers go to those businesses because of no alternatives, what do they think those people will do when that option is eliminated legislatively?

Easy. They will hit up the taxpayers.

Horse industry needs a better argument

The Lexington Herald Leader's pro-casino columnist Larry Dale Keeling's latest effort strays from the mark on a key point that deserves unbiased scrutiny. He wrote:

"As a political issue, expanded gambling may not be ripe in the General Assembly. But it's a lot riper than it was just two weeks ago. Progress was made when it passed the House for the first time."

It would be far more accurate to say that a big-government scam is what passed the House. Packing on more than a billion dollars worth of borrowed pork is what passed that bill through the House by one vote. Pretending otherwise just further delays the horse industry from focusing on a workable solution to their problems.

I'm all for freedom in the marketplace and am sympathetic to the industry trying to compete with those in other states. But in our smoke-and-mirrors budgeting welfare state, though, I can't support opening the door to casinos when it mainly means creating another bill of goods to elect politicians while taxpayers get stuck with more debt. The horse industry shatters any validity in its argument by joining forces with those in Frankfort who won't let a little thing like running out of money stop them from spending.

I want the horse industry to succeed, but we have to realize that slots only at the tracks will not be enough for the billion-dollar vote buyers. They will cut your throats at the first opportunity by setting up casinos outside the tracks. Figure out a way to expand your revenue stream without further damaging taxpayers. The political saber rattling just isn't going to cut it.

Sunday evening vanity alert

Found in the Lexington Herald Leader: