Final Answer: "Book Of Daniel" To Air On WLEX, WAVE

I sat down and looked at a few network television shows Friday night to see if there was an alternative to the upcoming "Book of Daniel" show that starts this week.

There really wasn't anything on worth recommending.

WLEX President Tim Gilbert said today that despite local requests to not broadcast the program, the "Book of Daniel" show will go on.

He said he watched the program to see if it met community standards, a quasi-legal standard that usually refers to obscenity. He found no compelling reason not to air the show.

"Do I think someone went out of his way to demean the Christian faith? No," Gilbert said.

Gilbert said that, having watched the show, he could understand objections to the program but that banality wasn't a strong enough reason for an affiliate to fight a programming decision by the network.

"The show is completely ridiculous," Gilbert said, adding that the characters were unusually dysfunctional. "Halfway through the first hour I was so bored I thought 'what am I doing here?'"

Democrat Insider: John Kerry Coming To Bluegrass

Sen. John Kerry is making plans for an early spring fundraiser in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, according to a Democrat insider who spoke on condition of anonimity.

Can't wait to hear from elected Kentucky Democrats who Sen. Kerry is coming to represent.

More Drunk Tennesseans In Orange

A new law in Tennessee starting yesterday requires first-time convicted drunk drivers to don orange vests and pick up litter on the state's highways.

It's not all bad for the drunks, though. Following their community service, they are provided two free football tickets and they get to keep the snazzy vest.

Good Ol' Rocky Top!

Make A Law Against Anti-War Funeral Protests

Several states are actually having to go to the trouble of passing laws forbidding protest marches at Iraq war soldier funerals.

Kentucky needs to join this.

Or maybe we can trot out my favorite: a $25 dollar fine for beating up a war protester who would rant and rave at a soldier's funeral.

Could Kentucky Democrats Change Their Name?

Despite the flurry of media-inspired public relations debacles for Republicans in 2005, the fact remains that many Kentucky Democrats are going to have a tough time at the ballot box in 2006, primarily because of problematic policy positions locally and a national party seemingly oblivious to issues that resonate with the electorate.

One scenario could play out that would result in at least a superficial change for Kentucky's left-of-center politicians.

They could change their name.

I noticed a Wall Street story that could provide momentum for such action. Investment giant Merrill Lynch announced their strategy for improving the results of their troubled mutual fund division: you guessed it, they are changing its name.

Such a move is not unprecedented in recent American politics. Minnesota's liberal party is actually named the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Has been since 1944 when Democrats merged with the Farmer-Labor party.

Kentucky's left-wing name change probably wouldn't involve such a coalition, but would of necessity probably have to undertake a little creative positioning and marketing license.

Maybe the "Very Conservative, Strong Christian, Family-Oriented Democratic Party of Kentucky."

What do you think? I don't know; maybe they need to work in something about having the courage to raise taxes and to hold the seemingly contradictory position of being against fighting terrorists but for the military.

Oh, and they will have to do something about their bad habit of protecting trade unions at the expense of regular workers and consumers. And there is the little issue of holding to the status quo in education with regard to policy and just continuing the clamor for more and more money.

Maybe a name change won't get it done for Kentucky Democrats, but neither will embellishing their fundraising efforts with Hillary in December. We will have the real numbers on that very soon.

Stay tuned.

Welcome, Lexington Herald Leader Readers!

The new year is going to be pivotal for conservative people in Kentucky. The General Assembly starts next week and the action will not slow down even a little bit until the elections in November.

It's noteworthy that nearly every Democrat from Pikeville to Paducah is busily trying to cover himself in "conservative" clothes -- just like Extreme Makeover Hillary!

Top priorities for Frankfort over the next three months include enacting anti-union protections for workers, saving taxpayers dollars with prevailing wage legislation, saving Medicaid, and changing how we handle our education spending and prioritization. Also have a little issue about cutting taxes on business. It will be a wild time.

Conservative people have taken a beating in the media this past year. This is our time to stand up for our principles and take our cities, towns, counties, state, and even our nation back from those who are just as happy to see us cave in to those who would see us ruined all in the name of not hurting some pervert's feelings (or worse, a terrorist's).

I think the first order of business for conservatives in 2006 is taking a stand and shutting down the NBC television show "The Book of Daniel." The network's own promotional materials show this to be a ridiculous depiction of "Christians." That is bad enough, but its characterization of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as some kind of smart aleck is beyond the pale. Call your local NBC affiliate and tell them not to air the show.

Happy New Year!

Is This Our Guy For 2008?

Senator George Allen (R-Virginia) may be our best shot for the White House in 2008. Tradesports.com has John McCain as the current favorite for the nomination, but there just aren't enough open primaries for Democrats to nominate him. What McCain has now is name recognition. When all the people who aren't going to run -- like Gingrich, Giuliani, Cheney, Rice, and Jeb Bush-- drop off, Allen will have to get past Senator Bill Frist and my bet would be that he can do it. Pretty easily, really. For the record, I think Jeb Bush would make a better President, but I can't see the Bush family getting a hat trick.

Much more on this to come in the new year.

"Book Of Daniel" Update

An inside source at WLEX, the NBC affiliate in Lexington, reports that calls of protest against the "Book Of Daniel" program continue to inundate the station's switchboard and that management has ordered an advance copy of the show to determine if it fits community standards.

This is a great story and the media is missing it.

This Time, Open Mouth Disease For Howard Dean's Brother

Jim Dean just put himself in the running for idiot of the year.

In a letter to supporters of his website "Democracy For America", Jimmy made a list of successes in 2005. Several of them are noteworthy-- shutting down the discussion on Social Security, joining the Cindy Sheehan parade, electing a Democrat governor in New Jersey, and shutting down conservative ballot initiatives in California, but one talking point surprised even me.

Here it is, from the brother of Howard Dean:

"In June, you helped expose the Bush administration's rush to war by forcing the Downing Street Memos into the mainstream media. Public support for the war has been on the decline ever since."

First off, it took about 48 hours for even the New York Times to admit that there was nothing to the Downing Street Memo. But that isn't a big deal. Touting a decline in public support for the war as some kind of badge of honor for the fringe left leaves me speechless.

When are Kentucky Democrats going to publicly repudiate this character and his brother? Why won't they do this? Will they stop at nothing to relive their glorious days of our loss in Viet Nam?

Child Molesters Against The War

We know that the ACLU, Sierra Club, NARAL, NOW and the full alphabet soup collection of liberal groups in this country have spoken loudly their opposition to the war effort.

Well, did you know that a national association of homosexual child molesters stands with them all in opposition to hunting down the terrorists in Iraq?

The North American Man/Boy Love Association, whose main function is providing tips to pedophiles on how to avoid detection while raping little boys, had this to say before the war with Iraq started.

An excerpt: We will not insult readers’ intelligence by pointing out the many even worse dictators who have not been targeted or the ones current and past American administrations have hypocritically supported.

Thanks for not insulting our intelligence, guys. And thanks for being on the other side of this issue too.

"Book Of Daniel" Day Two

I will be a guest on the Sue Wylie Show on 590 WVLK AM this morning at 11 AM talking about the "Book of Daniel" controversy.

Walter D. Huddleston Jumps Back In The Fray

Seventy nine year old former Kentucky Senator Walter D. Huddleston appears to be making his move back into public life with a public call for a $10 minimum wage in the Bluegrass state.

Huddleston is really just an honorary co-chair for a left-wing group in Lousville called the Center for Kentucky Progress. But they are promoting a laundry list of darn-near communist legislative priorities like socialized medicine, two year full-day kindergarten, and requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for birth control pills.

They also want huge increases in education spending so that Kentucky winds up being 25th nationwide in per capita spending in ten years. That's pretty arbitrary, but my favorite is the minimum wage thing. We could call it the "Soup Kitchen Bill" or the "Giant Sucking Sound Bill" for all the jobs that would be lost if we suddenly gave employers the choice of paying all their workers ten dollars an hour or leaving the state. (I guess we could pass a law preventing businesses from shutting down like they did in Atlas Shrugged, right?)

The General Assembly session is drawing near. This kind of stuff, which will get a lot more discussion than it deserves, will have the nouveau conservative Democrats flipping and flopping to avoid alienating a key Democrat constituency without getting themselves plastered with the dreaded "L" word.

They will be a sight to behold.

Will WLEX, WAVE Attack Christians With "Book Of Daniel" Show?

If you have not heard about an idiotic television show starting in January purportedly about Christians and Christianity, hold on to your hats.

"The Book of Daniel" is to begin airing January 6 on NBC affiliates and, according to the American Family Association, it is a particularly offensive depiction of "Christians" who engage in drug abuse (and drug dealing), illicit sex, and a wise-cracking "Jesus" character. And all this happens in the home of the Episcopal priest around whom the story revolves.

According to sources at WLEX in Lexington, the station has received about 200 emails and 200 phone calls today about this program. They have not seen any of the episodes, but given the fast outpouring of viewer opinion, are considering the possibility of making a change.

"I'm taking this seriously," said station manager Tim Gilbert.

There is precedent for WLEX pulling offensive programming on a limited basis. This fall, the station received an advance copy of an episode of "The Office" and found it to be objectionable so they didn't air it at the normal time. They later aired it very late one evening.

But completely pulling a show from the network in advance of its premiere would be a big step, one Gilbert isn't ready to commit to.

"We could ask for (an advance copy of the show) and be told 'no,'" he said. "I haven't seen it yet. I'm kind of rocking back on my heels (because of the public response)."

The AFA has issued, via email, the following description of the show:

While the public has not seen the program, NBC is promoting "The Book of Daniel" as a serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith. The main character is Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on her mid-day martinis. Webster regularly sees and talks with a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus. The Webster family is rounded out by a 23-year-old homosexual Republican son, a 16-year-old daughter who is a drug dealer, and a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter. At the office, his lesbian secretary is sleeping with his sister-in-law.

This story is not going away until NBC relents and pulls the television show. Major social shifts have started on less of a platform than this. We will be watching this very closely.

Associated Press Kentucky: Media Bias Parade

Heard yesterday that the Associated Press named the Merit Hiring Investigation as the top story of the year. Partisan Democrats obviously agree. What is funny is that while the AP trumpets a story that no one cares about, the various media efforts to erode American resolve for fighting terrorism was the true story of the year in 2005.

Next December when Democrat politicos are bemoaning their inability to get their message out, more people will realize that the left has painted itself into a tiny corner trying to make war protesting into the mother of all wedge issues.

That is what people care about and what they will remember.

What Kind Of Year Has It Been?

Interesting Ryan Alessi article in the Herald Leader this morning asks Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Ben Chandler to describe the year 2005 in Washington D.C.

In short, McConnell says it was the best year in a long time and Chandler says it was a bad one.

While it is tempting to go along with Chandler's point that it was a bad year for Republicans because Social Security reform was murdered in its infancy, the war effort was attacked relentlessly by the media, and the Tax Reform movement was betrayed by those most capable of moving it along, GOP initiatives to curb bankruptcies and illegal immigration, spur energy production, highway safety, and free trade all the while holding off Democrat efforts to mar the war effort make 2005 a qualified success.

It bears repeating that liberal Republican Senators give Democrats a voting majority on many issues in the United States Senate. Given that, McConnell is right and deserves praise for his work as Republican Whip to gain votes for key bills. Understood in its proper context, it is amazing that President Bush has been able to get anything done at all.

Ben "the wealthy haven't sacrificed anything" Chandler seems to be enjoying his rock throwing days in the minority of the House. He is right that Bush failed in his top priority of securing Social Security. But the Americans who will pay the price for Democrats' Pyrrhic victory of 2005 (read: all of us) will remember at some point that the liberal bum's rush on free market reform of the last huge defined benefit plan.

Zig zagging poll numbers have left wing activists seeing brighter liberal days ahead through their beer goggles. Drink up boys, but please don't drive home. You've done enough damage to America for now. And we want to see your faces when your obstruction comes back to bite you in the next year.

This year hasn't been all fun and games like you see over at Kentucky Kos, but it has just been a warm-up. All the games that count are in 2006. Don't forget that.

And we have them on tape crowing about the war, Social Security, and energy independence. Those should be fun to play back later.

Fetal Stem Cell "Researcher" Bites The Dust

Bad news for abortion fans: the South Korean "scientist" considered a top researcher because of his work with fetal stem cells, was fired from his university in Seoul because his work was found to be fraudulent.

Rather than creating more embryos to destroy them, perhaps these folks would be better off if they quit trying to fake their ideology into existence and joined in with adult stem cell research that has shown legitimate promise.

Can't use that to justify abortion on demand, though. Expect the Hwang Woo-suk case to be treated by the MSM as just another isolated incident and not the exposed underbelly of a pro-abortion movement run amok.

Suck Up: Radio Talker Supports Outspoken Dem

WLAP's Dave Baker had liberal blogger Mark Nickolas on his show this morning talking politics. Nickolas, at the end of the interview, asked Baker if he would support Rep. Ben Chandler in his 2007 re-run for Governor.

Baker took the softball pitch and twisted himself up like a pretzel, claiming that he wouldn't duck the question but that he would have to examine Chandler's voting record in Congress before he could "make an informed decision."

I have sent Dave Baker problematic voting record information of Chandler's on taxes, government spending, social issues, and even the most recent votes against increasing US energy independence repeatedly and AT BAKER'S REQUEST.

We have come to expect kid glove treatment of Democrats like Chandler from mainstream talking heads. I don't know how much of a role sheer laziness played in Baker's tacit endorsement of Chandler, but it seems almost like CNN's resistance to report about Saddam Hussein's misdeeds in order to maintain access.

Pathetic.

Indiana Doesn't Need Right To Work Like We Do

Interesting article in the Louisville CJ today about Indiana's Governor Daniels saying that he wasn't going to push for Right To Work legislation despite his belief that having it would have prevented the loss of a major employer.

Colgate is pulling out of Indiana and Daniels said last week that if state law didn't allow unions to force membership on all companies they control, the state may have been able to save the 475 jobs they are going to lose when Colgate leaves for a Right To Work state.

Indiana has a larger and more diverse workforce and Governor Daniels may be right when he says the state can progress without fighting for Right To Work.

But Kentucky has seen a faster loss of jobs with union affiliation than Indiana has. And the main thing about Right To Work is that it is about freedom. Under RTW, unions don't have a stranglehold on all employees in union shops. If an individual wants to opt out of union membership under RTW, he may do so. The political battle on this is worth fighting in Kentucky. As it gets ramped up, watch for rhetoric like this from the last sentence of the CJ story:
Edwards said there is not enough support in Indiana to impose a right-to-work law.

When the union thugs take to calling freedom an imposition, they clearly have gotten a little big for their britches.

Kentucky Supreme Court: Stephenson Not Eligible

The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that Dana Seum Stephenson can't serve in the Senate.

There will wind up being a special election and Rep. Perry Clark (D-Louisville) will wind up representing the 37th Senate district.

Senate President David Williams says he is going to wait until the ruling is final in twenty days before announcing what he will do next.

He will probably announce a special election and Perry Clark will probably win it. Democrats will have fun with this and their fun is made double because they don't have to talk about what a disaster Virginia Woodward would have been.

Will Big Unions Stick Together Versus Kentucky?

It was a pleasant surprise to see the Louisville Courier Journal print a fair article on Rep. Stan Lee's Right to Work bill. The last line of the story, though, provided an unexpected belly laugh just in time for Christmas. Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, is trying to throw a bone to the teachers' union for help against this commonsense legislation.

From the CJ story:
He argues better funding of education would allow Kentucky workers to better compete internationally.

It's a nice try to bring another powerful lobby into his fight, but it won't work. Not only will the teachers' union back away from the trade unions on this, big education will be protecting their own pockets rather than sticking with their union brothers on the prevailing wage on education construction projects bill filed by Rep. Jim DeCesare.

Central Kentucky Initiative: Disband LFUCG

Three decades ago, Lexington activists organized an effort to create the Lexington-Fayette County Urban County Government with the slogan "The Urge to Merge."

After three years of Mayor Teresa Isaac's relentless pursuit of a liberal agenda, now is the time to purge the merger. Lexington should go back to a regular city government and Fayette county should go back to a regular county government. That way, the power of the Mayor's office will be diminished in favor of the people of Fayette county. Centralized power is something our nation's founders wanted to limit.

For the good of all Kentuckians, we should seek the same.

The political environment in Louisville probably isn't as conducive to such a change, as they just recently merged their city and county governments. But people in Lexington, especially those who want to stop the endless water condemnation fight, should be ready to take back their own voices by rolling back their merged government.

Atlanta Paper: KY Merit "Scandal" A Dead Issue

The gallons of ink spilled over the Kentucky merit hiring issue seems to have just about run dry. Have you noticed that the newspaper stories have slowed to a trickle? Wonder why?

Well, the answer is simple. While the abuse of the merit system was wrong and has been wrong every time it was done in the last fourty years, the abuse that may have occurred in the Fletcher administration is little more than a hiccup in the grand scheme of things. If not for mishandling of the fallout by the Administration itself, really, this would have been cleared up and dispatched a long time ago.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sent a reporter to Frankfort to find out what all the fuss was about and his story appeared in today's paper.

Once again, anything that looks like a cover-up is far worse than most "scandals." But now that the General Assembly is ready to go back into session, perhaps we can get on to some more important things. And just as President Bush's approval ratings have shot up as he has publicly addressed the most important issue to most Americans, Fletcher's will do the same to the extent that he publicly works to improve the most important issue in Kentucky: education.

Some Democrat Nonsense May Be Okay

The rabid left is starting to talk up the idea of impeaching President Bush. While I'm not inclined to argue much with a Democrat suicide strategy of trying to remove a wartime President for trying to help us win a war they don't like, I'm actually starting to warm up to the idea quite a bit.

President Cheney kind of has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

And don't forget VP Rice for good measure.

Kentucky Election Law Needs Change

Did you know most states have laws to allow political parties to replace their nominee on a ballot if he or she drops out?

Kentucky isn't one of them and that needs to change.

My reasoning goes like this: we are a two party state now (with a vibrant and growing independent population, but that's another story) and if one candidate must drop out, that disenfranchises a large segment of the voting population.

We should fix this soon.

Will Georgia's Sex Offenders Move To Kentucky?

An article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution today discusses some proposed legislation in Georgia that could have an impact on Kentucky and other states that refuse to get tough with sex offenders.

One proposed law would prohibit sex offenders from working within 1000 feet of any place that children congregate. Should this pass (and I think it should) it would cause a mass exodus of sex offenders from the state. Think about it: how do you make sure that you are working 1000 feet away from children? What if a day care center moves in down the street or your employer moves to a building near a school? So the real question is where will these people move when Georgia passes this law, to Tennessee? What happens then?

People who commit sex crimes (especially those against children) should enjoy very minimal freedoms when they are released from prison. At the very least, Kentucky should make laws to establish our state as a place that is extraordinarily inhospitable to these people. If we don't, we may just inherit them as they flee other states who have strengthened their laws.

Some limp-wristed radio host in Lexington got a little whiny back in the summer when I suggested we decriminalize harassment of convicted sex offenders. But when other states start rolling their perverts downhill, we need to make sure that we aren't at the bottom of that hill.

Teachers' Union Weeps, Wails, Gnashes Teeth

As a public school graduate and parent of four young public school students, I would love to see a school voucher system to give people the choice of where to spend the tax dollars dedicated to their child's education.

This would only benefit the sincerely motivated public schools and, more importantly, the students. The schools would have competition, so they would have to survive without the crutch of a government mandated position at the top of the marketplace. The benefit to the children is surely too obvious to need mentioning.

Given this set of circumstances, I find it completely hilarious that the National Education Association issued this press release about a U.S. Senate effort to revive a voucher bill.
The school choice movement is just getting warmed up. And politicians of both parties should know that the status quo mentality will carry a heavy cost for you when school choicers get mobilized.

Liberal KY Group Wants $1.8 Billion Tax Hike

Just in time for the Kentucky General Assembly session to start up, a Kentucky organization is calling for a special kind of tax reform. The Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance wants $1.8 Billion each year in tax increases.

One specific proposal is to increase property taxes by nearly two and half times. Further, the group wants to raise personal and corporate taxes but doesn't say how much.

What Are They Doing Now?

I might as well beat Mark Nickolas to the punch and give the Fletcher Administration a hard time for sending out a big announcement email trumpeting in capital letters that the state has taken out an advertisement in Forbes Magazine.

This does nothing for the image. Neither does the awkwardly worded announcement with a grammatical error in the first sentence. You will see it soon enough.

Sheesh!

Just Exactly What We Are Doing Here

A very funny New York Times Magazine article talks about why they think conservative blogs are more effective than liberal blogs. (You may have to sign up to read the article, but it is free.)

The writer concludes, predictably, that conservative blogs thrive because of the conservative-dominated media that appeals to supporters' emotions and doesn't mind lying to promote an agenda. Liberal blogs, he writes, spend more time examining all sides of an issue and arguing the nuances with other liberals.

While the article is laughably slanted for a publication whose writers manage to keep a straight face when they recoil in horror from charges of bias, it does make one good point. Liberal bloggers are generally less effective when it counts than conservative bloggers.

The "culture of corruption" campaign slogan is effective, for now, on the lefty blogosphere. But when it comes to shedding light on issues that matter to people and not just preaching to the choir, the liberal blogs come up short.

Can the conservative blogs spank the liberals in 2006 like they did in 2004? No one knows. But little of a structural nature seems to have changed since then, except that the mainstream media pays a lot more attention to the blogs. There are many interesting subtexts to this story that I don't want to get into publicly now, but this will be a huge story one year from now.

Democrat Dreams in 2005; Lib Nightmare in 2006?

Watching activist Democrats feel their oats these days with their "GOP culture of corruption" chorus isn't much fun, but it seems to me most likely that their revelry won't last and may already be over. As the merit hiring investigation is about to get some national attention (more on that later), one has to wonder if it has run out of shock value for anyone but the most easily shocked Democrat partisan.

In the real world, inflation numbers out this morning show an actual decrease in November's general price level. That news comes as the media reporting of our nation's economic solid growth of the Bush years stays gagged and bound in the closet. That strategy may continue, but I wouldn't count on it attracting any cross-over votes for Dems next year. The class warfare card won't carry the day in our upwardly-mobile nation.

That leaves out-of-power spinmeisters to rail against the U.S. trade deficit. Seriously, though, I would like to see anyone make a solid case for what is wrong with running trade deficits. Seems to me that with so many foreign entities willing to trade their goods for our little printed pieces of paper, we should feel great pride in our ability to produce wealth and to inspire confidence throughout the world for such transactions. And while Congressman Chandler has made the rounds painting a picture of a U.S. Treasury Bond collapse brought on by hostile Chinese dumping, no credible people see that happening or --even if it did -- having the desired effect.

Running against the "horrible" economic policies of the Bush administration can only hold Democrats' hopes during an election season if the media decides keeping the lid on GDP statistics is more important to them than trying to recover some of their severely damaged credibility. Another Dan Rather incident in 2006 would be a tsunami-like catastrophe for the MSM. They may risk it if their influence continues to dwindle toward niche levels.

Emboldened by their extremists, Democrats seem intent on pushing for socialized medicine and a policy of appeasement for terrorists. Railing against health care costs is easily the better political move, but no amount of reasoning will keep the anti-war movement from crippling what is left of the Democratic Party.

Republican bad actors remain the GOP's Achilles heel, but the national and state Democrats run the risk of blowing their advantage in the Commonwealth's county courthouses. Democrats taking out their own grassroots support at a time that Republicans have handed them so many political opportunities would be extremely difficult for Democrats to overcome for a long time.

The current environment may help Democrats ward off a crushing defeat in 2006, though. That is certainly the conventional wisdom. But their ideas and tactics grow ever closer to running out of steam. Six weeks remain for good GOP candidates to come forward for next year's elections.

Education War, Day Two

Rep. David Floyd (R-Bardstown) fired the shot that could well be remembered as the first one in the battle to bring true reform to Kentucky education with his bill (HB 999) mentioned here yesterday.

Today from his office in Bardstown, Rep. Floyd said that his purpose for filing the bill was indeed to start the conversation about how we should finance our public education system. He also explained that he intends to revise the language in the bill that would mandate 62% of the state budget to go to education costs. The revision will simply add "no more than" prior to the number 62%, setting a ceiling on the portion of the budget that can be eaten up by Big Education. This is a good thing and will allow us to get off the bi-annual demands for more and more tax money for schools. That way, we can turn our focus to changing our approach to education rather than fighting about whether to throw more and more money at it.

In the current budget, the state spends 60.6% of its entire budget on education expenses.

Education War of 2006 Starts

Looks like we might be going back to the voting booth on another constitutional amendment. HB 999, pre-filed today, would call for a vote to decide if spending on education should be mandated at 62% of the state budget.

If nothing else, this will get people talking about education. It is a subject too many Kentuckians have given up on.

Obviously, more money isn't the answer, but I welcome the discussion. Conservatives have the upper hand here. They just need to play it. What a terrific opportunity.

Right To Work For Kentucky To Get Senate Help

Right to work legislation got a boost today when we confirmed that Sen. Damon Thayer is going to sponsor a Senate version of Rep. Stan Lee's much needed workplace freedom bill.

Sen. Thayer can get it passed and then Rep. Bob Damron can steal Rep. Lee's bill just like he did with the fetal homicide bill last year.

Education Liberals Go Wobbly in Kentucky

What exactly does The Prichard Committee on Academic Excellence do in Kentucky? Since they have been "on" academic excellence since 1983, a cynic might conclude that they haven't been doing very much.

But I wasn't that cynical until I went and looked at their website and found that they seem to be little more than a lobbying group for education bureaucrats to demand more money for "education."

Sometimes they do say good things, like that students should work hard and parents should get involved, but their credibility was dealt a crushing blow today.

In much the same way that war protestors say Arabs can't handle democracy, teacher's union officials were thought to be the only people who could claim with a straight face that school choice wouldn't improve schools in poor Kentucky like it does in nearly all the states that outrank our state in scholastic achievement.

So it was in this spirit that the Bluegrass Institute challenged Pritchard's leader Robert Sexton do debate the merits of school choice.

Mr. Sexton took his opportunity to step up, and he punted it.

Republicans in the General Assembly absolutely must take on education improvement issues in the 2006 session. They can start with getting rid of the discredited CATS testing and then move on to school choice. The Democrats have no bullets left in this gunfight. Now is the time.

Grassroots Tax Reform

Take a look here at the latest discussion of the Fair Tax. The people are picking up where the politicians dropped the ball.

And don't look now, but FairTax supporting candidates are 8-0!

Clinton Secretary of State Reads Liberal Blogs

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright can't get it right as Democrats continue to ignore Sen. Harry Reid's good advice to stop talking about the war.

Speaking on the Meet the Press program, Albright repeated the war protestor/liberal blogger/mainstream Democrat talking point that President Bush claimed Iraq was an imminent threat.

For the one millionth time, President Bush told us that if we waited until Iraq was an "imminent threat" it would then be too late.

Republicans have had their problems for the last year or so. But the craziness coming from the loyal opposition on the economy, war, and social/spending/entitlement issues makes it easier for the few bad actors in the GOP to skate by.

Just keep calling Bush a liar, guys. The opportunity that you are throwing away is not only damaging to your party, but also to your country.

You should think about that.

Ken Lucas Opens Mouth, Shoots Self In Foot

Ken Lucas isn't going to run for Congress.

Democrat activists have been, well, active is trying to crank up momentum for a Lucas return to Kentucky's 4th Congressional district. This is coming on the heels of their effort to draft him to run for governor.

The former Congressman's comments about current events seem to be a trial balloon for the Democratic party line. That is unlikely to fly in northern Kentucky, and the next poll will probably convince Mr. Lucas to spend more time with his family.

Some highlights for the "conservative Democrat" file at NRCC headquarters:

"I voted with my commander-in-chief for the war because he said you don't want to see a mushroom cloud over New York or Washington," Lucas said. "It became apparent after the fact that the administration had pretty much made up their mind that they were going; it was just a question of coming up with the rationale."

It's funny that a lot of Democrat poll readers haven't yet figured out the nuances of voter discontent with the war effort. Until they do, they would be well served to take Harry Reid's advice and say nothing at all.

This following quote has special meaning for northern Kentuckians, who deeply understand the value of keeping government close to the people to keep elected officials accountable locally. It seems Lucas is still hot on the idea of consolidating local governments in the name of "efficiency."
"There's a lot of inefficiency in duplication all over Northern Kentucky," he said. "But you have smaller governments who are very protective of their turf. Really, for Northern Kentucky to make some more strides, there needs to be certainly more cooperation and consolidation."

League of Women Voters Dips Into Lexington Water

Central Kentucky observers who keep hoping for the water condemnation story to die are about to find themselves knee deep in the wet stuff all over again.

The League of Women Voters of Lexington have announced, via a small article in today's Herald Leader, that they have "studied" the condemnation issue and determined they are all for it.

This issue is not going away and truly conservative candidates at all levels in central Kentucky would do very well to embrace the issue and run on it.

Liberal Professor Calls God An Idiot

Here is an article about a Massachusetts professor who takes all his complaints about the human body and concludes that God must be an incompetent.

Kind of puts what they say about George Bush and Republicans into perspective, doesn't it?

Democrats Try To "Social Security" The War

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is urging Democrats to stop talking about the war so they can avoid uncomfortable circumstances like those presented recently by Howard Dean and the increasingly sane and sober Joe Lieberman.

"Just Say No" may be good politics for the Democrats. But the rest of us will spend this Christmas season praying they don't succeed in shutting down national defense the same way they succeeded in killing Social Security reform. After all, their "victory" on entitlements only costs us money.

America Wins, Democrats Lose

Today, 193 House Democrats voted against extension of the 2003 tax cuts. And yes, Ben Chandler went right along, voting to increase your taxes. Too bad for them, 225 Republicans voted the right way.

"It's for the rich," they will say over and over again. All the multi-millionaires who saw their 15% tax bracket drop to 10% under President Bush know better. The middle class families who will escape the punitive alternative minimum tax do too.

History will show the solid economic gains of the first decade of the 21st century happened despite a world-wide war effort like none before and with the assistance of tax cuts that were delivered by Republicans and fought by Democrats every step of the way.

They tried to "Murtha" the economy and they failed.

Good day.

KY Schools Can't Live With Or Shoot Private Schools

The Kentucky Board of Education is treating the state's private schools like Maureen Dowd wants to treats men: keeping them around for convenience but kicking them to the curb when they get too uppity.

Yesterday, the KBE refused to put an end to the KHSAA's bid to remove private school athletic teams from state playoffs. This comes in the same week we find the KY Department of Education can't show increasing ACT scores without taking credit for private and home schooled students' scores.

Bad week for public education in Kentucky.

No, Virginia, There is No Guaranteed Benefit

In ruling today that a Social Security recipient's benefits could be seized to pay delinquent student loans, the United States Supreme Court confirmed once again that there is no "guaranteed benefit" in Social Security.

Earlier this year, Congressional Democrats used their megaphone in the mainstream media to beat home the idea that Social Security benefits are guaranteed. This has definitively been untrue since the 1960 Flemming v. Nestor case stated that no such guarantee exists.

The existence of a "guaranteed benefit" was the cornerstone of Democrats' arguments against Social Security reform. Social Security will be insolvent in eleven years.

Sunlight V. Fake Blindness

Interesting article by Ryan Alessi this morning about fundraising in the Supreme Court race beween Justice John Roach and Judge Mary Noble.

It seems that Justice Roach is going to publicize campaign contributions more quickly than required by law. In response, Judge Noble told a group of fifty contributors, apparently to their faces, that she is going to pretend not to see any of them.

Is this what she thinks "justice is blind" means?

KY Ed. Officials Take Credit For Private ACT Scores

Each year, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) touts the ACT scores achieved by Kentucky high school students. What they don't say is that those scores are skewed upward by the inclusion of scores made by private school students in the state.

The KDE, a state government agency, plays no role in the education of nonpublic-school students.

Accountability for our public schools has been a key federal government issue since 2001. The Bluegrass Institute has published a report that points out this reporting discrepancy and asks why Kentucky's public school officials "would rather hide behind the stellar performance of Kentucky’s nonpublic-school students than acknowledge more than a decade of stagnation in the commonwealth’s public schools. "

KDE spokeswoman Lisa Gross addressed the question by questioning the motives of BIPPS researcher Richard Innes.

"We have concerns about Mr. Innes," Gross said. "I can't refute his numbers but his conclusion is that we are intentionally trying to mislead people. If we had time to do that, we would do a better job of it."

Gross said that scores of thousands of nonpublic students are included in the KDE press releases because the ACT reports them to the state that way. ACT confirms this.

But is the incorrect picture of state school achievement simply the cause of laziness or lack of curiosity on the part of school officials? Gross said it isn't.

"We don't have any way of breaking (public versus nonpublic results) out," she said.

Innes scoffed at this claim. He said that the state's Office of Education Accountability, part of the state's Legislative Research Commission and located less than three miles from KDE, has public school ACT results for individual students going back to 1990. Figuring out the difference between public and private results is then just a matter of subtracting the number of public school students and their scores out.

"It's a simple algebra equation," Innes said.

KY Budget Chairman Finance Scheme Uncovered

Rep. Harry Moberly (D-Richmond), Kentucky's House Budget Chairman, spent money he didn't have last year to keep his office in Frankfort. One full year after the election, he still owes more than $20,000 to a company owned by a Kentucky Democratic Party executive.

One interesting thing about this is that you can pull up "Harry Moberly" on the Ky. Registry of Election Finance website and find an erroneous positive balance $2437.29. This doesn't take into account, though, his carrover debt from last year. To find the truth you have to dig down to the PDF file which shows Moberly's one year old campaign debt of $21,698.45 still owed to Emmons & Company Inc.

Looking at this brings up a few questions: why is Harry Moberly in a position of responsibility over the state budget when he can't even balance his own campaign fund? If corporate campaign contributions are illegal, why is Moberly allowed to carry indefinitely a debt owed to a corporation? At some point doesn't that amount to the same thing? And why does the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance continue to show Moberly's balance nearly $25,000 higher than it actually is?

This budgeting scheme allowed Harry Moberly to spend much more money than he had to get elected. (Good enough for government work, I suppose.) As the Kentucky vote buying scandal works its way slowly to the courtroom, we see some Democrats have moved past bag men, vote haulers, booze and McDonald's coupons. The new trick is to get a corporate sponsor to spend huge chunks of money on a candidate, who can then show it as a carryover debt in perpetuity.

More Good News: Howard Dean Speaks

At the DNC meeting in Phoenix, Howard Dean pledged that Democrats will campaign in 2006 on taxpayer-provided health insurance for all, giving all illegal aliens legal status, and defense policy ranging from full surrender in Iraq in six months or going ahead and telling the terrorists to hide out for two more years (and pulling out then.)

The highlight, though, was when Dean suggested that Democrats have to talk even more about their core principles: "We have to stand up for what we believe."

Translation: "elect us to raise your taxes and spend it on HillaryCare for citizens and any Mexican who can swim. Then we will bring our soldiers home so they can fight terrorists from the comfort of our American cities."

Can't wait to see what they will stand up for next.

The Hillary Clinton Problem

Two serious conditions exist that keep me from feeling too smug about Hillary Clinton's visit to Louisville last night. Fortunately, a third even more serious one will ensure that Hurricane Hillary does most of her damage on the Democrat side of the street.

First the bad news: too many Americans have joined in this hatred of oil companies to take immediate advantage of the fact that Hillary covets the "amazing profits" of American oil companies. She would mandate taking an extra cut of those private funds to establish a government research and development bureaucracy to magically do with speed and without pain what the best scientific minds in the world have not managed to do in decades: replace fossil fuels with something cleaner and just as efficient. This would be a great jumping off point for showing that HillaryCare has been expanded to include Hillary Oil, but too many of the same people who used to understand free markets, supply and demand, and capitalism now concede the premises of the Left. Until so many forgetful Republicans stop taking their economic analysis from the politicians who have actually spun the current string of solid economic growth (not seen since the roaring 1980's, mind you) into the image of a soup kitchen catastrophe, do we have a chance to expose the folly of putting the government in charge of such an important function of our still-free economy.

Also, Democrats persist in railing against the cost of health care when their best answer continues to be to put that cost on the backs of the American taxpayer. A Republican bill currently before Congress would allow people to go across state lines to purchase private coverage. States that haven't fattened health policies with lard-like mandated coverages found in Kentucky, would be a safe haven for many Kentucky health insurance consumers. A private solution to a government-created problem. Again, until GOP "leaders" can put government-run health care for all into a proper perspective, the allure of the single-payer system will persist.

The good news, finally (and, I think, decisively) is about the war. Too many Americans understand (as the flower children don't) that we are in a battle for our survival. No amount of nuanced verbiage will get the Democrats out of the hole they dug for themselves by seeking naked political advantage over the struggle against terrorists. Hillary can be for the war but against torturing terrorists all day long. She won't be trusted when push comes to shove that she can make the tough war-time calls that President Bush has made. Yes, the polls show unhappiness with the war. But I think these negative numbers are lumping in peacenicks with those who would prefer large-scale bombing until everyone we want to capture is turned over by their host countries. The anti-war folks will keep the heat on Democrats and their own tortured positions will just continue to vacillate day by day. This politicking, along with economic Chicken Little-ism (we have ample soundbites of Dems giving the GOP policies all the credit for their imaginary horrible economic conditions) will betray them in 2006.

On a local note, it was interesting that Jonathan Miller showed at the HillaryFest. Could this mean that he is taking himself off the stage in 2007? Or could it mean that he hopes to run as LG to non-attending Crit Luallen in an attempt to broaden a base for that ticket (we are both for and against Hillary!!!)?

Campus Pro-Life Group Making An Impact

On a night that the Democratic Party of Kentucky is meeting with none other than Hillary Clinton to figure out what they stand for, it is wonderful to see the good work that some young people at the University of Kentucky are doing.

They are the UK Students for Life. This week, when the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, UK Feminist Alliance, and other abortion groups staged a forum on campus to discuss abortion, more than two dozen members of UK Students for Life came, listened, and peacefully made their points.

Congratulations to the UK Students for Life and best wishes for continued success!

UP NEXT: TED KENNEDY!!!

On the eve of the Hillary Clinton visit to Kentucky (or, according to Sen. Julian Carroll, just Louisville), Kentucky's Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan announced this morning that none other than Ted Kennedy may be next.

I was a guest on the Sue Wylie Show talking about why Republicans are as excited about tomorrow's fundraiser as "conservative" Democrats are demoralized about it. Maybe we should start calling them non-liberals.

Anyway, Chairman Lundergan called in. He admitted that the Hillary visit was his idea and then dropped the bomb: Ted Kennedy may be next.

A caller suggested that anything that helped Democrats get their message out was good. I couldn't agree more.

At Least He Isn't Our Governor

I've been looking for a reason not to post something about a comment by Rep. Ben Chandler this morning. The conventional wisdom holds that he can do little real harm for now from his minority position in the Congress. While that is true (hey, he could be governor!), it is immensely distressing to see such political strength vested in someone with so few actual accomplishments. Nevertheless, there seems to be little hope to gain traction against him and his policy positions even though Congressman Ben Chandler says things like this:

"The upper echelon of people in this country are not being asked to sacrifice anything and they are being given huge tax cuts."

What planet is this guy from, really? Anyone? In a nation whose government is financed by this "upper echelon" he has such a problem with and in a state where most ambitious people strive to climb to the upper reaches of the income scale, one would think that blind, stupid, hateful, and wrong statements like this would carry a price. No such luck when the rhetoric comes from the top Democrat in Kentucky.

Comrade Chandler made his comments this morning on the Jack Pattie Show in Lexington.

Kids Want More, Education Officials Want Less

Saw a very interesting gap between Kentucky high school students and the state's education bureaucrats in two stories in state newspapers. First, the Kentucky Post reports that students want tougher academic standards in public schools. Then, as if on cue, the Louisville Courier Journal reports on a proposal from education bureaucrats asking the federal government to lower the expectations the schools are held to.

I say we go with the kids on this one.

The Kentucky Department of Education wants the 2001 federal standards lowered for them by shifting the focus of testing from reading and math to include social studies, "practical living" (good grief!), and arts and humanities. I'm not sure what they mean by practical living, but suspect they want a pass if our high school students can show mastery of shoe tying skills. Further, they want to lower even the appearance of accountability by dropping annual test requirements and going to every other year. And then, of course, they want a reprieve from the requirement to allow students to transfer from failing schools after two years, making it three instead. That is what this is all about -- resisting calls to increase standards and accountability for doing what schools are paid tax dollars to do.

What we have here are divergent interests. Our children know that their very survival in the knowledge-based economy depends on how much they know. Too many education officials are bureaucratic drones who are too focused on preserving their own cushy jobs without too much work.

Again, I suggest we go with the kids on this one and let the managers of the public school system sweat a little bit.

From a political perspective, I think education could be the perfect wedge issue. Democrats in Kentucky have presided over mediocre results for decades. Republicans should show the courage to make them answer for their failure. Let's make Democrat lawmakers choose between children and their teachers' union supporters.

Hurricane Hillary Hits Friday

Sen. Julian Carroll (D-Mess in Frankfort) commenting today on the Sue Wylie Show about Hillary Clinton's visit to Kentucky:

"She's coming to Louisville. She's not coming to represent the values of Kentucky. She's coming to represent the values of Louisville."

Carroll admitted that he will be at the Louisville event and claimed that Sen. Clinton is trying to change her liberal image, just as he is. He suggested that Republicans are bad, but that he is just as conservative as they are.

There was another funny exchange with a caller in which Sen. Carroll confessed that he voted for John Kerry even though he says he had "disagreements" with "his morals."

This will be lots of fun watching the Democratic Party try to figure out who they are without completely self-destructing before the 2006 elections.

Bush Gets GOP Back In The Saddle On Immigration

Good.

Earth to Hillary: The Economy Is Good

This Friday, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will have an opportunity to take her national "listening tour" to the average folks in Kentucky. That is, all the average people in Kentucky who put up $10,000 to get close enough for a photo with The Smartest Woman in The World.

We can only hope that one of these good folks will share these economic statistics with her.

Which One Is The Frontrunner?

The race for the 2007 Democrat gubernatorial nomination is on. Otis Hensley has filed with the Registry of Election Finance to start raising money. He will be facing Gatewood Galbraith.

At this rate, I can't imagine who will be next to file.

This Will Help: Democrats Want To Be "Mommy"

Now this is pretty funny. A Madison, Wisconsin man has written a children's book and called it "Why Mommy is a Democrat."

He claims that five percent of the proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Democratic Party. If the sample pages on their website are any indication, Kentucky's "conservative" Democrats might want to run away from this faster than they run from Hillary's Friday night soiree in Louisville. My favorite was "Democrats make sure we all share our toys, just like Mommy does."

Media Waking Up to CATS Story

Two full weeks after Kentucky Progress reported on the Bluegrass Institute's (BIPPS) dismantling of Kentucky's fraudulent school accountability program, the media is starting to report on the disturbing findings.

It is about time.

This is a clear-cut tale of government abuse of children. The Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) very simply allows manipulation of school testing results. Parents then have an erroneous picture of the quality of education provided to their children. This is indisputable.

It is clear that repairing this instance of firmly entrenched waste, fraud, and abuse will involve clearing out more of the status quo holders in Frankfort. Anyone who has driven by the Kentucky Department of Education headquarters in Frankfort during election season knows that they function as a subsidiary of the Democratic Party. Republicans in Frankfort would do very well to make the education lobby take responsibility for their malfeasance.

Yes, I said malfeasance. If you have any doubt, you need only look at the quote from the Kentucky Department of Education's Lisa Gross. Her analysis of the BIPPS 50 page report was a curt "There's a lot wrong with it."

Oh, really? Can Ms. Gross name one thing wrong with the report, other than the fact that it embarrasses the education establishment in the state? Her arrogant answer suggests that the KDE has been exposed and hopes to spin it and make it all into some Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. But get this: the Bluegrass Institute has challenged Kentucky's top education officials to a debate about testing issues. Now that is something I would like to see. The bureaucrats have, unsurprisingly, gone underground into their no-debate spider hole.

Will the media stick to this very real story with anything like the tenacity our children deserve?

Sure hope so. I mean, it has everything: big money, big power, disadvantaged children pushed out of sight and high-achieving children used as unwitting accomplices to cover up the fraud. I suppose if the school officials literally took to defecating on our children, it would make front page, live at 6:00 news everywhere. That is essentially what they are doing. It is disgusting.

Maybe we should tell them it is all Ernie Fletcher's fault. Then the reporters would be on it like ducks on a June bug.

Terrorist News Network Shares Talk Points With D's

Amazing how this sounds just like what we keep hearing from the American Left.

Your Tax Dollars At Work: UK Studies Gay Politics

Take a look at this "Confidence in Government" study underwritten by the University of Kentucky. It seeks to survey people on the internet and the title seems fairly innocuous. But the survey questions seem to be predominantly interested in homosexuals, homosexuality, and the politics of homosexuals.

Surely this wouldn't have anything to do with the upcoming Lexington city council races, would it?

The Perfect Partisan Issue: Education

Just finished reading another petulant appeal for throwing more piles of money at the Kentucky education establishment. The author, unsurprisingly, is a former Speaker Jody Richards (D-Bowling Green) staffer.

As I was reading, it occured to me that there is bi-partisan agreement on the existence of a problem in education, but conservatives and liberals have almost no point of agreement on the path to improvement.

Republicans have historically done a poor job of taking advantage of Democrats single-minded clamoring for more money.

It is too easy. Asked what they would do with more money, Democrats insist that higher teacher pay is the answer. But we now know that Kentucky's teachers are the fifth best compensated in the United States.

More money isn't the answer. A different philosophy is.

Conservatives insist on higher standards, tough discipline, and accountability. Liberals champion permissiveness in the classroom. And when it come to holding the schools accountable, they permit outright fraud in the CATS program.

It has been two weeks since the Bluegrass Institute exposed very serious problems with the testing system that we use in Kentucky to evaluate our schools. The GOP is missing a fantastic opportunity to make real improvements to the schools that Democrats have papered over for decades.

Frankfort Should Change KEES Statutes

If the primary function of the KEES program is to hold Kentucky students in the state's public schools and colleges, then the way the program is set up makes sense. But if the purpose is to maximize educational opportunities for Kentuckians, then it needs a little work.

Currently, KEES money is not available to high school seniors taking college courses, nor is a full award available to home-school students. A college student may not currently use a KEES award for summer term courses.

All of these restrictions need to be eliminated.

A high school senior could have accumulated a $2000 annual award that will benefit no one if he or she plans to go out of state for college. A student who is undecided about plans for college or leaning toward going out of state could wind up spending some quite unproductive months during a senior year of high school. Allowing such students to use up a year of KEES money could provide substantial academic benefit to a student who would also be getting a taste of a state college that he might not otherwise have received.

Home school students who are limited to a KEES supplemental award are being penalized for not going to public school. This should only be so if we seek to make the primary beneficiary the public schools themselves. That's bogus. A home-schooler with a 28 on the ACT should be entitled to a full KEES award.

And students who go out-of-state to college could benefit from a KEES award spent at home on summer school.

These changes are a no-brainer improvement to the educational opportunities provided by the KEES program to the citizens of Kentucky. But of all the education lobbying going on in Frankfort, the only people who are not represented are the public school students. The effort necessary to correct these shortcomings in the law will help put the focus where it belongs.

No More Lip Service: Let's Boycott CATS

You wouldn't know it if you just get your news from Kentucky's big newspapers, but the Kentucky Department of Education's CATS testing has been shown to be a fraud.

So enjoy your Thanksgiving. Rest and relax with family and friends this weekend.

On Monday, we start a full-fledged frontal assault and boycott of the wasteful CATS.

Crack To An Addict: More Money For "Education"?

Some things are just too far gone to fix. That is the case with Kentucky's government strategy for educating its population. It should be self-evident to everyone who doesn't depend directly on the status quo that blindly pouring more money into our state's public school bureaucracy is a bad idea.

And it is getting worse.

So that is why it was so curious to see "EDUCATION UNDERFUNDED" as the bold headline on the jump page in today's Herald Leader. The front page headline for the story was "State's job skills come up short" and the story was one of the typical agenda-driven factoid-laden pieces that gives the newspaper its bad reputation.

Seriously, look at who they interviewed. I count three Democrat politicians and one of them was Paul Patton! The didn't dare interview one single person who might have contradicted their premise. Our vaunted watchdogs serve so poorly when they shovel out this kind of stuff.

We continue to poor more money into public education, though the percentage of total spending decrease statistic that the paper tried to stick to Ernie Fletcher this summer was dutifully trotted out again.

Raising standards and average expectations at the primary and secondary level remains the only way to improve our education results. That doesn't take more money. Our legislators need to return disciplinary discretion to the teachers. We need to clean out the sham elements of the CATS testing and cut layers of education "management" at the county, district, and state levels.

But we already know this stuff.

The main idea of the news story today was that if we just put more money into secondary schools we wouldn't have to put state money into corporate worker training programs. But the same solution fits here. If teachers had more control in the classroom, dealing with disruptive children would not take up so much instruction time. If students had to meet higher standards to advance through school, more of them would be able to think more analytically as adults, making public financing of workplace remediation less necessary. Too much of our current focus is on the bottom tier students in our schools. If we took some simple steps to unshackle our top tier of students, they could excel with very minimal supervision at the secondary level. That would free up resources to push middle tier students toward their potential and past the point that such large numbers as at present graduate high school unable to survive either in the workplace or in freshman level college courses.

Our education bureaucrats are failing the challenge to increase productivity in the classroom. We should give more effort to helping them philosophically approach their jobs more effectively before acquiescing to their demands for more money.

Gatewood Galbraith First Dem Governor Candidate

Perennial candidate Gatewood Galbraith just announced on WVLK's Kruser and Krew program that he will register as a Democrat and run for Governor of Kentucky in 2007.

"The Democratic nominee will be the Governor in 2007," Galbraith said.

The "Last Free Man in America" isn't ready to totally buck his party boss, Jerry Lundergan, who is calling on Dem candidates to avoid expensive primary battles. Gatewood said he will meet with Rep. Ben Chandler soon and step aside if the Congressman wants to run himself.

The dynamics of a Gatewood campaign could be very interesting. If several Democrat opponents come forward, he should get lost in the crowd. An interesting possibility is that he could throw a Hail Mary attack against the eventual nominee and damage him (or her) for the fall. In a one-on-one battle for the nomination, this would have to be considered highly likely to occur.

Okay, guys. Who's next?

Meanwhile, as the Dem circus gets underway, Governor Fletcher announced penalties against Anthem Health Plans and ordered them to return $23.7 million to policyholders. Good job!

Iran's Parliament Urges Nuclear Reprisal Against Us

While the Worldwide Left is chattering about another memo (this one has President Bush bombing Al Jazeera, the Islamic media outlet), the Iranian Parliament voted to move ahead with the preparation of nuclear weapons if the UN persists in investigating Iran's preparation of nuclear weapons.

This is a much bigger story than Murtha/Sheehan. This is nuclear brinksmanship with a rogue fundamentalist regime is infinitely more serious than any coming out of the mouths out Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Howard Dean.

Incidentally, Iran has also jumped on the Murtha/Sheehan bandwagon and called for the United States to pull out of Iraq. Go figure.

Jim Gray On The Sue Wylie Show

Okay, so Lexington City Council candidate Jim Gray is just another liberal politician. What are we going to do about it?

Gray insists on continuing the long-dead issue of government theft of Kentucky American assets. Gray says he supports domestic partner benefits for city employees. And he doesn't recognize the private property rights of business owners who wish to allow smoking in their places of business. He fills in the rest of his speaking with psycho-babble about "good business practices."

There is still time for conservative candidates to emerge. When they do, they must not (and conservative activists must not) bring up the homosexual issue or anything close to it. There will be enough praise for his "courage" to run given his homosexuality to remind Mr. and Mrs. Voter of this controversy.

If handled correctly, having Gray on the ballot could benefit conservatives across the board in 2006. That means focusing on how domestic partner benefits makes it easier for unmarried heterosexual couples to live together, perpetuating an absence of personal responsibility that these heterosexuals pass on to their offspring. When conservatives make that case, and show the public how liberals want to shift personal responsibility away from the individual and toward the government, we win. Unfortunately, conservatives face a two-front battle because of Republican politicians who forget our values once they get elected.

Voter registration numbers continue to shift toward the GOP. As the Democrats try to battle their diminishing influence by stifling internal debate and shunning primary battles, Republicans are gaining greater strength and grow closer to the time that we in Kentucky can vote to "throw the bums out" from both parties.

"Bush Lied, My Brains Are Fried!"

Liberal blogger awaiting new signal from the Mother Ship.

Congressman Murtha, Your Fifteen Minutes Are Up

Democrats are destroying their own credibility on the Terror War.

Luckily, Rep. John Murtha continues to talk.

"The public turned against this war before I said it," Murtha whined about the backlash against his statement that we should pull out of Iraq immediately. Murtha was for the war before he was against it.

Democrats failed on Friday to support their own backseat driving on the war with actual votes. The resolution calling for a full surrender failed 403 to 3.

No amount of wishful thinking by liberal activists can keep support for the war from being the number one issue until we have a decisive victory. Seems like they would get on board with the war and get back to what is left of their domestic agenda. Sticking in the middle of the road on this one isn't going to do anything but give Republicans a pass on whatever they want to do. To be frank, America needs better from their opposition party.

Jim Gray For Lexington City Council

It is too early to make endorsements for Lexington's 2006 local races, but I think Jim Gray could make a very effective At-Large Councilman. His business experience is the main reason for my interest. Central Kentucky's largest city needs more serious leaders to compete in the years ahead.

Yes, Jim Gray is the man who publicly "came out of the closet" recently. And yes, I campaigned last year to define marriage as between one man and one woman. But with that battle won, I think we can look more to the qualifications for office. Jim Gray should be able to do the job very well. It will be very interesting to see how he puts his campaign together.

Another Day With No Democrat Plan On Iraq

Last night, Congressional Democrats refused to support the Cindy Sheehan Resolution and it failed by a 403 to 3 vote.

Rep. John Murtha, who made headlines earlier this week by calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, turned his back on the measure which would have given him what he said he wanted.

Given last night's cut and run by the Dems, one might expect them to try again to find their voice on this or any other issue. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer made statements at the end of this article which suggest in no uncertain terms that they still can't get it done.

Interesting that three Democrats put their money where their mouths were and voted to go ahead and surrender to the terrorist insurgency's base in Iraq. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia is a known Islamic terrorist supporter. Robert Wexler of Florida was the one Democrat courageous enough to admit their plan for Social Security is just massive tax increases. Jose Serrano of New York is an avid supporter of Communist dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is cooking up a proletarian revolt for Serrano's district in the Bronx.

The sorry spectacle of Democrats shrieking and tussling in the House chamber last night exposed to the world that they won't engage in serious consideration of vital issues until they have their precious power back. With behavior like they have exhibited recently, they could be in for a long wait.

Battle Lines Drawn On Spending In Washington

Don't let news stories that describe last night's vote on HR 4241 as one that "squeezes programs for the poor" or even as a "major budget cut bill" mislead you. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (or what was left of it) was a pitifully small reduction in the rate of growth of a few programs.

Democrats who try to make hay out of Republicans pushing homeless children on train tracks will only succeed to the extent that the media so shamelessly plays along with their gambit. Unfortunately, conservative media serves the public poorly as well by fostering the illusion that $50 Billion in actual cuts were created last night.

Budget "cuts" proposed for future years hold no weight whatsoever, so the $50 billion is, in reality, little more than a quiet suggestion. But in the political world, it is the line in the sand. All House Democrats plus Socialist Bernie Sanders voted against the bill, rejecting even a whiff of slowing down entitlement growth. So while taxpayers gained nothing from last night's vote, citizens gained a voter's guide for 2006 elections containing a list of the entire Democrat/Socialist caucus who stand in opposition to Republican spendthrifts in Congress only in the sense that they are worse.

A Crumbling Foundation: House Can't Muster Deficit Reduction

House Republicans in Washington are trying to pass the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 but weak Republicans are joining Democrats and killing it off.

This bill would merely reduce the growth rate of spending and provide straightforward reforms to Medicaid requested by the nation's governors.

Democrats are, as usual, charging that Republican cuts will leave poor people eating cat food. Sadly, Congressman Ron Lewis isn't taking a position on this commonsense legislation.

Omnibus Post Blasts Democrats And Republicans

If you haven't read Caleb Brown's takedown of omnibus bills, go ahead and read it now. These are the bills that combine many different policy initiatives in one bill. The example cited by Mr. Brown is Governor Fletcher's tax modernization bill. He has a point, of course, and small government Republicans in Frankfort who held their noses and voted for the "revenue neutral tax increase" know all too well. Most galling is that Brown quotes a Democrat lawmaker who complains that he didn't want to vote for the bill because of the tax increase on business, but had to because failure to support the whole thing would have cost his district dearly. He has a point and Democrats have already shown an eagerness to beat GOP candidates over the head with it next year.

And this happens on a day that a Dem Congressman from Pennsylvania urges us to go ahead and surrender in Iraq. Inconsistency among conservatives makes it pretty hard to keep Democrats in their little left-leaning box. In a time that even Hillary Clinton is trying to wear the conservative label, Republicans have to know that they are hurting conservatism itself when they seek to avoid issue-driven debate.

Another Transportation Cabinet Scandal Brewing?

Mark Hebert's story is online regarding an alleged bid-rigging scandal in the Transportation Cabinet. No smoking gun in last night's report, but sources indicate that the rest of the story might be a little more troublesome.

So far, though, I don't see much to this story. The evidence that I am familiar with seems to indicate that it doesn't go any higher than David Jones, though Jones suggests otherwise. But Mark Hebert says he is still working on it and thinks it goes higher up, so stay tuned.

Frankfort Rumors: Trouble in Transport?

Mark Hebert is promoting a "big story" for 5:00 on WHAS in Louisville. He says he has uncovered details related to contracts on Transportation Cabinet work. The KSP is investigating.

This doesn't look good.

Media Helps KY Public Schools Hurt Kids, Waste $

Kentucky's Education Industrial Complex rules most counties (where the public school system system is often the largest employer) and, unfortunately, holds sway over our intrepid media outlets across the Bluegrass as well.

The Bluegrass Institute issued a damning report on Monday about the state's fraudulent use of CATS testing to avoid accountability and waste countless hours and taxpayer dollars. Several advance copies of this report went out on Saturday. So how many of our mainstream talkers, news writers, or news readers have explored these findings in order to protect the taxpayers and the children of this state?

None.

That's pathetic. The Soviet Union was the gold standard of burying inconvenient bad news. Is that what you guys are up to? Apparent media complicity here is sickening.

If Governor Fletcher is looking for an issue to champion, this is it.

Councilman Bill Farmer Splits The Baby On Water?

Supporters for condemnation of Kentucky American Water Company were reduced at the end to appealing to a nebulous fear of outsiders. Mayoral candidate Bill Farmer veered dangerously close to joining them today when he said "I do not believe it is in the best interest of Lexington for anyone other than the community or a community-based group of investors to own the (water) system."

While condemnation for its own sake was never a good idea, bowing to the xenophobiacs by calling for "local ownership" is more likely to make sense politically than it does economically. I don't think it works either way, though. Every other municipality in the world views inflows of capital as a good thing. Farmer is already marked with a big "B" for business because of his anti-condemnation stance. Now is not the time to go wobbly, even if it is just posturing rhetoric.

Democrat Surrender Vote Fails

U.S. Senate Democrats today failed in their bid to force President Bush to set a "timetable" for removing troops from Iraq.

Thirty nine Dems and idiot Lincoln Chafee voted for the "surrender in advance." The people whose fanatical thirst for political power contrasts their meekness before terrorist murderers don't seem to understand the results of recent polls. Republican discontent with President Bush has more to do with his capitulation to the Left on such issues as tax and Social Security reform, education reform, and Medicare.

Louisville-bound Hillary Clinton, by the way, voted French on this one.

Thanks to Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning for standing strong.

Hey, Let's Dumb Down Our Colleges Too!

Rep. Rick Nelson (D-Middlesboro) has pre-filed a bill that would direct Kentucky legislative staff to "study" the cost of college textbooks. Maybe the Democrats are cooking up a plan to "fix" higher education expenses just like they "fixed" health insurance back in 1994.

Nice spin on the current "gouging at the pump" craze, but not any more realistic than that or the utopian health insurance mess Governor Jones (D-of course) gave us.

Those kids don't need no book learnin' !!!

Bad News Travels Fast

Campaign finance reports are in and Governor Fletcher has raised $218,165.00 and spent $86,973.93.

This is not good and the Dems will be crowing as soon as they see it.

KEA's Shame: Waste, Fraud, Abuse on CATS Test

The folks at Bluegrass Institute have done it again.

As a parent of public school students, I have learned that demanding more gets good results. We learned last week that the teachers' union demands for more pay is another false alarm. Now we see that our program for testing accountability is a complete sham.

I don't see any need to send our kids to school on CATS testing days to prop up this garbage.

Such abuse of underpriviledged children should be the kind of thing the media would jump all over. Where are they?

Purge The Mergers: Danville Mayor Goes Wild

Mayor John Bowling will hold a press conference Monday at 5pm at Danville city hall to discuss creating a single government for Boyle County.

Small government advocates may view this as a way to create fewer politicians. The problem is that the remaining office holders have more power and are less accountable to the people they represent.

If Danvillians really want to do something good, they should change their city government from a commissioner form of government to one represented by a city council. Commissioners serve the same purpose as a council, but are all elected citywide and oversee different areas of city government. This makes them accountable primarily to the city workers. A city councilman represents a specific geographic region and is accountable primarily to the people in that district.

Mike (Nancy Pelosi) Weaver Talks Smack

Rep. Mike Weaver is running for Congress against Ron Lewis. His official announcement is coming next week, but the DCCC has been blowing in his ear for months now. It is going to happen.

Interviewed recently, Weaver was bragging about how sticking him with the liberal label wouldn't work. That may be so when he is running for his safe little seat in Frankfort, but this is the big leagues. In a narrowly divided House, a vote for any Democrat is a vote for San Francisco freak Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House.

Exposed: KY Teachers 5th Highest Paid In Nation

State legislators buckled last year under agonizing pleas from the teachers' union that its members could not afford to feed their families if they were forced to absorb higher health care costs. Kentucky's education "reformers" have claimed for years that education nirvana could be found on the other side of higher pay for teachers.

We have been duped.

A study from the Raleigh, North Carolina-based John Locke Foundation has ranked the total compensation for public school teachers by state. Kentucky has long been listed at the bottom of educational achievement surveys and it is ranked 34th in terms of teacher salary. But when total compensation and cost-of-living are considered, Kentucky is ranked number five in the nation.

Here is the report.

The folks at the Bluegrass Institute told me about this one. They work on some very interesting things to improve education in Kentucky and are finding surprisingly little support from "conservative" and "family-friendly" legislators of both parties. Their plan is to take their information directly to parents. God help the politicians who stand in the way of this train when it gets moving.

With Republicans Like This, Who Needs Democrats?

Let me get this straight: the GOP in Washington is killing off tax cuts as unaffordable, spending cuts as unpopular, energy independence as unfriendly to moosekind, and Medicaid reform as unfair.

Meanwhile here at home, the big press conference of the day is another weak (and failed) attempt to redirect the merit hiring debacle. The gathering conservative storm may not play out as some elected Republicans are hoping.

What continues to happen is that elected Republicans leave their right flank exposed for Democrats to out-conservative them. The only saving grace is the national Democrats. I certainly understand the strategy of reduced expectations, but aren't we making it a little easy for the lefties, their utter lack of workable ideas intact, to build support at our expense?

Bluegrass Institute Takes The Lead

It's a good day when the folks at BIPPS speak up. Today is looking like a very good day, indeed.

FALSE ALARM UPDATE: While today is shaping up to be a pretty good day at BIPPS, I'm told their explosive report on education in Kentucky will not be released until Monday. Kentucky Progress will have the first complete synopsis available ASAP.

Another Liberal Senator Coming To Louisville

The Louisville Courier Journal reports that Sen. John McCain is coming to Louisville December 14 to sell his book.

Democrats Cast Blame, Eat Fish in Danville

The Danville (KY) Advocate Messenger reports on a political rally in which Democrat officials attacked Republicans.

The money quote was from House Speaker Jody Richards who said "I'm proud to be a Democrat, proud to live up to the Democrats' message."

Which message is that, exactly, Speaker Richards?

Maybe we can ask him December 2 in Louisville at the Hillary Clinton fundraisers. Clinton will be in town to raise money for her pro-abortion, higher taxes, and nationalized health care Senate campaign in New York and, presumably, to benefit this same "message" for Democrat candidates in Kentucky. No word yet on how they are going to handle the Democrats' surrender-first foreign policy message or their special rights for gay adoptive parents message.

Grassroots Support Only For Good Republicans

Tall tales about a national Democrat resurrection in 2006 notwithstanding, individual donors continue to pour comparatively more money into GOP organization coffers. The notable exception is the National Republican Senatorial Committee, likely because of the "moderate" GOP group in that body.

In other words, a Dem takeover looks very unlikely unless they can figure out a way to be more conservative than the Republicans. Meanwhile, we have some breathing room to demand some more accountability from our Republican elected officials. That is a good thing.

Democrats Still Hiding Policy Positions

Roll Call reports that national Democrats have given up their efforts to express any specific agenda for America for now. This latest failure comes as Kentucky Democrats celebrate the far-out liberal achievements of Sen. Hillary Clinton (like her 8% rating by Citizens Against Government Waste; worse even than John Kerry's 25% failing grade and Ben Chandler's 15%).

What could they be trying to hide?

Typical Politician: On Both Sides Of The Issue

Ben Chandler supports his liberal friends' efforts to condemn Kentucky American Water, but now has a press release urging "strong safeguards to protect private property owners from having their property seized by the government." His distinction is that now he is talking about the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo decision, but the difference in principle is non-existent.

Go Figure: Tax Reform Panel Speaks; We Yawn

For all of President Bush's talk about spending his political capital in his second term, the conservative revolution has misfired badly with him at the helm these last ten months.

Or has it?

Social Security Reform was bludgeoned nearly to death, but the Democrats with their hammers came off looking a little like the Arabs dancing in the streets on 9/11. Sure, they won. But the red ink that Social Security is drowning in will soon have voters wondering what all the celebrating in 2005 was all about.

The end runs around the crazed enviro-fascists will soon have us drilling for oil in the ANWR wilderness. This will clearly open the way to more domestic exploration that will substantially reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

The revolt by the most fiscally conservative House Republicans will likely result in reduced pork spending. A similar mutiny by conservative Senate Republicans will certainly result in the confirmation of a solid Supreme Court justice.

So now the President's own Advisory Panel on Tax Reform has issued its ideas for simplifying our tax system and everyone is waiting to see what the vox populi declares.

When President Reagan left the White House in 1989, the conservative movement suffered from the loss of a great champion. Could it be that President Bush will leave us stronger in his absence because of the way he has drawn out our liberal opponents from their fortifications with their arguments pulled down around their ankles?

I think so, yes.

The question then becomes "Can we do the same thing here in Kentucky?" Can the ground troops of the Bluegrass conservative movement wrest control of the Republican party and the social objectives that drew us to it from those who would use it for self-aggrandizement? Can we force discipline on a state government that raised our taxes last year, and continues to this day to keep us mired in an upward spiral of health insurance costs that could be alleviated with the stroke of a pen, just as the downward spiral of our public education system could be stopped dead in its tracks with a simple reform of higher standards and fewer layers of administration?

I think so, yes.

I don't know how much credit history will give President Bush for advancing conservative principles, but I fear that Kentucky will squander its opportunity for advancement without stronger conservative leadership. A few good men and women are working to change our course. I believe that 2006 will be their year.

Socialized Medicine: HillaryCare Coming To KY

We have confirmed with Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign that she is making plans to come to Louisville in December. It will be a beautiful thing to watch the "conservative" gaggle of Kentucky Democrats flit about in and out of her majesty's limelight like moths fascinated by a Bug Zapper.

Please, let this happen!

Another Inexplicable Hiring Move In Frankfort

When the Fletcher Administration set up the Office for Merit System Referrals in October, we complained that it seemed a poor use of state resources. That the office was soon scrapped may have had more to do with its director dissing Democrats on his website, but the taxpayers dodged a bullet either way.

Now we have word that the Personnel Cabinet will be expanded by 35 jobs costing $72,000 each. What in the name of fiscal insanity is going on here?

Conservatives who rose up in opposition to the Harriet Miers nomination have to be emboldened by the President's subsequent about-face. Is it time for Kentucky Republicans to take a similar approach?

Like Rush Limbaugh said, not a crack-up but a crack-down. I think the time is right.

Media Hound Strikes Again!!

I will be a guest on The Sue Wylie Show this morning at 11:00 to talk about the President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform. Their consensus plan doesn't do nearly enough, but that is the next thing on the table. Tune in to 590 AM and call in to 859-253-5959.

Racist, Homophobic Republican Plot Uncovered!!!

Rep. Brad Montell (R-Shelbyville) must really hate people of color and members of other disadvantaged groups, a Frankfort citizen alleged today.

Rep. Montell filed a bill (BR 272) that would require citizens registering to vote to obtain a signature from a witness on their voter registration card. It is not clear how much of a burden this will place on dead voters on Election Day, but vote merchants complain that involving one extra person in the registration process would unfairly spread the legal liability for generating excess registrations.

"It would have a chilling effect, that's for sure," said a vote merchant named Tony.

Rep. Montell could not immediately be reached to comment on his bill, but liberal groups agreed that his intent was clearly racist and anti-human rights.