KY State Unemployment, 5.2%, 8th Highest In U.S.
That speaks for itself. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics and see for yourself. The numbers are in a column on the right hand side of the page.
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By: admin
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By: admin
Former Governor Confirms Democrat Preference
In today’s Herald-Leader, Julian Carroll was quoted as saying:
“What Ernie Fletcher has done — his one major accomplishment — has been to show strong proof of the fact that we need to change governors,” Carroll said. “It’s created this enormous excitement among Democrats.”(emphasis mine)
Do not give the Democrats what they want.
By: admin
Fletcher Behind Times, Adopts 2003 Opponent’s Position
After Fletcher’s botched pick of Hunter Bates as running mate (maybe the best thing that ever happened to Bates, in retrospect), 2003 R primary opponent Rebecca Jackson was asked by Al Cross of The Courier-Journal what she thought of the lawsuit filed by Curtis Shain and Bob Heleringer to remove Bates from Fletcher’s ticket.
“I’m not making a legal issue of it,” she said. “Let’s get over it and let’s discuss the issues,” such as her proposal yesterday to give tax credits to National Guard and military reserve troops called into action for more than 90 days.
That’s a pretty good idea. I guess that’s why Fletcher held it in his pocket for a while to propose something like it when he really needs it, like today, for example.
Jackson also said in April of 2003 that she would “require executive-branch employees to be educated about the ethics code and sign a pledge to observe it, so she could take immediate action against violators without waiting for the ethics commission to act (Cross).” Yeah, that would have been nice, too, but now, thanks to Fletcher, Republicans look like the bad unethical people.
We have to turn this thing back around. The RPK has been seriously derailed by Fletcher’s political incompetence. If Fletcher were all we had, I would be behind him 100%, trying to justify, stay positive, talk about accomplishments, etc. As is, though, there is an alternative. Things can be better for Kentucky next year. All we have to do is hold our leaders accountable.
By: admin
She Was Not Alone
A teenage girl about 17 had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.
She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn’t afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away.
As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.
When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.
However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.
She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God’s protection.
Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.
When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.
The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.
Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.
Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.
She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.
The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.
She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.
When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.
The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.
She asked if they would ask the man one question.
Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.
When the policeman asked him, he answered, “Because she wasn’t alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.”
Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you’re never alone.
PS: God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what…..and if you stand up for him he will stand up for you.
I didn’t write that, but I believe it.
By: admin
Louisville Football News Still Great
Not only does Louisville have commitments from Douglas Beaumont (Male, Mr. Football) and now Victor Anderson (St. Xavier), but Matt Simms re-committed a couple days ago. Matt, the son of Louisvillian (Lebanon native), Morehead State grad, and 2 time Super Bowl Champion Phil Simms withdrew his commitment to UofL after former Head Coach Bobby Petrino’s departure to the Atlanta Falcons’ top coaching job. After becoming more acquainted with new Louisville Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe and Quarterbacks Coack Jeff Brohm, the youngest Simms (brother Chris also in the NFL) decided to re-commit to the University of Louisville.
The good news just keeps rolling in for the Louisville Football Cardinals. If only the basketball people could get it straight. They’re improving, but they need quite a bit more practice for sure.
By: admin
CQPolitics.com On KY Race For Governor
From today:
Seven Democrats and two Republicans met Tuesday’s candidate filing deadline to challenge Kentucky’s beleaguered Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who is seeking a second term in the state’s “off-year” election despite ethics controversies that have seriously eroded his job approval ratings.Among those trying to dislodge Fletcher in the May 22 Republican primary is former five-term Rep. Anne M. Northup, who is seeking a quick comeback after losing her seat last November in the Louisville-based, Democratic-leaning 3rd District to Democrat John Yarmuth.
Businessman Billy Harper also is seeking the Republican nomination.
It’s testimony to Fletcher’s weakened political standing that he is being challenged by Northup, with whom he served in the House prior to his 2003 election as governor; that her running mate is Jeff Hoover, the Republican leader in the Kentucky House; and that the incumbent lieutenant governor, Steve Pence, declined to run with Fletcher again this year.
Harper, meanwhile, had already spent $2.5 million on his campaign through Dec. 29 — with most of that money coming from his own pockets. Harper says he wants to rid government of “politics as usual,” which he argues that Fletcher and Northup represent.
Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to reclaim an office they held for 32 consecutive years — despite strong overall Republican gains in the Southern border state — until that streak was ended by Fletcher’s 2003 victory.
The Democratic primary field includes such prominent figures as state House Speaker Jody Richards, a candidate in the 2003 primary for governor; state Treasurer Jonathan Miller; and former Lt. Govs. Stephen L. Henry and Steven L. Beshear. Also seeking the party’s nomination is Bruce Lunsford, a health care executive who spent lavishly on a 2003 campaign for governor that he terminated just before the Democratic primary.
The Democratic field is rounded out by Gatewood Galbraith, a lawyer and frequent candidate for Kentucky offices best known for his advocacy of legalizing marijuana; and Otis Hensley, a contractor for the state highway department who took 3 percent in the 2003 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
But the primary roster does not include two leading Democrats who once were expected to contend for governor this year.
One is Rep. Ben Chandler, a former state attorney general who lost to Fletcher by a sound margin as the 2003 Democratic nominee for governor but has rebounded with three easy wins for the 6th Congressional District seat formerly held by Fletcher.
The other is current state Attorney General Greg Stumbo, whose office investigated the allegations of official misconduct that have seriously damaged Fletcher’s re-election hopes. Stumbo is instead running for lieutenant governor on the primary ticket headed by Lunsford.
Stumbo in early 2005 launched a probe into whether Fletcher’s administration had violated merit hiring practices to provide jobs for partisan supporters — an investigation that some Republicans sought to link to Stumbo’s own presumed gubernatorial ambitions. But Fletcher, who in 2005 issued a blanket pardon to other members of his administration, was indicted by a grand jury in May 2006 on charges related to the hiring controversy.
A state judge ruled, though, that Fletcher has executive immunity and cannot be tried until after he leaves office. Fletcher and Stumbo subsequently reached an agreement under which criminal charges were dismissed: The governor publicly acknowledged that evidence strongly suggested wrongdoing in his administration’s hiring practices, while Stumbo stated that actions taken by Fletcher’s administration in relationship to the hiring system were committed without malice.
Despite this agreement, a poll of 600 Kentucky adults conducted by SurveyUSA in mid-January found that 31 percent approved of his job performance while 60 percent disapproved.
Fletcher, however, has recently rolled out a series of endorsements from Republican legislators who praise Fletcher for a tenure they say has been marked by economic successes, including the attraction of new businesses to Kentucky.
By: admin
Lack Of Innovation, Gov’t Coddling Leads To Exact Opposite Of Desired Result
I have long been a proponent of more businesses providing daycare services to employees. If anywhere near a majority of medium to large businesses would provide this service as a fringe benefit, not only would it reduce turnover within the company and keep their employees happy, but it would help resolve some social & personal financial problems. Especially businesses located in office buildings. Take a floor, turn it in to a daycare. Parents take their little ones with them in the morning (don’t have to drop them off anywhere separate), take them to the appropriate spot in the building, and go to work.
I know some businesses do this, but as far as I know, too few.
Anyway, Ford’s laziness (lack of innovation) and our coddling government have driven the corporation and former automobile giant into the ground, and now they have to close the daycare they were paying for in Louisville.
Way to go, guys.
By: admin
Barbaro Euthanized
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized this morning.
That’s sad. I was hoping he could make it. It’s crazy that he made if for so long, only to be overcome now.
I wish we could have seen him run the Preakness and Belmont. He looked like a real great.
By: admin
Good News Out Of Iraq
I would say this news about U.S. backed Iraqi forces killing 200 terrorists in Najaf is good news. Plus 60 wounded and 150 captured. It looks to me like they really hit the hornet’s nest and laid some smack down.
Two things: 1) How will liberal media and Democrats spin it? 2) Perhaps the best part of this is that the good guys were able to claim “500 automatic rifles in addition to mortars, heavy machine guns and Russian-made Katyusha rockets.”
Getting those weapons off the streets has to be one of the most important things that can be done in Iraq right now. They really need to go on a house to house search looking for everything that explodes and just take it.
By: admin
2 Of 3 Governors Vulnerable In 2007
The Rothenberg Political Report considers 2 out of the three governors up for re-election in 2007 vulnerable. Ernie Fletcher and Kathleen “Katrina” Blanco are the two. Haley Barbour of Mississippi is considered safe.
I guess Mitch McConnell and his drones aren’t the only ones who consider Fletcher vulnerable after all.
By: admin
Will Race/Sex Discrimination/Harassment Suit Trickle Up Politically To Fletcher?
A harassment and discrimination suit has been filed by someone against two people in the Fletcher Administration. Clearly, the facts of the case haven’t come out yet. If it comes out to be a matter of these guys being purposely wrongly accused or innocent for whatever reason, it would definitely be very unfortunate for Nighbert and Hogan. However, if the allegations are true . . . whoa.
Right now, though, I just wonder if this will trickle up politically to Fletcher. Racial and sexual harassment and discrimination? That’s bad.
These are just thoughts and questions. Nobody can rightfully say anything definitive on this right now.
By: admin
Some Questions Are Easy To Answer
I called the Northup/Hoover office to find out where Anne was yesterday during the Press Association thing. They said that she was out of town campaigning Thursday and Friday and that yesterday she was in Somerset.
There’s the answer to that question. There’s still plenty of time left for debates. I also imagine that one might want the filing deadline to pass before appearing for a debate. I would.
There’s the answer to that question. There’s still plenty of time left for debates. I also imagine that one might want the filing deadline to pass before appearing for a debate. I would.
By: admin
Another Great Entry - Not By Me
Cyberhillbilly has another great take on the 2007 race for the governorship here. This one is about family community ties, and how well they can work for Northup/Hoover.
By: admin
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Highway
Some Louisville lawmakers have proposed naming the Jefferson County portion of I-65 “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Highway.”
While I certainly appreciate the work that Dr. King did for civil rights, this is not the best idea the Metro Council can come up with.
Nearly every city in the country has something named after Dr. King. Do we have to be like everybody else? Or, can we be different? As I’ve stated before, I don’t want a copycat government that just goes around imitating everybody else and refuses to do any innovative thinking of its own.
It would be much better for the city to name that portion of the highway after 1) a Louisvillian or 2) someone whose history is more relevant to this specific city than Dr. King’s. Obviously, Dr. King’s work impacted the entire United States, but we should honor someone who is more directly relevant.
To stick with the civil rights theme, I think Jackie Robinson would be the best choice, perhaps of all choices. He was the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. Baseball is quite relevant both to Louisville and Kentucky in general, since the Louisville Slugger bats are made here and A.B. “Happy” Chandler was the Baseball Commissioner (and former KY Governor & U.S. Senator) who allowed Robinson into the Major Leagues.
An important part of this is that we need to call attention to our history. We need to generate interest in our history. Naming I-65 after Dr. King does nothing for this. It generates interest in Atlanta’s history, and Birmingham’s history. It’s like a big advertisement for them.
Other decent choices include:
- Eugene Clayton was the first African-American to serve on the Louisville Board of Aldermen.
- Rev. John G. Fee was an abolitionist who founded Berea College to provide interracial education in KY when it was scarce nationwide.
- Abraham Lincoln called Illinois home, but was born in KY and lived here during the beginning of his boyhood. Lincoln Highway has a good sound to it, and would be a tremendous honor to one of America’s best presidents.
- Mae Street Kidd was the first African-American woman to serve in the General Assembly, in the House.
- Georgia Powers is the only African-American to ever serve in the Kentucky Senate.
- Black Louisville Republican Rep. Jesse Warders succeeded in 1966 in making the General Assembly repeal all “dead letter” segregation laws.
- Louisvillian & Supreme Court of the United States Justice Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish man to sit on the Supreme Court of the land.
Any of the above choices would be unique, or fairly unique, to Louisville and would be better choices for the I-65 renaming project than “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Highway.” Any of the above choices would give local African-American kids a local person, besides Muhammad Ali, to look up to. And any of the above choices would generate interest in our history as people drive through the city on trips and among our own population.
By: admin
If Fletcher Is So Electable, Why Are Lamont Liberals Supporting Him?
MyDD is one of the most liberal blogs out there, with very close connections to Daily Kos, famous recently for its staunch support of kook Ned Lamont over the reasonable Democrat Joe Lieberman. The guy in the picture was instrumental in creating/implementing a “Google-bombing” scheme by which bloggers could manipulate the Google search engine in order to make it generate anti-Republican web pages at the top (most relevant portion) of its search results.
Notice the “Ned Lamont” sticker the guy is wearing. He is a blogger at MyDD and sometimes Daily Kos. Additionally, the guy in the picture, Chris Bowers, is a resident of Philadelphia and a member of the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee.
A recent entry on MyDD written by “kynetroots” encourages Google-bomb action against Northup. It reads:
Its important that the Netroots act now and support efforts that Kentucky activists (even some Conservative Republicans who support Fletcher) are taking (emphasis mine) to ensure that Northup does not build too much strength from defeating the corrupt Governor and cementing her image as a corruption free candidate.This is why we must join together to help the Google-bombing campaign against Northup, and now her running mate Jeff Hoover, that was started by Chris Bowers before the 2006 election.
Bowers may or may not personally be behind the current Google-bombing “campaign,” but he certainly worked against Northup in ‘06, when he posted Google-bomb source code on MyDD for people to embed in their blog source code. The code is essentially a list of junk “news articles” written by liberal “journalists.” Now “kynetroots” is on it. Could this be the work of Mark Nickolas? Bluegrass Report is MyDD’s official Kentucky state blog. Someone in the Fletcher administration? We may never know for sure, but someone is taking desperate and manipulatory measures to keep Northup/Hoover from winning the Republican primary.
What we do know, however, is that KY Democrats would prefer to run against Fletcher over Northup/Hoover in 2007 and that Democrats from all over the country are participating in the campaign to make that happen. They want Fletcher to win the May Republican primary because they know they can capitalize on their ‘06 momentum and Fletcher’s political problems to take back the governorship. I’m afraid some Republicans have their heads in the sand on this one.
If Fletcher is so electable, why are liberals supporting him?
Hat tip to abortion-supporter Majikthise for the photo of Comrade Bowers.
By: admin
Beshear Provides Republicans With Preview Of 2007 Governor Race (If Fletcher Wins Primary)
If Fletcher wins the May Republican primary, this is what the substance of the contest between Fletcher/Rudolph and their Democratic opponents will be.
Talk of education, healthcare, and so on will be drowned out by things less important to most Kentuckians. As Anne Northup recently said in an email, “While some, maybe most, of the current Governor’s problems are not of his own making, without an alternative, we are facing a General election campaign focused on pardons, Grand Jury reports and plea bargains.”
Face it.
By: admin
Unreliable Fletcher
Governor Fletcher cancelled a scheduled visit to East Carter Middle School this morning.
Reportedly, it was due to snow. That’s kind of hard to believe, since he was apparently able to make it to Ashland, just one county east in Boyd, for his Get Healthy thing. I’m not there, though, so I’m not sure.
Maybe it was due to snow, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he has a horrible reputation for 1) being hard to reach and 2) making commitments and then cancelling. Something comes up every now and then, for sure, and that is certainly forgivable. Governor Fletcher has earned himself quite a reputation on this, however, and it hasn’t done anything for the initial arrogance with which he and his staff entered Frankfort.
By: admin
Bunning To Run Again In 2010
Is anyone surprised to hear that Jim Bunning will run for Senate again in 2010? I had heard rumors that he would step down and someone like Hunter Bates or someone would run for his seat.
Did anyone else hear that? I haven’t paid much attention to this subject, though, so I’m probably just way off.
By: admin
Northup/Hoover Influence In Old 5th
Cyberhillbilly has some more of his enlightened coverage of the 2007 governor’s race here, here, and here.
Jonathan really has the best coverage of this thing so far. These pieces primarily define the Old Fifth and explain Northup/Hoover’s potential for influence in this important region.
By: admin
FORWARD: Secret Service On Presidents
I hate most FWDs, but I found this one interesting. Obviously, I don’t know how reliable the sources are or if it’s just all made up, but I believe the content nonetheless.
The Secret Service views on the past Presidents are interesting.Capt. Denny Keast flies for UAL & flew many Special Air Missions for the White House.
I flew 4 Presidential support missions in the C-141 out of Dover AFB, DE
Two President L. B. Johnson & two for President R. M. Nixon.President Johnson was a first class jerk & on the two occasions I flew for him, if the Secret Service & their Liaison in the Pentagon hadn’t intervened, we would have had to stay on the airplane for hours while he (Johnson) was off somewhere. President Nixon never required that & the four stops we made with him he was cordial to the Secret Service & to me & my crew.
We had a neighbor when I lived in DC who was part of the secret service presidential detail for many years. His stories of President Kennedy & President Johnson were the same as those I heard from the guys who flew the presidents’ plane. Yes, President Kennedy did have Marilyn Monroe flown in for secret “dates,” & President Johnson was a typical Texas “good ole boy” womanizer.
President Nixon, President G. H. W. Bush, & President Carter never cheated on their wives. President Clinton cheated, but couldn’t match President Kennedy or President Johnson in style or variety.
The information below is accurate: President G. W. H. Bush & President G. W. Bush make it a point to thank & take care of the air crews who fly them around.
When the president flies, there are several planes that also go, one carries the armored limo, another the security detail, plus usually a press aircraft.
Both Presidents (Bush) made it a point to stay home on holidays, so the Air Force & security people could have a day with their families.
WHAT WAS:
Mrs. Clinton was arrogant & orally abusive to her security detail. She forbade her daughter, Chelsea, from exchanging pleasantries with them. Sometimes Chelsea , miffed at her mother’s obvious conceit & mean spiritedness ignored her demands & exchanged pleasantries regardless, but never in her mother’s presence. Chelsea really was a nice, kindhearted & lovely young lady. The consensus opinion was that Chelsea loved her Mom but did not like her.
Mrs. Clinton was continuously rude & abrasive to those who were charged to protect her life. Her security detail dutifully did their job, as professionals should, but they all loathed her & wanted to be on a different detail.
She was despised by the Secret Service as a whole. Former President Clinton was much more amiable than his wife. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attacks She would use against her husband. They were embarrassed for his sake by the manner & frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, & sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors Mrs. Clinton would scream & holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.
Many felt sorry for President Clinton & most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his “attack dog” wife. It was crystal clear that the Clinton ’s neither liked nor respected each other & this was true long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Theirs was genuinely a “marriage of convenience.”
Chelsea was much closer to her father than her mother, even after the Lewinsky scandal, which hurt her gravely. President Clinton did in fact have charisma & occasionally would smile at or shake hands with his security detail. Still, he always displayed an obvious air of superiority towards them.
His security detail uniformly believed him to be disingenuous, false & that he did nothing without a motive that in some way would enhance his image & political career. He was polite, but not kind. They did not particularly like him & nobody trusted him.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN:
Gore was the male version of Mrs. Clinton. They were more friendly toward each other than either of them were towards former President Clinton.
They were not intimate, so please don’t read that in. They were very close in a political way. Mrs. Gore was generally nice & pleasant. She initially liked Mrs. Clinton but soon after the election she had her “pegged” & no longer liked her or associated with her except for events that were politically obligatory.
Gore was far more left wing than President Clinton. Gore resented Clinton & thought he was too “centrist.” He despised all Republicans. His hatred was bitter & this was long before he announced for the Presidency. This hatred was something that he & Mrs. Clinton had in common. They often said as much, even in the presence of their security detail.
Neither of them trusted President Clinton & the Secret Service opined, neither of them even liked President Clinton. President Clinton did have some good qualities, whereas Gore & Mrs. Clinton had none, in the view of their security details.
Gore, like Mrs. Clinton, was very rude & arrogant toward his security detail. He was extremely unappreciative & would not hesitate to scold them in the presence of their peers for minor details over which they had no control. Gore also looked down on them, as they finally observed & learned with certainty on one occasion. Gore got angry at his offspring & pointed at his security detail & said, “Do you want to grow up & be like them?”
Word of this insult by the former Vice President quickly spread & he became as disliked by the Secret Service as Mrs. Clinton. Most of them prayed Gore would not be elected President, & they really did have private celebrations in a few of their homes after President Bush won. This was not necessarily to celebrate President Bush’s election, but to celebrate Gore’s defeat.
WHAT IS:
Everyone in the Secret Service wants to be on First Lady Laura Bush’s detail. Without exception, they concede that she is perhaps the nicest & most kind person they have ever had the privilege of serving. Where Hillary patently refused to allow her picture to be taken with her security detail.
Laura Bush doesn’t even have to be asked, she offers. She doesn’t just shake their hand & say, “Thank you.” Very often, she will give members of her detail a kindhearted hug to express her appreciation. There is nothing false about her. This is her genuine nature. Her security detail considers her to be a “breath of fresh air.” They joke that comparing Mrs. Bush with Mrs. Clinton is like comparing “Mother Teresa” with the “Wicked Witch of the North.”
Likewise, the Secret Service considers President Bush to be a gem of a man to work for. He always treats them with genuine respect & he always trusts & listens to their expert advice. They really like the Crawford, Texas detail. Every time the president goes to Crawford he has a Bar-B-Q for his security detail & he helps serve their meals. He sits with them, eats with them, & talks with them. He knows each of them by their first name, & calls them by their first name as a show of affection. He always asks about their family, the names of which he always remembers. They believe that he is deeply & genuinely appreciative of their service. They could not like, love, or respect anyone more than President Bush.
Most of them did not know they would feel this way, until they had an opportunity to work for him & learn that his manner was genuine & consistent. It has never changed since he began his Presidency. He always treats them with the utmost respect, kindness & compassion.
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