We don't yet know how the federal debt ceiling debate will be resolved, but we can tell how poorly it has gone on the state level. That's because the debate has never happened here. It's time that changed.
The debt accumulated over the past decade by Frankfort politicians in both political parties has been staggering -- more than forty billion dollars.
We already can't afford the debt we have. I offer as proof the $30 million Kentuckians lost last month in a bond market scheme rolling over debt and making our budget appear balanced. If we could afford to make bond payments and balance our budget, there would be no need to give tens of millions of dollars to New York bankers and lawyers to paper over the mess we have made of our state finances.
The right thing to do in Washington D.C. is to strengthen our federal debt limit by adding a balanced budget requirement. The right thing to do in Frankfort is to strengthen our balanced budget requirement by adding to it a state debt ceiling. We can't afford to let our politicians drive us deeper into debt and we must be at least as diligent in Frankfort as we are in Washington.
Please join friends and fellow Kentuckians at the Scott County Courthouse in Georgetown at 7pm ET on August 2 to learn more about this issue and what we can do about it. Please help by spreading this invitation as widely as you can. Thank you for all that you do to make Kentucky a better place for our families.
Sincerely,
David Adams
Executive Director
Kentucky Knows Best PAC
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Starting Kentucky debt ceiling conversation
Kentucky needs its own debt ceiling; there can be no question about that. Frankfort politicians in both parties have been too eager to hide their overspending in financing games with bonds and by failing to properly fund public employee retirement benefits.
The damage currently amounts to more than $40 billion dollars, nearly all of it accumulated in the last decade. Stopping Frankfort politicians from making it any worse is something nearly all of us should be able to agree on.
The solution involves defining "debt" and crafting legislation to get a handle on the spending process in Frankfort.
Do we want to require full funding of retirement benefits each year?
How do we define debt?
Who can we get to sponsor a Kentucky Debt Ceiling bill?
Do we have the political will to force establishment politicians in both parties to voluntarily limit their political spending appetites?
Will there ever be a better time than right now to start this initiative?
The damage currently amounts to more than $40 billion dollars, nearly all of it accumulated in the last decade. Stopping Frankfort politicians from making it any worse is something nearly all of us should be able to agree on.
The solution involves defining "debt" and crafting legislation to get a handle on the spending process in Frankfort.
Do we want to require full funding of retirement benefits each year?
How do we define debt?
Who can we get to sponsor a Kentucky Debt Ceiling bill?
Do we have the political will to force establishment politicians in both parties to voluntarily limit their political spending appetites?
Will there ever be a better time than right now to start this initiative?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Beshear upsets everyone on ObamaCare
The strange sight of Kentucky's effort to escape the ravages of ObamaCare without appearing to do so continues during the public comment phase of our request for an ObamaCare waiver.
So far, Kentucky Voices for Health, Kentucky Equal Justice Center and Consumer Watchdog have combined to criticize the Beshear Administration's complaint with ObamaCare, contradict the evidence in the state's petition for waiver and even to suggest that Beshear is lying to get out of complying with federal law. Surely there will be more of these letters made available as the Obama Administration gets closer to ruling on Kentucky's request.
It's amazing no one is getting Beshear on the record about this as he is angering the extreme left for not hungrily lapping up his ObamaCare soup while disappointing the rest of us for not doing enough to show that many Democrats realize what a mess this is going to be.
So far, Kentucky Voices for Health, Kentucky Equal Justice Center and Consumer Watchdog have combined to criticize the Beshear Administration's complaint with ObamaCare, contradict the evidence in the state's petition for waiver and even to suggest that Beshear is lying to get out of complying with federal law. Surely there will be more of these letters made available as the Obama Administration gets closer to ruling on Kentucky's request.
It's amazing no one is getting Beshear on the record about this as he is angering the extreme left for not hungrily lapping up his ObamaCare soup while disappointing the rest of us for not doing enough to show that many Democrats realize what a mess this is going to be.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Is Kentucky Pro-ObamaCare or not?
The federal government rolled out proposed regulations for ObamaCare's state health insurance exchanges yesterday, leaving Kentuckians with some interesting questions to ponder.
First of all, do we want ObamaCare or not?
Several states have been slow to embrace any part of ObamaCare or are actively fighting it. Some have even gone so far as to refuse federal money earmarked for setting up the bureaucratic infrastructure to facilitate the "Affordable Care Act."
Kentucky has not passed enabling legislation to set up a health insurance exchange, but has sent a major mixed signal by accepting federal exchange grant money, throwing it in the bipartisan state budget and spending it anyway.
The Beshear Administration is expected to gain approval within a few weeks to temporarily avoid a relatively inconsequential mandate in ObamaCare. At that point if not sooner, Beshear should have to explain why he didn't seek a broader waiver.
Frankfort politicians of both parties took the money Obama sent and they spent it. They really should have to explain why.
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First of all, do we want ObamaCare or not?
Several states have been slow to embrace any part of ObamaCare or are actively fighting it. Some have even gone so far as to refuse federal money earmarked for setting up the bureaucratic infrastructure to facilitate the "Affordable Care Act."
Kentucky has not passed enabling legislation to set up a health insurance exchange, but has sent a major mixed signal by accepting federal exchange grant money, throwing it in the bipartisan state budget and spending it anyway.
The Beshear Administration is expected to gain approval within a few weeks to temporarily avoid a relatively inconsequential mandate in ObamaCare. At that point if not sooner, Beshear should have to explain why he didn't seek a broader waiver.
Frankfort politicians of both parties took the money Obama sent and they spent it. They really should have to explain why.
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Monday, July 11, 2011
Kentucky media still missing ObamaCare story
Another development in Kentucky's uneasy political tapdance around ObamaCare today highlights the continued failure of state mainstream media to cover a very important story state Democrats would prefer not to talk about.
The federal Department of Health & Human Services notified Kentucky's Insurance Commissioner today that we will have a decision on Kentucky's request for an ObamaCare waiver within thirty days.
Kentucky has asked for a temporary exemption from a small part of ObamaCare's effort to control healthcare prices. While still publicly supporting ObamaCare, the Beshear administration has referenced Kentucky's failed price-fixing efforts in the health care market which destroyed our health insurance market two decades ago, despite the unmistakable similarities between that state legislation and ObamaCare.
It's pretty hard to overlook the fact that ObamaCare supporters in Kentucky have even less desire to talk about what requiring health insurance companies to cover all applicants does to consumers, but state reporters seem to be giving it a pretty good try as well.
The federal Department of Health & Human Services notified Kentucky's Insurance Commissioner today that we will have a decision on Kentucky's request for an ObamaCare waiver within thirty days.
Kentucky has asked for a temporary exemption from a small part of ObamaCare's effort to control healthcare prices. While still publicly supporting ObamaCare, the Beshear administration has referenced Kentucky's failed price-fixing efforts in the health care market which destroyed our health insurance market two decades ago, despite the unmistakable similarities between that state legislation and ObamaCare.
It's pretty hard to overlook the fact that ObamaCare supporters in Kentucky have even less desire to talk about what requiring health insurance companies to cover all applicants does to consumers, but state reporters seem to be giving it a pretty good try as well.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Kentucky makes another short list
Twenty six states' attorneys general have joined legal efforts to stop Obamacare and ten states have signed on in support of it. Kentucky's cartoonish AG Jack Conway is part of a Fearful Fourteen group of AGs avoiding a clear position on the issue. Conway's opponent in November is Todd P'pool, who strongly opposes Obamacare.
Friday, July 08, 2011
End taxpayer funded primary elections now
You don't often hear complaints in Kentucky about public financing of political party primary elections, despite the millions of dollars in costs each year directly associated with them. That's largely because most people don't think about it, but also because most voters belong to one of the two major parties and would consider themselves beneficiaries of the status quo, if they thought of it at all.
That's no reason to keep doing it. Democrats and Republicans in Frankfort have combined to rig ballot access laws to protect their duopoly. And most of them would be just as happy to continue socializing their candidate selection costs as well. This setup has benefited the Republican Party in adding additional voices to public policy debates in a Kentucky once totally dominated by Democrats, but any analysis of the nearly unanimous voting in favor of recently passed, disastrously constructed state budgets suggests further action is needed to end suppression of more voices in the state.
Political duopoly isn't working in Kentucky and we can help improve the situation quickly by improving ballot access laws to remove the artificial benefits enshrined in statute for the sole purpose of boosting the major parties. Then we can stop making independently registered voters pay for political primaries. It's not just a matter of fairness for those left out of the process in May. It will very likely lead to better public engagement on the issues and better choices for all of us in November.
That's no reason to keep doing it. Democrats and Republicans in Frankfort have combined to rig ballot access laws to protect their duopoly. And most of them would be just as happy to continue socializing their candidate selection costs as well. This setup has benefited the Republican Party in adding additional voices to public policy debates in a Kentucky once totally dominated by Democrats, but any analysis of the nearly unanimous voting in favor of recently passed, disastrously constructed state budgets suggests further action is needed to end suppression of more voices in the state.
Political duopoly isn't working in Kentucky and we can help improve the situation quickly by improving ballot access laws to remove the artificial benefits enshrined in statute for the sole purpose of boosting the major parties. Then we can stop making independently registered voters pay for political primaries. It's not just a matter of fairness for those left out of the process in May. It will very likely lead to better public engagement on the issues and better choices for all of us in November.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Take debt ceiling fight to the states
The federal debt ceiling has been raised 74 times since 1962. I'm sure someone at this very moment is whining that the Tea Party was silent each time Congress took it up, but the point that is that we certainly aren't being silent now. What was once a quiet vote without debate now has Washington D.C. tied up in knots.
It is time to take that fight to the state level.
Frankfort officials very quietly blew $30 million dollars two weeks ago on bond market shenanigans designed to make Kentucky's state budget appear balanced. You have heard absolutely nothing about this in the mainstream media even though state-level waste should be a greater concern to us because Frankfort can't just print up more money.
Now is a great time to draw attention to the need to tie Kentucky politicians hands to keep them from plunging us even further into debt. They will say that the bond market and the ratings agencies keep them from borrowing too much, but we have been down that road before. Lots of people are talking about the federal debt ceiling now and that should continue at least for the next several weeks. Let's take advantage of that to encourage our friends in Kentucky to contact their state representatives and tell them to set a limit on how much the state can borrow.
It is time to take that fight to the state level.
Frankfort officials very quietly blew $30 million dollars two weeks ago on bond market shenanigans designed to make Kentucky's state budget appear balanced. You have heard absolutely nothing about this in the mainstream media even though state-level waste should be a greater concern to us because Frankfort can't just print up more money.
Now is a great time to draw attention to the need to tie Kentucky politicians hands to keep them from plunging us even further into debt. They will say that the bond market and the ratings agencies keep them from borrowing too much, but we have been down that road before. Lots of people are talking about the federal debt ceiling now and that should continue at least for the next several weeks. Let's take advantage of that to encourage our friends in Kentucky to contact their state representatives and tell them to set a limit on how much the state can borrow.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Aetna bails, Beshear wails
A frantic letter from Governor Steve Beshear's Insurance Commissioner to the Obama Administration today paints a clearer picture of how ObamaCare stands to hurt Kentucky.
In the letter, Commissioner Sharon Clark states that Aetna, the nation's third-largest health insurer is pulling out of Kentucky's individual and small group health insurance markets immediately. ObamaCare is the reason for their departure, which makes Kentucky's health insurance market even less stable and less competitive since Congress passed the new law.
Clark wrote: "Kentucky's individual marketplace remains fragile and in recovery after a previous health reform efforts (sic) in the 1990s. Given Aetna's intentions, the Commonwealth of Kentucky remains concerned that insurers exiting the market may cause an unsustainable influx of individuals into Kentucky Access, Kentucky's high risk pool. With the current budgetary environment, the effect of a large increase in membership into Kentucky Access that may occur with an additional carrier exiting the market could be extremely detrimental to the pool."
In other words, Kentucky is still trying to get over our flirtation two decades ago with HillaryCare. This is our own Democratic Governor starting to realize that Obama's health fiasco will hurt Kentucky. Please keep spreading the word about bad policies like ObamaCare. When even elected Democrats are getting the message, it's clear the Tea Party movement is having a major impact.
In the letter, Commissioner Sharon Clark states that Aetna, the nation's third-largest health insurer is pulling out of Kentucky's individual and small group health insurance markets immediately. ObamaCare is the reason for their departure, which makes Kentucky's health insurance market even less stable and less competitive since Congress passed the new law.
Clark wrote: "Kentucky's individual marketplace remains fragile and in recovery after a previous health reform efforts (sic) in the 1990s. Given Aetna's intentions, the Commonwealth of Kentucky remains concerned that insurers exiting the market may cause an unsustainable influx of individuals into Kentucky Access, Kentucky's high risk pool. With the current budgetary environment, the effect of a large increase in membership into Kentucky Access that may occur with an additional carrier exiting the market could be extremely detrimental to the pool."
In other words, Kentucky is still trying to get over our flirtation two decades ago with HillaryCare. This is our own Democratic Governor starting to realize that Obama's health fiasco will hurt Kentucky. Please keep spreading the word about bad policies like ObamaCare. When even elected Democrats are getting the message, it's clear the Tea Party movement is having a major impact.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Just a $30 million political game, this time
One week ago, Kentucky state finance officials went to New York and spent $30 million on a bipartisan campaign stunt. You probably haven't heard anything about the nearly $400 million our state borrowed last week or the net loss of $30 million on restructuring of bonds for the sole purpose of making last year's state budget appear balanced. Want to know why?
Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans in Frankfort care to draw attention to the fact that their self-congratulatory press conferences about how they set their differences aside and balanced the budget are based on you not knowing how much the charade is costing you.
We will never stop this kind of nonsense from repeating itself until we can draw attention to it and turn up the heat enough to make it stop. Kentucky Knows Best PAC blew the whistle Tuesday on how convicted felon state legislators are allowed to keep their fat pensions for life and already that issue has stirred Kentuckians to action.
With the state budget, the stakes are much higher and the need for sustained action is much greater.
Please forward this message as widely as you can and tell everyone you know that pretending to balance Kentucky's budget while borrowing and spending hundreds of millions of dollars is a fraud perpetrated against the people of Kentucky and that we have the power to make the politicians stop it. Working together, we can exercise that power.
Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans in Frankfort care to draw attention to the fact that their self-congratulatory press conferences about how they set their differences aside and balanced the budget are based on you not knowing how much the charade is costing you.
We will never stop this kind of nonsense from repeating itself until we can draw attention to it and turn up the heat enough to make it stop. Kentucky Knows Best PAC blew the whistle Tuesday on how convicted felon state legislators are allowed to keep their fat pensions for life and already that issue has stirred Kentuckians to action.
With the state budget, the stakes are much higher and the need for sustained action is much greater.
Please forward this message as widely as you can and tell everyone you know that pretending to balance Kentucky's budget while borrowing and spending hundreds of millions of dollars is a fraud perpetrated against the people of Kentucky and that we have the power to make the politicians stop it. Working together, we can exercise that power.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Solving Kentucky's felon legislator problem
Kentucky has made national news today by paying a bloated legislative pension for life to former Beshear administration official and former State Rep. Steve Nunn. So the obvious question now is about preventing this from happening again.
That should be easy.
We just need to amend KRS 6.696 by striking the words "relating to his duties as a legislator" and the next time a former state legislator gets a huge pension boost via gubernatorial appointment and then gets convicted of a felony, taxpayers at least won't have to pay him a huge pension.
That should be easy.
We just need to amend KRS 6.696 by striking the words "relating to his duties as a legislator" and the next time a former state legislator gets a huge pension boost via gubernatorial appointment and then gets convicted of a felony, taxpayers at least won't have to pay him a huge pension.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Blago loses pension, Steve Nunn keeps his
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, found guilty of trying to sell President Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat, will lose his state pension due to the felony conviction. Former Kentucky State Representative Steve Nunn, however, gets to keep his state pension even after pleading guilty to murder earlier today.
Kentucky law states a lawmaker convicted of a felony loses his pension only if it is a felony "relating to his duties as a legislator." Nice loophole, I guess. Nunn is also a beneficiary of the 2005 legislative pension grab, though it could have been worse.
Kentucky Roll Call's Lowell Reese determined that Nunn's 2009 arrest saved taxpayers half a million dollars in pension benefits, but he will still be able to draw nearly $30,000 a year in prison.
cross-posted on Kentucky Knows Best.
Kentucky law states a lawmaker convicted of a felony loses his pension only if it is a felony "relating to his duties as a legislator." Nice loophole, I guess. Nunn is also a beneficiary of the 2005 legislative pension grab, though it could have been worse.
Kentucky Roll Call's Lowell Reese determined that Nunn's 2009 arrest saved taxpayers half a million dollars in pension benefits, but he will still be able to draw nearly $30,000 a year in prison.
cross-posted on Kentucky Knows Best.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Walking back Weiner's wild wages
Now that Congressman Anthony Weiner is taking his photography and social media skills home from his illustrious legislative career, the next thing to do is look at the fat government pension he gets.
Apparently his taxpayer-provided benefits are worth about a million dollars.
Today should be a great day to ask professional politicians to try to justify their pensions in order to get some of that money back.
Apparently his taxpayer-provided benefits are worth about a million dollars.
Today should be a great day to ask professional politicians to try to justify their pensions in order to get some of that money back.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
They must be joking update
The Lexington Herald Leader covered Governor Steve Beshear's big announcement today that he sold a 2.1 acre lot in Frankfort to Franklin County. Interesting spin here:
Of course if you are keeping score at home, the number that matters to you is not $78,750 or $7.4 million, but instead $30 million, which is what this bipartisan charade will cost you next week in the bond market.
Of course if you are keeping score at home, the number that matters to you is not $78,750 or $7.4 million, but instead $30 million, which is what this bipartisan charade will cost you next week in the bond market.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
If Mitt Romney governed Kentucky...
Consider the interesting way in which Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is both against ObamaCare and for it on the campaign trail. It's kind of pathetic, really, and there is no way he is going to get away with it.
Too bad he is not a Democratic governor running for re-election in Kentucky. Steve Beshear appears to be getting a total pass for refusing to oppose implementation of the federal health care takeover while quietly seeking exemption from it.
Too bad he is not a Democratic governor running for re-election in Kentucky. Steve Beshear appears to be getting a total pass for refusing to oppose implementation of the federal health care takeover while quietly seeking exemption from it.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
The sincerest form of quackery
Anyone who remembers the mess Kentucky made of its health insurance market in 1994 forcing insurance companies to ignore pre-existing conditions should know enough to not expect much from ObamaCare's Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan.
Inexplicably, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear remembers, but stops short of doing enough to protect Kentuckians.
Inexplicably, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear remembers, but stops short of doing enough to protect Kentuckians.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What part of "freedom" don't they understand?
Section 8 of Kentucky's Constitution reads as follows:
"Printing presses shall be free to every person who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the General Assembly or any branch of government, and no law shall ever be made to restrain the right thereof. Every person may freely and fully speak, write and print on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty."
Nothing there suggests any kind of authorization for the government to restrict any kind of political speech. In fact, the guarantee of freedom to speak, write and print on any subject couldn't be more clear.
So how do our politicians justify limiting our ability to criticize them?
Ask anyone who voted for SB 8 in 2008. That would probably be a lot like a Kentucky Senate version of Jay Walking.
Getting this right is pretty important. The Kentucky Constitution explicitly guarantees absolute freedom of speech and we have elected officials trying to create additional legal hurdles for citizens wishing to criticize them.
Call your state Senator and ask if he or she can explain why state government should be allowed to override our state constitution. Please forward this post to other Kentuckians so we can get this right.
"Printing presses shall be free to every person who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the General Assembly or any branch of government, and no law shall ever be made to restrain the right thereof. Every person may freely and fully speak, write and print on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty."
Nothing there suggests any kind of authorization for the government to restrict any kind of political speech. In fact, the guarantee of freedom to speak, write and print on any subject couldn't be more clear.
So how do our politicians justify limiting our ability to criticize them?
Ask anyone who voted for SB 8 in 2008. That would probably be a lot like a Kentucky Senate version of Jay Walking.
Getting this right is pretty important. The Kentucky Constitution explicitly guarantees absolute freedom of speech and we have elected officials trying to create additional legal hurdles for citizens wishing to criticize them.
Call your state Senator and ask if he or she can explain why state government should be allowed to override our state constitution. Please forward this post to other Kentuckians so we can get this right.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Republicans win Medicare debate
The left has officially jumped the shark with their latest Mediscare attack video:
Increasing Medicare deductibles and eliminating the standardization of Medicare supplement insurance will help implement free market improvements to health care for our nation's disabled people and seniors.
With a year and a half till the 2012 elections, Republicans don't have to do much to sound like the adults in the room compared to Obama on Medicare.
The Rep. Paul Ryan plan for Medicare is a start and should help with the repeal effort on ObamaCare. As more Americans see how well they do with less government involvement in their healthcare, the closer we will get to eliminating this unconstitutional (not to mention counterproductive) activity.
Increasing Medicare deductibles and eliminating the standardization of Medicare supplement insurance will help implement free market improvements to health care for our nation's disabled people and seniors.
With a year and a half till the 2012 elections, Republicans don't have to do much to sound like the adults in the room compared to Obama on Medicare.
The Rep. Paul Ryan plan for Medicare is a start and should help with the repeal effort on ObamaCare. As more Americans see how well they do with less government involvement in their healthcare, the closer we will get to eliminating this unconstitutional (not to mention counterproductive) activity.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Ban deficit spending in Frankfort
Kentucky has added $2.46 billion in bonded debt over the last three years, that we know about. Frankfort politicians have figured out they don't have to go through the political pain of raising taxes or cutting spending, because so few people pay attention to mounting state debt.
And this doesn't even include the debt of unfunded pension liabilities which are piling up even faster. While harder to track, they are no less attributable to political opportunism of elected representatives who have neglected for years to appropriately set money aside.
Kentucky's balanced budget requirement does not preclude politicians from borrowing or refusing to fund future liabilities. That shouldn't be hard to fix.
Please forward this post as widely as possible. If we accomplish one thing in the 2012 General Assembly, this should be it.
And this doesn't even include the debt of unfunded pension liabilities which are piling up even faster. While harder to track, they are no less attributable to political opportunism of elected representatives who have neglected for years to appropriately set money aside.
Kentucky's balanced budget requirement does not preclude politicians from borrowing or refusing to fund future liabilities. That shouldn't be hard to fix.
Please forward this post as widely as possible. If we accomplish one thing in the 2012 General Assembly, this should be it.
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