Reigning In The Political Blogs

This will be about as effective as price controls, the war on poverty, campaign finance reform, stopping "global warming," taxing our way to prosperity, gambling our way to prosperity, trade protectionism, affirmative action, equal pay for equal work, and a whole host of solid ideas to make things right in this crazy world.

We Need Awareness, But Not New Voting Law

I like that Secretary of State Trey Grayson wants to encourage and expand early voting. Voters should know that courthouses are open prior to Election Day and they can go in and cast their votes if they need to.

One thing to keep in mind is that the early voting police aren't very likely to come knocking on your door and haul you away if you vote early and wind up being in town on Election Day. If you want to vote and think you might not be able to make it in on that one day, go to the courthouse and cast your vote when you can.

We need greater awareness of existing flexibility for voters, not a new law with new procedures and greater expense.

President Gilmore?

Tom DeLay says former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore is the latest "I'm the next Reagan" candidate running for the 2008 GOP nomination.

We'll see.

Herald Leader's Favorite Republican

Now that former Transportation cabinet official Dan Druen is "spilling the beans" on Gov. Ernie Fletcher, the Lexington Herald Leader finds Druen suddenly credible.

Misplaced Economic Pessimism On Trade

It is terribly unfashionable to express optimism out loud these days, but when Newsweek's Robert Samuelson runs with the "trade imbalance disaster looms" nonsense, I can't let it go.

The people who insist the sky is falling on the U.S. economy count on readers quivering in fear and ignorance at terms like "real-estate bust," "steep gas prices," and worst of all "skewed trade."

The fact that mankind has survived and thrived through every housing cycle since the Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden mystifies those who whisper this time could be different. If gas prices were too high, demand would have slowed by now.

And the trade deficit merely represents foreign entities sending goods and services to America in exchange for little pieces of paper. The panic wasted over this would be better spent on our broken tax system.

But even if we don't fix the tax system, we can easily overcome any hardship caused by these other bugaboos.

Left Still Blithering About "Marriage"

Rep. J.R. Gray (D-Benton) has created a bill that would establish a new type of marriage called a "covenant marriage." It looks like an end-run around no-fault divorce in Kentucky, but it has the moonbats barking at their own shadows. Again.

Surely if we can have regular marriages, and super "covenant" marriages, can it be very long before we throw in "drive-by" marriages so everyone gets to play?

Kind of reminds me of the look on Angelina Jolie's face when she tries to explain how she is going to continue to to let Brad Pitt use and abuse her and their children until "everyone can get married."

Mrs. Henry Piles On Miss USA

Miss USA Tara Conner of Russell Springs, Kentucky is expected to lose her crown today.

Yesterday, former Miss America Heather French Henry couldn't resist sticking a knife in Conner by suggesting the Miss America pageant has higher standards than the Miss USA pageant in an interview with WVLK AM in Lexington.

Such a misplaced display of arrogance at a time like this tells me she has been hanging around Steve Henry long enough for it to rub off on her.

Al Gore Speaks To Harvard...

... and gets a little freaky talking about overpopulation of the planet, America signing on to something worse than Kyoto, and global warming representing the "greatest source of business opportunity in the history of the world.

Dems Clobber Each Other Over Casinos

Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) jumped on Speaker Jody Richards for his shifting position on casino gambling, saying he "kind of danced around the issue depending on where he is."

This Isn't Going To Work

Labor Unions continue to claim workers who don't pay union dues are somehow less qualified to make things like tires.

Bipartisan Tax Reform A False Hope?

U.S. News & World Report inadvertently suggests why horse trading to get out from under our bad federal tax system may be tough to pull off.

The article states a consumption-based tax code could come about as some kind of a trade involving raising the cap on the Social Security payroll tax.

Ugghhhh...

These people really need to familiarize themselves with the FairTax before they try to discuss real tax reform. The FairTax would replace all income-based taxes and taxes on savings and investments, including the Social Security payroll tax. Democrats are establishing a solid track record of lying about the FairTax rather than addressing it.

Franken Missed Boat, Ready For A Swim

The Drudge Report says Al Franken is about to leave Air America and announce a 2008 run for the U.S. Senate. This should be fun.

His chances may have been better this year. After two more years of this, getting a moonbat like Franken elected to anything will be much more like swimming against the tide than it was for Democrats sailing with the wind at their backs -- and no need to discuss specific ideas -- in 2006.

Herald Leader: Tax Increase Bad, But Let's Keep It

The one thing that surprised me in this editorial was the first mention of the enormous shortfall in the state's public pensions I have seen in the MSM. They say it is $16 billion and I say it is $17 billion, but why quibble over the difference? We can't pay either amount.

We need to repeal the Alternative Minimum Calculation, but what we really need is state leadership willing to change expectations on government dramatically so we can cut spending enough to afford future pension liabilities. Raising new taxes -- or keeping bad ones like AMC -- won't be enough to stop the unfunded liability train from running over Kentucky.

We can't tax our way out of this.

Believing Ahmadinejad

The biggest problem Americans have with Iran is some people believe their President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he says he wants to use "peaceful nuclear technology as a clean energy source and as a replacement for oil," while others believe him when he says "we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism."

Blogs No Longer Blocked In State Offices

The prohibition against viewing of political websites by on-the-clock state employees has apparently been quietly dropped. Should be a hot topic of conversation in the MSM to start off a slow news week.

Nothing else big is expected next week except for some kind of announcement by Sen. Dan "Human Error" Mongiardo.

Casino Campaign Of 2007 Off To A Bad Start

Otis Hensley is no longer alone.

Treasurer Jonathan Miller signed up to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor today and then went on the Kruser and Krew program in Lexington to take a few questions.

To the question of his position on casino gambling, Miller vacillated pretty effectively, saying first he was concerned about low-income people who would gamble away more than they could afford, then saying he wasn't sure that he was against it -- and that it had to do with the "framing" of the issue -- before finishing up with the let the people decide mantra of the pro-casino campaign.

Given that Governor Fletcher has essentially the same answer, we are left to wonder where the candidate is who will come forward and talk about the taxpayers bearing the burden of all the public costs associated with state-supported casinos. The Bluegrass Institute had a good point about how, if we are going to do this, we should at least raise the financial barrier to entry into the casino business. We could go one step further and raise the tax on casinos from the proposed 35% to more like 90% like they have in Germany.

Better still, let's quit fooling ourselves and others into believing that casinos will benefit Kentucky as a whole.

The Democrats Are Worse

I've taken a lot of abuse from my libertarian friends for continuing to insist Congressional Democrats will be a certain downgrade from GOP leadership, as flawed as it was.

Well, take a gander at this little shopping list. I don't see anything on here that does anything to improve America, do you?

Making illegal legislative conflicts of interest even more illegal in #1, raising taxes in #3 and #5, and of course forcing Social Security into the tank in #10 are some of the highlights. What are your favorites?

President Kerry Wants To Understand Iran, Syria

In case you needed another reason to be glad John Kerry lost in 2004, there's this:

"It's very important for countries to talk to each other, even when you disagree. We have serious differences with Syria right now, we have serious differencess with Iran, but you can't begin to resolve those differences if you're not willing to try to understand.. I think it's important to begin a discussion," said Kerry, a Massachusetts senator.

The rub is our differences revolve around the fact that they aren't happy we are still alive.

Meanwhile, there's this. Not that the Senate Democrats will listen to reason any more than the Syrians and Iranians will.

Miller Running For Governor

Looks like the money-losing KAPT giveaway program is going to be back in the news.

With Character Witnesses Like This...

Sen. Ed Worley is back in the news:

"Johnny Ray Turner is one of the finest members in the Senate," Worley said. "He is an honorable man.

Kentucky's Proud Democrat Leaders

Sen. Johnny Ray Turner(D-Drift) refused to resign from the Senate after pleading guilty to vote-buying charges in U.S. District Court today.

Next up: Sen. Ed Worley's (D-Richmond) fraud case in Madison Circuit Court.

HillaryCare For The Dogs

Sen. Denise Harper Angel (D-Louisville) has filed a bill that would require veterinarians to treat "assistance dogs" without regard to the ability of the dog's "handler" to pay for the service.

I find it interesting that a state senator who needs a euphemism to describe someone who "owns" a dog isn't too delicate to jail a veterinarian for up to 30 days and fine him up to $1000 for having the audacity to think he owns his professional services and and his time.

Disgusting

The Lexington City Council voted quietly last night to pay off the $750,000 loan condemnation supporters guaranteed as a show of "community support" for taking over Kentucky American Water Company.

What These People Need Is A Minimum Wage Hike

Funny "Hump Day" video.

While We're Talking State Tax Reform...

Look at what they are talking about in Missouri.

"Identity Theft" Nabs Illegal Aliens

That wasn't so hard, was it?

DC Democrat: Screw The Uneducated Poor

The public schools in our nation's capital are the very worst in the country, and the District's Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton likes it that way.

When Congress voted to raise the income limits on the District's experimental school voucher program to prevent 300 innocent children from being booted out the program and sent back to failing schools, Norton objected. She said allowing families who are clearly pulling themselves out of their low income difficulty to stay in the program "destroys the low-income rationale for the program."

The District of Columbia already has the highest paid teachers in the nation. The student's paradise they have created is a sight to behold.

Meanwhile, here in Kentucky we have a Republican candidate for governor who keeps taking credit in his ads and press releases for KERA. What's up with that?

Dem Gov 2007: It's Worley?

Kentucky's Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley (D-Richmond) is telling people in his district that he is going to leapfrog over Bruce Lunsford and run for Governor himself as a pro-casino candidate.

State Can't Afford Tax, Borrow, And Spend

The Bluegrass Institute's legislative update pulls no punches.

Pence Ponders Pardon Power

This is a good move.

Now if we could only get LG Steve Pence to rethink his support for casino gambling as revenue enhancement, we would really be getting someplace.

A Different Kind of Blue Versus Red

The major figures in next year's GOP primary for Attorney General may wind up being Lexington's Stan Lee and Louisville's Steve Pence.

I Thought Liberals Liked Higher Taxes

Mark Nickolas of Bluegrass Report is pretty upset that GOP Rep. David Floyd has filed a "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" bill to allow people to contribute more in taxes if they really want to.

A Rural Ticket For GOP Governor?

State Rep. Lonnie Napier could be back in the news soon after discussing with Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer the possibility of forming a ticket and making a run in May.

HealthCare Reform Gets Almost No Respect

In its final flurry of activity for the year, Congress passed a bill to allow unlimited contributions to Health Savings Accounts.

This will do more immediately for the stock market than it will for reforming healthcare in America, though that may not be all bad. If you have some money you want to tuck away in a tax-advantaged account, the HSA is going to be a new way to do it.

Creating new and better ways for people to invest more in equities is good for America. The Ownership Society is one that is less likely to fall for socialist utopian schemes like government-run healthcare. As more and more Americans come to own stocks, the mostly-Democrat plan to kill America's healthcare system might get harder to sell.

Hey, It's A Culture Of Corruption!

Unbelievable. Down in New Orleans, they just re-elected Rep. William "Bribe Money In My Freezer" Jefferson to another term in Congress.

These guys are really going to try to make this fun.

Might Ben Chandler Reconsider Gov Race?

Now that new House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is chatting up the idea of putting the House of Representatives back on a five day work week, I have to wonder if Rep. Ben Chandler might take another look at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort.

When Ben went to Washington, he spoke openly of his appreciation for the three day work week that allowed him to be home in Versailles four or five nights a week. That left him sleeping in his D.C. office only two or three nights a week. That will be ending in January. Ben will be on the couch nearly full-time.

Frankly, I think one the best things Tom DeLay did as Majority Leader was cut back on the number of days the House was in session. Unwinding this reform just gives them more time to make more laws we could do without.

Don't Just End The War, WIN It

The incoming House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), said today "If the president is serious about the need for change in Iraq, he will find Democrats ready to work with him in a bipartisan fashion to find a way to end the war as quickly as possible."

I don't think it is just semantics to demand that our representatives stop talking about ending the war and start talking about winning it.

Meanwhile, the Ayn Rand Institute, provides this interesting essay which at least puts the focus where it belongs -- on defeating Islamic totalitarianism militarily.

Of course, ARI is wrong to suggest we should have left Iraq alone and bomb Iran instead. Hindsight and the Iraq Study Group provide political cover for the president's critics, but little else at this point.

Why People Don't Take Global Warming Seriously

Read about a Canadian wacko who crucified Santa in front of his own house to send a message about how materialistic people are destroying the world.

Harper To Attack Fletcher's Right Flank

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Billy Harper's campaign manager is preparing "to raise attention to issues" which Harper disagrees with Governor Ernie Fletcher on, such as spending too much money on public projects and raising taxes on Kentucky businesses.

Harper's campaign manager Stan Pulliam also said today Harper is in favor of school choice legislation.

It's Cold Outside

Yes, climate change is real.

But it has to be tough for even the most faithful adherent to the notion of mass death by greenhouse gas to get very excited when the morning temperature is nine degrees. One degree over the next century (maybe) with a cause we can do something about (maybe) just doesn't justify the hysteria.

If the moderate position on climate change is that we should cut down on pollution, then I'm a moderate on climate change. Buy long-lasting, low mercury, fluorescent bulbs for the energy savings. That's an easy thing we can all do that will help. Follow some of these tips as well.

Tax And Spend

For some insight into how Congressional Democrats are going to push tax increases, read this.

Borrow and Spend is not much better, but at least no one is trying to push it as a good for you.

I Wouldn't Have Told That

Tericka Dye is the Kentucky high school teacher who lost her job when it was discovered that she had appeared in a pornographic movie. Given that her skin flicks were a decade old when they were discovered, I'm not sure she should have been fired. And now that she is trying to get her old job back, I am sympathetic to her cause.

Or at least I was.

In this news story, she admits that she hasn't worked since she was fired and is, instead, living off child support payments paid to her four children. If that is the case, she has bigger problems than just not being able to get back into the classroom.

Right To Work Bill In Holding Pattern

No one thinks Employee Choice legislation will pass this year in Kentucky, but a bill may be filed anyway.

To his credit, Governor Ernie Fletcher has never backed down from his support of this important policy that three-quarters of voters support.

Gore Must Be Running For Dem Nomination

Remember when a rash of post office shootings by disgruntled mail workers gave rise to the saying "he went postal?"

Well, let's just say Former VP Al Gore went "global warming" yesterday in an obvious pander to the extreme Left.

What exactly do you mean by "worse than a civil war" Al?

And seriously, we all know Al just says things for effect these days, but when he said the Iraq War was the worst strategic mistake in the history of the United States it got me thinking about what was actually the worst strategic mistake in our nation's history.

I'd say slavery. Without this particular labor situation, the American South would have likely industrialized as fast as the North and we would be a much wealthier nation now.

So This Is What The Problem Is?

In a conference call today with reporters, Senator Jim Bunning explained why he is less than enthusiastic about Governor Ernie Fletcher.

"I've had a good relationship before he became Governor and it became strained because of his chief of staff," Bunning said.

Who, Stan Cave? No, Bunning explained.

"The first one," Bunning said.

Oh.

Bullying By Another Name Is Menacing

Senator Julian Carroll made a big deal earlier this year about schools lacking a "policy" on bullying by students.

The Senate paid no attention to him or his silly bill.

That has turned out to be a good thing. When kids go too far at school, we don't need another set of regulations for teachers and administrators to fool with. Menacing is already against the law.

Geographical Shift In House Leadership

In January, the Kentucky House Republicans appear very likely to elect Rep. Dwight Butler (R-Harned) their new Minority Whip.

Butler's district is out toward the western part of the state. Current Whip Ken Upchurch's district lies next to Minority Leader Jeff Hoover's district along the Tennessee border.

Fayette GOP Looks To Lee For AG

In advance of tonight's Fayette County Republican Christmas party, insiders report a full-court press effort to enlist Rep. Stan Lee in next year's Attorney General's race.

When Do We Lose If We Don't Surrender?

The Washington Post is excited to get Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates on the record answering "no" to the question "Are we winning in Iraq?"

This exchange is particularly exciting for them because we have President Bush on the record from October 25 saying "absolutely, we're winning."

I'm glad these people weren't around in the dark days of the Civil War. Any optimism from President Lincoln would have quickly been hung around his neck.

The same nabobs who say Al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq before the war now expect them to stay there and blow each other up if we just leave.

A Last Ditch Effort To Restrain Spending

Fiscally conservative U.S. House members sent a letter to Speaker Hastert encouraging passage of a Continuing Resolution to restrain the new leadership coming in January from raising spending at least until February.

If they succeed, we will save billions of dollars.

Pretty important stuff.

Tis The Season For Income Redistribution

It's interesting that since the study came out about how liberals tend to be generous with other people's money and conservative's tend to be generous with their own, no liberals have tried to defend themselves against the easy charges of hypocrisy.

Come on libs, where are you?

Hating Walmart Full-time A Dem Shakedown

Presidential hopeful and anti-Walmart candidate John Edwards got caught recently turning up his nose at Walmart for a book signing and opting for Barnes & Noble instead.

The Walmart store he snubbed, who he criticizes for their labor practices, pays their employees $7.50 per hour to start. The bookstore he preferred to attend pays only $7.00.

Once an ambulance chaser, always an ambulance chaser; Edwards knows to go for the deeper pockets regardless of the facts.

Similar Democrat wars against the people who make our gasoline and the people who make our life-saving medicines suggest we may be in for a bumpy ride with this new Congress.

A Compromise With Social Security Bennies

We don't have much agreement about what to do with Social Security. In fact, a hard-core group of Democrats continues to insist there is no insolvency crisis looming on the horizon. That being the case, I thought we might look at one area of easy agreement and a free market solution that will only make the really hard core folks mad.

When you die, Social Security will pay a $255 death benefit to your survivors, presumably so they can make a down payment on a 1986 Chevy Nova.

Why don't we allow use a small portion of Social Security funds so workers can choose to purchase a life insurance policy?

If we are going to burn up all their money on a doomed redistribution scheme that will be out of surplus funds however you count them by 2040, shouldn't we at least allow taxpayers to withdraw a few dollars a month to protect their families when they die?

Hugo Chavez/Hillary Clinton Joined At Hip

Communist dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela won re-election -- notably, without any MSM charges of voter fraud -- over the weekend and promised to continue an "expansion of the revolution."

At the end of this AP story, Chavez insists he isn't really a communist and that he respects property rights. In the same breath, he suggests nationalizing utilities.

Sounds just like Sen. Hillary Clinton, who would vehemently deny being a communist but nonetheless supports nationalizing healthcare services.

Brian Goettl Considering Run For AG

Saying Kentucky needs a non-partisan Attorney General, Jessamine County Attorney Brian Goettl tonight announced his interest in running for the office next year.

"The Attorney General's office needs someone who can serve in a non-partisan manner," Goettl said. "We haven't had that in Kentucky and that is why I am looking at the race."

Goettl was elected last month to his second term as County Attorney in Jessamine, a county with over 2500 more registered Democrats than Republicans. He didn't draw an opponent for his re-election bid in this year's race.

"I couldn't be effective in my job if I let party labels get in the way. That no one ran against me this time indicates I have been effective at that."

"The Attorney General is more than just a prosecutor. You represent Kentucky in a number of ways like civil matters and providing legal opinions. My record shows I can do that effectively."

Kentucky Governor 2007

Ted Jackson's unfortunate comparison of Ernie Fletcher to David Koresh yesterday benefits no one. The May primary for Governor can only be a positive for Kentucky if the race is about bettering the state and not what some smartass says to get his name in the newspaper.

There will be enough pettiness in next year's race to go around. What's burning down our house is our public pension system, healthcare regulation, corporate taxation, and government spending.

Keep it on the issues. There is plenty there.

Hottest Rumor Of The Day

Anne Northup is going to announce for Governor tomorrow.

Max Cleland's Head Games

Turns out Ben Chandler wasn't the only Dem to step back from a rematch yesterday. Former U.S. Senator from Georgia Max Cleland also announced he will not take on the Republican who beat him in 2002.

But Cleland's excuse was really good.

From the AP story, Cleland "has acknowledged battling depression and said recently he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, possibly prompted by violence in Iraq triggering memories of Vietnam."

These people have no shame.

Which Cheap Dem Will It Be?

Rep. Ben Chandler was quoted widely yesterday saying the Governor's office was "cheapened" so he didn't want it.

One interesting thing is that Steve Henry has been excoriated in the MSM for his inability to land a running mate, while no such attacks have been launched against AG Greg Stumbo who is so "cheapened" already he not only can't find a running mate, he has party leaders in Frankfort very actively trying to talk him out of running.

I-CARE Giveaway Greeted With A Yawn

Earlier this year the General Assembly put $20 million in the budget to subsidize purchase of health insurance for small business. It was a glimpse into what socialized healthcare will look like in this country: you pay for your own health coverage and your tax dollars go to pay for everyone else.

The good news is that we aren't going to wind up spending much of the money. Less than 500 individuals are in the program now after a month of accepting applications and six months of promotion prior to that.

Applications for the subsidy are trickling in, but it is very likely that when the program sunsets at the end of the biennium, much of the $20 million will remain unspent. Good.

We still have a screaming need for real insurance reform in this state. Regulation should be reduced to three words: follow your contract. If we stopped telling insurance companies how to write their contracts and focused oversight on ensuring that companies kept whatever promises they made in their contracts, costs would go down and we wouldn't need $20 million for subsidies that are too small for people to bother signing up for.

It's Hot In The Kitchen

The race for Governor gets stirred up today and the candidates will be frying each other very soon.

Casinos will be a hot-button issue. What else do you want to hear them talking about?

Make Legislators More Accountable, Not Less

We need to look at ways to make our legislators more accountable for their actions. Instead, we keep trying to go in the other direction.

Before extending the terms of Reps. from two years to four and Senators from four years to six, let's at least cut down or eliminate legislative pensions, put limits on bonding for projects, make the entire budget meetings process open to public view, and make committee votes available on-line the day they take place.

In fact, let's do all these good things and then leave the length of terms where they are.

Minimum Wage Math Made Easy

The current proposal to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 represents a liability for a business owner of $84 a week per employee or $4200 for a 50 week year.

Imagine you have a small store with ten minimum wage employees and your government is telling you that your labor expenses for the same people doing the same work is about to go up nearly $50,000 -- don't forget about the Social Security taxes.

What are you going to do? How many more hamburgers are you going to have to sell just to break even? Remember that you don't just need to make $50,000 more, you will need to make $80,000 more because you have to pay taxes yourself.

Maybe you don't own a small business.

If you depend on a small business with minimum wage employees for anything, are you willing to absorb the higher prices they will be forced to pass along? If you cut back on your spending even a little bit to compensate for the increases, the business owner's math gets even harder to justify.

Fortunately for the economy, not too many businesses rely on workers right at the minimum wage. Those who do usually hire teenagers or people who don't have a family depending on their income. Pricing those people out of the economy will also not have a terribly huge negative impact on the economy.

But this does absolutely nothing to alleviate the ravages of poverty. Nothing at all. It's just a tax increase on small business and a small-time job destroying initiative. And it is the top item on the agenda for our new Congress.

Aren't you proud?

Drooling, Forgetful Richmond Register

The Richmond Register is pretty excited to hear Sen. Ed Worley might be running for higher office.

Maybe they forgot about Worley getting caught lying on tape in his ongoing fraud lawsuit.

Mitch Caves On Minimum Wage

We've been listening all year to politicians telling us raising the minimum wage will help combat poverty, yet there is no evidence to suggest that it actually will. In fact, the evidence suggests real poor people are harmed by government price-fixing of wages.

Apparently that is enough to convince Senator Mitch McConnell to go ahead with the plan to raise the minimum wage anyway.

How are we ever going to improve the direction of our nation if we continue to give in on feel-good, sound-good nonsense like this?

Bush Likes Estonia Flat Tax

With Congress looking to position itself as an agent of change, could implementing a flat tax be the ticket to a positive bipartisanship?

I would take it.

Keeps Going, And Going, And Going, And ...

Are you really surprised to see the merit hiring fiasco isn't dead yet?

"I Don't Pay Taxes, My Husband Does"

Talking to a large number of people one-by-one can be very interesting. That's why Jay Leno's "Jay Walking" feature is so popular. A lot of people know very little about a wide variety of topics. Put them on the spot and they say funny things.

Such was the case when a FairTax volunteer spoke to passers-by at the Oklahoma State Fair. The most commonly expressed thought was "That would be great but it will never happen."

That sentiment is understandable. Most people who honestly consider the Fair Tax agree it would be a huge improvement over the current system. Doing it right requires amending the Constitution to repeal all income taxes, which is a tall order.

But apathy is a luxury we can hardly afford on the subject of taxation in America. Nonetheless, apathy and ignorance explain why we are talking about "fixing" our economy with a minimum wage increase when there are real issues begging for attention.

Anyway, the best line from the Oklahoma State Fair came from a lady who blissfully turned away from the FairTaxers saying "I don't pay taxes, my husband does."

The more you understand about the Fair Tax, the funnier that is.

Courier Journal Gets Safety Right

Some Kentucky social workers are hot on the idea that tragedy among their ranks should lead directly to money in their pockets.

In a pleasant surprise, the Louisville Courier-Journal understands that safety measures represent a more effective solution to safety concerns than piles of borrowed pension cash.

Eight More Years Of Nothing

While the world seemingly waits for Rep. Ben Chandler to announce he would like to spend more time with his family, some people are actually speculating about Treasurer Jonathan Miller running for Governor. Looking at the last eight years in the Treasurer's office, I am reminded that the best thing we can do for the next eight years and beyond is to fold that office into the Finance and Administration Cabinet where it belongs and where its limited duties can be performed for less money.

Providing do-nothing jobs for politicians seems to be a major role of the modern-day taxpayer, but if we can knock this one down, perhaps we can find a few others worthy of elimination.

Bush Screws Up Hurricane Season

In a terrible blow to Al Gore's presidential aspirations, the end of the world has failed to materialize this fall. Still waiting for the New York Times to find a way to attack the President, though, in the face of the mildest hurricane season since 1997.

Another Good Health Reform Idea

The only people who deny the efficacy of Health Savings Accounts anymore are those who hunger for HillaryCare.

If you are healthy enough and can afford to fund one, they are terrific. If your health prevents you from qualifying, help may be on the way.

Here is a good suggestion for expanding HSA's.

Good Job By WaPo On Medicare Drug Story

The Washington Post sheds welcome light on the Medicare prescription drug story. The Bush administration deserves all the blame for not selling the "success" of the plan. Democrats' will fix it by making it worse, as the story suggests. As much as I wish the new benefit had coincided with some benefit cuts in the rest of Medicare, now is the time to support the current plan rather than the Al Gore plan they want to stick us with now.

Bluegrass Institute Takes Swipe At Fletcher

All the states surrounding Kentucky have better business tax climates than we do, according to The Tax Foundation. West Virginia is next-to-last.

The Bluegrass Institute points out West Virginia is at least moving in the right direction.

Seniors Shacking Up For The Money

The looming crisis in Social Security should not necessitate the current policy that reduces payments to recipients who get married.

Selling Socialized Medicine As Corporate Welfare

It looks like what is left of America's Big Three automakers wants to build support in Washington D.C. for a scheme that would shift a chunk of their health insurance costs to taxpayers.

Brilliant. A Detroit bail-out is just what we need right now.

In fact, what we really need is for newly empowered Congressional Democrats to be cramming this stuff down our throats as some kind of compromise between market-based reforms and Canadian-style government health insurance.

Shifting health insurance costs to taxpayers as a way to somehow magically save money just doesn't make sense at all.

Hybrid Scholarships A Bad Idea

Merit scholarships go to students with certain accomplishments. Need-based scholarships go to students with limited means. Some people in Minnesota want to set up a taxpayer-funded merit scholarship that will direct $50 million a year to pay low income students to get good grades in college prep high school courses.

It's a recipe for college tuition inflation. They might just save the $50 million and print up a graph depicting how much more money college graduates make than those who fail to earn degrees. Show the graph repeatedly to middle school kids.

Save the money. Inspire some kids. Call it a day.

Three Years Of Spinning Iraq Into Vietnam

If you care about the truth in Iraq, here it is.

Taxpayer-Backed Borrowing To Buy Cable TV

Here is one thing government really shouldn't be involved in.

Let's Be Clear About One Thing

The Washington Post picks up the story today that Social Security is "on the table" for discussion again. The Democrats scored their points this time by yammering about how horrible and risky our nation's financial markets are, while propping up an out-dated entitlement program whose collapse will make Black Monday look like a Sunday walk in the park.

The article states as fact about Democrats and personal Social Security accounts "many of them oppose such accounts on the grounds that they would weaken Social Security overall."

As more and more Americans invest in the markets and see good results for doing so, we should continue to ask them how better investment returns would weaken Social Security.

That case will only get harder and harder to make. Watching them continue to try will be fun and, ultimately, rewarding for those who stick to the facts about this key issue.

Improving Health Care In Kentucky

Expensive mandated coverages contribute to high health insurance premiums in Kentucky. There is insufficient sentiment in Frankfort to change this for us.

The answer is to allow Kentuckians to choose policies from different states that offer less expensive policies. A bill that has been in Congress for a while would do that.

The key to successful health care reform is to allow the private sector to help as many people as possible. State regulation may be necessary to provide consumer protections, but the legislature has expanded that regulation dangerously -- and expensively. If state regulators policed the market to protect against fraud but federal law were changed to enhance consumer choice with regard to policy benefit structure, family budgets would be less strained by coverages that don't fit their needs and uninsured people would find the market less expensive to participate in.

Kentuckians would benefit from Arizona Congressman John Shadegg's Health Care Choice Act.

Dyche Gambles With Libertarianism

The libertarian case for casino gambling in Kentucky demands the kind of opaqueness John David Dyche utilizes in promoting it in his Louisville Courier-Journal column:

The debate about expanded gambling divides each party and produces some unusual bi-partisan constituencies. Among Republicans, libertarians focused on freedom generally favor it, but social conservatives concerned primarily with virtue generally oppose it.

That's generally true, but the conventional wisdom on this doesn't square with the facts and shouldn't survive greater scrutiny. Casino gambling is a boon primarily to out-of-state casino owners and secondarily to big-government politicians. Those who come up short are both the gamblers who choose to impoverish themselves and the taxpayers who wind up picking up the public tab for those bad choices. Where this becomes problematic is that the public costs greatly exceed the promised revenue that comes into the state coffers to be spent quickly on politician-enhancing projects.

This recipe for disaster is by no means worthy of dreamy libertarian ballads.

Lexington's Urge To Purge

Lexington voters did a lot when they turned back the ill-considered condemnation effort against Kentucky American Water Company on election day. But does the wide margin of the vote tally suggest a desire to move forward in turning back the ever-increasing growth of government?

Maybe not, but it makes sense for voters to reject tax increases from a government that holds assets whose sale would not only generate revenue for now, but would also decrease government size and improve individual freedom. Follow me on this: why should any city or town raise taxes when they could sell off a utility or contract out a service like garbage collection?

How Is Your Financial Security Looking?

Fluctuation happens. And that works out to being a very good thing when it comes to your money.

Just today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined for the first time in seven trading sessions. The Dow closed at 12,316.54. That's up nearly 15% for the year and nearly double where it was four years ago.

How is your Social Security doing?

GOP 2007: Is There Any "There" There?

Take a look at Billy Harper's campaign website. Under "Polls" is a survey asking what Mr. Harper's top priority should be if he is elected Governor.

The top choice so far is "end corruption in Frankfort."

Seventy nine people had voted when I looked at the site.

MSM Shoots But Can't Hit Barn On Draft

Given nearly 24 hours to provide some kind of coverage of Rep. Charlie Rangel's (D-NY) military draft proposal, the best the MSM can come up with is a response from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

Where's Nancy Pelosi on this? She is going to have to be against this stupid idea, but reporters can't manage to ask the one question that matters.

AP London Reporter Manufactures A Wedge

Henry Kissinger did not say the war in Iraq is hopeless, but that -- of course -- didn't stop the Associated Press from reporting "Kissinger: Iraq Military Win Impossible."

In an interview, Kissinger stated that surrendering Iraq would cause "disastrous consequences" and cautioned against "total withdrawal."

The money quote was: "If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible."

This means that Kissinger doesn't think just about the narrowest possible definition of victory in Iraq is going to happen. I agree with him. But the the presence of al Qaeda campers in Iraq who keep killing and getting killed there suggests that narrow definitions of victory aren't the standard anyone on our side needs to be waiting for.

I know the liberal meme is that the war is just some Republican political scam, and I appreciate that they won the election, but these propaganda tactics are beyond the pale.

Do Liberals Hate Homosexuals?

Hypocrisy, thy name is income redistributor.

Scott Alexander Pulls A John Kerry

Sen. John Kerry made headlines recently when he questioned the intelligence of our troops in Iraq. Now Democrat Scott Alexander of Hazard, who lost his election to Rep. Brandon Smith by 40 votes, thinks he would have won if his name had been listed first on the ballot.

"I definitely think it (ballot position) made 21 votes of difference," he told the Courier-Journal.

Some political science professor in California thinks he has a lawsuit, but I'm not buying it. Mid-term election voters don't just stumble into the voting booth and hit the first name. Shame on what's left of the Courier-Journal for playing along on their "news" pages.

Running McCain

Sen. John McCain makes his case for 2008.

I'm still quite skeptical, but I am watching him on This Week now. Not too bad.

What do you think?

No More Fake Solutions, Please

Most minimum wage workers are not poor by any standard. Stating this fact makes me a hateful s.o.b., I know, but even such clever rebuttals as that don't make mandated wage increases for the lowest paying jobs any kind of tool for fighting poverty.

If the minimum wage peddlers really wanted to help low-income workers, they would push for for expanding the state earned income tax credit. That way high school students wouldn't be the primary beneficiary of the poverty-busting crusade. The EITC can be targeted to families. Since there are so few of them who actually depend on the minimum wage, the public costs would be much smaller and the desired effect would be achieved.

It's a win-win unless your real goal is just politics.

Irregularities In Madison County

Madison county Magistrate Roger Barger won a close one this year against challenger Wayne Long. Barger prevailed by twenty votes.

Well, they keep "finding" votes in the courthouse and now have the margin down to six votes.

It's time for Trey Grayson to take a look at this one.

Williams Tackles 2007 Top Issue

Senate President David Williams' advice to Governor Ernie Fletcher couldn't be better. Now is the time to take a leadership role in killing off casino gambling in Kentucky.

Athletic Supporters, Rubber Pants, Hair Notions

I don't know what compels Rep. Bob Damron (D-Nicholasville) to re-file his "sales tax holiday" bill every year. Maybe it was a desire to make a laundry list of items which, unfortunately, includes those named above.

It certainly doesn't have anything to do with good public policy.

One of the wrinkles in this year's version of Damron's favorite bill is a provision to force businesses who can't remove sales taxes for a weekend to pay them without passing them along to customers. In other words, the way around one of the paperwork burdens of previous versions of this bill is to actually make this a tax increase for some merchants.

Shrewd.

What a terrible bill.

Inspiration From Playstation Generation

Caught a little tv news at noon today and saw interviews with exultant Playstation buyers who had camped out overnight to buy their toys. The common theme running through the comments of several of them was that they had overcome great difficulty to "earn" the right to buy their toys.

Good grief.

As fantastic as our economy is going right now, this is what passes for climbing steep mountains. What on earth are we going to do if this country is faced with hard times?

Heavy Name-Dropping Injures Politician

Former Sen. John "Breck Girl" Edwards sounds distraught in a story about a campaign volunteer of his shopping for him at a Wal-Mart and dropping his name while doing so.

The really funny part is that some electronics clerk decided to alert the media because the Presidential wannabe, now a full-time Wal-Mart critic, is going to have a Playstation game from Wal-Mart under his Christmas tree.

Let's hope his kids don't read the papers.

And then, to top it all, instead of blowing this off as a really stupid story, Edwards turns it into his own macaca moment.

It-gets-better UPDATE: Another news story quotes Edwards using his own six-year-old son as a prop in his war against Wal-Mart, claiming he castigated a classmate for wearing shoes purchased at Wal-Mart. (It's in the next-to-last sentence of this story.)

We can't all take our six-year-old sons to Brooks Brothers, Senator. I think you owe some first graders an apology for teaching your son to be such a snob.

More Kentucky Budget Follies

The folks at the Bluegrass Institute have been talking for a long time about the state budget being unconstitutional. Not many of the talking heads have picked up on the scandal, but I have yet to hear anyone make a good case for the legitimacy of Kentucky's biennial budget.

UPDATE (for some): A lawsuit was filed in Franklin Circuit Court in May, which is pending. If it is successful, as many as another two dozen could be filed.

Still Waiting For A Democrat Idea

Democrat legislators today punted on economic development again. The best they could come up with was a hike in the minimum wage.

School Choice's Unexpected Champions

Democrats usually don't support school choice.

But some are starting to.

No Big Deal: Merit Grand Jury Report

The Fletcher Grand Jury has issued the report they were completely expected to issue. The political carnage for this is already figured in. But what lots of people aren't thinking about now is this: if Governor Fletcher is nominated in May, the liberal blogosphere across the country will go crazy raising gobs of money against the Governor who blocked blogs.

It's stupid, I know. But that is what's coming.

Some people won't be able to resist calling me disloyal for mentioning this, but I didn't think of it first.