Migrants In Lexington

Consider this a public service announcement for the Migrant Network Coalition.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR GATHERING

This Saturday, April 19th

Anytime between 4-7:00 p.m.

Corner of Main St. and Martin Luther King

Please join other fair-minded Lexington residents as we stand up and say NO to the scapegoating and dehumanization of immigrants that has become so acceptable in mainstream national and local media. Let us change the tide of the discourse together by showing Lexington WE WILL NOT TOLERATE HATE IN OUR COMMUNITY! Feel free to bring a sign showing your support for a diverse and hate-free Lexington.

Please pass the information on to anyone who may be interested!

Now you won’t be seeing any public service announcements from me for the other side, but to be fair if you want to see the other side of issue in Lexington look at the Kfire web site.

The guy that does this site is Doug Roy, that’s his smiling face on the website.

My real problem with Doug Roy, other than I think he is totally wrong on the issue of immigration, is that he and I agree on a couple of other issues. I would really like to blast this guy for being a total idiot, but I can’t.

Here are some of Roy’s opinions:

On George Bush’s war in Iran:

If you still buy the cover stories about Iraqi freedom, WMD and the evil dictator Saddam Hussein, you're still struggling to put dots together to make the picture work. Good luck.

If the truth were told, those missions were indeed accomplished back in 2003. The real mission is continuing to be accomplished: oil under control and buddies making billions.


On big Tobacco:

This year, more than 4,000 Fayette County residents will die untimely and painful deaths from smoking-related illnesses. If that number could be decreased even a little over the next few years because of the smoking ban, would it be worth it?

But some of us are worried that a few businesses will lose money. Saving lives or saving a few businesses: What's your priority?

I just wish he was a little more prone to dialog than demagoguery on the immigration issue.

Dear Mr. Sloth

I received this comment on a previous post, so consider this a follow-up.

Rightwing Ground Sloth has left a new comment on your post "No More Mr. Nice Guy <http://www.ralphlong.com/2008/04/no-more-mr-nice-guy.html> ":

Ralph...you really should try and explain how tax increases ends up benefiting the economy. I'd love to read about that. It seems to me that Tennessee is doing reasonably well and they have no income tax at all.

I'm no finance guy. Don't even play one on TV. But it seems to me that if you raise taxes then prices go up as well. Those companies you are taxing are going to offset that tax on the backs of the very people you are trying to help. Raise income taxes on those people in Kentucky that pay taxes would only serve to make them tighten up even more than they already are with gas prices where they are. When they tighten up on their spending the sales tax receipts plummet. Again, I'm no finance guy, but that just doesn't make sense to me.

While those state employees toil away for nothing(compared to their private sector peers) and look into next year at their proposed 1% raise you are suggesting we raise their taxes so they end up LOSING money with that raise? They are already losing money to the 2.7% inflation rate! They have been going backwards for the past several years anyway...you tax hike won't help that.

So...splain yerself...please.

So here is the ‘splainin’:

Dear Mr. Sloth,

First, Tennessee does have an income tax:

The individual income tax is imposed only on individuals and other entities receiving interest from bonds and notes and dividends from stock.

Second, Tennessee’s primary source of revenue is the sales tax:

Generally, the state's sales and use tax rate is 7 percent.

Food is taxed at 5.5 percent, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the increased 7 percent rate.

Local sales taxes also are collected and those rates vary from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent.

When it comes to soaking the poor Tennessee is one the best states in the country.

From Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States. “

When all Tennessee taxes are totaled up, the 2003 study found that:

The state and local tax rate on the best off one percent of Tennessee families—with average incomes of $828,000—is 3.3% before accounting for the tax savings from federal itemized deductions. After the federal offset, the effective tax rate is a mere 3.0%.

The average tax rate on families in the middle of the income distribution—those earning between $24,000 and $38,000—is 8.8%. After the federal offset, the rate is 8.7%, nearly three times the effective rate the richest pay.

But the tax rate on the poorest Tennessee families—those earning less than $14,000—is the highest of all. At 11.7% it is nearly four times the effective rate of the wealthiest Tennesseans.

By comparison Kentucky Sales and Use Tax are imposed at the rate of 6% of gross receipts or purchase price. There are no local sales and use taxes in Kentucky.

Kentucky does not tax food.

….food and food ingredients means substances, whether in liquid, concentrated, solid, frozen, dried, or dehydrated form, that are sold for ingestion or chewing by humans and are consumed for their taste or nutritional value. Excluded from the exempt food and food ingredients are the subcategories of (a) alcoholic beverages, (b) tobacco, (c) candy, (d) dietary supplements, (e) soft drinks, and (f) prepared food.

So if you want to talk about being poor and paying taxes then I’d rather be in Kentucky.

Third, there is no legislation to “raise income taxes on those people in Kentucky”.

Fourth, the sales tax increases that were killed by the state Senate were on:

Commercial janitorial services, including carpet, upholstery, and window cleaning; armored car services; security services; Chartered air flight services if a pilot is furnished, including hot air balloon flights; and Commercial linen services, excluding: Commercial uniform services; and Commercial linen services provided to hospitals and nursing homes.

Now I realize that those taxes will impose a burden on individuals needing to have their hot air balloon cleaned before the armored car arrives with their money, but I can live with that.

Fifth, considering the real costs of smoking, everyone would be better off if it went away. The arguments made by the Tobacco Apologistas just don’t hold up.

Once again let’s look at the real costs of smoking.

Annual health care costs in Kentucky directly caused by smoking - $1.50 billion

Portion covered by the state Medicaid program - $487 million

Residents' state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures - $602 per household

Smoking-caused productivity losses in Kentucky - $2.13 billion

If there is one single answer to "how tax increases ends up benefiting the economy" then just add up the billions of dollars that would be added to the Kentucky economy if tobacco went away.

Yes, a tax on smoking is a regressive tax; it will impact the poor more than the rich. And yes, I know you can’t legislate morality or health. But you can sure tax stupid behavior. I see this tax as much a social policy as a revenue generation device. The tax makes good long term health policy and good long term fiscal policy.

Sixth, successive governors and legislatures over the last four decades have systematically stripped financial rewards from state employees. I have repeatedly said the common way to balance the budget is to do it on the backs of state employees.

If we had a sane tax policy, then state workers could be paid amounts comparable to the private sector. The plantation mentality, (guess who the slaves are), used by a long line of Kentucky politicians culminating in David Williams will continue to prevail as long as sound bites like “No New Taxes” resonate with the voters.

For state workers there are two alternatives, either shut up and take it or unionize. If you don’t like the idea of a union look at the teachers. As a group the legislators and the Governor are a hell of a lot more scared of what the KEA is going to do than what state workers are going to do.

Please feel free to use these talking points when discussing the issues with other sloths.

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Legislators don’t like the budget.

Hours after weary House and Senate budget negotiators finished a patchwork $19 billion spending plan, other lawmakers began blasting it for what they considered fatal deficiencies: education and health program cuts, paltry teacher raises, and few projects.

The wave of frustration that crested suddenly Tuesday -- especially among House Democrats -- now puts in jeopardy the prospect of passing the two-year state budget, which legislative leaders had hoped to do Wednesday.

The Governor doesn’t like the budget.

“However, I can say I’m disappointed that the proposed budget does not include any plan for additional, recurring revenue so desperately needed by Kentucky.

“As you recall I proposed not one but two plans for recurring revenue -- namely expanded gaming and an increase in the state’s low cigarette tax -- in an effort to move the state forward in the areas of education, health care, public safety and economic development.

Brereton Jones thinks Beshear screwed up handling expanded gambling.

Former Gov. Brereton Jones, who was instrumental in persuading Steve Beshear to run for governor, is criticizing Beshear's handling of a constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling in Kentucky.

Beshear was "in the perfect position of getting it done and he did not," Jones said Tuesday in an interview. He is chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, which pushed casinos.

I think Casinos are a bad idea, but Jones is right, Beshear just didn’t get it done.

So what can Governor Steve Beshear do? Here are a few suggestions.

First, if that mass of Jell-O, the General Assembly, actually passes the budget the Governor should veto it. If the legislature doesn’t pass a budget we move to step two.

Second, the Governor should call the legislature into special session after the May primary election. He should privately threaten to keep calling them into session until the November election unless they pass a reasonable budget. This keeps legislators with contested campaigns from raising money, a real motivator to get something done.

Third, hand Jody Richards and Harry Moberly the budget bill with tax increases and projects. Tell them they can change commas but they can’t change the substance of the bill. Make it clear that if they screw this up then Governor will not be pleased.

Fourth, take David Williams to the wood shed, something long overdue, and hang every painful program cut back on his head. Give Williams a diplomatic way out but make it clear that you, as Governor, will make his life a living hell in every possible way unless he cooperates. Believe me a Governor can do this even to David Williams.

Fifth, drag every waffling member of the legislature, Democrat and Republican, into a one on one session with the Governor and his staff and make it damn clear that screwing with the Governor on this will make their life incredibly unpleasant. Tell then what they are getting, what it’s going to cost them and what they need to say in public.

Sixth, take the message of what government cut backs mean to every citizen to the public forum. The Governor has the bully pulpit. He should use it. The mainstream media is lazy. He can supply them with an endless amount of information on why his plan is good and why David Williams and his toadies are evil.

Bottom line Steve Beshear needs to grow a pair and quit being Mr. Nice Guy.

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.

Tobacco Apologista

We have another OP-ED piece in the Herald-Leader from a shill for big tobacco. This one comes from Jim Waters, Director of Policy and Communications for the Bluegrass Institute.

First off let’s understand where the Bluegrass Institute stands. They are anti-union, pro big business, in favor of giving tax money for private schools; support Bush’s policies in Iraq, and in favor of tort reform. They pretty much follow the right wing Republican agenda.

Waters arguments on raising he cigarette tax are basically these:

Poor people smoke the most and can’t afford to pay the price of their addiction.

Can the poor afford to pay all of the costs of smoking, not just the price of a pack of cigarettes? Waters is just blowing smoke when he talks about costs. His argument just looks at the tip of the ice berg when it comes to cost.

If his argument was applied to the cost of having children, he would have us believe that the only cost associated with having children is the cost of bailing them out of the hospital after the birth and the next 18 to 21 years are free, he completely ignores long term issues.

Retailers will go under and lay off thousands of people.

True there may be some job losses, among farmers, cigarette factories workers, advertisers, and retailers. But the money that used to be spent on cigarettes does NOT disappear from the economy. When people cut back their smoking or quit, they spend the money they save on other things, this generates new jobs in other sectors. There is just as much of a possibility that increasing tobacco taxes could generate more jobs than it costs.

The essential fact here is not that people have quit spending money, but they buy something other than cigarettes.

Education works better than tax as a deterrent to smoking.

This makes as much sense as abstinence training stops teens from having sex. In 1994-95 a study of the effectiveness of Choosing the Best was conducted by Northwestern University Medical School 60% of students, who had had sex, indicated an intention to be abstinent.

The real deterrent to smoking is the cost of the product, the details are here.

Legislators will violate their no new tax pledge.

That would be a shocker, a legislator breaking a promise. The lemmings that follow Grover Norquist shouting the “No New Taxes” sound bite are really too stupid to be in the legislature. They limit their options and the options of the people they represent.

I don’t think every tax is a good tax, but to not consider the option shows me a legislator that has the capacity of viewing all their options from A to B.

Waters arguments are short sighted, largely unsupported by facts and rigidly doctrinaire in support of a right wing, consequence be damned philosophy.

Striving for Mediocrity

The Herald-Leader has pretty well summed up the Steve Beshear administration so far.

A year ago, amid a competitive Democratic primary for governor, Steve Beshear told a crowd of Hopkins County Democrats that he planned to be the second native of the county to become Kentucky's governor.

It was a bold declaration.

On Saturday night, amid a competitive Democratic primary for president, Beshear had the chance to make another strong political statement in front of his home crowd by endorsing in that race.

Instead, Beshear, who grew up in Dawson Springs, reiterated that he hasn't "quite made up my mind."

I originally thought the Beshear administration would be a care taker administration. But, so far Beshear’s actions and appointments have struggled to reach mediocre.

With the notable exception of pushing for casino’s, a train wreck of political incompetence, this administration has basically done nothing but give a bunch of Frankfort old timers jobs.

Beshear has dropped the ball a bunch of times. His coming late to the idea of raising the tobacco tax and his less than inspiring endorsement of restoring voting rights to former felons are but two examples.

So it’s no surprise his is taking the least politically dangerous route when it comes to supporting a presidential candidate.

If Steve Beshear wanted to make a bold move, or if he could just do math, he would follow Danny Briscoe’s advice.

Briscoe suggested that Beshear should back Obama regardless of how the Kentucky primary turns out because Obama mathematically looks to be the nominee with his lead in delegates.

"In Kentucky, clearly Clinton is going to win 2 to 1, but if the governor steps forward and says he's for Obama in a white, Southern state, that puts him in a position to be remembered by Barack Obama for a long time" if Obama wins the White House, Briscoe said.

Shame

Shame on you, you pandering, math challenged, pork barrel filling, weak kneed, self-serving, sorry excuses for leaders, shame on you!

May you never have to watch someone you love slowly die from cancer.

From the Herald-Leader:

After the meeting, House budget chairman Harry Moberly Jr., D-Richmond, said the House and Senate agreed on several ways to raise more money for the state.

He said both chambers think that $85 million a year could be found through early retirements this year from state government because of enhanced benefits.

But Moberly said the House plan to increase the state cigarette tax by 25 cents a pack "is off the table" for the Senate. That hike would generate $230 million over two years.

Without the cigarette tax hike, Moberly said, "we might be able to agree to a budget but without various projects."

Various projects! Projects!!

How about the project of reducing the number of kids smoking?

How about the project of reducing the cost to every tax payer in this state pays for the medical problems caused by smoking?

On never mind, this bunch of pathetic political hacks isn’t listening.

Kill the Goose

In an op-ed piece published by the Herald-Leader, Thomas A. Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets in Minneapolis, whines that “a tax increase of any kind is the last thing Kentuckians need right now”.

Of course he means tobacco tax increase. Briant continues:

Beshear and Kentucky's legislators need to look beyond the state's borders to understand that increasing the cigarette tax will likely result in killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

His argument is this:

The explanation for this phenomenon is quite simple. Smokers don't necessarily stop smoking, but they drive across the border to another state with lower taxes, order cigarettes online to escape any state cigarette tax or buy from black market dealers

His explanation is a lie. Briant sites no studies, no facts, no numbers his explanation is a total fabrication.

From the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids:

In every single state that has significantly raised its cigarette tax rate, pack sales have gone down sharply. While some of the decline in pack sales comes from interstate smuggling and from smokers avoiding in-state purchases and going to other lower-tax states or to the Internet to buy their cigarette, it is clear that reduced consumption from smokers quitting and cutting back plays a more powerful role. As shown in more detail, below, nationwide data – which counts both legal in-state purchases and the vast majority of packs purchased through cross-border, Internet, or smuggled sales – shows that overall packs sales go down as state cigarette tax increases push up the average national price.

Here is the real truth about raising the cigarette tax from Phillip Morris:

Of all the concerns, there is one - taxation - that alarms us the most. While marketing restrictions and public and passive smoking [restrictions] do depress volume, in our experience taxation depresses it much more severely. Our concern for taxation is, therefore, central to our thinking . . . .

You want to talk dollars and cents then try these numbers:

Annual health care costs in Kentucky directly caused by smoking - $1.50 billion

Portion covered by the state Medicaid program - $487 million

Residents' state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures - $602 per household

Smoking-caused productivity losses in Kentucky - $2.13 billion

Unlike Mr. Briant who pulls generalities out of thin air, the information from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is backed by research; here is the source information for most of it from the Center for Disease Control.

So I say kill the damn goose. Our kids, our health and our overtaxed wallets are going to be a lot better off when it’s dead.

The Doctor is In The House

Sometimes a legislator will just make you smile, take first term Legislator, Rep. David Watkins for instance.

From the Courier-Journal:

The Health and Welfare Committee voted 9 to 6 to reject Senate Bill 112 -- but not before committee member David Watkins, D-Henderson, delivered a tongue-lashing to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Vernie McGaha, R-Russell Springs.

Watkins, a family physician, called the measure divisive and said the Senate is ignoring the state's biggest health problems, including smoking, obesity and a lack of adequate mental health services for its citizens.

"I am tired of the same petty issues coming before us when we've got major issues to address," he said.

Right On!

The good Doctor is also pushing for a 70 cent increase in the cigarette tax, has yet to show me anything I don’t like.

He is absolutely right that McGaha in the Senate and likes of Stan Lee in the House continue to push petty issues and not addressing the major issues. They are caught up in gay bashing and blaming Hispanics for the ills of the Commonwealth instead of dealing with real problems.

An Editorial in La Voz makes this true point about McGaha, Lee et al:

It is problematic when public offices are used to feed the fire and propagate the ideology of the extreme right that in no way represents the majority.

In fact, each and every politician that aligned his or her electoral campaign with those ideas was defeated. Let’s ask Ernie Fletcher and Stan Lee, who both were completely rejected by the Kentucky electorate when they played the anti-immigrant card.

I guess Vernie couldn’t believe that someone in the General Assembly would tell him the truth so he pulled out the sanctity of marriage argument. I’m still waiting to see the marriage that was saved by that constitutional amendment.

Again from the Courier-Journal:

McGaha said his concern is the "sanctity of marriage" and said he was offended by Watkins' comments.

"Dr. Watkins is totally off-base," McGaha said. "He is a disgrace to the process we have here."

I think Watkins is a credit to the Commonwealth and General Assembly, McGaha may think Watkins is a “disgrace to the process” but as near as I can tell he was just using my Duck rule.

If it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck and smells like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Gutless in Frankfort

A couple of questions:

If 93 members of the House can pass this bill to limit kids smoking then why can’t they raise the cigarette tax by 70 cents to accomplish the same goal?

Is the answer they don’t have the guts to raise a tax but they can fine people for handing out cigarettes?

Is the answer that Democratic House Leadership owes so many favors to campaign contributors they get weak knees when it comes to protecting the health of our children?

And one other thing:

If Stan Lee and 5 others are so concerned about family values why couldn’t they bother to show up to vote? Maybe they were too busy at a convenience store on the Tennessee line handing out cigarettes to kids.

HB 474 (BR 1739) - J. Jenkins

AN ACT relating to tobacco products.

Amend KRS 438.313 to prohibit a person from purchasing on behalf of or giving tobacco products and cigarettes to persons under 18 years of age; establish a fine of $500 to $1000 for violations; amend 438.315 to prohibit a vending machine containing tobacco products to sell nontobacco products, except for matches.

Feb 6-introduced in House
Feb 7-to Licensing & Occupations (H)
Feb 28-posted in committee
Mar 5-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
Mar 6-2nd reading, to Rules
Mar 10-posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Mar 19-3rd reading, passed 93-0

I Feel Your Pain

Steve Beshear is willing to suffer a little pain to get additional cash flow (Casinos) into state government. However most of the pain Steve is willing to suffer is on the backs of those that are least able to defend themselves.

Medicaid

FRANKFORT --
Although Gov. Steve Beshear's proposed budget would give Medicaid $166.4 million more from the state's General Fund over the next two years, current projections suggest the program will still fall short by about $61 million each year.

"The Medicaid program is not fully funded," said Janie Miller, secretary of the Health and Family Services Cabinet.

Public Advocacy

The state's chief public defender says Gov. Steve Beshear's proposed budget cuts may force public defenders to withdraw from some cases, potentially placing thousands of cases in limbo.

Justice

FRANKFORT --
Kentucky would keep packing felons into its prisons and jails, and the Corrections Department would suck money from the rest of the justice system -- including Kentucky State Police, prosecutors and public defenders -- in Gov. Steve Beshear's two-year budget proposal.

Higher Education

University of Kentucky President Lee Todd implemented a hiring freeze and ordered about $10 million in cuts Wednesday to comply with Gov. Steve Beshear's directive to reduce the university's budget by 3 percent.

Beshear Comments

Here is a partial transcript of comments made Monday by Gov. Steve Beshear about potential cuts in the next two-year state budget.....

Q: Are you just trying to push casinos?

A: The numbers speak for themselves. We have a half-billion dollar hole. I won't be proposing a budget to be balanced on some speculative income off of casinos. That would not be responsible and I'm not going to do that.

One of the options that this commonwealth does have to create additional revenue is to allow limited expanded gaming. But that issue is hopefully to be addressed in this General Assembly and we won't know where that's going until April 15.

Q: Do you oppose a cigarette tax increase?

A: I don't favor any kind of increase of taxes at this time. I think Kentuckians are taxed enough, particularly in these hard economic costs. ...

Now I realize Steve made a deal with the devil. He was willing to sell out to the gambling interests to be Governor. But he doesn’t want to look like he sold out. So instead of doing the right thing he’ll let the weakest of Kentuckians take the hit.

If the man had any cohones, he would tell the Casinos and Horse Breeders thanks for the bucks but now I’m going to actually lead Kentucky. He would back two bills that would address the immediate problems and start addressing state government revenue stream.

Rep. Jim Wayne, (here is a guy I would like to see be Governor) talks about the long term fixes.

The Consensus Forecasting Group anticipates that Kentucky is facing a staggering $900 million shortfall in the next biennium. The ramifications for our citizens living with this financial hole in our budget are too unpleasant to imagine.

But imagine we must. This problem will not drift into the shadows. Our citizens are concerned and raising their voices to make sure we, the leaders with the power, act to protect our children, our sick, our college students, our elderly, our transportation systems, our prisons, our law enforcement officers, our environment and our citizens with mental retardation, addictions and mental illnesses, as well as other areas of our lives touched by the state budget.

Rep. David Watkins gives us the short term answer with raising the cigarette tax.

FRANKFORT --
A proposed law filed Friday would increase the state's tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.
The 70-cent increase would raise more than $200 million for the cash-strapped state while decreasing the smoking rate, which is tops in the nation, said Rep. David Watkins, D-Henderson.

Maybe Watkins would make a good Lt. Governor for Wayne.

Cheap Parents and Wimp Politicians

OK, now for a combination moment. The two previous posts talked about politician’s wimping out and a WTF moment.

This post combines both.

From the Herald Leader:

Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael affirmed a 2005 district court ruling that found that booster clubs qualify as private organizations under the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's indoor smoking ban. Private organizations are exempt from enforcement.....

A lawyer representing the booster clubs said the ruling is a big win for students who play sports, march in their high school bands or participate in other extra-curricular activities. The clubs raise money for uniforms, equipment, facilities, trips to competitions and other expenses.

The WTF part –

It’s good to let people kill themselves and others so my kid can get a new jock strap?

What are you people thinking? What are you teaching your kids?

And before the combined Lafayette and Dunbar bands storm my house, I bought the fruit this year, and every other year. And I still have a preprinted check book to the Lafayette band in my desk, from when my kid was member.

How many of you smoking bingo boosters would vote for a tax increase to pay for your kids extra-curricular activities? Maybe a little lobbying activity would be a more healthy approach, loose a few pounds, knock on a few doors.

And for wimp politicians -

Through his spokeswoman, Mayor Jim Newberry declined to say where he stands on amending the smoking ban.

The man wants to be Governor and he can’t even take a stand on bingo smokers.