Commentary
Gaming their own law: Will Senate Republicans follow House lead on trail of another income tax cut?
FRANKFORT — Remember when Republican lawmakers —? spurred on by the Chamber of Commerce — put Kentucky on the sober, responsible path to ending the state income tax? We were assured this route would protect Kentucky from becoming another Kansas. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s “pro-growth” tax cuts had put the Sunflower State into an economic […]
Why is McConnell for Trump? It’s business
Are you trying to understand why Mitch McConnell would endorse Donald Trump for president, after blaming Trump for provoking the Jan. 6 insurrection and after Trump insulted him and his wife Elaine Chao, the latter with racist slurs? Go back with me to when McConnell was just starting his climb to the top of Senate […]
Legislature should reject sludge regulations that could harm farmers, damage farmland
On March 11, the Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee will consider a set of revisions to Energy and Environment Cabinet regulations that weaken protections for farmers, farmland and the public from the application of contaminated sludges from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Called “biosolids,” the sludges remaining from city treatment of residential, commercial and industrial wastes contain […]
Rush is on to arm volunteer ‘guardians’ in schools while a bill that could protect kids languishes
According to research gathered by Sandy Hook Promise, “An estimated 4.6 million American children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked. These improperly stored weapons have contributed to school shootings, suicides and the deaths of family members, including infants and toddlers.” Senate Bill 56 — sponsored by Sen. […]
We can’t feed them all: House Bill 367 would overwhelm food banks, hurt hungry Kentuckians
By getting involved with Feeding Kentucky — the organization supporting Kentucky’s seven Feeding America member food banks — you can make a tangible impact in the lives of Kentuckians facing food insecurity.. You can find ways to volunteer, make a monetary donation, or even work with our Farms to Food Banks program to donate Kentucky-grown […]
McConnell gives way to Trump. But will he still endorse him?
When Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday that he would not run again for Senate Republican leader, he tacitly acknowledged that he doesn’t fit well in a party headed by Donald Trump — whose presidency he aided and whose candidacy he has pledged to endorse. “Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular […]
The devils we know
Americans have become accustomed to picking the lesser of two evils when we vote. Political participation these days is as much about keeping the other side out of power as it is about getting our picks into office. Still, many were holding out hope that this year’s contest for Leader of the Free World might […]
Kentucky kids deserve better than being exploited like it’s 1899
When I was 16, I nearly sliced two fingers off my left hand while working at a plastics factory. A tenacious strip of tissue and pins inserted through my fingertips gave me a second chance. I thought of my near amputation last week as the state House passed House Bill 255, which would weaken Kentucky’s […]
Here’s what hurts the most
On Feb. 9, Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Hardin, sent out a press release that began, “It’s an unfortunate time here in the commonwealth as we must address a pressing issue, and that is gun violence …” Yes! I wanted to scream. Finally! But Deneen was not talking about the epidemic of gun violence that ends hundreds […]
What’s driving attacks on books, diversity, even history? Fear of losing control
Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. It’s hard to accept that such lofty principles, known as DEI, are part of some sinister plot to poison minds and destroy this country.? After all, America’s prosperity, along with its status as a beacon of civil liberties, is rooted in its blend of peoples from across the world. Yet, the reality […]
Punishing poverty: Senate should see ‘Safer Kentucky Act’ would really make Kentucky less safe
Cash bail, the practice of requiring legally innocent people to pay money in order to be released pretrial, results in over 9,000 Kentuckians unnecessarily sitting in jail on any given day. It upends the presumption of innocence, creating a two-tiered justice system where a wealthy person, no matter whether they’re a threat to public safety […]
Speak up for loved ones suffering from opioid use
LEXINGTON — Lexington’s Opioid Abatement Commission has been meeting since September 2023. In June they will present their recommendations to Mayor Linda Gorton. Several organizations and businesses have presented. Some have been more focused on opioid use disorder (OUD) than others.? It’s imperative that the Opioid Abatement Commission keeps the purpose of the settlement funds […]