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It's
Going...Going...GONE!
By Mike Minton
Embroiled in a battle with both the liberal Kentucky Attorney General and our
liberal media over hiring practices, Kentucky's Republican Governor Ernie
Fletcher hit one out of the park last night in his annual State of the
Commonwealth speech. A speech I shall not soon forget.
The tone, at least for me, was set right from the start when the governor, in
his opening salutations (you know, when they address the Senate President, House
majority leader, etc.) mentioned his wife first. To me, that showed real class.
Kind of reminds me of another political figure who also frequently mentions a
First Lady, ooohhh, what is that guy's name?
The governor then listed accomplishments which he, along with the legislature,
had accomplished thus far in his four-year term. Among these are: 1) 65,000 new
jobs in Kentucky; 2) the overhauling of an antiquated tax system; 3) increased
educational funding; 4) a ramp up in the war on drugs--in fact, meth labs, which
had been popping up at an absurd rate, actually dropped by 70% thanks to
Lieutenant Governor Pence's efforts to fight the scourge of this drug; 5) a
reduction of Medicaid costs by $250 million; 6) the attraction of the World
Equestrian Games in 2010 to Kentucky--marking the first time that the games have
been played outside of Europe; 7) reduced corporate taxes by almost 30%; 8)
turned a forecasted budget deficit into a surplus; 9) created the "No Child Left
Offline" program, which provides computers for schoolchildren.
Governor Fletcher also mentioned several programs started in 2005 which help
deal with the problems of homelessness and chemical dependency, among others.
To me, a lifelong Kentuckian, the fulfilled goals mentioned are quite an
accomplishment in this state, where bipartisanship is a word that has been
missing from Kentucky politics for quite some time. You need look no further
than the actual shutdown of state government in recent years because of
unwavering politicians who could not agree on a state budget.
In his address, the governor stated two goals, which, in an ever so bipartisan
manner, were roundly criticized by Kentucky's Democrat party leader Jerry
Lundergan as lacking a short-term plan. But, the short term plan did indeed
exist, at least in part. The greatest details of Governor Fletcher's plans will
undoubtedly appear when the governor submits his budget proposal to the General
Assembly next week. Patience, Mr. Lundergan, patience.
The goals the governor proposed were: 1) to take Kentucky from being ranked 44th
last year in high school graduation percentages, to being ranked 25th by 2025;
and 2) to take Kentucky from being ranked 45 in per capita incomes, to a ranking
of 25, also by 2025.
This must be when Democrat Chairman Lundergan turned off his hearing aid, for
the governor went on to lay out his plan. In fact, he cited two new initiatives
he is proposing to the lawmakers.
The first of these is called 'Get Competitive Kentucky,' and has a two-pronged
approach. The first prong is to improve education. What's that, Mr. Lundergan?
Not specific enough? Fear not! Governor Fletcher proposed to raise teachers'
salaries so they would be more inline with the salaries teachers receive in our
bordering states. With the legislature's help, this could happen by the next
school year...seems pretty short-term to me.
Another proposal by the governor is to improve, and yes, that means more
stringent classes, the curriculum in Kentucky schools. Again, this is something
that could be done, or at least started, as early as the next school year.
The second prong in the 'Get Competitive Kentucky' initiative is to spur
corporate growth in Kentucky, for businesses both large and small. To accomplish
this, we must provide a better education to our children. After all, they soon
WILL BE the workforce in the Bluegrass. I think the governor did a fine job
outlining a plan to address this issue.
Other proposals Governor Fletcher made to spur economic growth for "my fellow
Kentuckians" included recommendations for tax relief for small business, and for
increasing the prevailing wage, kind of a minimum wage for firms constructing
public buildings using state funds, by 9%.
The most controversial proposal proffered by the governor was the so-called
right-to-work issue, which drew audible cheers from Republicans, and, of course,
jeers from Democrats. Under current Kentucky law, a unionized company can deny
you employment if you will not join their union. A right-to-work law would
change that.
I support this proposal strongly, as I feel a worker should have the choice of
whether he/she wants to become part of something that has become largely
ineffective, and, I suggest, just another method to pump up Democrat campaign
coffers. No wonder the Democrats in this Commonwealth are opposed to it--and
vowing that such a proposal would never make it out of committee.
Governor Fletcher, however, had some strong numbers to back up this proposal. He
said that studies have shown that a right-to-work law in Kentucky would create
22,000 new jobs and an increase of $1.1 BILLION in personal income over the next
10 years. If these numbers are correct, why would ANYONE be opposed to it?
The governor's second initiative, called 'Get Healthy Kentucky,' also offered a
number of short-term goals (undoubtedly to the chagrin of Mr. Lundergan). One of
the goals he has set to get Kentuckians healthy is to beat the national average
when it comes to things like obesity, and deaths caused by cancer, heart disease
and the like, by the year 2025.
But how, you might ask. I knew would ask that. And apparently, so did the
governor, as he offered several proposals. One is called the Governor's Fitness
Plan. This plan would tack some extra days onto the school calendar, thereby
allowing more time to be allotted for both physical, as well as mental,
exercise. As a father of two, I have to tell you, I like the idea of more school
days! But in all seriousness, the fact is that our children, not unlike their
adult counterparts, are fatter than ever in Kentucky.
But, staying healthy isn't just child's play. Governor Fletcher also proposed
some plans targeted at adults. One such plan is called I CARE. I couldn't find
much about this yet, but, as I understand it, it is a plan to provide more
healthcare coverage for small business owners in Kentucky (those with 25 or
fewer employees). This is desperately needed as we start to see the transition
from large corporations to smaller, privately-owned businesses here at home.
The governor also proposed a primary seatbelt law in Kentucky. Now, there are
those who, for some reason, are opposed to the idea of government-mandated
seatbelts. I say, hey, it takes two seconds and may very well save your life.
Additionally, in a lot of cases, an unbelted person injured in an auto accident
is going to have medical bills for which the state will end up paying. I see
nothing wrong with this proposal. And, from what I have seen, being dead kind of
puts a damper on staying healthy.
The governor offered a few more proposals, and I encourage you to see the speech
for yourself here: http://www.ket.org/legislature/ and to take the
responsibility to learn more about those who will be crafting the laws by which
we all must live.
Analysis: So, at this point in the game, we have bases loaded with Fletcher at
the plate. The pitch? The governor poses the following: Since the Kentucky
Education Reform Act (KERA) already makes it legal, why not teach our children
about Intelligent Design? Going...Going...GONE! It's a GRAND SLAM for Gov.
Fletcher.
I hope to have an article later about the post-game interviews--they were
exciting as well.
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