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Strutting their stuff!

By Kathy Lyons

Like two of Kentucky ’s best fighting roosters the leadership of the legislature came out of the first week of the session showing their fine plumage and spurs. Each wanting to be Cock of the Walk, they did the rooster dance usually reserved for the end of the session. While the quacking of the lame duck died away in the halls of government, the banty roosters crowed to all who would listen and threatened flogging of the opposition.

But it might as well have been the cackling of hens. The truth of the matter is that they have no money, having gleefully frittered away the surpluses robbed from the public, they must now face what John and Jane Q. Public face each week---how to make a static or declining income meet the obligations taken on. Having no money for new programs means they won’t be able to buy votes and arrive at campaign stops with huge checks in their pockets for the locals who will also be facing re-election. What a revoltin’ development that is for them.

But the crowing and strutting are not confined to the leadership. In the ranks under the leadership positions there is also much preening and showing of feathers as those who want to be on the Big Dance Ticket try to attract the attention of those who will be vying to the Big Chicken Coop.

The old Chicken Plucker himself will be too busy looking for a Washington coop to pay much attention to the local barnyard. Between the miners, tobacco farmers and neighbors of the chicken factories, he has only a few places where he can feel welcome in times like these.

My old Granny had a saying for every event: "Someday those chickens will come home to roost" she would often say to me as I was about to embark on some fool-hardy venture. Now the legislature faces that very problem, their spending ways having caught up with them. They may have to raise the greens fees on some of those wonderful "economic development" golf courses they fleeced us for a few years ago when they had more of our money than they knew how to spend.

Only time will tell but the rooster show will go on. And from the looks of things at the start, it could be as bloody as any cock fight.

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