KFTC Blog

Now's the time for a budget that works! Say so on Kentucky Tonight!

Jessica Hays — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:26:01 -0500

Monday's Kentucky Tonight Show with Bill Goodman will focus on the state's dire budget situation. Rep. Wayne, the sponsor of our Kentucky Forward bill, will be on the show to offer solutions that are fair, sustainable, and that put a good dent in the budget deficit. He and someone from Kentucky Youth Advocates will be joining Rep. Bill Farmer and someone from the anti-government Club for Growth.

Make sure to email in your support of the Kentucky Forward Bill at kytonight@ket.org!

By balancing out the impact of our income taxes, rolling back the tax breaks to the super-wealthy, and taxing luxury services like limo rides and chartered flights, we can generate much needed funding for after-school programs, mental health resources, and Meals on Wheels--all while offering a tax cut to Kentucky's working- and middle-class families who are trying to make ends meet.

Busy at Monday night at 8:00? No problem! You can use this link to email a message in right now that can be used on the air.

Election Day Tomorrow (Tuesday)

Dave Newton — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:29 -0500

There are no elections scheduled in Kentucky tomorrow, but there will be elections in other states all across the US. We're encouraging KFTC members who now live in other parts of the state to learn about their local candidates and go vote - and we're encouraging all of you to call your out-of-state friends and ask them to do the same.

Building Democracy is key to the changes we want to see in the world - and every voter brings us a little closer to that.

Here is a rundown of some of the local races in other states across the US. It is not an attempt at a complete list:

Virginia
(polls open 6am-7pm)
- Governor
- Lt. Governor
- Attorney General
- ALL 100 VA House of Delegates
- Plus several smaller, local races throughout the state
Virginia State Board of Elections - www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/
1-800-552-9745

Maryland
(polls open 7am-8pm)
- Numerous mayoral and city council races throughout the state.
Maryland State Board of Elections
www.elections.state.md.us
1-800-222-8683

Ohio
Ballot issue allowing Casinos to be built in 4 cities, as well as other ballott issues
Ohio state board of elections
www.sos.state.oh.us

Maine
Anti-Gay Marriage Initiative

Washington
Pro-Gay Marriage Referendum, and other local elections
www.secstate.wa.gov/elections

New York
23rd Congressional District race
www.elections.state.ny.us

New Jersey
- Governor
- State Assembly
www.njelections.org

California
- 10th Congressional District
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/

New building on UK campus to be named the "wildcat coal lodge"

Ondine Quinn — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:26:05 -0500

Joseph W. Craft III, the president of Alliance Coal, and others donated $7 million to be given over a 10-year period for the construction of the new residence hall. The only three board members who dissented were faculty representative Ernie Yanarella, staff representative Robynn Pease and Student Government President Ryan Smith.

Students' and KFTC members Danny Cotton and Jordan Panning prepared a statement to be read to the board, but it was never read.

"What struck me was that, as students, we couldn't even get most of the board to read or hear a simple, half-page statement about how this name violates UK's standards for naming buildings. And that, when looking at the board's votes, the three who voted against this are three people tasked with representing students, faculty and staff" Cotton said.

It gets even more ridiculous. The new lodge will be a LEED certified building. LEED Certification stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Certification assures that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable, and a healthy place to work.

Martin Mudd, a graduate student and also a KFTC member attended the board meeting as well.

"Naming a new LEED-certified campus building the "Wildcat Coal Lounge" is a bad move for this university. It is an egregious case of industrial product placement in a public institution. It is an insult to Kentucky basketball fans who remember Joe B. Hall as a great coach worthy of remembering. It is a step backward for a university whose goal is to move forward to Top 20 status. Finally this decision ignores the industry's history of exploitation that has enriched coal corporations and corrupt politicians and impoverished Appalachia's communities and devastated its ecosystems. This decision is unacceptable, but sadly it is just business as usual in Kentucky. We must raise our voices in opposition."

“UK shouldn't name buildings after corporations, much less entire industries and lobbying groups. The way I look at it is we have the W.T. Young Library, I’m okay with that, but we don’t have the Peanut Butter Library. We have Blazer Hall, but we don’t have Ashland Oil Hall” Cotton said.

The UK KFTC student group is looking into some next steps, including investigating whether the naming procedure violated UK's own administrative regulations.

In the meantime, let the board know what you think about this decision! You can find all of their contact information on the board of trustees website at http://www.uky.edu/Trustees/members.htm

KFTC Logo Mosaic

Dave Newton — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:06:49 -0400

Mosaic from 400 random KFTC images on Flickr.

Click to see a Larger or Much Larger version of the mosaic to see the individual images.

Help say "Not Convenient, Not Necessary"

Carissa Lenfert — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:50 -0400

Help say “Not Convenient, Not Necessary” to more dirty coal-burning power plants!

KFTC members are leading a campaign to stop a proposed coal-burning power plant from being built by East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC). The plant would cost almost a billion dollars to build, further pollute Kentucky's air and water, and leave us even more dependent on a dirty, dying and increasingly expensive fossil fuel.

KFTC members believe that the right direction for EKPC is to invest in energy efficiency and renewal energy and cancel plans to build the new coal-burning power plant. In fact, we have a study to prove that more jobs would be created and all energy needs met is this money were invested in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Click here to read the report.

As part of our efforts, KFTC, the Sierra Club and the Kentucky Environmental Foundation filed a formal petition this week asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to revoke EKPC’s approval for the proposed plant.

EKPC must receive a “Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” from the Kentucky PSC to build its proposed plant. EKPC applied for and received the certificate for the proposed plant 2 ½ years ago. However, costs, electricity demand, technology and EKPC’s financial stability have since changed significantly, undercutting EKPC’s arguments that it still needs the plant.

KFTC members are opposed to the new coal burner for many reasons. We are calling on the PSC to revoke the “certificate of need” for two key reasons.

1.) NOT CONVENIENT: The price of coal-generated electricity has gone up dramatically. The price of other sources of electricity, including renewable and energy efficiency, make it clear that this plant is the wrong choice from the point of view of keeping bills affordable for co-op customers.

2.) NOT NECESSARY: Energy demand is down making this coal plant unnecessary. Demand for energy has decreased dramatically over the past year and will likely be significantly lower than EKPC’s forecasts for the future. This coal plant is not needed.

Take “Not Convenient, Not Necessary” Action!

1.) Send an email to Attorney General Conway and ask him to join and support our petition. The Attorney General frequently weighs in on utility cases before the PSC on behalf of ratepayers. Because this new coal plant is not the least-cost option the Attorney General should help protect co-op customers in this case by supporting our petition. Contact Conway and ask him to “join and support" our petition to revoke EKPCs certificate for the power plant.

Or call: 502-696-5300

2.) Help spread the word. Help spread the word about this campaign and put more pressure on the PSC to do the right thing and stop this coal plant. Share this blog post on Facebook. And after you send an email to Conway, forward the action on to five of your friends.

Thanks for taking action and making a difference!

KFTC members call on PSC to stop unneccesary coal-burning power plant

Carissa Lenfert — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:54:37 -0400

KFTC members took action today to stop a proposed coal-burning power plant in Central Kentucky along the Kentucky River. KFTC, along with our friends at the Sierra Club and Kentucky Environmental Foundation, filed a formal petition asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to revoke East Kentucky Power Cooperative's approval for a proposed "Smith" coal-burning plant in Clark County.

Our petition to the PSC contends that the proposed Smith plant is an unnecessary and unreasonable risk to ratepayers and asked that the EKPC's "Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity" be revoked. We are encouraging EKPC to shift to cleaner, more affordable energy solutions.

"This petition to the PSC is a legal strategy that is part of a much broader strategy to persuade EKPC to do something good for the 500,000 co-op customers and the rest of us in Kentucky," said Madison County KFTC member Steve Boyce during a media tele-conference this morning. "We are working hard to point out the opportunities and the need for EKPC to make a transition to cleaner, less expensive forms of energy. Those half million customers need to be able to rely on EKPC and the Kentucky Public Service Commission to look out for their best interests.”

EKPC's cost of power to members increased by 70% from 2002 to 2008, according to figures in its 2008 annual report. The cost of building the Smith plant has increased 44% since EKPC received its certificate in 2006. Building the pricey Smith plant will saddle the utility and its ratepayers with nearly one billion dollars more in debt. This is a path that rural electric cooperative customers cannot afford to go down, especially when less costly strategies exist.

In addition, EKPC's claim for needing the new plant is based on highly inflated energy demand projections. Four years later, EKPC has revised their own estimates for the next 20 years down by nearly 12%. This is almost as much energy as the Smith plant would produce.

"The substance of our complaint is that, as things presently stand, nobody can be fully assured that this project makes sense," said Kentucky author and Shelby Energy co-op customer Wendell Berry who joined the petition as a named plaintiff. "Certificates such as this one have become too much a matter of routine. Inertia at this time is indefensible," he added.

Father John Rausch, a Clark Energy customer and Glenmary priest who lives 10 miles away from the proposed site, also joined the petition as a plaintiff. “I must remind EKPC of its purpose. Corporations make profits for their shareholders. Cooperatives serve the interests of their members.”

Relevant Studies:

A 2009 report that shows how EKPC could invest in green energy and weatherization instead of the proposed Smith plant and create nearly 9,000 jobs across the state. Click here to read the report.
Another 2009 report, "The Right Decision for Changing Times: How EKPC ratepayers benefit from canceling plans for a new coal burning power plant in Clark County" by TR Rose Associates, gives a detailed picture of the savings that EKPC could reach if they abandoned plans to build Smith. Read the report by clicking here.

Stay tuned for more information about the status of our petition and how you can get involved to help stop the proposed coal plant!

Blasting begins on Coal River Mountain

jerry — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0400

"The day we have fought for years has arrived – Massey Energy has begun blasting Coal River Mountain, and we and local residents are calling on our allies across the nation and world to demand an end to the destruction. Massey is blasting the containing ridge of a slurry impoundment that holds 8.2 billion gallons of toxic sludge, with underground mine works running beneath it. If the dam fails, an estimated 998 people could be killed.

"Blasting also destroys the mountain's wind potential. According to a 2006 study, the Coal River Mountain could be home to the east coast's largest wind farm if Massey Energy doesn't destroy the mountain. Our Coal River Wind campaign to build this wind farm has powerful community support, but the current blasting threatens to destroy the possibility – and our hopes for a sustainable future.

Take Action!
We are raising our voices to defend our mountain, but we need your help! Please call U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and/or fax and call President Barack Obama. Urge them to direct their agencies and use their influence on West Virginia politicians to save Coal River Mountain, protect the surrounding communities from imminent danger, and preserve some of our country's most valuable renewable energy resources! Faxes are recommended, since they physically flood the offices and ensure the officials receive the exact wording of your comments."

Lisa Jackson: CALL 202-564-4700

President Obama: FAX: 202-456-2461, CALL: 202-456-1414

MORE INFORMATION

Coal Tattoo blog
Delivering a message to Gov. Joe Manchin video by coalstories
Mountaintop Removal Begins on Coal River Mountain -- Help Needed Now
Urgent Action Need: We Face a National Security Threat on Coal River Mountain
Battle at Coal River Mountain Explodes: Green Jobs Vs. Big Coal Showdown

Thank you!
-- Coal River Mountain Watch

Millions in KY Energy Efficiency Grants Available

Nancy Reinhart — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:55:01 -0400

Kentucky's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) competition, funded with out $6.25 million, will accept applications starting November 10th. Local governments (cities and counties) can submit projects for consideration that accomplish one or more of the following goals:

reduce fossil fuel emissions
reduce total energy use
improve energy efficiency in the transportation, building, and other appropriate sectors
Create jobs

Only local government (cities and counties) that did not receive direct EECBG funding earlier this year are eligible to apply. You can find the list of local governments that are NOT eligible to compete for this money by clicking here.

Applications will be accepted beginning November 10 and ending December 18, 2009. Applications and instructions will be available November 2 at www.dlg.ky.gov/downloads under “State Grants.”

The state is hosting the following informational workshops about the process:

November 3, 10:30 a.m.

Hopkinsville – Pennyrile ADD - 300 Hammond Drive

November 4, 1:00 p.m.

Frankfort – DLG Offices – 1024 Capital Center Drive

November 5, 1:00 p.m.

Prestonsburg – Big Sandy ADD – 110 Resource Court

The money to fund this competition comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the federal stimulus package. If your community has an energy efficiency or renewable energy project idea that will accomplish one or more of these goals, apply! Saving energy moves our communities towards being more healthy, clean and sustainable.

Former Felon Voices – Tayna Fogle, Lexington and Northern KY

Dave Newton — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:14:36 -0400

In an attempt to share more of the stories from former felons across the Commonwealth, we’re presenting a series of short interviews every few weeks on our blog and in Balancing The Scales.

Tayna Fogle is a mother of 2, grandmother of 6, former UK Lady Kat, powerful leader in her community, former felon, and one of KFTC’s most powerful spokespeople on the issue of restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

“I live in Northern KY now,” says Tayna, “But I was born in Lexington and lived there almost my entire life and I feel very connected to that community.”

“I’ve done some things I’m not too proud of in my life. I’ve written cold checks, I’ve done drugs. What’s worse is that my family – my mom, grandmother, and my kids - had to witness all of that.”

“I lost my mom and I lost my grandmother in the last few years. The beauty is that they were able to witness the change in me – from all of the bad choices I made when I was younger to the woman I am today.”

“I give back to my community now, talking to organizations in Lexington and across the state, talking to kids to make sure they don’t make the same kinds of mistakes I did.”

“What motivates me is that there are so many in Kentucky who have lost hope in themselves and their communities. They’ve lost their voice and don’t remember how to use it. God has helped me – and helped me to help others.”

“There’s no place I wouldn’t go to give back to my community – to give what was freely given to me – the opportunity to change.”

Importance of Voting

“I remember when I found out I couldn’t vote was just devastating.”

“In September 2006, I jumped through all the hoops. I paid the poll tax, wrote my essay, and got all of my character references. I walked that application into the Governor’s office personally to get my rights back – and it worked. It took several tries and a lot of time, but it worked/”

“Most people aren’t that persistent, but I am. Frankly, I don’t think you should need to be determined as I was to be able to get your voting rights back – an in any outher US state but Virginia, you wouldn’t have to be.”

“I never have figured out what committing a crime has to do with being able to vote. We have to pay for that same crime twice – but with a life sentence. “

“Voting matters to me. It’s not all about Obama and McCain, either. I also want to be able to vote in the school board for my grandchildren’s education – and on the local ownership of water issue (from a few years ago in Lexington) so I can make sure my family has clean water to drink. This is pretty basic stuff.”

“It gives former felons a sense of ownership In their communities. They’ll be stakeholders. We’re smart and we’ve got good ideas. We don’t go back to prison if we’ve got somewhere better to be. Once we have a glimpse of hope, we go for it.”

Faith

“I’m a very religious Christian and I think that if people honestly practiced their faiths – Christianity and other major world religions - we’d be in a different place on this issue.”

“Forgiveness, loving your neighbor, compassion - If we truly believed all of that, then we wouldn’t have to have this discussion about whether former felons can vote or not.”

“We have all of these legislators who are prominent in their churches who somehow can’t make the connection.”

“God is always watching – and we’d better make this right.”

Generational Curse

“I don’t want my kids or anyone else’s kids to go down the road I went down. Our children need the right to experience joy and happiness. I take my grandchildren with me when I talk about voting rights because they need to learn about this stuff.”

“My son Michael didn’t see a lot of voting growing up as my son – and didn’t see a lot of voting in the rest of the neighborhood either.”

“In 2008, he registered to vote at the KFTC table. I think he saw how important getting involved in the community has been for me and how big a difference it’s made in my life and he thought he’d give it a try.”

“When he went to that voting booth last year, I recorded his every movement with my camera as he was voted for the first time.

“I had tears in my eyes and I was so proud for him. I got to pin his “I Voted” sticker on him.”

“So many of my son’s peers seem to be so jaded about democracy – but to see so many of them get excited about it last year, was so fulfilling.”

“My son Michael even wrote a rap song about voting a few months later and performed it in Georgetown College.”

Organizing

“If I didn’t have powerful people around me like KFTC, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do today. KFTC members told me that I could make a difference and I started to believe them. Once I finally got that down in my soul, there was no turning back. It helps keep me going.”

“I get to go all around the state and talk to organizations, and classes, and legislators, and former felons about this issue. I’ve met so many great people over the last few years doing this work and so many of them want to get involved in this work too.

“Most people aren’t as outgoing as I am, but so many folks help out behind the scenes, sending emails to their legislators, talking to their neighbors, and making phone calls.”

“I get to witness people getting their rights back and making their lives better. There’s nothing better than that.”

“It’s contagious.”

If you’re a former felon or a family member of a former felon and would like to be interviewed and tell your story here, contact Dave Newton, KFTC’s Voter Empowerment Organizer at (859) 420-8919 or Dave@kftc.org

Today is the last day to submit comments about NWP 21

Erik Hungerbuhler — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:13:25 -0400

Today, Monday, is the last day to submit comments about the Army Corps' proposal to abolish NWP 21. If you haven't already, please take a moment to submit comments in support this proposal.

Learn more about NWP 21

Get to Know an Ally – People Advocating Recovery

Dave Newton — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:59:09 -0400

We’re hoping to take some space in the blog and balancing the scales to recognize different ally organizations from across the state so that our members can get to know them better. This is the first installment.

People Advocating Recovery (PAR) is a statewide grassroots recovery advocacy organization, helping people to overcome drug addiction by empowering them.

PAR brings together thousands of individuals and organizations from across the Kentucky to advocate for policies and attitudes that will make recovery a reality for more people, putting a special emphasis on giving a voice to those in recovery (along with family, friends, and allied organizations) in order to reduce stigma and discrimination against people with the disease of addiction.

PAR believes that those most affected by alcohol and other drug problems have been absent from the public policy debate for too long. The goal of our their work is to promote long-term recovery and help even more of our friends and neighbors overcome addiction by building a strong, organized recovery community.

The stigma and discrimination associated with addiction often prevent those in long-term recovery from fully participating in society, which can lead to relapse.

Because so many people in drug recovery have felony convictions in their background, PAR has become a key ally in our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

“PAR has done a great job of always bringing KFTC out to their events to talk about voting rights,” says KFTC member Joe Gallenstein. “It’s been a great opportunity.”

PAR has been especially powerful in mobilizing people to come to Frankfort to be a part of our rallies and speak-outs to restore voting rights. Recently, they coordinated a series of recovery rallies all over the state to celebrate and raise awareness of long-term recovery.

We’re also excited to announce that PAR won the KFTC Ally of the Year Award at our Annual Meeting last month. Congratulations and thanks to PAR for all that they do.

Testimony from the Voting Rights Interim Hearing

Dave Newton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:22:14 -0400

A few weeks ago, we had a chance to testify in front of the Interim Joint Committee on State and Local Government about our Voting Rights bill (HB 70).

Most of the Senators in the committee did not attend that hearing, so we made this video to give them a chance to hear the testimony anyway.

Speakers (in order of speaking)
- Representative Jesse Crenshaw
- Rauol Cunningham of the NAACP
- Pat Delahanty of the Catholic Conference
- Ed Monahan, Public Advocate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky
- Teena Halbig, Leage of Women Voters

Tim Wise - Racism in the Age of Obama

Dave Newton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:04:31 -0400

Tim Wise, a renowned anti-racism speaker visited Kentucky again yesterday, his first return to speak at UK since KFTC helped bring him here in 2003.

Wise recently wrote a book called "Between Barack and a Hard Place," which is a discussion of racism and white denial in the age of Obama.

"Individual accomplishment does not tell us a great deal about larger social systems," said Wise.

"Because some people are able to overcome oppression is not a rebuttal to the truth that institutionalized racism exists... Nor is it an excuse from the moral obligation to fight it.
- Tim Wise

Towards the end of the event, KFTC member Danny Cotton asked Wise about the issue of felony disenfranchisement - something that takes away voting rights from 186,000 Kentuckians.

"Some people are understandably disillusioned with voting and political participation - but I don't think they'd work so hard to disenfranchise so many voters if voting didn't matter," said Wise.

Four KFTC members worked to pass out a simple half-sheet to nearly all of the 300 people who attended the event, with information about our voting rights campaign and information about how to take action on it.

Our thanks to the Martin Luther King Cultural Center, Student Activities Board, and other groups who helped bring Tim with to Kentucky again.

A Brief Kentucky Voting Rights History

Dave Newton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:44:35 -0400

Kentucky has had four Constitutions and otherwise a long history of shifting voter enfranchisement laws over our 217-year history - and the history of voter enfranchisement isn’t over yet.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky used to be Kentucky County, Virginia and we inherited a lot of the Virginia Constitution when we established our statehood and first constitution in 1792.

- In the first KY Constitution, our voting rights laws were progressive by the standards of the time. Free men 21 or older could vote, with no stipulation that voters had to own land or other property. To vote, you also had to have lived two years within the country and one within the state.

- Kentucky’s second constitution, adopted in 1799, took a sizable step back, disenfranchising free “negroes, mulattos and Indians.” The new constitution also limited voting to citizens, excluding resident aliens.

- In 1838, Kentucky became one of the first states that allow women to vote in school board elections – nearly 80 years before women won the universal right to vote across the US.

- Kentucky’s third constitution was adopted in 1850, with few substantial changes to voting rights. Instead of taking away votes from specific racial minorities, it specified being “white” is a prerequisite for voting.

- Starting in 1851, Kentucky constitutionally disenfranchised all people convicted of a felony for the rest of their lives. The Kentucky legislature had the power to disenfranchise as punishment prior to this change, but used it rarely.

- In 1869, the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted. African Americans could now vote, at least according to the Constitution.

This also marked the beginnings of Jim Crow laws (1876-1965) used throughout the South to reduce the black vote. Stipulations like grandfather clauses, literacy tests, and poll taxes were thinly veiled and selectively enforced measures to keep African Americans from the polls.

Criminal laws were also re-written throughout the South during this time to impose harsher sentences for those crimes that tended to be committed by blacks than crimes that tended to be committed by whites. Coupled with growing felony disenfranchisement laws, this had a large impact on the electorate.

- In 1888, Kentucky became one of the first states to use an Australian ballot, a system still in use today that allows for voting in private and decreases the chances of voted being bought or of voters being coerced to vote a certain way.

- The fourth and final Kentucky Constitution was adopted in 1891. Though heavily modified since, this in the constitution we use today, 118 years after its ratification. It reduced the residency requirements, making it easier for people to move to Kentucky and participate in the Democracy sooner.

- In 1920, women won the right to vote through the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution.

- The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 declared all non-citizen Indians born within the US to be citizens, giving them the right to vote.

- In 1955, 18-20 year-olds were enfranchised in Kentucky - 16 years before the 26th Amendment granted voting rights to that same age group in other states.

It’s important to remember that at every step in our voting rights history, there were grassroots movements to expand the democracy. None of it happened automatically and there were countless heroes who made it all possible.

The next chapter in Kentucky’s voting rights history is our campaign to restore voting rights to 186,000 people in Kentucky once they’ve completed felony sentences and served their debt to society.

At the moment, Kentucky is one of just two states in the US that disenfranchise all former felons even after they've served their debt to society (unless they seek out and receive a pardon from the Governor), a distinction we share only with our sister-commonwealth of Virginia.

One in four African Americans in Kentucky is presently disenfranchised – an impediment to our democracy every-bit as substantial as poll taxes or literacy tests.

Together, we can make history again and expand our democracy in 2010 – and former felons are leading the way.

Taking money from schools and endangering social workers: call for tax reform grows

Jessica Hays — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:54:20 -0400

Two weeks ago the state papers reported that mines were going unmonitored because the state couldn't afford to send the inspectors needed to the do the work.

Last week, the papers reported that Kentucky has a projected $161 million shortfall, on top of the $1 billion shortfall that we already knew about.

This week, the calls for the need for tax reform are growing louder.

First, there's this good Herald-Leader editorial, "Irresponsibility on Tax Reform." An excerpt:

Both Stumbo and Gov. Steve Beshear argue that taxes shouldn't be increased during this recession. But there is no better time than a recession to pass real tax reform that moves the state away from a tax structure that relies on retail sales and toward a tax structure that captures the growing service sector of the economy.

Then, the move from Speaker Stumbo that inspired the editorial. Speaker Stumbo is contemplating taking money from schools to fill the gaps in the General Fund. Since when is taking money from schoolkids a better option than much needed and long-awaited comprehensive reforms?

Meanwhile, state social service workers are pointing out that the Boni Bill of 2007, which was supposed to make it safer to be a social service worker in Kentucky, has gone unfunded, and is not fulfilling its promise to social workers. You can read more in this Courier-Journal article, "Budget cuts may leave social workers vulnerable to violence."

Taking money from schools? Endangering social workers? Letting mine waste contaminate people's water, without even a nod to monitoring them? You might have other stories. If so, feel free to share them.

There's never been a better time for these much needed tax reforms. The call is out there. Are our elected officials hearing it?