Should We Pray For Education Accountability?

Last night, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue prayed for rain.

And by tomorrow, rain is what they shall receive.

We really don't need divine intervention in Kentucky to open the skies and pour a little common sense on our education bureaucrats, do we?

Mother Of All Conflicts Of Interest

The Kentucky Department of Education is the worst example of a government agency that regulates -- and grades -- itself.

If we do nothing else, we should eliminate this situation right now.

The Lawyers Are In Charge Now

Rep. Rob Wilkey filed a bill today to shift up to $1.2 million in general fund dollars every month into a fund to pay law school student loan debt for attorneys working in the Attorney General's office and other government-related agencies.

Each lawyer will get up to $6000 a year in state taxpayer money if the bill passes.

On The Air

I will be on the Leland Conway show this morning at 11:15. You can listen here.

Grading The Kentucky Education Reform Act

Education bureaucrats take to the stage and the airwaves tomorrow to answer charges of exaggerating Kentucky's educational improvement under KERA.

Click here and here for the dueling reports at the heart of the controversy.

Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Was Never This Much Fun To Watch

The lawyers marching into the Fayette County Detention Center today were there to rake jail employees over the coals for various misdeeds. Must have been a treat for the inmates to see the guards running around crying like babies.

Mayor Jim Newberry's office, of course, had no comment.

Dems Loaded For Bear, Right About Ed Commish

Exactly how many headlines do future Republican candidates want about GOP intransigence in favor of a mediocre education commissioner?

Governor Fletcher can call off the hiring process now. He should.

The Soft Underbelly Of Mediocrity In Kentucky

If Governor-elect Steve Beshear really wants to improve efficiency in Kentucky's government, he will rip school accountability out of the hands of the Kentucky Department of Education.

The Bluegrass Institute today proves that our school assessment program, CATS, has been systematically manipulated to show phony educational improvement since 1999.

As an unreliable gauge of progress, the CATS assessment needs to be replaced by more credible tests. In hindsight, it was a mistake to charge the Kentucky Department of Education to both assist school systems in making improvements and be the sole administrator of the assessment system to determine if that effort was successful. A separate agency should be created to manage the assessment of educational progress in Kentucky’s schools.

There is no more important issue for the future of our state than getting a handle on how we manage the education of our children. This battle is not one for the faint of heart.

A Teacher Says It

Gary Yaden, a teacher at North Laurel High School, said a mouthful in a Lexington Herald Leader column:

And nothing will change as long as people don't realize that it is possible to educate only part of the public. The rest are dead weight, placing a huge burden on the schools and preventing other students from achieving their full potential.

We are, instead, hung up on artificially lowering dropout rates by either trying to force the least interested students to stay in school or by actually faking the dropout statistics.

Cowardly Blogger, Go Home

Some anonymous pinhead keeps pushing Larry Forgy to run for the U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell. That's fine as far as wasting time goes, but while he is busily speaking for himself (and, until we hear differently, Larry) he should leave the Club for Growth out of it.

The half-hearted effort to shoot the wounded Ernie Fletcher in this year's primary should serve as somewhat of a cautionary tale for those who now want to shoot McConnell. Mitch has his flaws, certainly, but a state that just elected Steve Beshear its governor isn't going to do better than McConnell next year.

Let The Senate President Decide

The Louisville Courier-Journal went to the trouble of surveying all the state Senators about a casino gambling bill when they really only needed to talk to one.

David Williams, R-Burkesville: "I'm not going to vote for a bill that will put the casino gaming issue on the ballot."

That really is the end of the story, except to point out how misleading the headline is. "Beshear has shot at casinos in Senate" does not an accurately assess the situation. Besides the "let the people decide" slogan could be more accurately stated "let the Las Vegas casino owners decide." Hardly a populist slogan worthy of a Kentucky governor.

A casino bill in the House would force Speaker Jody Richards to weigh in on the issue against Governor Beshear as well.

School Board Burning, Fletcher Can Put Out Fire

Just when Kentucky's education commissioner hiring debacle looked like it couldn't get any worse, it did.

There is no reason for the outgoing Republican administration to die on this hill. The four finalists in the current search have a combined state leadership experience of exactly zero days. Backing a school board who is now being dragged into court for botching their previous candidate search is not something that is going to benefit the conservative movement in any way.

The Kentucky Department of Education has made a huge mess of our assessment program. That is the battle we should be fighting now and will still be the battle we should be fighting six months from now. The commissioner search can wait. Sticking our necks out now for an under-qualified education commissioner serves no valid purpose whatsoever.

Governor Fletcher, please ask the school board to suspend the hiring process right now.

McConnell: What Fails In Paris, Stays In Paris

Speaking to the Republican State Central Committee meeting this morning, Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke about French President Nicolas Sarkozy. McConnell described him as a French-speaking Ronald Reagan.

McConnell quipped that Sarkozy is now trying to convince the French people that working is good.

And then he said the French are now rejecting the policies American Democrats are trying to implement.

Did I mention the U.S. House just passed a big tax increase yesterday?

Fletcher: Larry, Don't Run

Speaking to the Republican State Central Committee meeting this morning in Lexington, Governor Fletcher publicly stated that no one should run in a primary against Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Good.

Where Was Bill While Hillary Ate "Loose-Meat?"

An Ohio waitress says Hillary Clinton stiffed her and Hillary says she left a tip.

Who do you believe?

ATR: Ben Chandler A Three Time Liar

Ben Chandler promised on January 8, 2004 never to vote for a tax increase if central Kentuckians sent him to represent them in Congress.

Today, Americans for Tax Reform called Rep. Chandler out after breaking his promise the third time.

"I Shoulda Been A Tax Lawyer"

If this Congresswoman from Ohio were a tax lawyer, she would be able to tell you the House just passed an enormous tax increase in the name of "fairness."

And yes, Rep. Ben Chandler and Rep. John Yarmuth voted for it.

Pretend This Is The Back Of A Milk Carton

That's right, embattled Fayette County Detention Center director Ron Bishop is missing. He wasn't at work yesterday while the grand jury was meeting in Covington and he's not there today.

Ronnie, where are you?

Steve Pence Leads The Way

Steve Pence's stock goes way up after the announcement yesterday he will serve on the Beshear transition team.

With the real remaining problems that have festered in Kentucky government for decades, there is no need to wish Governor Beshear ill will. He has his hands full.

Might as well support his efforts, at least in the early going. The crashing sound you will hear soon enough will be his policy wish list smashing up against reality.

What we really need now is a solution to the public employee benefits mess Governor Fletcher tried to address years ago, but got crammed back in his face. Maybe it will take a Democratic governor to get it done.

Fayette Jail Abusers, Call Your Lawyers

A federal grand jury in Covington indicted several people this afternoon, but won't say whose number got called. Is your name on the list?

The Effeminate Men Unemployment Act of 2007

(Advance warning: There is no "gay-bashing" in this post. It is about economics.)

The U.S. House passed a bill last night which would criminalize employment discrimination based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation."

Rather than risk lawsuits, employers will simply avoid hiring anyone whose sexual orientation might be in question. It is much easier to come up with a reason for not hiring an individual than it is to get rid of a problem employee who may then sue under anti-discrimination laws.

But don't ask me, ask a black economist.

Rep. Barney Frank sponsored the bill and, in a blow to Kentuckians of various sexual orientations some will fail to recognize, Rep. Ben Chandler and Rep. John Yarmuth voted for it.

Governor Fletcher, Call Off Ed Comm. Hiring

Governor Fletcher would do his political legacy some good if he were to join Governor-elect Beshear in successfully encouraging the state school board to call off hiring one of the current four finalists for the education commissioner job.

We can do better.

The Next Education President

Found an interesting search tool that allows you to see some of the education proposals of each of the presidential candidates.

A couple of interesting points I hadn't seen before:

Mitt Romney supports English-only education and proposes a federal program waiving in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for top students.

Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Tom Tancredo are all on-record supporting some form of parental choice in schools.

Barack Obama wants students at high schools without AP courses to apply for grants to pay for college courses.

Hillary Clinton wants to spend $10 billion on universal pre-kindergarten and increase the tuition tax credit from $1650 to $3500.

The Casino Bills Are Coming!

Senator David Boswell has filed SB 19 and SB 20 to make Kentucky a casino gambling state.

First Word On 2008 Budget

Well, it's not quite as bad as "I don't have a clue," but Governor-elect Steve Beshear's first crack at comment on his first budget is not too inspiring.

And this is before he has been hit with the two ton gorilla Beshear was stumped by on the campaign trail: public employee benefits.

And don't forget about that promise to repeal the dreaded LLET.

Shutting Down Treasurer's Office Still Good Idea

If the idea of shutting down the Treasurer's office hadn't been presented as a deathbed conversion three months into a four-way primary and then backed away from late, Melinda Wheeler might have had a chance.

The important thing to realize is we still have a bill.

Still Good For Wrapping Fish

The Louisville Courier Journal went all in for the Louisville Library Tax Increase and got hammered by a two-to-one margin.

What's next, guys?

Best New Rumor On Election Night

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer may file to run against Congressman Ben Chandler next year.

Congrats To Steve Beshear

Steve Beshear ran the race he needed to run to win. And he won big.

Those of us who have seen the great hopes we had four years ago dashed and stomped upon over these last four years by people we gave our trust to can still hope we won't fare too much worse at the hands of those we trust very little.

So the new sheriff has his town. Hope he does things that benefit us all.

Governor Beshear will find bipartisan support in calling for the state school board to abort their hiring plans for a new commissioner and start a real nationwide search for a superstar to come in here and really get our public schools on the right track.

Changing The Subject? You Bet...

Ron Paul is raising enough money get some serious attention and Fred Thompson is on the air someplace. Wonder how much money the candidates will save not actually buying advertising time now that YouTube lets them get their message out for free:

One Overlooked Indicator Of Changing Winds

On his campaign blog, Senator Mitch McConnell has links to several blogs under the heading "Recommended Reading." Included in the list are Kentucky blogs Blue Grass Red State, Cyberhillbilly, KYPolitics.org, and Osi Speaks.

It will be interesting to note what happens to that list of state links after today's election.

Happy New Media Day!

The first time I ever read a political blog was less than four years ago. Then I started this one in the spring of 2005. Now they are everywhere.

The political landscape in Kentucky is in for a big shakeup tonight and the blogs will have a lot to do with what things look like when the dust settles.

Ho-Ho-Ho-Hosed!

Another fine Christmas present for Fayette County taxpayers will be the soaking they get from a wage abuse class action lawsuit stemming from mismanagement at, you guessed it, the Fayette County Detention Center.

Read it and weep.

Tax-For-Hacks Showdown Tomorrow

The Club for Growth has picked up on the Louisville Library Tax increase. The city's big taxers found a loophole in the law against using municipal workers to run an on-the-clock campaign and Sen. Dan Seum has pre-filed a bill to close the loophole, but the cat is already out of the bag. Louisville voters decide on the tax increase tomorrow.

Hillary Clinton Freaks Too Early

Now might be a great time to ask Hillary Clinton how she is going to handle the terrorist threats:

Huckabee For Breakfast

Before Mike Huckabee can be taken seriously as the "God candidate," he should stop lying about the Club for Growth.

Is Kentucky Moving To The Left?

Al Cross said this:

This election is almost entirely about Fletcher and his record, so Beshear should be careful about claiming any sort of mandate.

Courier Journal Exposes Self On Education

... and the Bluegrass Institute is there to shine the light.

Pimping My Ride

We are working on some major improvements to the Kentucky Votes website. Tuesday night, win or lose, the next item of business will be limiting the damage to taxpayer wallets in the 2008 General Assembly starting in January and Kentucky Votes can help.

A great way to keep track of the action is to go to www.kyvotes.org and register for daily updates. You don't have to put any personal information in to register (though it would be nice if you did!). All we really need is an email address to send your updates.

So, if you haven't already, please take a minute to register on Kentucky Votes and leave the driving to us!

Playing Politics With Education Accountability

Steve Beshear's spokeswoman is in full, last days of the campaign "We're ahead in the polls, so we aren't returning calls to anyone who might ask a tough question" mode.

But if she were returning phone calls to people who might challenge her on something, she might provide some needed insight into Beshear's promise to seek a waiver from NCLB testing requirements.

This is probably just politics as usual since such an exemption is not at all likely to be granted, but Beshear's position does need some clarification. Any relief from added No Child Left Behind testing, which would be extremely small, would very certainly not be worth the risk of putting more of the accountability function in the hands of the Kentucky Department of Education.

Friends Don't Give Friends Pass When Wrong

The school voucher debate will certainly return to Kentucky soon as more bills have been promised to address the issue of poor Kentucky children stuck in failing schools.

I'm in favor of bringing competition to the school system and helping our most vulnerable citizens. For that reason, I can't stand by silently when someone on my side of the issue overstates the case for school vouchers.

I'm surprised and disappointed more people didn't jump on this one.

Naked, At The Jail, And Going To Prison?

The crazy scandal at the Fayette County Detention Center took yet another odd turn with an expansion of a sexual harassment investigation turning its focus on one Cpl. T. Roberts.

Cpl. Roberts, a guard at the jail who has passed around at the facility naked pictures of herself and another guard, has been crying on shoulders of co-workers at the jail, telling them she is destined to go to prison in the prisoner abuse scandal. It seems her woes are about to worsen.

Should Have Done Earmark Reform Last Year

Republicans have only themselves to blame for this:

But critics say McConnell is propping up a company that apparently can't compete without him. While it sounds good for a senator to defend jobs, "we should be spending federal money where and as we need to, not to keep the lights on in someone's district," said David Williams, vice president of Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington watchdog group.

"I want to know when Sen. McConnell became the secretary of defense," Williams said. "The Pentagon has to sit down every year, draw up its priorities and budget its money accordingly. Who is Mitch McConnell to insist that we fund these projects?"

I hate to say I told you so...

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

In the last few weeks, I have made a concerted effort to tone down my use of political name-calling. I've done far more than my share of it in the past, I know, but my arguments are much sharper when I focus on what an opponent is saying or doing that I disagree with and not on what kind of name I can call him.

I'm not saying anyone else should do the same (flaming people can, after all, be fun) but I'm officially out of the name-calling business.

I hadn't really thought about this that much, until I saw my friend Jacob Payne post a comment about Jerry Abramson being called a liberal. Slapping the L-word on Mayor Abramson really isn't as effective as pointing out how funny he will look walking down the street with $16.5 million bulging out of his pockets after his Library Tax goes into effect.

Blue Christmas Coming For Jail Cover-Uppers

Indictments in the prisoner abuse scandal at the Lexington jail are widely expected to start coming down next Thursday.

Deep-fried Louisville Mayor

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson eats his way through the City Hall pork and buries his snout right in the Library Tax trans fats.

Put Up Versus Shut Up

The Courier Journal and Lexington Herald Leader have, in the past week, touted the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center's October 12 report on the progress of KERA reforms in our schools.

On November 13 at 10:30 am at the Lexington Convention Center, the author of the KLTPRC's controversial report will defend her findings.

And the Bluegrass Institute will be there to call her on it.

Hillary: Depends On What Your Definition of "Straight Answer" Is

Hillary Clinton doesn't lie as well as husband Bill does.

If Jonathan Miller Were A Republican...

Today is the third day since the story came out on the Bluegrass Policy Blog that the money-losing college aid program called KAPT, championed at taxpayer expense by the state Democratic party chairman, has sprung another $14 million leak.

Where is the mainstream media on this?

Linda Greenwell On YouTube

Next KY Governor Gets No Honeymoon

Let's say the polls hold up and Steve Beshear wins next Tuesday. Almost immediately upon taking office, he will be forced to deal with the public employee benefits mess that has been festering for decades. Beshear has said on the campaign trail that he doesn't have a clue how to deal with this problem. By December, that answer would no longer be sufficient.

And Kentucky's legislators just aren't going to put casino gambling up for a vote. I'm not talking about on the ballot for the people to decide on. They won't vote on it themselves. Any casino bill will die quietly in some committee without lawmakers having to take a position.

It may not be long after the inauguration galas that the talk starts to turn toward what is now cooking in Illinois, where the people are taking to the notion of getting rid of their governor.

Dividing The Spoils Of War

While continuing to talk about not counting their chickens before they hatch, Beshear-o-crats in Frankfort are measuring the back yard of the Lieutenant Governor's Mansion for a chicken coop.

Expect when they go behind the armed guards to slip their illegal and unconstitutional provisions in the budget this spring for someone to write in big bucks to revamp the LG's house.

Meanwhile, rumors abound of several Republican Senators bolting for cushy jobs in the Beshear administration. The rumors appear to be just that, but for good measure we might use the scuttlebutt as an excuse to repeal the law that allows long-time legislators to gain a huge pension boost by taking a three year tour in the executive branch.

Jimmy Carter Humor

Actually, this IS funny:

A high-profile documentary, Sony Pictures Classics' "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains," had a poor debut, taking in just $10,573 at seven theaters. The film from director Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs") follows the former president during a tour to promote his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

Found it in the bottom of this report. Thanks to Instapundit.

A Quick Political Quiz

Who said it? (Answers at the end.)

1. "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common
good."

A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2. "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the
few, by the few, and for the few ... and to replace it with shared
responsibility for shared prosperity."


A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above

3. "(We) ...can't just let business as usual go on, and that
means something has to be taken away from some people."

A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above

4. "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people
to give up a little bit of their own ... in order to create this common
ground."

A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5. "I certainly think the free-market has failed."

A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above

6. "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the
most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being
watched."

A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above




Scroll down for answers.




Answers

(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton,
6/29/2004.

(2) D. None of the above. Statement was m ade by Hillary Clinton,
5/29/2007.

(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton,
6/4/2007.

(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton,
6/4/2007.

(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton,
6/4/2007.

(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton,
9/2/2005.

Another Old Media Versus New Media Story

A Louisville television station seems a little threatened by a Louisville-based blogger's youtube usage.

Kentucky Education Blogger Misses Point

Former Lexington principal Richard Day read another Louisville Courier Journal hit piece on the Bluegrass Institute this weekend, then read an Institute response, and followed up with posting his thoughts on his blog.

His conclusion misses the key issue.

Day says:

What makes the C-J's point is BGI's criticism that "cheerleading for the education establishment when it is undeserving is what undermines our public school system." In BGI's hands, it can seem that the public schools are always undeserving. That's just not a true and accurate picture.

I've never seen anything from the Bluegrass Institute suggesting or even implying in any way that "public schools are always undeserving." In fact, the cited quote speaks of the "education establishment," not students or schools. The Bluegrass Institute has spent years pointing out problems that were improperly addressed or even created by the administrators of Kentucky's public school system. Protecting current taxpayers and future taxpayers (yes, the children) by pointing out where those "leaders" fall short is an effort worthy of appreciation, not attacks from those who should be fighting the same fight.

(And yes, I work for the Bluegrass Institute. But as a father of four public school students, I wouldn't cast my lot with them if they were doing anything but showing the way for Kentucky to have world-class public schools.)

Trouble in Socialized Medicine Paradise

It's late October and time to ration healthcare in England. One question: if Rolling Stone Keith Richards wasn't involved in the protest, would most Americans ever hear about this?

Meanwhile, in America, most of us have no idea that three-fourths of uninsured children are already eligible for Medicaid or S-CHIP. That's before the Democrats' $35 billion expansion.

Expect the next effort to advance socialized medicine to involve changing the paperwork to force people onto government health plans.

Time For A Movie Theater Boycott

An anti-Christian movie coming to theaters in December deserves a full-court-press Kentucky boycott.

The movie is called The Golden Compass and is due out in theaters December 7. It stars Nicole Kidman. In the end of the movie (it is based on a book, so we already know) two kids kill God and then are "free" to do whatever they want.

This is the kind of thing internet activism is all about. Should be pretty easy to persuade Kentucky theater owners that carrying this movie wouldn't be good for their business.

Eating For A Good Cause

I'll be having lunch Monday at Surf's Up Grill in Lexington. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program.

Come on by if you can.

Beshear Defines Down Immorality

Steve Beshear spoke in Winchester yesterday.

From the Winchester Sun story:

He described the Fletcher administration as "immoral" for failing to support thousands of Kentucky children without health insurance and seniors who must choose between buying food or prescription medication.

Beshear is going to have a long four years in Frankfort, given his promises not to raise taxes, to repeal the LLET, and to pass casino gambling. The legislature will only allow him to repeal the LLET and they will force him to live without casinos and with tax increases.

Also noteworthy is that Beshear scrubbed the Sun story of criticism of his ethics. On Beshear's site where you get an ellipsis, in the paper you see this:

Embroiled in an ethics arms race with the Fletcher administration, Beshear has been accused of engaging in unethical conduct when serving as an attorney during the liquidation of Kentucky Central Life Insurance Co. He has also endured criticism for his support of expanded gambling.

Turning Around Healthcare Discussion May Well Start With Michael Moore

Sicko Michael Moore is setting up house parties to try to convince people that America should be more like Cuba.

Get your free CD of "Sicko" today!

Before we go Fidel Castro on our medical professionals, we should allow people to buy health insurance across state lines and repeal Certificate of Need laws.

Hardly Worth Peeing In Your Chair For

Can't help wondering how Governor Steve Beshear would handle this one: via Drudge, ABC News reports on a casino gambler who won $1.6 million on a slot machine and was, instead, given $385 and told to go away.

And in case you don't remember the other lawsuit closer to home referred to in this post's title, here's a link to the story of a casino where the taxpayers are too busy paying taxes to go to the bathroom.

But Kentucky casinos will be different, right?

Like Turning Loose A Bunch Of Hatfields

The Fayette County Detention Center will soon be running short of McCoys.

LFUCG Actions Louder Than Their Words

The old saying about following the money applies to just about anything that happens these days. The Fayette County Detention Center prisoner abuse scandal is no exception.

Consider this: we have two prison guards placed on leave, one with pay and one without. One has been arrested amid charges of extorting money from a jail inmate and the other is an FBI informant with whistleblower status whose bravery in the line of duty sparked a federal investigation that has taken an entire year so far involving an ongoing grand jury investigation. So which one do you keep paying a salary and which one do you strip of salary and status and try to crucify in the media?

Me too.

Lexington is, of course, paying the thug and screwing the whistleblower. Any guesses as to how much this gaffe might wind up costing the city's taxpayers? They can keep their "no comments" coming, we've heard all we need to hear.

We're Already Giving Away Stuff To Friends

Supporters of casino gambling like to say Kentuckians are already gambling so it should be no big deal to open casinos here.

Such reasoning ignores a lot, but Caleb Brown makes an interesting point I haven't seen addressed elsewhere:

Beshear needs to clarify sooner rather than later that expanded gambling will not result in a massive giveaway to Churchill Downs or other tracks.

Some proponents of licensing casinos at racetracks claim that the horse industry needs financial help. Even if we take that dubious assertion at face value -- horses constitute a billion dollar industry in Kentucky -- giving a free casino license to Churchill Downs won't do much for the parts of the industry not owned by Churchill Downs, Inc.

If Beshear would like to remain free of accusations that he's a pawn of a large corporate interest, he should instead pledge to use some revenues raised through the auction of casino licenses to eliminate pari-mutuel taxes and burdensome levies associated with horse breeding and farming.

While the projected revenue versus costs calculation only starts to make sense if the state's take is significantly more than double the often-proposed one-third, the idea of just giving away a value worth hundreds of millions of dollars so narrowly is yet another bad part of Beshear's gambling scheme.

Liars, Like Appearances, Can Be Deceiving

Don't believe it when you hear the Fayette County Detention Center prison guard extortion scandal is over.

While a second guard was arrested today in the scheme, sources inside the jail report at least four more guards need to hauled in on this one.

UPDATE: And despite claims of a joint investigation, jail officials were caught completely off-guard by the first arrest. The inmates have been running this asylum for quite a while. It is pretty funny to watch that get played out literally as employees shuttle between Lexington and Covington to answer grand jury questions. It will get serious, though, when Lexington taxpayers start to figure out how much these zoo animals will wind up costing them.

Busy, Busy, Busy

There are a lot of questions swarming around the federal investigation into the prisoner abuse scandal at the Fayette County Detention Center.

But, unfortunately, there are precious few official answers.

Spokesman for the FCDC Darrin Kelly yesterday referred questions to the Lexington-Fayette Department of Law's Carolyn Zerga.

Kelly said Zerga was told to expect my call yesterday. She has, however, been "in meetings" and "on the phone" for the last twenty four hours.

Fortunately, they can't hide from the federal grand jury in Covington.

Keeping Us In The Dark

The Kentucky School Board is hiding their list of nine candidates for the top job in Kentucky's public school system. Wonder why?

Thanks to Rural Democrat and Page One Kentucky for joining the effort to shine light on this.

Fred! Speaks In South Carolina

Presidential candidate Fred Thompson said this today in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina:

"As I scan the room, I see many people wearing FairTax stickers. I see them everywhere I go. FairTax has a better campaign going on than any of the candidates!"

He then passed on the opportunity to endorse FairTax, just like the rest of the top tier GOP candidates have done.

Herald Leader Masters Obvious, Misses Point

The Lexington Herald Leader editorial page has a news flash:

We already have government-run health care.

Yeah, thanks guys. The point of the editorial is that government control has been creeping forward for decades, under Republicans and Democrats alike, and that we should just keep on going.

But the point is separating health services from people who might keep price increases in check is what has created the runaway inflation in health care.

And pricing the middle class out of the game is government's predominant contribution to health care in America.

Did Ron Bishop Make Him Do It?

Shannon Raglin, a Fayette jail worker, has been arrested and is accused of shaking down a prisoner in the facility. It's just about time for FCDC director Ron Bishop, criminal, to go.

He Doesn't Have A Clue

Don't Just Sit There. Smoke.

The closer you look at SCHIP, the worse it looks. Expanding it a little, like many Congressional Republicans and President Bush want to do is bad enough. Expanding it a lot like most Congressional Democrats prefer is worse. Consider this:

Calling All Kentucky Fiscal Conservatives!

Grab your checkbook and come support the Kentucky Club for Growth's efforts to elect people who will spend our tax dollars more carefully.

Lexington Jail Story Takes Another Odd Twist

A source inside the Fayette County Detention Center alleged ongoing witness intimidation in violation of Kentucky's whistleblower statute by officials in the jail.

Federal whistleblower Cpl. John Vest has been sent a registered letter, according to the source, informing him that he may not take any training related to his job at the jail because he is not employed there.

That is not true. Vest's status is actually "on unpaid leave," despite efforts by Mayor Jim Newberry and several jail officials to fire him illegally. These efforts came after they learned Vest was working with the FBI to uncover widespread prisoner abuse in the jail.

When he was contacted this morning, Vest said he had not yet received the letter. (4:23 pm update: he got the letter today.) A spokesman for the jail said all questions regarding Cpl. Vest are now being referred to the city's legal department. A call to the legal department was not immediately returned.

Miller On The Way Out From KDP

Expect to see Jonathan Miller canned from his post as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Kentucky immediately after the election, a party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said today.

Some embarrassing emails from Miller's aborted gubernatorial campaign and other various allegations are at the heart of the coming ouster.

The Lexington Herald-Leader mentioned the proverbial tip of the iceberg this morning.

Taking On Health Insurance Rates

There can be little doubt we will wind up having a battle royale in the 2008 General Assembly over Kentucky's health insurance market.

Last year's SB 135 would be a good solution to the problem of rising premiums. Several companies have said they would return to Kentucky if we passed this bill.

More competition, not heavy-handed Beshear-Mongiardo price fixing, is what we need. The bill would give companies more flexibility in dealing with sick applicants. They would have the option to exclude coverage for illnesses going back twelve months rather than the currently mandated six months.

Plans that took that option could offer lower premiums to healthy people.

What's Going On With The KY Senate GOP?

Sen. Ken Winters (R-Murray) confirmed this morning he is interested in the Kentucky Education Commissioner's job.

Winters faces a challenge next year from convicted felon Carroll Hubbard.

Beshear's Talking Point Malfunction

Steve Beshear's comments about the SCHIP bill tonight suggest he may not fully understand the legislative process.

Beshear's previous casino constitutional amendment blooper ("I'm gonna pass it") seems, well, perfectly constitutional compared to tonight's statement.

When asked if he would have voted to override the veto of the Congressional Democratic plan to expand SCHIP with funding from a $1 a pack cigarette tax, Beshear answered that he would have voted for the bill and the tax though he is against the tax, and that he thinks the United States should surrender in Iraq as soon as possible:

"I would have voted to override it. I don't like the funding mechanism they have in terms of raising the cigarette tax, but I'm gonna tell you something. We could fund this program if we just saved a few million dollars from Iraq instead of spending it over there on a war we're never going to win."

Real Emergency Ends, So End The Fake One

Governor Kathleen Blanco's term in office can now safely draw to a close since Republican Bobby Jindal has been elected in Louisiana.

So while our friends to the south are closing the books on part of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Governor Fletcher should take the opportunity to call an end to the ongoing state of emergency in Kentucky he called in the aftermath of that same hurricane.

It was that state of emergency called in 2005 that triggered Kentucky's bad (and since-repealed) price-gouging law under which Attorney General Greg Stumbo has sued Marathon Oil for $89 million.

The lawsuit is ongoing, but shouldn't be. Same goes for Kentucky's 2005 Hurricane Katrina state of emergency declaration.

Another Failure To Communicate

On the federal level, we have replaced welfare with alphabet soup. It would be a joke if it weren't true. At some point we are going to see expanding entitlement programs as a bad thing that gets in the way instead of something that, if we just did a little more, might just start to work:

...child care assistance, EITC, Food Stamps, housing assistance (Section 8 and public housing), Medicaid/SCHIP and TANF. While helpful for those who receive them, they find more needs to be done to ensure that hard work pays.

While these programs "for the poor" or "the children" are the purview of Democrats, all too often Republicans push corporate welfare.

Back in Kentucky, I'm guessing the Fletcher administration soon will announce the first recipient of Kentucky's "energy plan." The announcement will be the biggest yawner of an uneventful campaign.

That will be, sadly, the result of just another failure to communicate.

Jack Conway's Thinking Problem

I read the story about Attorney General candidate Jack Conway's "bush league" non-apology apology this morning and have to admit I kind of feel sorry for him.

As a pro-abortion politician bending over backwards to find a point of attack against his pro-life opponent Rep. Stan Lee, Conway showed that his reach definitely exceeds his grasp.

Then when he got caught he couldn't quite swing the mea culpa.

Conway, in an interview, said he's not faulting Lee for defending Jones. And he said it's not his intent to drag Hufnagel into the race.

"I didn't mean to cause them any additional consternation," Conway said. "If I have, I apologize. I just think it's important to point out the hypocrisy."

Conway may as well have said, "I shouldn't have attacked Stan Lee for representing a victim in a horrible tragedy and I'm sorry I got caught, but my political advisers tell me to keep saying the word 'hypocrisy' when talking about a Christian so 'hypocrisy.'"

Speaking of the h-word, it was a sight watching Conway try to get people worked up about an unborn child while displaying a vampire-in-the-sunlight's duck-and-cover maneuver away from the word "child."

"He is taking the position that ... who lost his 8-month-old viable fetus -- should not be compensated for the loss of love and affection for that 8-month-old fetus," said Conway, 38.

I've seen the polls and I have read the campaign finance numbers. Conway may well win this race, but if this dust-up is any indication, he has been pushed into the big leagues too soon.

Coach Pitino Gives Richie Farmer A Hand

The sports news guys in Lexington may be interested to know Rick Pitino will be in town tonight for a Richie Farmer fundraiser.

Mayor Abramson's $16.5 Million

Some folks in Louisville want to run a $40 million a year tax increase through on the ballot November 6 in order to raise $23.5 million to spend on the city's public library system. As part of the deal, they also want to remove library operations from local government oversight.

Many voters were falling for the idea of paying more money if the library system needed it. But this is quickly turning into a sordid mess as more facts are uncovered about what is really going on.

A good question to ask is "Why does Mayor Jerry Abramson need a $40 million tax increase to give the libraries $23.5 million and what is he doing with the extra $16.5 million?"

Mayor Abramson ran last year on funding the libraries without any tax increases. The big-taxers are very well funded for this fight. Spread the word to stop them.

Mitt Romney Keeps Endorsing HillaryCare

Mitt Romney spoke to the Club for Growth yesterday and positively mentioned the Fair Tax, which is good. Then he started on healthcare, which turned bad when he repeated the questionable statistic that there are fourty seven million people without health insurance, suggesting that we might do the same thing in America he did in Massachusetts.

"We have to see fundamental reform of healthcare overall ... Fourty seven million people without insurance means the cost of fourty seven million people is being borne by everybody else. That can't happen. You gotta get everybody in the system paying their own fair share."

No. We can afford to pay for those who can't pay for themselves if we would only let the market reduce the costs for those of us paying our own way.

Further, Romney often tries to separate himself from some of the worst parts of the Massachusetts health mess by blaming it on his Democratic legislature.

Hello? What is going to be different in Washington D.C.? I sure don't want to elect a Republican president who signs socialized medicine and then goes out and claims it isn't his fault.

Some Rumors Are More Fun Than Others

There is some internet chatter about Treasurer Jonathan Miller that I hope isn't true. We hear this kind of stuff way too often and I wouldn't wish it on anyone's family.

But the one I just got from a Democratic friend is that Miller may have spent Treasurer's office money to pay Mark Nickolas to run his blog.

Now that would be fun.

Here Comes Mr. Conservative

The leader of the Club for Growth is coming to Kentucky next week.

No Liberal Scheme Left Behind

Reps. Ben Chandler and John Yarmuth both voted this afternoon to override President Bush's veto of the Dems' rapid SCHIP expansion.

Fortunately, though, they failed.

Courier Journal's Hate Speech

The Louisville Courier-Journal's vitriolic partisanship is nothing new. But it is interesting how amateurish today's installment is:

Every time you hear Republicans brag about being the party of fiscal restraint and family values, remember what they really mean: They'll lavish money on the machinery of war but won't do what's necessary to make sure that hard-pressed American families can meet basic needs like health care and shelter.

This stuff would be barely passable as a diary entry on a liberal blog. And this is supposed to convince us that only evil people don't want to buy houses for poor people?

Steve Beshear's Kentucky Circa 2050

Casinos have been fixing all the problems in New Jersey for fourty years. Today, half the people who live there want to move out of the state.

My favorite line from the story:

"Where do all the funds go from all the other taxable sources — the casino, the lottery, the tolls?" Cella asked. "Nobody seems to know, and yet we have a Legislature that's talking about raising taxes all the time."

McConnell's Macaca Moment?

Good grief. This is the kind of nonsense that happens to Republicans who don't stick to correct principles.

If we were arguing against the worthiness of the SCHIP program itself, the issue of one boy's eligibility and some effort to dig into his background would never come up.

You have to read the entire Courier-Journal story to see Sen. McConnell wasn't lying about anything, but if all the senator's statements were about the program's counterproductivity this stupid stuff would never be an issue.

Kentucky's Health Insurance Success

Kentucky has one of the best individual/family health insurance markets in the country. Limited mandates have a lot to do with this, as does the fact more states are edging toward HillaryCare-type setups a lot faster than we are.

Electing Steve Beshear governor would be a near-certain way to screw this up.

Check it out for yourself:

Bloodhound Alert: In Search Of Hillary Clinton

No, Hillary Clinton isn't missing. But her Ivy League-acquired math skills appear to be failing her so badly, we should probably get the dogs out anyway.

If she keeps leading in the polls, we will need them soon enough.

She's campaigning on restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington D.C. and yet champions a $100 billion health insurance program and a new $20 billion retirement entitlement. And now she is denying that Social Security has any kind of problem. That line worked well enough when her party was in the minority, just trying to stop a president they don't like from fixing a daunting problem.

But Hillary seems to be stuck on last year's talking point. At the same time, she is ignoring the slightly more distant past in which her own husband outlined the very real crisis in Social Security almost a decade ago.

The long-standing intellectual slipperiness we have come to expect from politicians named Clinton suggests we are going to need some serious help tracking Hillary down on anything that matters.

Taxing The Sinner, Not The Sin

Steve Beshear has backed off his support for the Democrats' SCHIP expansion since Governor Fletcher called him on the $1 a pack cigarette tax in that bill.

Beshear should have to explain what tax he wants to go up to pay for the entitlement.

Could this be a precursor for the failure of casino gambling in the legislature next year?

Help Mitch Ditch Democrat Internet Tax

Sen. Mitch McConnell is circulating a petition to permanently ban taxation of internet access fees.

Cut Government Waste, Send Politicians Home

Kentucky can put two constitutional amendments on the ballot in any year. Next year, we need to repeal the Treasurer's office and eliminate even-year "long sessions" of the General Assembly.

The gubernatorial candidates should be asked their position on this.

Debate

Governor Fletcher just hinted that some energy projects will be announced soon. I'm assuming he is talking about coal-to-liquid fuel projects.

Mayor Isaac Knew And When She Knew It

An outside consultant to the LFUCG told then-Mayor Teresa Isaac about abuse in the Fayette County Detention Center several months before she went on television a year ago and said no such abuse occurred.

Kentucky's Healthy Health Insurance Market?

I'm working on an analysis of the health insurance markets in the states. I'll post my findings on The Bluegrass Policy Blog when I'm finished, but after looking at plans in all fifty states I have to say Kentucky is a lot closer to the top than I thought they would be.

Grayson Goes Up