Thursday, 30 August 2007

Beshear on Education (Not Jobs)

I was reading the Courier Journal this morning and came across the headline, Beshear proposes to add jobs, send more students to college. Ok, lets see what his big ideas are for jobs and sending more students to college. I read the article and reread the article and no where did it mention how he was going to create more jobs. So much for accurate head lines. But it did talk about his higher education goals.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Steve Beshear announced plans yesterday to create jobs and send more students to college.

"My goal is to double the number of degree-holders by the year 2020," Beshear said, adding that would bring the total to about 800,000. "To do this, we must make higher education more affordable."

Beshear offers a couple of plans for getting there.

His first idea is another government give-a-way. He wants to create a special loan called the Kentucky First Scholarship Program that would forgive a loan for every year a graduate works in Kentucky. This might seem like a really good idea until you consider who will apply for these "loans". People who plan on living in Kentucky after they graduate. It would be silly to take this loan if you were planning on moving after graduation. At the end of the day it is not going to create a new incentive to keep people here, but create another free ride for those living in Kentucky.

Next Beshear turned his focus to increasing the number of degrees in Kentucky where he came out with a number of ridiculous suggestions.

  • Re-enrolling adults who are no longer in school but near completion of their degree.
  • Pursuing opportunities to give college credit for work experience.
  • Continuing efforts to strengthen agreements between public post-secondary institutions to accept credits from other schools so coursework doesn't have to be repeated.

What good is it going to do to re-enroll students who dropped out of college? They dropped out for a reason. The state government asking them to re-enroll is not going to get these people back in school. First off, these people have jobs and don't have time to go back to school. Secondly, if they cared about a college degree they would have completed it the first time. To think otherwise is just silly.

Giving college credit for work experience is an even worse idea. College is about developing the skills necessary to think for yourself and to provide a framework for solving problems rationally. Not about developing specific job skills. The analytical tools gained in college allow one to learn the skills necessary for a job. Learning how to do a job does not necessarily build up the analytical skills necessary for a degree. The correlation between degrees and jobs is not reflexive. And to treat it as such only cheapens the meaning of the degree.

Beshear's last idea will force the universities to accept more credits from junior colleges regardless of the quality of those schools. And in the process cheapening the value of those degrees.

Which brings us to the whole problem with his goal. To double the people with degrees in Kentucky in such a short period of time can only be obtained by making it easier to get a degree. Which in turn cheapens the value of the degree for those who already have one. The real goal for higher education in this state should be to increase the quality of the degrees that are already offered. If we have some of the best schools in the nation it will attract the best people from around the country. And people tend to live near where they went to school. Meaning that many of the people who come here for the high quality education will stay and make Kentucky a better state. That would be real education reform. Not the bad ideas proposed by Beshear.

Posted by brians at 6:40 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 29 August 2007

600 Protest Urging McConnell to End Involvement in Iraq

Last night more than 600 anti war demonstrators showed up at Belarmine to protest the war. It was an effort to force McConnell to oppose the president's current plan in Iraq and introduce a time table for leaving.

I love this quote from the Rev John Burke.

The Rev. John Burke, minister at St. William Catholic Church at 1226 W. Oak St., likened the current war plan to the definition of insanity.

"You can't keep doing the same thing and expect a different result," Burke said of the recent increase of troops.

Maybe he just doesn't pay attention to news out of Iraq. Because he hasn't noticed that we have changed our strategy in Iraq. The new surge is under way and it is starting to pay huge dividends. Violence is down and the political process is moving forward. But I guess they can't protest the war if good things are happening in Iraq.

Of course ultra liberal Yarmuth was on hand to speak.

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, did make a surprise appearance, garnering the night's largest ovation before he briefly spoke to the crowd.

Republicans will be forced to stand up and defend the current war policy, he said.

"If they don't they'll all be retired like Anne Northup was last year," Yarmuth said, referring to the Republican he defeated. "People drive the agenda ... America is true to its principles and not to some dogma of politicians who have been around way too long."

Hey John, your party is in control of both legislative houses and control the purse strings. You guys can vote to defund the war at any time. Why haven't you done it if the war is so reprehensible? Can we say hypocrisy?

What makes me sick is that these same protesters decry the atrocities and ethnic cleansing in Dafur. Yet the same thing will happen in in Iraq if we pull out overnight. The power vacuum created by the absence of our troops will rushed to be filled. Creating a conflict that will kill millions of Iraqis. A genocide not seen since the late 60's. At that time it was the left wingers which convinced us to pull out of Vietnam and Cambodia. A decision which lead to killing fields and the devastation of both of those countries. Hopefully, we won't listen to left now and make the same mistakes over again.

What I find amusing about this entire publicity stunt is the number of people that showed up to the event.

The group is composed of several entities that have joined forces for the cause, including MoveOn.org, VoteVets.org, the Service Employees International Union, the Center for American Progress Action Fund and others.

Yesterday was the end of the 10-week campaign and was designated "Take a Stand Day." Similar events were held last night in more than 40 cities across the country, including Lexington and Covington, Ky.

This has been a 10 week campaign with a whole host of left wing entities involved in the organization and they only got 600 people to show up? Heck I have seen more people show up at a yard sale that was only advertised a week in advance. Yet the media report this as if it was some massive event and proof that Kentuckians want to end the war. Give me a break.

Posted by brians at 1:23 PM in National Politics
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Monday, 27 August 2007

The Dems and Media Should Apologize to Fletcher

Does anyone remember last month? Fletcher made a call for a special session to primarily address tax incentives for energy companies. On top of that, he added to the agenda a number of issues that he had previously vetoed. The Democrats in the house said we didn't need the session. That Fletcher was doing this for political reasons. Beshear cried that this was nothing more than an election year stunt. Even the main stream media came out and derided Fletcher's call as a waste of tax payers money.

In fact the Democrats in the house, led by Richards, adjourned the special session without conducting any business. A move that was applauded by the main stream media as the right thing to do. Of course this created a problem because members of the legislature get paid during special sessions. So the Democrats had to figure out how to not pay legislators.

Then the back tracking started. Richards wanted to meet with executives to see if they were serious about making their decision this year. Although executives from Pea Body testified in the Senate, Richards was to busy adjourning the house and demagoguing on the issues to attend. Fletcher knowing that timing of these incentives was urgent, decided to humor Richards and set up the meeting with Peabody. Afterwards, Richards decided that incentives were indeed needed to be passed as soon as possible.

A second special session was called and the house and senate both passed an energy bill to provide incentives. So that leads me back to the beginning of this mess. Fletcher called the special session to address energy incentives, and the Democrats did all kinda silly political stuff to make Fletcher look bad. Even going so far to say that all of this was only to help his campaign. Now we are a month later and Fletcher was right all along. We needed the incentives now and the legislature passed them. So who were the ones playing politics a month ago? Who were the ones trying to effect the gubernatorial election? Who were the ones wasting tax payer money? It was the Democrats. Fletcher was just doing his job like he has done for the last four years. But once again the Democrats are caught playing politics instead of doing their jobs.

The Democrats, Beshear, and the media should apologize to Fletcher for misleading the public and being the ones playing politics. I doubt the Dems or Beshear will apologize and I know the media won't. No instead of admitting they were wrong they performed revisionist history by hailing Richards flip flop as a "great compromise". Pathetic.

Posted by brians at 12:41 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 22 August 2007

Where does Beshear stand on the 2nd Amendment?

The AP decided to question the candidates on their stances on the second amendment. I already know that Fletcher has a strong record of supporting gun rights while he served in Congress. What I didn't know was Beshear's stance on the second amendment. So I thought this could be interesting.
AP: What is your stand on gun ownership? Would you oppose/support initiatives to limit gun ownership?
Steve Beshear: I believe in the right to keep and bear arms.
What kind of non-answer is that? The fact that he believes in the right to keep and bear arms doesn't mean that he doesn't support what most liberals would call "common sense" gun laws. He could be all for the right to keep and bear arms as long as it is heavily regulated by the government. My fellow card carrying members of the NRA and I want to know where he stands on most major gun issues of the last couple of years. Especially in light of his disturbing 1982 decision as AG that granted local governments the ability to implement "reasonable regulation" on guns.

What I want to know is does he support mandatory gun locks on all fire arms sold? Does he think the concealed carry law was a good law? Does he think it is OK for citizens and local governments to be able to sue gun manufacturers? Does he think we should limit the magazine capacity of hand guns? Does he think gun owners should register with the government? Does he believe in limiting the number of fire arm purchases during a calendar month? Does he believe that ballistic finger printing is a good idea?

Any of these questions would give us a better idea of where Beshear stands on the second amendment. So what follow up question does the AP questionnaire ask Beshear?
QUESTION: AP: Do you and/or your running mate own guns? What kind?
That question, besides being tremendously lame, answers nothing! All it does is give Beshear cover on the issue. He can now hide behind the press's skirts and say "see I am pro 2nd amendment" without having to answer any real questions on the subject. Hopefully tougher questions will be asked in the debates down the road. But with the press asking the questions, I am not going to hold my breath.

Posted by brians at 11:42 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Monday, 20 August 2007

Do I enjoy gambling? Depends.

It appears that addiction isn't the only thing you should watch out for while at a casino. You have to make sure your chair isn't urine soaked before sitting in it.

At least that is what Floyd Kibiloski learned when he sat down to play video poker. A seat that moments before was occupied by a female who apparently had urinated on the seat before leaving. While this is disgusting, it is more disturbing to learn that this problem isn't uncommon.
The kind of problem Kibiloski faced, while it doesn't occur every day, is not uncommon at casinos where aging patrons may suffer from incontinence or are unwilling to take a break when they're hoping to win a big jackpot, say researchers and counselors who work with problem gamblers.

Compulsive gamblers sometimes wear adult diapers to avoid having to leave a slot machine or gaming table where they expect a payoff, the experts say.

If they don't come prepared, they sometimes "just pee in the seat," said Arnie Wexler, a recovered gambling addict who operates a gambling hot line and counseling service in New Jersey. "It's not something the industry really likes to talk about."
A friend of mine who worked at Ceasars confirmed that this problem happens frequently. So let me get this straight, people are so addicted to gambling that they can't even take the time to walk to the bathroom? This is unbelievable. And we want that here in Kentucky for what reason? Oh yeah, Beshear wants to give away universal health care.

Maybe Beshear will pledge to hand out free diapers to all of the Kentuckians who are going to piss their money at casinos. That is the least Beshear can do for the poor slobs who are going to be funding the massive expansion of government that he has planned for us.
Posted by brians at 10:02 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Friday, 17 August 2007

The Executive Ethics Commission Must Die

It was released yesterday that the state's executive ethics commission cleared Fletcher of any wrong doing. At the time I thought it was a significant blow to those overwhelmed with Fletcher Derangement Syndrome. Their whole fantasy world was beginning to dissolve around them. So what do they do? What liberals always try to do. Kill the messenger. If they can demonize the commission then what the commission reported  won't matter.

So what did they do? They dug up the one Patton appointee to get her comments. And guess what she said? I am sure this will come as a shock, but she trashed the decision as political.
"From my position there have been numerous decisions within the past year which have been partisan action, or inaction," said Cynthia Stone, a Louisville attorney whose term expired last month.
    
Asked if the decision to end the Fletcher investigation was one of those, Stone said, "Absolutely. From my perspective that's what it appeared to be."

She declined to elaborate because the commission's key deliberations occurred in closed sessions.
I emphasized the last little bit because it is key element to this whole smear job. She can't elaborate because it happened in a "closed session". She can just make the allegation without having to provide any form of proof what so ever. Whenever a Democratic appointee who has grown up under the Democratic patronage system makes any comments about Republicans then a not so small amount of dubiousness needs to be associated with them. Of course those in the media are jumping all over it as the gospel because they can't let this ruling stand. It goes against every meme they have built for this political season.
Posted by brians at 5:23 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Thursday, 16 August 2007

Ethics Commission Clears Fletcher

Well, well, well. Look what we have here. It appears that Executive Branch Ethics Commission has decided not to file ethics charges against the Governor.
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has decided that ethics charges against Gov. Ernie Fletcher are not warranted based on a review of his administration's hiring practices.

Fletcher's re-election campaign released a copy yesterday of a June 27 letter from the commission's executive director, Jill LeMaster, telling the governor of the commission's decision.
This  of course sent the Democrats into a fit of hysterics.
"We want to congratulate Ernie Fletcher on finally being able to appoint enough members to the ethics commission to end its investigation," said Vicki Glass, director of communications for the Beshear campaign. "Fortunately for Kentucky, he was not able to appoint the members of the grand jury that indicted him."

Said Stumbo: "We never had any confidence in the ethics commission because most members were hand-picked by the governor. The public deserves better from a watchdog agency and from a governor who is still trying to deceive the public."

Give me a break. They point to the fact that the ethics commission was appointed by Fletcher as the reason he "got off". Because we all know that the grand jury was really fair! Yeah, with a Democratic activist judge who is now working for Beshear and an activist Democratic AG who was only trying to destroy his political opponents, I can see how the court system was completely impartial. And by the way that AG is also trying to help Beshear get elected. Fletcher definitely got a real fair shake in court.

On the other hand we have the Ethics Commission (who is not working for Fletcher's reelection) has shown real impartiality in this investigation. Let's review.

The ethics commission began its examination of the matter later in 2005 and so far has brought charges of ethics violations against five former members of the Fletcher administration: Transportation Administrative Services Commissioner Dan Druen; Deputy Personnel Secretary Robert Wilson; Deputy Transportation Secretary Jim Adams; Darrell Brock, commissioner of the Governor's Office of Local Development; and Basil Turbyfill, director of the Governor's Office of Personnel and Efficiency.

 

Why would "ethics charges" be brought against these people in the administration if the commission was in the pocket of Fletcher? Wouldn't everyone be cleared if that was truly the case? The reality of the situation is that a couple of people in the Governor's administration screwed up in their hiring practices and the Ethics commission cited them for it. This is how it is supposed to work. This case was always a civil matter and not a criminal one. Don't think so? Beshear didn't agree with you.

He(Beshear) said that in 1983, while attorney general, Beshear deferred a criminal investigation of a personnel matter to the Personnel Board.

Ryall cited an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader in which Beshear was quoted as saying he received a letter from the Personnel Board alleging personnel violations within the staff of then-Secretary of State Frances Jones Mills.

Beshear is quoted in the article saying, "But we wrote back to the board that such an investigation belonged to the board's jurisdiction."

This is good news for Fletcher and bad news for those with Fletcher Derangement Syndrome. This is the most definitive proof yet that Fletcher was not personally involved in the hiring scandal. In addition, it provides additional evidence that the AG's "investigation of the governor" was nothing more than an overzealous partisan attempt to take down a sitting governor.

Posted by brians at 10:49 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 15 August 2007

The 1930's Was the Warmest Decade in the Last 100 Years

Last week, Newsweek ran a cover story that lambasted those of us who think global warming is a hoax perpetrated by the "environmental" movement. In the article they claim that only a fool would not believe that man made global warming is occurring. They point to the fact that it is hotter than ever and that 1998 was the hottest year yet.

Well, except that isn't exactly true. It turns out that a Y2K bug in the Climate Data makes these statements false.

NASA has now silently released corrected figures, and the changes are truly astounding. The warmest year on record is now 1934. 1998 (long trumpeted by the media as record-breaking) moves to second place.  1921 takes third. In fact, 5 of the 10 warmest years on record now all occur before World War II. 

When you look at the top 10 you see a number of years from the 30's in the list.

YearAvg Temp Diff
19341.25
19981.23
19211.15
20061.13
19311.08
19990.93
19530.9
19900.87
19380.86
19390.85

If you go through and add up all of the temperatures from the 30's and the 90's one finds out that it was warmer during the 30's than the 90's. This isn't exactly surprising when you go back and look at history. What was the one of the defining images from the 30's? Does the term "Dust Bowl" mean anything to you? That's right. That was the time when the extreme heat lead to droughts and storms that were so severe that they caused horrendous dust storms in the pan handle. It even inspired Steinbeck's great literary work "The Grapes of Wrath".

How is this possible? If man made global warming is real, how come it was warmer in the 30's than it was in the 90's? Especially now that economic output is much greater today than it was in the 1930s. This is the problem with the global warming "theories". They state we are warming up, but the fact of the matter is that the earth always has cycles were it gets warmer and cooler. There is no man made effect. No the whole "global warming" debate is nothing more than an attempt by socialists to destroy capitalism.

Which leads to an interesting observation on the true power of capitalism. The last time we had a warming cycle that had temperatures warmer than they are today, Americal suffered from dust storms and crop shortages. Today, with the modernization of agriculture brought on by capitalism, we don't have dust storms and crop shortages. We have better learned how to manage the land and grow crops during difficult weather. It is a fascinating study in how the power of capitalism can lead to better land use and better environmental policies.

Posted by brians at 10:33 AM in National Politics
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Friday, 10 August 2007

Beshear's Vision for Kentucky

Traveling across America on vacation to Glacier National Park last month, I got to witness first hand Beshear's vision for Kentucky. I thought I would share a couple glimpses of that future. A casino on every corner...

Pictures of Casonios Stacked on Top of Each Other

...a casino at every gas station... 

Casinos at you gas station.

 What a wonderful vision! Is that what we want here in Kentucky? 

Posted by brians at 10:16 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Thursday, 9 August 2007

Beshear's Fools Gold

Beshear has predicted that he is going to be able to reap a whirl wind of revenue from legalized gambling and use those profits to bring about one of Kentucky's largest single expansion of state government ever.

Is this something Kentuckians should agree to? What can we learn about Casinos that have been built around the country? Let's take a look.

We know that casinos are part of the entertainment industry. They provide a form of entertainment for people who either can't do math or don't mind losing money while gaming. Why am I so harsh? Because all of the games in the casino, with the exception of poker, will cause people to lose their money. Their is no statistical way for people to make money long term of gambling. The only game that one can make money on is poker. That is because one is playing others and not the house.

What do we know about the entertainment industry? The entertainment industry exists because people have disposable income to spend. In the United States where the quality of life is excellent, the amount of disposable income is considerable and will continue to increase as long as the economy continues to grow.

Because the entertainment industry relies upon disposable income it's pool of available money is relatively fixed. (It does generate its own disposable money for people it hires, but it is not a self sustaining business). Therefore when casinos come in and generate a huge amount of revenue, it takes that revenue from the disposable income pool. In doing so, it takes away money from other avenues of entertainment available locally. Therefore a number of local bars and restaurants will be put out of business by the casinos. It will also effect charitable gaming negatively since they are all pulling from the same pool of entertainment dollars.

But since Government takes a greater percentage of money from casinos than other entertainment venues, the loss of local businesses does not have an averse effect to government funding. IE, The gain from casino gambling is greater than the loss in revenue from other businesses failing.

What about the social impact of casinos? In theory, disposable income is what drives casinos. The only problem with this theory is that gambling can be addictive for a lot of people. Those with an addiction end up spending more than is available in disposable income and end up spending money they need to live. It is these people that become a new problem for society.

Those with gambling problems end up bankrupting themselves. Marriages fall apart and more divorces occur. Once bankrupt, gamblers resort to crime to help feed their addiction. It is the amazingly similar to the problems that plague those with a drug addiction. Not only will the gamblers need to be treated for their problems, but the government will also have to provide help for the families that are impoverish by the addiction.

Therefore it is safe to say that an infusion of casinos in Kentucky will increase local crime, drive up bankruptcies and increase the divorce rate. Which in turn will increase the need for more government services. At the end of the day we can look at the balance sheet and things aren't so rosy for gambling.

While the revenue it generates can look impressive, the hidden costs in the form of  lost business and social expenditures, eat up much of the casino revenue if not all of it.

That is why Fletcher has called expanded gambling fools gold. It doesn't generate a "new revenue stream" for government. It can't and won't support a major expansion of state government and it is irresponsible of Beshear to tell us it will.

The last time we had a snake oil salesman promise us fools gold, it was Wally Wilkinson. He promised us we could solve our education problems if we just had the lottery. It didn't then and there is no reason to think that expanded gambling will solve our health problems today. And to base a massive expansion of the state government on this false promise is insane.

Beshear's entire campaign is built upon a fantasy that doesn't exist in the real world. It didn't work for Wally and it won't work for Steve "The Gambler" Beshear. Kentuckians should reject Beshear's proposals for expanded government paid for by the tooth fairy. And let Kentucky continue to be handled by responsible adults who have taken real steps to tackle the states problems.
Posted by brians at 9:50 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Tuesday, 7 August 2007

Jody Richards Calls the Pot Black

At Fancy Farm this past weekend Richards proclaimed that Fletcher's administration is breaking the law. This time in regards to the makeup of the Council on Postsecondary Education.
The issue first came to light Saturday, when House Speaker Jody Richards accused Fletcher of ignoring the law in a morning speech to Democrats in Mayfield.

"They're just simply breaking the law," Richards, D-Bowling Green, said in an interview later Saturday. "We're not going to accept those."

If Fletcher's administration did break the law then Richards and his leadership are just as guilty since they confirmed the appointments. How pathetic is it to watch Richards make hay out of a situation that he had a hand in creating. But what really irks me the most is not the political posturing but the actual law, KRS 164.011.

On making appointments to the council, the Governor shall assure a broad geographical and political representation; assure equal representation of the two sexes, inasmuch as possible; assure no less than proportional representation of the two leading political parties of the Commonwealth based on the state's voter registration; and assure that the appointments reflect the minority racial composition of the Commonwealth. In filling vacancies to the council, the Governor shall act so as to provide inasmuch as possible, equal representation of the two sexes by appointint a member of the sex that is lesser represented at the time of appointment

This is the type of crap you get when the multicultural liberals in the Democratic party write law. I understand the need for geographical balance on the panel, but I have no idea why it is important to have political, gender, and racial balance as well. Whatever happened to finding the best people for the job?

More importantly, why is their a need for political balance? Seems to me that this is nothing but a ploy by the Democrats to ensure that they have the majority on the committee regardless of who is governor. But then again, maybe it was put in their to ensure some Republicans have a seat at the table. For it appears that Republicans had better representation on this council than anywhere else in state government while Beshear and company ran their cronyism operations the last 30 years.

Posted by brians at 11:40 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Saturday, 4 August 2007

Fancy Farm 2007 Live!

This is the first chance I have had to update this post. Fancy Farm was my first attempt at trying to live blog while using my Palm Treo. I used an IM Jabber client to send my posts to an IM Bot that updated the web page in real time. It turns out that the pace of the speeches made it difficult to keep up with on my blue tooth keyboard. I have decided to go back through my post and fill in some of the missing pieces and provide some spell checking.

01:50:13 PM Well, we made it to Fancy Farm. It is hot and only looks to get hotter. I hope the speeches today match the heat.

01:52:10 PM Once you get off the highway and take the two lane road back to Fancy Farm one is usually inundated with Democratic signs. I was surprised to see more Fletcher than Beshear signs on the way in. ( I counted them on the way out and Fletcher had a 3 to 2 lead)

02:16:55 PM Ug, I just walked through loserville. I saw Beshear, Mongianardo, and Captain Ahab himself. Stumbo brought with him a blood hound. I am guessing to mock McConnell's old ads by "rooting out corruption". (It turns out his theme is searching for a real Senator.) They also had a Fletcher's favorite food table with noodles, blackberry jam and truffles.

02:19:12 PM Fletcher's group on the other hand has a mock up of a town with a mom and pop restaurant closed down with a casino next door. At the end of the houses they have a Beshear payday store. Pretty funny.

02:46:25 PM We are about 15 minutes out and the excitement is building. I got to talk to a number of old acquaintences and just saw the governor go past. He looks to be in good spirits.

02:52:37 PM It doesn't look like Mitch is going to make it this year which is a bummer. I was really curious to hear what he was planning to say.

02:57:24 PM Ok, we are gettting closer to the beginning of the speeches. Most of the top speakers are already in place.

02:59:55 PM The crowd is starting to get restless. Both sides are cheering and booing. Should be a good one today.

03:00:39 PM Ahh, the four more years chants begin... And of course the boos.

03:04:04 PM The union people are already starting looking to start a fight and the speeches haven't even begun. Nothing like the obnoxious union types. Most of the Democrats are very well behaved, but their is always a couple of union guys at this event every year who seem to be looking for a fight.

03:06:12 PM The place is packed and this year they aren't letting people mill around in front of the stage so I am stuck on the outside under the bleachers. My wife will have to be my eyes this year.

03:06:50 PM Ahh the speeches are about to get underway

03:09:23 PM False alarm... They are thanking everyone who helped put the picnic together.

03:11:16 PM We are getting ready for the speeches at the 127th Fancy Farm picnic. Their is a request for civility. I wonder how long that will actually last.

03:22:29 PM Cool, the Bishop is here and gave the opening prayer. He is pushing for greater immigration during the prayer. The Catholic church has been a major supporter of more open borders and amnesty for illegals. Not a stance I am overly thrilled with as a fellow Catholic. Especially the amnesty for illegals. 

03:23:23 PM Now they are singing my old kentucky home. What a wonderful song.

03:26:01 PM Now we are singing the national anthem

03:35:28 PM David Williams is being introduced as masters of ceremony.. Lots of cheers and boos. The Republicans are outnumbered 3 to 1 but they are holding their own.

03:36:00 PM David Williams opens by thanking all of the Dems who voted for him to commissioner of agriculture. That was funny. (It was probably the best line of the day)

03:40:09 PM A couple of local reps are giving some intro speeches. Nothing exciting yet.

03:42:53 PM McConnell is here.. Cool... A lot of cheers and boos. Sweet! This should be interesting

03:44:10 PM He starts by praising David Williams, Trey Greyson and Fletcher.

03:44:31 PM Ernie chants are breaking out

03:44:59 PM He is welcoming back Beshear a face from days gone by.

03:47:42 PM He thank Beshear for getting back up after faling off his horse and hunt those foxes. McConnell tells him it is good to see him again and again and again and again

03:47:50 PM He is glad to see that the Dems are in to recycling. (Another really good line)

03:48:03 PM Beshear has much in common with Pelosi and Clinton.

03:49:12 PM McConnell is talking about a litany of liberal policies that Dems support.

03:49:49 PM He is inviting Hillary to come down and campaign for Beshear.

03:50:47 PM McConnell rocked. The Dems seem pissed.

03:51:17 PM Beshear won the only thing he is going to win this year. The coin toss.

03:51:17 PM Fletcher is first

03:51:58 PM He starts by talking about his accomplishments

03:52:32 PM He thanked Stumbo for being back from his sabatical at the school for knifings and political smears. That was a good line.

03:53:15 PM He turned around a deficit and worked on roads down here in Western KY. Yeah the roads getting to Fancy Farm are much better than they were 4 years ago.

03:54:13 PM Beshear is out of touch with our Ky values. Looking for the 10 commandments since they aren't in the school.

03:54:28 PM Or government buildings. Fletcher wonders which commandment doesn't he like

03:55:09 PM Beshear is against the guns. (They parade out a guy dressed as a hunter with a giant sling shot) and has a record of being against them. Fletcher is for the 2nd ammendment

03:56:55 PM Easy money steve (guy dressed up comes on the stage) offers us money for nothing. Casinos get your money while the people get nothing. Fools gold.

03:56:55 PM 1.5 billion dollars out of your pocket and not in your local business. Most of the money will go to Vegas. Many churches and local organizations will see a drop of drop of fund raising by 50%.

03:57:56 PM Truth about gambling is that it creates more crime, more divorces, and more problems

03:58:13 PM Fletcher will not bring casinos to Kentucky

03:58:47 PM We will take care of Ky without the fools good.

03:59:29 PM The Dems are chanting 3 more months.. At least they got it right.. Early I heard 4 more weeks.

04:00:15 PM Fletcher is for high tech jobs so people can dream to be astronauts and not a casino dealer. (That is a good line)

04:00:33 PM He will not roll the dice with Kentucky's future.

04:01:24 PM My thought... Casinos are for people who can't do math.

04:01:56 PM Great speech from Fletcher! I was impressed.

04:02:14 PM Beshear is next

04:03:32 PM Sen McConnell, it only took you 1 year to remeber Ernie's name (Good line)

04:03:43 PM 4 years for the nightmare to end

04:04:19 PM I guess it has been a bightmare for the dems. They haven't been out of power in 30+ years.

04:04:36 PM Now he is talking about his family. Booring

04:05:14 PM Wow he is recylcing his closing statement from the debates.

04:06:01 PM His dad told him it isn't important where they hang (the 10 commandments) as long as you live by them. We would be better if Fletcher lived by them (Good line)

04:06:34 PM He obeyed the law as AG and he will obey the law as governor.

04:07:35 PM He wants opportunities. (Opportunities to gamble?)

04:08:28 PM He wants to end partisanship. Ok? I guess he wants to go back to one party rule.

04:08:56 PM Wow he just insulted the local picnic. Nice touch Steve.

04:09:13 PM "They need to turn down the bingo so I can talk about gambling"

04:12:25 PM He wants to give people the option to vote for gambling

04:14:11 PM What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.. What happens in Frankfort should no longer stay in Frankfort (Good line)

04:14:11 PM No he is talking about Fletcher's "failures" with chants of "time for a change"

04:14:12 PM No he is recycling campaign slogans. Ug

04:14:32 PM Rudolph is next

04:15:22 PM Very proud to be on the ticket

04:15:58 PM He is talking about the scandal and notes that the judge in the case is working for Beshear.

04:16:20 PM Beshear has rolled snake eyes every 10 years and is a two time loser

04:17:24 PM Mongianardo

04:17:29 PM He put the fancy in Dan

04:17:39 PM Fancy Dan is a liberal (Fancy Dan is a funny line)

04:17:55 PM Fancy Dan lost to Bunning

04:18:28 PM One is hunting foxes in the field the other in the bars

04:18:43 PM Where's steve pence chants are going on from the Dems. (Finally a good chant from the Dems)

04:19:18 PM Beshear made it easier to take your gun

04:19:31 PM Dan doesn't have a clue either

04:19:38 PM Voted for domestic partners

04:20:40 PM Our plan isn't to prey on the most vulnerable.. Or with policies that belong in Massachusettes or California... Good line

04:22:26 PM Fancy Dan is next

04:22:28 PM Started by thanking all the workers

04:22:28 PM Took a shot at Bunning by saying he will glad to be back (Reference to Bunning saying he will never come back)

04:22:48 PM If you are satisified with this Gov's leadership send him back

04:22:59 PM If you want competent leadership elect us

04:23:34 PM If you want a governor with a legal defense fund then vote for Fletcher

04:23:55 PM If you want leadership that works vote for us

04:24:05 PM Blah blah blah.. More comparisions

04:25:07 PM Not very interesting.. It is time for a change... Not overly original either

04:25:26 PM Stumbo is a good AG

04:26:07 PM (What I am suprised is how weak the Dems speeches are. I thought they would be much better)

04:26:49 PM Stop the partisan fighting? I don't get that one. The Dems are as much responsibile as Repubs for partisanship)

04:27:40 PM The Dems didn't say what they would do.. They only talked about change.. Very weak.

04:28:22 PM Trey Greyson won the toss.. His oponent is first.

04:29:09 PM Hendrickson is rambling

04:29:33 PM People are still talking about him in Pineville... Huh?

04:30:24 PM 4 years as non corrupt mayor.. What does that have to with SOS?

04:51:28 PM I have no idea what the heck he is talking about. His greatest attribute that I can gather so far is that he is loud.

04:51:28 PM He wants to end voter fraud. (He needs to go talk to Patton about that)

04:51:28 PM Wants college kid and pregant people to vote early. That was a nice bit of a rambling.

04:51:28 PM Trey Greyson is next

04:51:28 PM He will have a really difficult time topping that speech.. Not

04:51:28 PM He isn't letting dead people vote anymore. (Republicans cheer)

04:51:28 PM Trey is making a baseball analogy about turning in the line up before games. The Dems have turned in the wrong card. They have a bunch of minor leaguers up here

04:51:28 PM Bull Durham analogy

04:51:28 PM He is much better than he was 4 years ago. Very polished

04:51:28 PM Now he is talking about our elections and they are better than ever before.

04:51:28 PM Wants to get young involved. The teachers endorsed him.

04:51:28 PM He believes it is your money and not the governments money.

04:51:28 PM No public financed campaigns.

04:51:28 PM We shouldn't send a minor leauger to do a major league job. (Finaly wraps up his analogy which was a bit of a stretch. It was at least original)

04:51:28 PM Williams introduced Richards and asked him if he wanted to close the speeches early. (David Williams had the best one liners and he didn't even speak)

04:51:28 PM Crit Luallen is up next.

04:51:28 PM She has gone after fraud and abuse.

04:51:29 PM She is talking about her accomplishments and is very loud.

04:51:29 PM Now she is ra ra ing the Democrat ticket

04:51:29 PM Next year they will restore hope

04:51:29 PM And vision ... This funny since they ruled the state for 100+ years and we never got any of their promises they are making now

04:51:29 PM Lind Greenwel is next

04:51:29 PM She is starting with her bio.. Boring

04:51:29 PM The dems will talk about the working people. I am a working person. (good line)

04:51:56 PM Unlike her opponent she is not an insider

04:51:56 PM Crit was a fixture in Frankfort

04:51:56 PM Her an Patton said we needed a tax increase with a billion dollar deficit.

04:51:56 PM Fletcher turned it around while cutting taxes

04:51:56 PM (Nice way to tie her to Paul Patton)

04:51:56 PM Did all of this while remaining faithful to his wife. (excellent)

04:51:56 PM Captain Ahab is next

04:51:56 PM Fletcher must have been nervous with blood hounds and chain gangs

04:51:56 PM We represent law and order in this state.

04:51:56 PM He told Fletcher to name something after himself since he is only going to be in office for 4 years.

04:52:19 PM Stumbo is asking Beshear to name street sweeper after him once elected.

04:53:15 PM Williams line: now for candidates who actually won their primary. (He is funny)

04:53:43 PM Stan Lee

04:54:24 PM Liberals city boy versus Country boy

04:55:13 PM He makes a comment about good looks. In apparent allusion to his opponent. But then said he is not just another pretty face. 

04:55:22 PM He will not bow down to the ACLU

04:56:20 PM His opponent is for gambling and it brings a crime wave.

04:56:38 PM Good line -- that's a fact Jack

04:56:53 PM Excellent refrain

04:57:55 PM Nancy Pelosi and planned parenthood have given to Jack's campaigns. (that's a fact Jack)

04:58:18 PM To the criminals out there.. Fear the stache.. Another good line.

04:58:34 PM Jack Conway is next.

04:58:45 PM He is loud

04:59:02 PM He sounds angry.

05:00:24 PM He is a good speaker, but he hasn't said anything.

05:01:18 PM Now he is talking about all of the crime (where has Stumbo been with all this crime?)

05:02:13 PM Has a good line about Stan Lee's local paper saying they don't believe Stan can follow the law.

05:03:25 PM He is the best speakers the Dems have, of course that isn't saying much. He sounded loud and angry. He needs to tone that down or it will come back to haunt him.

05:04:51 PM Commission of Ag candidate, David Williams, is having some one speak for him

05:04:57 PM Ouch... The guy is doing a good job. He should have been running instead.

05:06:21 PM Ok, never mind.. He called the people on the stage schiesters.

05:06:21 PM The real David WIlliams is laughing as he introduces Richie

05:06:21 PM 4 years ago he was awful

05:06:21 PM He is infinitely better this time

05:06:43 PM He is talking about his accomplishments.

05:08:05 PM Excellent speech.

05:08:44 PM Todd Hollenback is first. Wow he is young.

05:09:13 PM He is starting with his bio

05:09:39 PM He avoided mentioning what county he is from. He must be from Jefferson County

05:10:15 PM He is saying his ticket (TheDems on state) are all still there. (that is because the Republicans have jobs and need to be some where)

05:11:24 PM Government can help you... And then he started laughing. I am sure that was a slip. But was pretty humourous.

05:12:16 PM He was nervous and very fast because of it.

05:12:35 PM Linda Wheeler is next. She is so excited and loud

05:12:51 PM Wants to abolish the office

05:16:25 PM She just called out Miller for not doing his job since he became party chairman.

05:16:25 PM We could save the state millions each year by abolishing the position.

05:16:25 PM That's all for the speeches folks. I might do some recaps a bit later.

05:17:30 PM My first thought is that this was a really tame Fancy Farm from pevioius affairs. The separated people so the crowd wasn't as rambunctious as it has been in the past.

Posted by elendil at 1:49 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Testing Live Update

09:21:20 AM This is a test of the IM bot to create live blog entries.

09:21:54 AM This is working.

09:23:07 AM ok, I'll be testing this new feature on my trip to fancy farm today.

Posted by elendil at 9:20 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 1 August 2007

Back from Vacation at Glacier National Park

I just got back from my vacation to Glacier National Park up in Montana. It is truly a hikers paradise. Since returning I have been trying to catch up on all of the news after spending a week in virtual isolation.

I do have an amusing story about our trip home. We had finally made it back to Louisville from our cross country trek when we ended up behind a class liberal. How do I know she was a liberal? She had two bumper stickers. The first was a "Give Peace a Chance" sticker and the second one was a "Think Global Act Local" environmental sticker.

As I pointed these out to my wife, the girl in the car rolled down her window and threw some trash out of it. I kid you not. I wish I had a video of it. Liberals - the arbiters of what everyone else should do as long as they don't have to live by the same rules.
Posted by brians at 11:24 PM in Announcements
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