Thursday, 29 October 2009

State Democrats Balk At Thier Top Priority

Republicans have been under huge pressure from the racing industry and the media to back gambling in Kentucky. The woes of the horse industry have been shoved down the public's throats during this entire debate.  Well, it looks like Republicans are starting to break under the pressure. Last week, Rep Sen Thayer offered an constitutional amendment that would allow slot machines at race tracks to help prop up the purses.

His proposal would allow people to vote on a constitutional amendment, but would also require a local election in the seven counties where racetracks are located. If the constitutional amendment passes, Thayer said Beshear could call a special legislative session next December to work out further details.

Thayer said he would like to see either $100 million or 25 percent of slots revenue — whichever is greater — go into a fund that could increase racing purses, breeders incentives and marketing for horse racing. About 25 percent of revenue would go to the video lottery terminal operators and the rest would go to the state to fund capital projects.
Isn't this what the Democrats have wanted the last few years? This looks like a capitulation to what the Democrats want. Apparently the Democrats don't think so.

Worley said he talked to all but one of the Senate Democrats on Tuesday and no one said they would vote for Thayer’s amendment.

Worley said Republicans want to put the measure on the ballot in order to drive socially conservative voters to the polls in 2010. “What this is about is politics,” Worley said.

Huh? I thought the majority of Kentuckians wanted this legislation. If that is the case wouldn't the vote bring out a majority of non socially conservative voters?

Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, said he does not think any Senate Democrat would vote for the Republican amendments. Carroll, a former governor, said the Republican senators offered the amendments because they they know that “David Williams is on the verge of losing control of the state Senate.”

Ok, so who is playing partisan politics now? The Democrats don't want to pass the amendment because the Republicans are on the verge of losing the Sentate. I thought all they cared about was the welfare of our "dying horse industry". Apparently not.

At least Beshear would have the sense to know that he could pass his key issue.

But Gov. Steve Beshear, in a written statement, called the proposals “cynical” and “political.”

“The Republican leadership’s proposals for constitutional amendments are a cynical maneuver designed to take pressure off of some members who regret their unwillingness to help the industry and our state just a few months ago,” said Beshear, who proposed in 2008 a failed constitutional amendment to allow casinos at racetracks. “This move is about politics, not progress. It is about spin, not the substance of critical issues confronting Kentucky and our signature industry.”

Apparently not. How is this spin and playing politics? The amendment would provide what they want. Better purses for Kentucky's racing industry and more money into the coffers of the state. Now all of a sudden they don't want it? Sounds like someone is playing politics and it isn't the Republicans.

My favorite is Brereton Jones's ridiculousness

Although Democrats have previously supported constitutional amendments, similar proposals are now “too little too late,” said former Gov. Brereton Jones, founder of the Kentucky Equine Education Project and owner of Airdrie Stud.

“We tried our best to get them to favor that at a time when it would have done some good,” he said.

If slots at racetracks aren’t implemented until 2011, Jones predicted that Ellis Park, Turfway Park and The Red Mile would have already closed. “We will have lost thousands of jobs and a lot of people in the horse industry will have gone bankrupt,” he said.

What other option do you have Gov Jones? Anything other than a constitutional amendment is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. If they try to pass slots without one, it is likely to be overturned by the state supreme court. Then you will have to go back and pass a constitutional amendment which will take you way past 2011.  Secondly, if the tracks know they are getting slots then I guarantee they will ALL be around in 2011. The bonanza of money they believe they will receive will keep them operating.




Posted by brians at 8:05 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 28 October 2009

Is Chandler Ripe For An Upset?

When Chandler won the 6th Congressional district back in 2004, I thought he would be nearly impossible to dislodge him from that seat. Given his name recognition and his moderate politics, I thought he would be congressman for life. Fast forward a few years and my have things changed. Chandler has "grown" in office. Grow is a euphemism for becoming more and more liberal. His vote last fall for the cap-n-trade bill illustrates how far he has moved to the left. In 2004, he would have never voted for a bill that would be so devastating to Kentuckians. Today, he doesn't appear to have a problem with it. He also has been mum on his support for ObamaCare. Not even consulting his constituents on the matter.

The only problem with moving to the left is that he doesn't live in a liberal district. In fact, his district went heavily for McCain in the last presidential election. That puts Chandler's growth in office at odds with his constituents. The only question is could a challenger enter the race that would be strong enough to match Chandler in the money race? Looks like we might actually have such a challenger.
Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) was also an unwitting victim of a challenger surge, with Republican Andy Barr outraising him in just two and a half weeks of fundraising, $186,000 to $160,000.
The amount of money Barr was able to raise so quickly has to be a warning bell for Chandler. I expect Chandler will start distancing himself from Pelosi and Obama during the remaining legislative session. I wouldn't be surprised if he voted against ObamaCare and other priorities of the left. Even so, I think he has enough liberal votes to make him vulnerable to Barr in such a red district. The next reporting period will tell us a lot about this race. If Barr can keep progressing towards a million dollars he will have the money necesssary to unseat Chandler. The sixth district has definitely become a race to keep an eye on in 2010.

Posted by brians at 7:49 AM in Kentucky Politics
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Monday, 26 October 2009

Surprise - Kelly Appointed Judgeship

Republican Sen Kelley was able to cash in on his position in the state senate today. He was appointed  as a judge on the 11th circuit court by Gov Beshear. A job that will pay a pawltry $124,620 a year. I am shocked! Not really. First, Beshear is a one trick pony. This ploy to drain the senate of Republicans by appointing them high paying jobs has worked before.  He will continue making appointments until the strategy no longer works. Beshear lacks any creativity in his thinking which makes this move utterly predictable. Secondly, it wasn't difficult to see coming.
Kelly, 59, is a Springfield lawyer and a graduate of the University of Louisville Law School. He was elected five times to the state Senate. He quietly resigned about three weeks ago as majority leader of the Senate when he submitted an application for the judgeship.
Kelly wouldn't have stepped down THREE WEEKS AGO if he didn't already know he was going to be appointed the judgeship. Of course this sets up another special election. The Republicans are in better position for this race since they will likely nominate Republican state Rep. Jimmy Higdon of Lebanon. Having a sitting Representative will provide them with a candidate who already has not only a base of support, but a campaign staff in place to run the campaign. That edge allowed Webb to win a razor thin victory a couple of months ago. The Democrats won't have that advantage this time around.

Posted by brians at 10:05 PM in Kentucky Politics
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War On Kentucky's Energy

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the Obama administration was at war with the coal industry. A move that would severely damage the economic stability of Kentucky. Remember 90+ percent of Kentucky's electricity comes from coal. Any action that will drive up the cost of coal will drive up the cost of electricity. The Obama industry is determined to drive up the cost of coal.

While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama said his cap-and-trade tax plans would "bankrupt" anyone building a coal-fired power plant. Although those taxes haven't materialized, the Environmental Protection Agency has put the brakes on 79 surface mining permits in four states since he was elected.

The EPA says these permits could violate the Clean Water Act and warrant "enhanced" review. But the agency went even further last week, announcing plans to revoke a permit for the Spruce No. 1 Mine in West Virginia - a move that has caused anxiety among coal-state Democrats about the future of the industry under the Obama administration.

Mr. Obama's opposition to coal has been apparent since January 2008 when he told the San Francisco Chronicle he would clamp down on miners by enacting a cap-and-trade system that would make it too expensive to stay in business. "So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can," he said at the time. "It's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."
Make no mistake. These games being played by the EPA are going to put a vice on Kentucky's energy production. A move that will lead to two problems for Kentucky. First and fore most, It will continue to put a strain on Kentucky's struggling economy. Higher costs will make recovery more difficult. Secondly, it will be devastating to the Appalachian parts of Kentucky. Not only do they rely on coal for inexpensive electricity, but more importantly they rely on coal for jobs. In the part of the state which struggles to keep up with the rest of the state such a reckless energy policy will be devastating. It is time for Beshear and the rest of the Democratic contingent in Kentucky to join their breathern in West Virginia and tell Obama to stop this foolishness. It is all we can do for the next 3 years until we can elect a grown up president.

Posted by brians at 9:28 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Tuesday, 20 October 2009

KY U.S. Senate Primary - An Update On The GOP

The financial numbers from the major GOP candidates reported last week and the results are interesting.  Rand Paul raised over $1 million dollars in the last quarter. An impressive amount of money for any campaign. The question was how did Trey Grayson do during the same period. He had an impressive start raising over $600,000 in a few months as a non candidate. How did he do now that he had a full 3 months to fund raising? The results were a bit disappointing. He had a chance to bury his competition but was only was able to raise $642,857. While that is an impressive amount of money, it doesn't provide him any separation from Rand Paul.

Where does it leave the race? I think the race is now going to be much more competitive than I thought it was going to be a few months ago. Heck it even has the Courier asking if Paul can win the race. But even so, I still think Grayson has several advantages over Paul. I think the fact that Grayson raised most of his cash in Kentucky will be a boost for him. Why? Fund raising does two things. It buys communication with the electorate and it creates a valuable supporter. People who give money to a campaign now have a stake in the outcome. Having more people with a stake in Kentucky is a bonus for Grayson. The other thing Grayson has going for him is his support from the party establishment. I know Paul is trying to turn it into a liability, but it does have its benefits. Mainly access to people who know how to create a good ground game on election day. GOTV is huge in a primary where so few people vote.

Here are the things to look for next year. What is the central message of each candidate? Do they have a consistent theme or are they offering a jumbled hodge podge? How do these candidates do head to head in a debate? Can Paul develop a ground game on par with Graysons? With the money being roughly equal, these will be the factors that determine this race. My only concern is that the primary could become nasty and personal. The Democratic side is going to be a blood bath. Will the Republican side follow suit or will it be a more civil battle over ideas? I don't think so, but who knows what could happen. Espeically if one side begins trailing significantly.

It will defintely be an intriguing primary election season.

Posted by brians at 9:32 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Monday, 19 October 2009

Kentucky Democratic Primary Turns Uglier

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of videos released anonymously on youtube that have caught Mongiardo saying negative things about Governor Beshear.  When the first one was released, I was curious as to how it happened. Now that there are multiple recordings, I have to think that Mongiardo has a sabatouer on his campaign team.  No one else could possibly have access to the number of conversations Mongiardo has been involved needed to make those tapes. Now the question is who is doing it and why are they doing it?

To answer that question, I have to ask who benfits the most from the release of these tapes? The obvious answer is the Conway campaign.
Apparently the Mongiardo team thinks so as well.
Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo's U.S. Senate campaign accused his chief Democratic opponent, Attorney General Jack Conway, of “dirty tricks” and political “shenanigans” Monday, claiming Conway’s campaign was surreptitiously involved in an attack video posted on the Internet.

Kim Geveden, Mongiardo's campaign spokesman, said the campaign has proof that a Conway Senate campaign “tracker” shot video critical of Mongiardo that is appearing anonymously on the YouTube site.

Geveden said “Conway's campaign is neck deep in political dirty tricks. Conway's campaign either produced the video … or was directly or indirectly involved in its production.”
I have to believe someone who supports Conway produced these youtube videos. I am sure it is someone expendable from the campaign. The big question is did the inner circle know about the production of these videos in advance? Did they order them created? If the campaign staff is directly involved then that raises all kinds of questions for Conway about his ethics. Turning this story into huge negative for him.

The reality of the matter is we currently have no idea who is producing these videos. Regardless, the Mongiardo campaign and his supporters believe Conway is responsible. The believe without a shadow of a doubt. Such a belief will only sharpen the discord between the two camps.
This race is ugly and promises to turn even uglier in the next seven months till the primary.  All I can say is pass the popcorn.

Posted by brians at 8:22 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Thursday, 8 October 2009

Bob Dole Calls Out McConnell

Former Sen Bob Dole reminded us today why he won 40% of the vote when he ran for president in 1996 by calling out Sen McConnell.
Later, he repeated that news, and elaborated on one "very prominent Republican, who happens to be the Republican leader of the Senate."

That would be Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Dole, to his credit, is having none of it. "I want this to pass," he said. "I don't agree with everything Obama is presenting, but we've got to do something."

He added: "I don't want the Republicans putting up a 'no' sign and saying, 'we're not open for business.'"
Let me get this straight. Bob Dole wants us to eat a crap sandwich just because we are a little hungry? He has got to be kidding? I think I would rather be the party of "no" rather than the party who ruined this country just because "we needed to do something". Last time we heard that logic, we were forced to swallow the turd burger known as 'stimulus". We had to do something or the economy will tank. Well we did something and it  did nothing to help the economy. All we got was a hefty tab we will be paying for generations from now.

Personally, I am relieved that McConnell has learned his lesson from the stimulus debacle and is holding out for real reform rather than allowing government to take over 1/5th of the economy. Especially when a MAJORITY of Americans oppose the bill. But then there was a reason that Bob Dole only got 40% of the vote. Today we are once again reminded why.

Posted by brians at 5:07 PM in National Politics
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KY U.S. Senate Poll Numbers

Earlier this week, Rasmussen release a poll on the state of the Kentucky U.S. Senate race. I was hoping for a poll that would tell us where the major candidates stood in their primary battles. Instead we were treated to a series of matchups between the top candidates from each party. We got the following results.

Candidate%
Trey Grayson40
Jack Conway40


Candidate%
Trey Grayson44
Daniel Mongiardo37


Candidate%
Rand Paul38
Jack Conway42


Candidate%
Rand Paul43
Daniel Mongiardo38

Two things surprised me by the poll. First, I was surprised by how poorly the Democrats polled against Rand Paul. Both Democrats have enjoyed a fairly high profile the last couple of years. Paul on the other hand is new to state politics and has very little name ID within the state. Yet with all those disadvantages he only trails Conway by 4 points and actually leads Mongiardo. This must be disheartening for the Democratic candidates. They have enjoyed favorable coverage in the media and are struggling against what is basically a "generic" Republican opponent. 

Secondly, I was a bit surprised with how poorly Mongiardo polled. He couldn't get over 40% and he is the current Lt. Governor. That doesn't bode well for his hopes.

What should one take from the polls where none of the candidate did better than 44% nor worse than 37%? It tells me that the base for candidates in each party is around 40% and they will  be fighting for the remaining 20% next fall. Not much else can be garnered from a poll featuring hypothetical so far in advance. Personally, I think it bodes well for Republicans that they are already tied with Democrats while being out registered close to 2 to 1.



Posted by brians at 2:30 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Wednesday, 7 October 2009

A Challenger For Rep Chandler

The coming Republican wave in 2010 is continuing to grow. Just a couple of days ago Rasmussen had the generic congressional ballot showing Republicans with a 43-39 lead. It has been a long time since Republicans led in a generic ballot yet alone have a lead nearing the margin of error. Enter Rep Ben Chandler into the mix. He is in a real bind next year. The Democratic party at the national level has swerved far to the left. An uncomfortable position for a congressman from a moderately conservative 6th district in Kentucky.

The question is will a viable candidate surface to challenge Chandler? I think the answer is yes.

A Lexington lawyer mulling a run for the 6th Congressional district seat announced Wednesday that he has raised $185,000 over the past two weeks.

Andy Barr, 36, announced Sept. 16 that he was forming an exploratory committee to seek the Republican nomination for the 6th District seat currently held by Democrat Ben Chandler.

That is a respectable amount of money raised for an exploratory committee for congress. If he can continue to raise funds at that level, he should have more than enough to compete with Chandler next fall. Look for Chandler to vote no on ObamaCare and Cap n Trade. The question is will that be enough to help him retain his seat in a difficult year for Democrats?

Posted by brians at 3:13 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Is Beshear A Shoo-In To Win Re-Election?

John Dyche has well written piece in the Courier Journal today that argues that Beshear is a shoo-in to win re-election in 2011. While the article is well written it is horribly flawed.  He starts off well by accurately cataloging the complete failure that has been the Beshear administration.
Beshear has failed miserably at his only significant campaign promise — to bring expanded gambling to Kentucky. He has made drastic budget cuts that mainstream media would have assailed as heartless and mean-spirited if done by a Republican.

His hand-picked lieutenant governor, Dan Mongiardo, apparently hates him. His hand-picked choice to succeed Mongiardo, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, is fleeing from a Louisville legacy of corruption (Metro Housing), failure (library tax), incompetence (storm debris) and arrogance of power (Cordish and the Downtown Development Corp.).

Beshear's throwback administration has settled into the sort of petty Democratic patronage, partisanship and good old boy politics that produced this state's pervasive mediocrity, over which he seems content to passively preside. He has articulated no animating reason for seeking re-election, nor any vision — much less an inspiring one — for Kentucky's future.
But then he goes off track by claiming the GOP is DOA because of thier resistance to gambling.
The gambling issue exposes a fundamental fault line between libertarians and social conservatives that bedevils the Republican coalition from time to time. By denying gambling bills a fair hearing, Williams has put several GOP legislators in difficult political positions and opened the door for Beshear — in a rare display of political dexterity — to pick off others by appointing them to plum, pension-enhancing posts.

Republicans will have a hard time getting back to topics on which they can make political hay until they put gambling behind them — preferably by letting the public vote on a constitutional amendment
The problem with this argument is that it is entirely Louisville centric. It doesn't take into account the rural parts of the state. While several GOP legislators in Louisville might be in a difficult position because of Sen Williams stand on gambling, their are a lot more rural Democratic senators that are being put in the same bind by Beshear's hard core gambling stance. I know there has been a lot of fanfare over Sen Webb's victory in the special election. But one of the reasons she won was because she came out AGAINST expanded gambling. Let me repeat that. She came out AGAINST expanded gambling.

Dyche then goes on to disparrage many of the potential challengers to Beshear.
Former National Republican Chairman Mike Duncan would be a good governor, but will face flak for his service on erstwhile Gov. Ernie Fletcher's ill-starred transition if he tries for it.
You have got to be kidding me? He is going to get flak for being on Fletcher's transition team? Are you telling me that Democrats are going to make that the centerpiece of their attack on Mike Duncan? I find that highly doubtful.
Richie Farmer is popular, but nowhere near ready for political prime time.
First off, how does he know Farmer is not ready for political prime time. Secondly, did that stop Beshear from getting elected? How about Patton or Wilkinson? This is just a ridiculous argument.
Williams has high, though not necessarily insurmountable, negatives, but is hemorrhaging goodwill with urban Republicans and independents upset over his intransigence on gambling.
Again we get the Louisville centric argument. Last time I checked Kentucky only has 1/3 of the state which I would consider urban. While he might be leaking goodwill in Louisville, he is probably gaining it back in the rest of Kentucky. I think Sen Williams may have problems running for Governor, but I don't think gambling is one of them. Personally, I find the negativity throughout the article rather unnecessary.

Kentucky is a conservative state. Kentucky is slowly becoming a Republican state. The disconnect between the state Democratic party and the national Democratic party will continue to erode the Democrat's hold on this state. All Republicans have to do is put forth a candidate who can articulate the conservative principles and highlight the complete debacle that the Beshear administration has been and I like the Republican's chances in 2011.

Posted by brians at 3:01 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Sunday, 4 October 2009

Michael Moore - Hypocrite Extroardinare

As you might already know, Michael Moore has a new movie called "Capitalism: A Love Story". I haven't seen the movie, but I have read that is a massive propaganda piece about how evil capitalism is. Asked about the hypocrisy of making a movie disparaging capitalism while amassing a fortune of over $50 milllion dollars Moore claims that capitalism has done nothing for him.
CNSNews.com then asked Moore: “Critics would say he’s [Moore] been very successful under a capitalist system. How would you justify making a movie where you paint capitalism as evil?”

Moore said: “Well, capitalism did nothing for me, starting with my first film.”

“You know, I had to pretty much beg, borrow and steal,” he said. “The system is not set up to help somebody from the working class make a movie like this and get the truth out there.”

“In fact, in Fahrenheit 9/11 if you remember, capitalism, the Disney Corporation, tried to kill that film--tried to make it so that people couldn’t see it,” said Moore. “My book Stupid White Men--Harper Collins tried to kill that book so that people couldn’t see it. It's
only because I put the light of day on it and told people what was going on did people get the chance to see these things.”
The rank hypocrisy of this statement is incredible. Capitalism did nothing for him? Let's see he was able to create a product that people wanted to watch. He then sold it to those people and made $50 million dollars. That is the definition of capitalism!!!! The whole point of capitalism is to create an environment (free market) where you can sell your labor. If what you provide is valuable you will get paid for your work. If it doesn't have any value then you aren't paid. Thus it is a system that promotes productive use of labor and resources.

I find it  laughable when he complains how the system is not set up to help somebody from the working class. Yet somehow he managed to do it. If he can do it why can't others? It makes me laugh when poltroons like Moore complain that success in capitalism isn't easy. Success is NEVER easy regardless of the system.  Anyone that promises something for nothing is selling a lie. Which is why socialism is such a sick disease. It corrupts people into thinking they can get something for nothing. The only thing you get for nothing is abject poverty and slavery.

The only thing I can come up with is he doesn't understand the idea of capitalism. I noticed that most of his complaints are surrounded around large corporations. Maybe he is just anti-large company. There is a big difference between large companies and capitalism. While a capitalistic environment can lead the creation of large corporate entities, it is NOT capitalism. Regardless his screed against large companies fails due to his own success story. If it is impossible to succeed with these large companies about, then how did you do it Mr. Moore?

Posted by brians at 9:05 AM in Political Issues
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Saturday, 3 October 2009

Horse Racing And Gambling

Remember the shrill cries from the horse racing industry on how they feared the death of their industry if we didn't pass gambling? In fact Ellis Park was going to shut down without it. Fast forward a couple of months and miracle of miracles Ellis Park is going to remain open.

Ellis Park owner Ron Geary said Tuesday that he plans to have racing at the Henderson track next year, but he hasn’t decided how many days to race.

“We’re going to fill out an application and then it’s in the hands of the (Kentucky Horse Racing) Commission,” he said after a special commission meeting.

Geary said he couldn’t say yet how many dates he would seek because “we still have some more meetings and some more bases to touch.”....

....Earlier this year Geary had said Ellis would close after this summer's meet if the legislature didn't approve video lottery terminals at tracks, citing competition from tracks that use expanded gambling to supplement purses.

Geary later softened that stance, leaving open the possibility of racing in 2010, after having better-than-expected results for a reduced summer
meet – although he said he still lost money.

It is amazing! Give me a break. He never intended to close the race track. He just wanted leverage to help pass expanded gambling. Instead of looking for some magical elixir he should make adjustments to his business model. He reduced the summer meet and more people showed up. Imagine that? All this tells me is that he had over saturated the market and just needed to pull back some to get good attendance.

Oh yeah, all this business about him losing money is nonsense. If he were truly "losing" money then he wouldn't keep the track open out of the goodness of his heart. He didn't accumulate all of his wealth by being stupid. He wasn't the only track complaining. Churchill Downs was just as whiny about their attendance. You know how they solved the problem. Put in lights and started racing at night
The track said Monday that it will take bids to buy permanent lights — after using temporary lighting to draw nearly 90,000 race fans over three nights this year, two in June and July 2. The final crowd of 33,481 was the largest in the track’s modern history outside of a Kentucky Derby or Oaks day or the Breeders’ Cup.
Now they are looking to make them permanent. Is the turnout a surprise? People can't get off during the day to go to the track. But they are available at night. Guess what? Churchill Downs opened at night and people turned out in record numbers. Amazing what a good business move that doesn't rely on fabled magic potions can do to the bottom line. This is what competition in a free market does. It causes people to adjust their strategies. All gambling would have done was bought them some time and allowed them continue operating under old business models. But like anything else, the short term government bonanza would not have helped the horse industry as much as having to compete in the free market. Now they can adjust to the consumers needs and wants instead of being bailed out by the government. (We see how well that model has worked in Michigan)

But the horse industry wasn't the only group whining. Beshear was whining as well. He claimed we had to have the revenue associated with gambling.  Well it turns out that the revenue might not be as solid as previously supposed. States across the U.S. are seeing a huge drop in revenue from legalized gambling. The down turn in the economy and a saturation of the gambling market can have that effect. The story just illustrates the fact that gambling would not have "saved" government after all.

The bottom line is we shouldn't look to magic bullets to solve all that ails our state. We need to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work necessary to survive this downturn in the economy. If we do that then we will find ourselves well placed for next era of growth.

Posted by brians at 12:46 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Friday, 2 October 2009

Lesson From Failed Chicago Bid For Olymipcs

I am laughing today about the Olympic debacle. I am not laughing because Chicago lost the Olympics. I think it sucks that Chicago lost the bid for the 2016 games. I always want the U.S. to succeed on the international stage. Besides it would have been cool to have another Olympics so close to home. But with that said, I think we need to learn the lesson from this disaster.

When I learned that Obama was heading to Copenhagen to pimp the U.S. for the Olympics, I didn't have a problem with him marketing the U.S., but I thought it was a stupid idea to make a personal appeal to the IOC. Why is the leader of the free world wasting his time for the Olympics? What will it say if he fails? Why waste the political capital on the vote of a corrupt Olympic committee?

But he decided to go. The star struck media thought that Chicago couldn't lose with Obama on their side. They figured the star power of Obama would generate overwhelming support for the U.S in the IOC.  They glowed at Obama and his wife's appeal.
After flying through the night for seven hours aboard Air Force One, nobody would blame President Obama for being at least slightly groggy when he arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a quick four hours to make the final pitch for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics.

Maybe that explains why the president seemed to snag the silver medal while first lady Michelle Obama, who's been in Copenhagen a couple of days, clearly took the gold with an emotional speech focused on her family's roots in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and her late father's battle with multiple sclerosis.
And then the impossible happened.
Chicago is out — in one of the most shocking defeats ever handed down by the International Olympic Committee. President Barack Obama’s appeals for his adopted home town fell on deaf ears Friday.
The U.S. was eliminated in the FIRST ROUND. It was no accident we were eliminated in the first round. It was a chance for people that hate us to stick their thumb in our eyes. What I am laughing about today is the shock displayed by the Mainstream Media. They were flabergasted that Obama's appeal would fail so horribly. I find the whole thing hysterical.

It is about time that these idiots in the media and this administration finally have their eyes opened. The world leaders hate the U.S. They envy our strength and power. They will never love us. No amount of sweet talking and groveling before these people will change that fact. That is the lesson we must take from this debacle. And we must take it to heart!

The only thing leaders around the world care for is to see the U.S. fail. Therefore, we should not try to sweet talk the world. We shouldn't apologize for being Americans. We shouldn't try to play second fiddle on the world stage. In fact. we should be unapologetic about our principles and stand up for them whenever we get the chance. We should stand up for freedom and liberty around the world and not give a damn what the rest of the world thinks.  The world is always going to be jealous of the U.S. so we might as well continue be the shining city on the hill. We must always stand for our founding principles instead of cowering  and wringing our hands about world opinion polls.

Hopefully, Obama learned that lesson today. Otherwise the foreign policy of this presidency will continue to be a failure.

Posted by brians at 1:04 PM in National Politics
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Battle Over KY Electricity Prices Begin

The left and those in the environment would like nothing less than to shut down coal mining in Kentucky. They see it as an evil that is "destroying" the planet. Now that they have allies in the White House look for them to start putting the screws to the coal industry.

The battle has engaged as the Obama administration begins a two prong assault. The first step is to up the regulatory scrutiny on the industry. A move that will make it much more difficult for the coal companies to be "compliant".
Earlier this month, the EPA announced plans to give 79 permit applications in four states additional scrutiny. The agency said it wants to make certain the proposed mines won't cause water pollution and violate the Clean Water Act. An initial review concluded all 79 probably would affect water quality and require additional study, the EPA said....

...The EPA said it expects to submit a final list of which permits among the 79 will undergo additional scrutiny in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, which actually issues clean water permits for surface mines.

The goal is to stall or shut down the expansion of coal mining in the Appalachia. The second prong in the attack is the commission of a new "study" on the ill effects of mining on Appalachia.

The Obama administration is planning a new scientific study of how surface coal mines affect the environment in Appalachia.

The study is supposed to examine the loss of streams, water quality and the effect of mining on aquatic life, according to a regulatory notice filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Surface coal mines may be degrading water quality and harming aquatic life, according to the notice published Friday in the Federal Register.

The goal of this study is simple. They want to inflate the damage caused by strip mining in order to scare people into opposing the practice. Make no mistake, the have a single purpose with these new actions. They want to begin the process for shutting down strip mining in Kentucky. While these people are trying to save the world, the impact on Kentucky will be horrific.
  1. Limiting the mining of coal will reduce the available supply. Simple economics tell us that such a reduction in supply will drive up the costs for the good. What will that do to Kentucky? It will cause a dramatic rise in the cost of electricity. 90+% of our electricity in this state is generated from coal. By raising the price of coal the cost of electricity will skyrocket. Such a proposition would have a cascading affect across Kentucky's landscape. Not only would personal electricity costs go up, but the cost of goods generated in the state will go up with them. In addition, it will erase one of the few competitive advantages Kentucky enjoys over surrounding states. The net effect would be a serious blow the economic well being in Kentucky.
  2. Many people in the eastern portions of Kentucky make their livelihood off the mining of coal. Putting these companies out of business will make a depressed area of the state sink to even lower levels. It would put a huge strain on our state resources that are meant to help the people from these poor areas.
  3. Elk have been re-introduced into Kentucky in large part because of the existence of strip mines in eastern Kentucky. Shutting down strip minning in Kentucky will limit the areas where our flourishing elk herd can live.
People need to understand the negative consequences of shutting down our primary energy source. I have been on an active strip mine and they are not the foul places that the environmentalists like to imagine. They are a very sensible way to extract energy from the mountains while limiting the destruction.  They also employ thousands of people who would otherwise be unemployed. They allow Kentucky to have some of the lowest electricity prices in the country. These factors need to be weighed before we move to shut them down.

Posted by brians at 12:46 PM in Kentucky Politics
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Thursday, 1 October 2009

Financial Numbers From Recent State Senate Race

For those eager to see control in the senate switch back to Democratic hands, you are going to have to wait a lot longer. I will be the first to admit that I was surprised that Webb beat Ditty in the special election last month. I knew Webb had a better machine in place, but I thought all of the intangibles pointed towards Ditty.

Now the financial numbers have come in on the special election and I doubt it will make the Democrats happy about their prospects.
Webb and the Democrats spent a total of $524,111 on the race and Ditty and Republicans spent $327,776, for a total of $851,887. Additionally, two political action committees that aren't required to report their activity until next year are expected to report that they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the race.
Webb had name recognition, a better organization in place, and outspent Ditty by at least by at least 60% (I am sure the majority of the PAC money went to Webb). Yet she was only able to win the race by a few hundred votes. After seeing the financial reports from this race I am surprised Ditty kept it as close as he did.

How are the Democrats going to pick up any seats during next year's election? They are not going to have the name recognition nor the money that Webb had for this seat. How are they going to beat any incumbent Republican without the advantages Webb enjoyed? As such, I find in very hard to believe the Democrats will regain control of the senate next year. It seems much more likely that Republicans would extend their control of the senate rather than lose seats.

Posted by brians at 2:46 PM in Kentucky Politics
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