I recently got a couple of Fund Raising emails from http://www.kentuckyvotes.com/. The emails came from Kelly L. Smith [postmaster@bipps.org]. Now I subscribe to this site, along with a number of other sites and I know its run by the same folks that run the Bluegrass Institute. Kentucky Votes is a pretty good service if you ignore most of the comments on the site.
The subject of the email was KentuckyVotes.org_A Testimonial from Norman Davis and contained this line.
Our friend and colleague, Norman Davis of Clarkson, Kentucky, is a regular user of Kentucky Votes. No big deal, I’m a regular user of Kentucky Votes. But to think that Norman Davis endorsing something will get me to pony up some bucks, well that’s not going to happen.
For those of you who don’t know who Norman Davis is let me introduce you. Davis is the leader of a coalition of groups called Take Back Kentucky.
A 2004 Kentucky Department of Justice Report - Hate Crime and Hate Incidents in the Commonwealth of Kentucky lists Take Back Kentucky as a Patriot Group.
Patriot groups define themselves as opposed to the “New World Order” or advocate or adhere to extreme anti-government or conspiratorial doctrines.
Now Take Back Kentucky has its’ supporters in the Legislature like Perry Clark.
“You are important; you have valid concerns; you make a difference,” Mr. Clark said inside a large tent with a Confederate flag next to it. “You'll disagree (with legislators) on some things, but they need to know your opinion.”
I was always told that you are known by who your friends are so I don’t think I’ll be giving any money to Kentucky Votes or the Bluegrass Institute. Maybe Perry Clark will empty his pockets.
If they go out of business it just means I do my research without their input, not that great a loss.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Political Will
I continue to be amazed at the general incompetence of the General Assembly and the Governor when it comes to putting together a budget.
This one sentence from Pol Watchers sums up the problem.
No new taxes were included in the budget, lawmakers said. About $85 million in savings would be assumed from government efficiencies created by not filling state jobs that open up later this year after an expected wave of retirements.
Here’s the problem, you have to believe that experienced state employees making $85 million during the budget cycle, are totally worthless. You have to believe that the state will be better off without them.
Now I will allow in some cases that’s true. But the truth is if that many people and their institutional memory go out the door then a lot of things government does will be done badly or not at all.
The mantra of shrink the government only works if you are willing to put up with shrinking the services government provides. Now it’s obvious the politicians are willing to balance the budget on the backs of state workers, teachers and the poor. There is nothing new in that formula.
The need to act like lemmings and follow Grover Norquist makes passing a tax of any sort nearly impossible.
Our honorable leaders have also refused to do any of the heavy legislative lifting on major issues. They seem to have a need to engage in pissing contests like the one between David Williams and Harry Moberly and one between Damon Thayer and Mike Cherry rather than do any real work.
Take for example their inability to address the mess at Kentucky Retirement Systems.
Decisions on how to restructure the state employees' underfunded pension plans could depend on how much money the state budget can put into them.
House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said Monday evening that the budget being hammered out now has little in the way of new revenue, leaving pension plan negotiators in the dark and far apart.
The longer they put off doing something the bigger the mess gets. The same goes for Medicaid funding and true comprehensive tax reform.
Every legislator and the Governor know what the problems are, and what the solutions are, but they lack the political will to do their jobs.
There is an answer. A Governor that could actually lead and manage a thoughtful legislative agenda would go a long way to solve the problems but that’s at least four years away.
A complete change in the leadership of the House and the Senate would be good too. Every year these guys prove that if they were all in giant paper bag they would try to walk out the closed end. Again I don’t see this happening anytime soon.
This one sentence from Pol Watchers sums up the problem.
No new taxes were included in the budget, lawmakers said. About $85 million in savings would be assumed from government efficiencies created by not filling state jobs that open up later this year after an expected wave of retirements.
Here’s the problem, you have to believe that experienced state employees making $85 million during the budget cycle, are totally worthless. You have to believe that the state will be better off without them.
Now I will allow in some cases that’s true. But the truth is if that many people and their institutional memory go out the door then a lot of things government does will be done badly or not at all.
The mantra of shrink the government only works if you are willing to put up with shrinking the services government provides. Now it’s obvious the politicians are willing to balance the budget on the backs of state workers, teachers and the poor. There is nothing new in that formula.
The need to act like lemmings and follow Grover Norquist makes passing a tax of any sort nearly impossible.
Our honorable leaders have also refused to do any of the heavy legislative lifting on major issues. They seem to have a need to engage in pissing contests like the one between David Williams and Harry Moberly and one between Damon Thayer and Mike Cherry rather than do any real work.
Take for example their inability to address the mess at Kentucky Retirement Systems.
Decisions on how to restructure the state employees' underfunded pension plans could depend on how much money the state budget can put into them.
House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said Monday evening that the budget being hammered out now has little in the way of new revenue, leaving pension plan negotiators in the dark and far apart.
The longer they put off doing something the bigger the mess gets. The same goes for Medicaid funding and true comprehensive tax reform.
Every legislator and the Governor know what the problems are, and what the solutions are, but they lack the political will to do their jobs.
There is an answer. A Governor that could actually lead and manage a thoughtful legislative agenda would go a long way to solve the problems but that’s at least four years away.
A complete change in the leadership of the House and the Senate would be good too. Every year these guys prove that if they were all in giant paper bag they would try to walk out the closed end. Again I don’t see this happening anytime soon.
Nag Your Legislator
What Alan said:
By passing House Bill 415 our legislators can create a statewide colon cancer screening and treatment program that targets uninsured Kentuckians between the ages of 50 and 64. This can and will motivate thousands of Kentuckians to be screened for colon cancer, regardless of their insurance status.
Not only will the implementation of this statute save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives in Kentucky each year, it is a cost-saving measure that we really need in these days of budgetary and economic challenges.
When detected early through screening, medical intervention for colon cancer has an incredible 85-95 percent cure rate. For those Kentuckians who are detected early, the cost of treatment is about $30,000, but that cost goes up to more than $120,000 for patients with later stages of colon cancer.
Not having had colon cancer, but getting too close for comfort and having the scars to prove it, I can’t agree more with any OP-ED piece I’ve seen in a long time.
Nag your Legislator.
By passing House Bill 415 our legislators can create a statewide colon cancer screening and treatment program that targets uninsured Kentuckians between the ages of 50 and 64. This can and will motivate thousands of Kentuckians to be screened for colon cancer, regardless of their insurance status.
Not only will the implementation of this statute save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives in Kentucky each year, it is a cost-saving measure that we really need in these days of budgetary and economic challenges.
When detected early through screening, medical intervention for colon cancer has an incredible 85-95 percent cure rate. For those Kentuckians who are detected early, the cost of treatment is about $30,000, but that cost goes up to more than $120,000 for patients with later stages of colon cancer.
Not having had colon cancer, but getting too close for comfort and having the scars to prove it, I can’t agree more with any OP-ED piece I’ve seen in a long time.
Nag your Legislator.
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