Throw the bum out

Rep. Hal Rogers tries to defend his pork in today's Lexington Herald-Leader:

The Herald-Leader's article about my activity in support of the Eastern Kentucky Rural Information Highway System, commonly known as 511, was highly derogatory.

Because the program's true nature and success were conveniently ignored, it is necessary to set the record straight and offer an accurate picture of the program and its manager, the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association.

The association, formed in 1987, serves 47 counties, covering parts of five of Kentucky's six congressional districts. The phenomenally successful organization provides tremendous resources for expanding and marketing tourism, encouraging economic development and boosting the overall quality of life in southern and Eastern Kentucky.

The association ensures that the 20,000 tourism-related jobs in my region not only exist but also thrive and grow through strategic planning, creative marketing and regional collaboration. Case in point is the 511 tourism information system.

Rogers singles out the Herald-Leader, but does not even mention State Auditor Crit Luallen's report that questioned Hal's awarding of contracts.

Government does not drive the majority of tourism. Private business does. From the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant to the Shaker Village, these attraction thrive without government intervention. I question how many out of state tourists have even heard of the 511 system and I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of Kentuckians do not use the system for traffic related information. 511 has been around for a number of years. Who knows what these numbers Hal cites really mean?

The system is working and paying huge dividends to local economies. To date, 51,000 calls have been received, and 13 million users have logged on to the Web site. In recent surveys, more than 80 percent of users indicated that they were spending additional days in Kentucky because of information received through the system.

As a result, tourism receipts are way up in my region -- from $794 million to more than $1 billion in just a few short years. Now other states are looking at installing their own 511 tourism system.

How dare Hal takes credit for an increase in tourism business. What about the ingenuity of businesspeople in his district? It's doubtful that 511 is directly correlated with the increase in tourism business in E. Ky. Too bad Hal doesn't have a viable opponent in the election tomorrow. It's time to throw this bum out.