Ralph Long

Serving the Pork

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Let’s take a minute to look at how politicians pass out the pork.

Here is a press release from the Governor’s office.

Gov. and Mrs. Steve Beshear today launched Kentucky’s Adventure Tourism initiative in Knott County. This plan opens more areas of the state as tourist destinations for biking, hiking, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, off-roading and horseback riding.

“Here in Kentucky we can offer wilderness, with the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Cumberland Mountains, the Red River Gorge and a set of lakes and rivers unmatched by any other state,” said Gov. Beshear.

Kentucky’s Adventure Tourism initiative allows the state to enter into agreements with private property owners for the public use of land for outdoor activities without fear of facing liability issues.

This all sounds good right, more tourism, more money for economically distressed county, good public relations for the Governor and maybe a few bucks for private property owners.

But I’m not sure how this really works. You see, this program looks to be a legacy from the Fletcher administration. The Kentucky Flex-E Grant Program for implementation of the comprehensive Adventure Tourism Plan for economically distressed ARC Counties has been around since fiscal year 2006.

The money is administered by GOLD (Governor’s Office for Local Development) these are the waiters in the pork passing process.

According to the application guidelines the only entities eligible to apply for Kentucky Flex-E Grants are:

• Local units of government (including special districts, area development districts (ADDs), school districts) and post secondary education institutions in or serving distressed Appalachian Kentucky counties.

• Non-profit organizations and citizen groups located in or serving distressed counties which have an on-going mission and an established, administrative organization that supports pursuit of the mission.

I don’t see the local property owners being involved unless they are part of the local political power structure, like say the Knott County Fiscal Court.

I don’t know if the Adventure Tourism Park System, in Knott County, is involved in this little pork passing exercise? But it looks like it could be.

We Make Things Happen Corporation, in partnership with Summit Engineering, Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon and Economic Research Associates have been commissioned by Knott County Fiscal Court to assist in developing an Adventure Tourism Park System made up of a series of trails throughout the county.

Now I know it is probably only coincidence that folks that work for Summit Engineering, according to the Registry of Election Finance, have donated $86,800.00 to various political candidates, including Steve Beshear.

And I’m sure that by spending money with one company that as most of it’s’ offices in Tennessee and Alabama and another company with it’s' office in Los Angeles that those bucks will be churning through the economy.

And who could possibly question spending money with a Mom and Pop operation in Bowling Green whose references include Frankfort bureaucrats?

Doesn’t this whole thing just smell a little funny? Talk about a piece of government accounting that looks like it needs a financial audit.

Horses and Weasels

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Sometimes the number of weasel words in a press release from Kentucky state government makes me wonder why they bother saying anything.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA) at its next meeting will be asked by its chairman to consider forming a work group to review thoroughbred horse racing health and safety concerns.

Robert M. Beck Jr., appointed KHRA chairman last month by Governor Steve Beshear, said the proposed work group will look at several issues and bring recommendations to the authority.

“I envision the group would assemble information that has already been prepared by other organizations and assess the need for additional work on safety issues,” Beck said. “We also want to work with other industry organizations, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys to make improvements to the racing community.”

So let me get this straight you are thinking about creating a committee to rehash old information and keep everyone involved happy.

If anything makes a case for taking the regulation of Thoroughbred Racing away from the states and giving it to national regulating body it is drivel like this.

Problems At The Ivory Towers

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:39:00 +0000

Academics in Kentucky aren’t pleased that someone questions them being given a blank check.

Facing some of the angriest public remarks by a group of Kentucky University presidents in memory, a panel gave the initial vote of approval Thursday to higher tuition at the state's public universities and community colleges, including five institutions whose requests were cut.

By a 4-0 vote, with one member absent, the budget and finance committee of the state Council on Postsecondary Education approved the council staff's tuition recommendations for 2008-2009. It's rare for universities' tuition requests to be denied or even scrutinized to the extent they have been this year, at least since higher education reforms of 1997.

Let’s give credit to the Council on Postsecondary Education for at least trying to do their job.

The blame for rising tuition has a multitude of fathers and a few mothers.

First, we can blame the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky for the almost universal disdain for education. As long as the major and most of the minor institutions provide entertainment with their athletic teams most Kentuckians don’t give a damn about what happens on campus.

Second, the so called representatives of the people in Frankfort who don’t have the cohones to pass a viable revenue bill, and thus creating the budget short fall. I think special recognition should be given to the “NO NEW TAX” crowd that prefers sound bites that appeal the first group above.

Third, the administrators of our institutions of higher learning who place students last on their list of priorities, permit the building of petty fiefdoms, and allow a host of other sins in the name of academic freedom.

I’m not saying to run the Universities like a business, but a little accountability and responsibility would be nice from all concerned

Orwell Would Be Proud

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:51:00 +0000

A Tip of the Hat to the Alpha Geek for these gems.

“You are not paranoid if they are out to get you.” Col. Frank Burns

Microsoft Gives Backdoor to Law Enforcement -- Well, Not Really

Admit it. You always thought Microsoft had put a backdoor into its operating system to allow law enforcement agents to worm their way into your computer.

Now the proof is here. At least that's how some readers are interpreting a story out yesterday about a forensic tool that Microsoft is providing crime-stoppers to help them extract evidence from computers seized at crime scenes.

Microsoft device helps police pluck evidence from cyberscene of crime

Microsoft has developed a small plug-in device that investigators can use to quickly extract forensic data from computers that may have been used in crimes.

The COFEE, which stands for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, is a USB "thumb drive" that was quietly distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies last June. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith described its use to the 350 law-enforcement experts attending a company conference Monday.

FBI seeks law forcing ISPs to retain data

The United States' top cop told a Congressional committee this week that law enforcement would benefit from a law forcing Internet service providers to hold onto customer data longer.

In comments before the House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III told members that Internet service providers (ISPs) should be required to retain the records of what customers did online for longer periods of time. He suggested that records be kept for a minimum of two years, according to a CNET News.com report.

Concerned Kentuckians

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:36:00 +0000

Four prominent state Democrats signed a letter, sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.

Four prominent state Democrats signed a letter to U.S. Senate candidate Greg Fischer on Thursday asking him to stop running a negative ad against his rival.

The four -- state Auditor Crit Luallen, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo -- described themselves as "concerned Kentuckians."

They urged Fischer to "remove your personal attack ad from the air immediately, take the high road, and spend the final weeks of the primary running a campaign focused on why you are right for the job, not divisive character attacks that are part of the reason Washington needs to change."

Am I the only person that remembers Lunsford’s campaign against Ben Chandler and then him standing beside Ernie Fletcher.

Fischer’s campaign, in the words of Clint Eastwood, is pretty much a clusterf**k. Bruce doesn’t need these four “concerned Kentuckians” to whip Fischer badly. The smart money says that Mitch McConnell is going to hand Bruce his head in November. So the question is why did they publish this public letter?

Maybe they are trying to suck up to Chuck Schumer or a hoping for Bruce’s money in future elections, who knows.

But I’ll believe that Fischer has really stepped over the line when concerned Democrat Ben Chandler comes to Lunsford’s defense.

Chandler Endorses Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:43:00 +0000

Ben Chandler has endorsed Barack Obama.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler said he's ignoring potential political risks to back U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for president -- a decision made after months of mounting and intense pressure.

"I've listened to the man. I have met with him and, like many of you, I am excited by his message of change for the future," Chandler told about 40 Obama supporters Tuesday in Louisville. "I made a decision in my own mind that in this place and this time and in this country, the time was right for Sen. Barack Obama."

The important fact in this story is not that Chandler gives Obama one more super-delegate or that Chandler’s endorsement will swing Indiana voters.

The important fact is that Ben Chandler is notoriously risk adverse. If Chandler learned one thing from his grand-daddy it was how to do political math.

Chandler would never put his political career at risk to endorse a presidential candidate. So this means Ben has done the math, he is certain that Obama will be the party’s candidate.

You can disregard the statements from the Clinton camp as damage control. After all how much credibility can you put to statements from a guy who missed a trip to the big house on a technicality?

“The picture should now be focused on electoral college votes and which one of the candidates is more electable," said Jerry Lundergan, the former state Democratic Party chairman and member of Clinton's national finance team.

Score One for the Guv

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:02:00 +0000

From: Patrick, Sue (CPE)
To: Patrick, Sue (CPE)
Sent: Tue Apr 29 16:33:13 2008
Subject: CPE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION

COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release Date: April 29, 2008

Contact: Sue Patrick

Phone: 502-573-1555 ext. 308

Note to media—There will be no further comment today from President Cowgill.

STATEMENT OF BRAD COWGILL, PRESIDENT

KENTUCKY COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Today I announce my resignation as president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. I do this for one reason: in the foreseeable future, it would be necessary to devote excessive time and effort to unproductive activities, denying me the satisfaction of fruitful work.

I was drawn to this position by my desire to make a meaningful contribution in aligning the Commonwealth's always-limited resources to our statewide postsecondary education goals.

During my eight month tenure, there has arisen within the Council a consensus agenda that focuses on affordability, performance funding, accountability and the state's Double the Numbers educational attainment goal. The Council determined from my track record here that my experience and qualifications would be a good match with its long-term agenda.

I am not aware of any dissimilarity between the Council's postsecondary education agenda and that of Governor Beshear. Iin the last two weeks, he has shown a determined interest in the Council's presidency, contending that the organization must duplicate last year's search and must exclude me from it.

I have no desire to wage a battle with the Governor over this matter.
It would unduly harm Kentucky's postsecondary education reform efforts, and the positive momentum that has been achieved to this point.

It has been a great pleasure to have had the opportunity to work over the past eight months with a deeply committed staff and outstanding board members. The Council's work is nationally respected and should be a source of great pride to the Commonwealth.

The effective date of my resignation will be worked out with the Council to provide a seamless transition to new leadership.

Sue Patrick, APR
Director of Communications
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 320
Frankfort, KY 40601
502-573-1555, ext. 308

Free Food, Kentucky Style

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Let’s talk about stupid for a moment.

Who wants to stand out in the cold and rain for bad food? According to the Herald-Leader, probably about 12,000 people need a free meal.

But there is no such thing as a free lunch or in this case a free breakfast. And guess who gets to pay for it, --- you do.

Serving hours are from 7 to 11 a.m. with about 70 workers from the Kentucky Department of Parks serving more than 2,000 pounds of country ham, 15,000 biscuits and servings of cheese grits, 25,000 scrambled eggs, and 1,200 pounds of sausage.

Now I don’t know how much this little party costs, but looking around the Internet you can get some idea.

Workers from the Kentucky Department of Parks, let’s say they are paid at the mid-point of a grade 10. Food and Dietetic workers pay grades run from grade 6 to grade 16. The mid-point hourly rate for a grade 10 employee is $16.355.

So let’s assume a couple of hours to setup and a couple more to clean up and we have 70 people working 8 hours at $16.355 or $9,158.50 for staff.

Then there is the cost of the breakfast fixin’s:

Kentucky Country Ham, 2,000 pounds at $4.89 a pound would be $9,780.00.

Beaten Biscuits, 15,000 at $3.25 a dozen would be $4,062.50.

Cheese Grits (had to go to Hartford CT to find a link), bulk price 18 servings for $14.95 so let’s call the price of grits at $6,000.00. The price would be less than half the retail price in Hartford,

Eggs, 25,000 at $2.17 a dozen would be $4,520.83.

Sausage, 1,200 lbs at $6.25 per pound would be $7,492.50.

So now we have a projected cost of $41,014.33.

I didn’t figure in the time to setup the tents, or clean up the streets or anything else and we are knocking on the door of $50,000.00.

The only thing more stupid than standing in the rain for cold eggs is spending this amount of money, or any amount of money, for this little show.

I know this is chump change in the state government budget, buy surely to God when you are cutting social programs, don’t you think Steve Beshear could find something better to do with $50,000.00?

Free Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:27:00 +0000

For all the Mr. Know It All’s out there here is something fun you can do and it’s for a good cause.

Moral Values and Neurotoxins

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:25:00 +0000

Yesterday, I got an email from Jonathan Miller. Well actually I got two emails from Miller’s group the Compassionate Community. I guess the spam software belched, and yes, I did sign up for the group.

The email was hyping Kentucky’s First Lady Jane Beshear and her project of the Green Team and began with this:

Happy Earth Day!

I'm pleased to tell you that in celebration of the holiday, First Lady Jane Beshear just announced her vision to make the Governor's Mansion and all Kentucky homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

The email concludes with a link to a Facebook page:

So, please join us by signing up for the Green Team at greenteam.ky.gov and/or join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15267901982.

I know that a lot of the First Ladies have pet projects. The projects allow the First Lady to do “good work” and get good media attention. Usually the projects are more about projecting image that actually accomplishing anything.

I still remember Martha Wilkinson (Wally the Weasel’s wife) poster. Martha, dressed in a 1940’s WAC outfit, was trying to get volunteers for her GED Army.

So a couple of questions:

First, did Miller use this opportunity to touch base with supporters? I don’t understand the use of the Compassionate Community to promote a state government website. Isn’t the standard press release enough? Does the linking of government supported activities and a personal website promoting a book give anyone else heartburn?

Greetings and welcome to The Compassionate Community, where we believe public policy should reflect the fundamental moral value of compassion for others.
On this site, you can:
Order copies of the book (Now in paperback!);

Second, the Facebook page for the Green Team has Jonathan Miller as the creator. Does the Secretary of Finance really have the time to sit around and create a Facebook page? Let’s hope some staffer did the work and just put Miller’s name on the page.

Third, did anyone actually do any research before they put the Green Team web page on the Internet?

One of the tips from the First Lady was to:

Replace regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (cfl)

CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of CO2 a year.

Of course this would be a great idea if there wasn’t that pesky neurotoxin problem:

….the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin, and the companies and federal government haven't come up with effective ways to get Americans to recycle them.

I guess the thing that bothers me about this little project isn’t the cause; I’ve been accused of being a liberal tree hugger myself.

What bothers me is the amount of time and effort put forth by Miller and staff on a public relations exercise and the linking of a personal promotion website to a Kentucky government project.

Don’t they have anything else to do?

Doesn’t anyone ever think about how things might look before they do these things?

The Government We Deserve

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Every organization that has been around for a while has its’ problems. Take the Kentucky General Assembly for example.

The governor summed up the end to his first General Assembly as "disappointing," while lawmakers described the last day's worth of legislative meltdowns in harsher terms laced with disgust.

"It ended in possibly the poorest fashion I can remember in the 16 years I've been here," said Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville -- one of many Democratic lawmakers who have publicly complained about how it all fell apart.

The basic problem is that voters generally think the members of General Assembly as a group are bunch of idiots, and their legislator is the only person with their head screwed on right.

The cast of characters in the legislature is same as any large organization:

We have the old guy that can’t do his job any more, the arrogant SOB that would rather score office political points that do his job and the guy who is so stupid you wonder how he finds the door to the office.

We also have the slacker that doesn’t show up for work half the time, the greedy bastards watching out for numero uno, the office ditz that has never had an original idea, and the guy one step away from the penitentiary.

Of course on the other side we have the guy really trying to do his job and a gutsy lady that doesn’t take a lot of crap from the good ole boys.

The good guys are outnumbered by the incompetent, arrogant and greedy. That will continue to be the case until the voters wake up and actually send more good guys to the legislature, until that happens you can expect more of the same.

We get the government we deserve.

World View

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:37:00 +0000

I’ve returned from the land of no cell phone towers, you can’t hear me now, and dial-up. These trips always give me a different view of the world.

This is a place where people don’t lock their doors when the leave for the day. A place where all of the Kentucky politics I and others pontificate on doesn’t mean squat. This is a place where “big harry farmers” lean against old pickup trucks in the supermarket parking lot while the women do the shopping.

In a lot of ways it’s like going back to my childhood in the 1950’s.

The folks in the Corn Belt are concerned over local highway projects and they are not real fond of George Bush anymore. A couple of years ago I would have been putting my life, or at least my welcome at the dinner table, at risk to have said an ill word about the Bush. Now they realize how Bush has trampled the Constitution, but they are not real sure any of the three presidential candidates are the answer.

As one person told me over homemade dessert, “You know Obama is going to make Oprah his vice-president because of all the money she has given him.” That was the reason they were supporting Hillary. Who knows, maybe they have an information pipeline I don’t know about. Regardless of the reason they hate George Bush and know who they want for president, it doesn’t have to make sense to me.

I guess the one thing I come away with is that politics, and most everything else in life, is seen through the prism of where and how you have lived. There is no right or wrong, your views, beliefs and lifestyle are just what works for you.

Travellin'

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:24:00 +0000

I’ll be Out and About for the Next few days.

Go here:

Bluegrass Roots

Page One

Barefoot and Progressive

I’ll be back Monday.

Migrants In Lexington

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:14:00 +0000

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.

You Can Bank On It

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:37:00 +0000

As tax day approaches, a big revenue source dries up for one of Kentucky’s largest banks, at least until next January or Congress or the Kentucky General Assembly shuts it down.

Lax Kentucky banking laws have allowed state chartered banks like Republic of Louisville, according to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), to charge rates as high as 161% on tax refund anticipation loans.

Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and member of the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement "people all over the country are getting ripped off by these so-called refund loans, and it's time to stop them dead in their tracks." He called the loans "usurious."

This is not the first time Republic has violated defacto Federal Regulations manipulating loopholes in Kentucky’s banking laws. In a Feb. 17, 2006 letter to the bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) "cited inherent risks associated with payday lending activities and asked the bank to consider ending this line of business," according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

This was prompted by a letter to the FDIC from over 80 national consumer groups that complained about Republic’s abusive practices in Pay day loans.

How much longer will our legislators continue to put the interests of the banking lobby over interests of citizens of the Commonwealth?

Screw You, You're Only the Governor

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:10:00 +0000

The Council on Postsecondary Education stuck their thumb in the eye of the Governor Steve Beshear today by first voting down the motion to conduct a nationwide search for President of the Council.

Then they followed by voting up a motion to hire Bradford Cowgill as President. Cowgill is the current interim President appointed by Governor Fletcher. Cowgill's interim status was to expire at the end of April.

I wonder if anyone will ever ask about Mr. Cowgill's request for 40 inch plasma TV or rearranging the floor plan of the offices such that meeting goers didn't have to witness the staff, and the staff couldn’t see who was coming to meetings.

Rancid Pork Belly

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:08:00 +0000

How much pork does it take to feed the Kentucky General Assembly?

According to the Herald-Leader it’s about $80 million.

When the state spending bill for education and health programs appeared doomed earlier this month, legislative leaders turned to an old standby to entice support from more lawmakers:

projects.

And lots of them.

The result was $80 million worth of buildings, park improvements, water and sewer lines, sheriff's vehicles, fire trucks, baseball fields and programs such as abstinence education spread
across 38 mostly rural counties in Eastern and Western Kentucky.

The details are listed in House Bill 410.

So I wondered what the money was being spent on. Below are about $6 million of the projects.

Bell County Fiscal Court - Projects and/or Equipment $1,100,000

City of Middlesboro - Projects and/or Equipment $115,000

City of Pineville - Projects and/or Equipment $70,000

Breathitt County Fiscal Court - Breathitt County Museum - Welcome Center $150,000

City of Jackson - Parks and Recreation $100,000

Daviess County Fiscal Court - Downtown Development Projects - Incentives – Operational Expenses $331,935

Daviess County Fiscal Court - Economic Development Projects - Incentives - Operational Expenses $327,198

Floyd County Fiscal Court - Develop New Mud Creek Park $150,000

Floyd County Fiscal Court - Develop Veteran's Cemetery $100,000

Floyd County Fiscal Court - Mountain Top Recreational - Repair - Upkeep - Maintenance $400,000

Floyd County Fiscal Court - Wayland Sports Hall $100,000

Floyd County Fiscal Court - World War II and Korean Memorial $30,000

Hancock County Fiscal Court - Various Projects $186,102

Harlan County Fiscal Court - Adventure Tourism $316,000

Harlan County Fiscal Court - Tri-City Little League – Lights $60,000

Henderson County Fiscal Court - To Promote Tourism for the Rivers and Waterways of Henderson County $10,000

Hopkins County Fiscal Court - Hopkins County Sports Complex – Site Development and Improvements $225,000

Hopkins County Fiscal Court - Sports Complex - Site Development and Improvements $ 300,000

Knott County Fiscal Court - Appalachian Artisan Center $500,000

Knott County Fiscal Court - Bond Payment - Equipment/Improvements – Sportsplex $1,400,000

Do you really think that throwing money at these projects justifies screwing the educational system and social programs in this state?

This bill and the budget passed by the General Assembly is more about a group of politicians spreading political spoils and staying in office than anything else.

No Need To Apologize

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:47:00 +0000

I’ve been watching the press try to make something of Barak Obama’s comment that:

“And it’s not surprising then they (people in small towns) get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

From my point of view, which comes in part from being brought up in a blue collar union household in West Virginia, Obama is absolutely correct. The McCain and Clinton camps are trying to make headlines. This includes surrogates for Clinton in Kentucky.

Jake over at PageOneKentucky.com nails this one:

…..it’s effing ridiculous for Jerry Lundergan and Greg Stumbo to attack Barack Obama over telling the truth about rural America.

The most disappointing thing I’ve seen come from this comment is that Obama is trying to do damage control.

Obama tried to quell the furor Saturday, explaining his remarks while also conceding he had chosen his words poorly.

"If I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that," Obama said in an interview with the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal.

A candidate needs to have the courage of their beliefs. The man spoke the truth; he doesn’t need to apologize for saying it.

The Rich Playing With Their Money

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:51:00 +0000

From today’s Herald-Leader, the global economy gets local.

Lexington-based Fasig-Tipton Co., North America's oldest thoroughbred auction company, announced Thursday it had reached an agreement to be acquired by Synergy Investments Ltd., a Dubai-based company headed by Abdulla Al Habbai, a close associate of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

I can already hear the panic; the whole horse industry is going to die. Life as we know it in the Bluegrass is coming to an end.

Here are my questions:

How many people does this really touch?
How many people deal with Fasig-Tipton or Synergy Investments or Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum?
What does this mean to the horse industry?
What does this mean in a wider sense of global economic issues?
How many of you have ever been on a horse farm?

Keep the panic down, it’s just the rich playing with their money and below is a little homework if you care to do some reading.

From DollarsandSense.org - The ABCs of the Global Economy

In the 1960s, U.S. corporations changed the way they went after profits in the international economy. Instead of producing goods in the U.S. to export, they moved more and more toward producing goods overseas to sell to consumers in those countries and at home. They had done some of this in the 1950s, but really sped up the process in the '60s.

Before the mid-1960s, free trade probably helped workers and consumers in the United States while disadvantaging workers in poorer countries. Exporters invested their profits at home in the United States, creating new jobs and boosting incomes. The AFL-CIO thought this was a good deal and backed free trade.

From the Federal Reserve Bank of New York - Financial Globalization and the U.S. Current Account Deficit

Despite heavy borrowing in recent years, the United States has financed its large current account deficits without experiencing an unusual buildup in foreign investors’ holdings of U.S. assets. A new analysis suggests that this somewhat surprising development is attributable largely to rapid financial globalization, with cross-border flows worldwide rising as fast as flows into the United States. However, it could be harder for the country to sustain large deficits on favorable terms if the current wave of globalization subsided or the rate at which U.S. investors buy foreign assets increased.

And a little bit about Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and oil profits.

Who Gets Hurt

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

The sub-head of an Editorial from the Herald-Leader has me wondering if the editor actually looked at the editorial before writing the headline on Lexington’s proposed budget.

Ensure fees, taxes add up to good policy

The opinion piece included the following paragraphs.

Cuts include zeroing out the city contribution to the Day Treatment Center for at-risk teenagers. That comes after eliminating the Mayor's Training Center in the current year. In both cases, the mayor made the argument that those services could be provided elsewhere. The Day Treatment Center, the administration says, is better operated by the Fayette County Public Schools, but there's no agreement on that yet.

The proposed budget also zeroes out city contributions to legal aid, which defends poor people faced with criminal charges. That was planned after an agreement last year that Lexington's office would be folded into the state public defender system. But serious cuts at the state level are threatening the level of service in Lexington.

The cuts also include reductions in building inspection and code enforcement. Any guesses who suffers most when code enforcement can't do its job?

This is good policy?

This mayor appears to be taking care of his constituents. Any guesses who they aren’t?

Revenge Not Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:39:00 +0000

Chilling reading first thing in the morning, take a look at the Herald-Leader story on the death penalty.

The story deals with a step-by-step look at how Kentucky lethally injects Death Row inmates is now public after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the partial release of the state's execution protocols.

If you are a “the bastard’s need to die” type, don’t read the rest of this post, you won’t like it.

I’m against the state killing people, here’s why:

One, judges and juries make mistakes. The system, even with all the appeals is not perfect. Innocent people are sometimes convicted and once you kill someone you can’t get do over.

Two, the act of murder by government is simply revenge. There is never closure for the families and loved ones by the act of killing someone. I came to this opinion after a long talk with a person that had witnessed multiple executions as part of their job. The act is just revenge not justice.

Three, the argument that it is cheaper to kill someone than keep them in prison is false.

The death penalty is much more expensive than its closest alternative--life imprisonment with no parole. Capital trials are longer and more expensive at every step than other murder trials. Pre-trial motions, expert witness investigations, jury selection, and the necessity for two trials--one on guilt and one on sentencing--make capital cases extremely costly, even before the appeals process begins. Guilty pleas are almost unheard of when the punishment is death. In addition, many of these trials result in a life sentence rather than the death penalty, so the state pays the cost of life imprisonment on top of the expensive trial.

The high price of the death penalty is often most keenly felt in those counties responsible for both the prosecution and defense of capital defendants. A single trial can mean near bankruptcy, tax increases, and the laying off of vital personnel. Trials costing a small county $100,000 from unbudgeted funds are common and some officials have even gone to jail in resisting payment…..

For the states which employ the death penalty, this luxury comes at a high price. In Texas, a death penalty case costs taxpayers an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. [3] In Florida, each execution is costing the state $3.2 million. [4] In financially strapped California, one report estimated that the state could save $90 million each year by abolishing capital punishment. [5] The New York Department of Correctional Services estimated that implementing the death penalty would cost the state about $118 million annually.[6]

The Bloom is Off the Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:25:00 +0000

Some thoughts on Herald-Leader story on the lack of raises at the University of Kentucky.

According to the story the average faculty salary at UK in 2006 was $76,065.

Below are charts on some median salaries and wages in Kentucky from PayScale.com.

The Herald-Leader also provided a link to searching the salaries paid to UK employees. So let’s take a look at the folks making comments in this story.

“The staff feel like they've been abused and abandoned," said Terry Olson, a computer specialist in the College of Agriculture and a leader in efforts to get UK employees to join a union.

Olson makes $44,480 per year.

Megan Cox, the head of UK Employees United, a labor-organizing effort, said the "proposal of no raises is a bit harsh."

"People have been beaten down or marginalized so often it's hard to give people hope," said Cox, a disability program specialist in UK's Human Development Institute. "I think staff and faculty at the university are used to being on the bottom rung."

Cox makes $42,924 per year.

(UK President Lee) Todd was out of the country and unavailable to comment, UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Wednesday.

Now Jay Blanton doesn’t show up on the salary search data base, but Jonathan Blanton, Public Relations/Marketing Executive Director does show up.

Blanton, I assume it’s the same guy, makes $104,820.

But Todd's second-in-command, Provost Kumble R. Subbaswamy, said that two straight years of no raises "will not be tolerable."

Subbaswamy makes $275,000 per year.

“We've had years with no raises before," said Kaveh Tagavi, an engineering professor and chairman of the UK Senate Council. "But if there are no raises for two years, it definitely slows down the gain, especially if you are on the path to the Top 20."

Tagavi makes $96,490 per year.

Jay Perman, dean of the UK medical school, said "there isn't any way to paper over" the effect of no raises, especially when employees face a rise in the cost of living, "and not for the frilly stuff."

Perman said UK has been creating excitement, but the new budget "sort of takes the bloom off the rose."

Perman makes $535,664 per year.

The bloom may be off the rose, but I think these ivory tower inhabitants are going to have a tough sell to get the rest of Kentucky’s wage earners to feel real sorry for them.

Six Months

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:36:00 +0000

Most of the time when it comes to money and government it’s the politicians that get most of the ink. The truth is there are usually a few people behind the scene that do most of the work and the politicians are window dressing.

One such guy is John Cubine. Cubine was until today the Senior Adviser for Policy and Budget at the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG).

From the Herald-Leader:

John Cubine, Mayor Jim Newberry's senior adviser for policy and budget, has resigned. Cubine's last day will be Thursday. During Newberry's budget address Tuesday, he gave a special thank you to Cubine for doing "an outstanding job developing this budget. He is the consummate public finance professional, and his help has been invaluable."

Here is a little of Cubine’s background from the LFUCG web site.

John Cubine is a veteran state employee, with extensive experience in budgeting and financial management. Cubine came from the State Auditor’s Office, where he served as Director of the Division of Financial Audit. He was Deputy Secretary of the Governor’s Executive Cabinet during the Wilkinson administration, served as Deputy Director for Budget Review for the Legislative Research Commission and was Policy and Budget Director in the Cabinet for Human Resources. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville, where he has also done post graduate work in Community Development.

So why is this worth a post?

Cubine started working for LFUCG last fall. The November 7 edition of the employee newsletter announced his joining the merged government.

Now about 6 months later he leaves LFUCG.

From the Executive Branch Ethics Commission:

A current or former officer or elected official is prohibited for six months following termination of employment from accepting employment or compensation from any person or business that does business with, or is regulated by, the state in a matter in which he was directly involved during the last 36 months of his state tenure.

And from the Kentucky Retirement Systems:

Employees who are less than Normal Retirement Age at retirement can return to full-time employment in the same or similar position after being retired 6 calendar months.

Simple, Cubine is in his mid 50’s and I don’t see him packing it in and doing something trivial like running a blog. He will be going somewhere professionally; my guess is somewhere in the Beshear administration or with a company contracting for serious bucks with the administration.

Cubine is a talented guy with a ton of experience, something the Beshear administration needs desperately.

Taxing Students

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Looks like Lee Todd will have to do what the General Assembly lacked the political will to do.

Raise Taxes

From the Courier-Journal:

The University of Kentucky yesterday proposed raising in-state tuition by 9 percent next year, increasing the amount incoming freshmen would pay each semester by $319.75, to $3,867.75.

You can call it a tuition increase if you want, but it is a tax increase on students and their families.

A Response to Professional Whining

noreply@blogger.com (Ralph Long) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:43:00 +0000

I received the following email in response from Bryan Langeneckert to my post on Professional Whining. The email has been edited and only presents one side of the issue. I don’t know Bryan Langeneckert and I cannot attest to the accuracy of the statements below other than to say this is one person’s view of how as single board works or in this case doesn’t work.

Dear Mr. Long,

I'd like to weigh in on your comment entitled "Professional Whining". Below is what I have begun publishing on the net trying to achieve some reform. As of yet, my attempts seem to be falling on deaf ears. Please add this to your post as an additional comment. Thanks so much.

Do you believe the KY Board of Auctioneers protects the public? Guess again! One would think so... and they claim that's their primary mandate on their site (http://auctioneers.ky.gov/ ) but that's not the case here. I filed five pages of wrongdoing concerning numerous illegalities perpetrated by Thompson & Riley, Ltd. Auctioneers / Realtors. The Kentucky Board of Auctioneers "investigated" and then dismissed my complaint. No hearing, no witness testimony... they turned a blind eye to each and every portion of my complaint. Any one of the basic points about which I complained required action by the Board. The more complicated points of my complaint that, with thorough investigation and witness testimony, would have proven fraud and a systematic approach of wrongdoing by Thompson & Riley, Ltd., Auctioneers and Realtors... were also ignored. The Kentucky Board of Auctioneers wouldn't even let it get to the next step of a hearing.

Do not, even for a second, believe there is any protection of the public by the Kentucky Board of Auctioneers. Oops... I stand corrected by the annual report of the Kentucky Board of Auctioneers:

Between June of 2006 and May of 2007, there were (presumably) at least 1,149 complaints filed (mine was numbered 07-1149) yet only one... ONE auctioneer lost his license!!! Need I say more?

…… In short, watch out if you are dealing with a Kentucky auctioneer.

Want another tidbit? Did you know that, according to the Kentucky Revised Statutes, an auctioneer involved with shill bidding can be fined $10???. You read that right... ten dollars. An auctioneer getting caught shill bidding (which goes to the very core on the question of honesty within the auction industry) can be fined ten dollars. Do YOU see a reason to trust a Kentucky auctioneer?

More information about the complaint can be found at ThompsonandRileysucks.com.