An amusing look at the Bullman

Today's Courier-Journal has an interesting profile on long shot Democratic gubernatorial candidate Otis "Bullman" Hensley:

Hensley wears suits to campaign events but needs someone to tie his neckties because, he said, he doesn't know how, and as soon as he can, he changes back to jeans and T-shirts.

He never wears a seat belt -- even though state law requires it -- because they're too constraining. But he does strap in his three teddy bears, Huey, Dewey and Louie, in back of his limousine when he drives with his wife to explore different counties on long Sunday trips.

Hensley takes his nickname from the 12-foot-tall, 3,000-pound model of a bull that he totes to campaign events, along with a slogan, "Control the bull in Frankfort and put people first."

Good Luck, Bullman, you'll need it.

Another session=Another waste of tax dollars

Once again, the Kentucky General Assembly has ended another session and accomplished little. Many bills died because of gridlock between the House and the Senate. Actually, gridlock is good because that means many bad bills will never be enacted into law. However, once again, pansy Gov. Ernie Fletcher is threatening to call a special session. As you may recall, a few years ago there was a constitutional amendment on the ballot that was touted by House Speaker Jody Richards as a way to eliminate special sessions. The amendment called for the implementation of odd year short sessions. In a move that still leaves me scratching my head, Kentucky voters approved this measure. Yet, our ever-wise politicians still can't get their act together and insist on special sessions that cost KY taxpayers $60,000 a day.

Hopefully, when these clowns in the House and Senate are up for re-election Kentuckians will do the right thing. Let's throw the bums out and give some new people a chance. In fact, let's implement a one term limit so we don't have idiots like Jody Richards in office for decades. Let's see if any politician has the guts to put that type of constitutional amendment on the ballot. People should be sick and tired of Kentucky's old, bloated and sometimes senile politicians.

Porkmeister Ernie Fletcher keeps handing out the checks

Gov. Ernie Fletcher seems good at one thing: Handing out checks. Fletcher gave a $100,000 check to Lexington mayor Jim Newberry for funding of the 2007 Bluegrass Games, an annual athletic competition. Fletcher and his staff definitely do not seem to be "idea people." Fletcher's main function as governor seems to be head porkmeister. Too bad Fletcher doesn't pay attention to what Indiana Governor Mitch "The Blade" Daniels how cut wasteful spending in the Hoosier State:

The chief architect of the boom is the state’s decisive Governor Mitch Daniels, President Bush’s former budget director. In Washington, Daniels drew scorn from congressional big spenders, acquiring the nickname “the blade” for his cost-cutting and privatizing ways. (The moniker could just as easily apply to his sharp wit and intellect.) The spenders in Washington, however, won those battles — big time — swallowing the blade and earning today’s enmity from the Republican base. But now Daniels is back home and in charge, and he is engineering a turnaround of an entire state with sophistication.

In the state’s [2006] short legislative session, just completed, Daniels achieved two sweeping victories. The first is the nation’s most aggressive telecommunications deregulation, which will spur hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in invisible infrastructure — the “fibers and frequencies” of the digital age, as Daniels describes it. The second is a $4 billion privatization lease of the Indiana Toll Road and the new I-69 interstate. This will fund the largest-ever upgrade of Indiana’s visible infrastructure: its antique roads and bridges.

Kentucky never has accomplished anything like this during a short legislative session, much less a long session. Let's hope whoever becomes the next Governor of Kentucky can be follow our neighbor's lead.

Representatives of "Cadillac Pension System" want to Bankrupt the Commonwealth

According to the Herald-Leader, tomorrow, representatives from the Kentucky Education Association, Kentucky Association of State Employees, KY AFL-CIO and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees will be holding a press conference to discuss the Legislature's pension overhaul plan.

The usual socialist suspects are scheduled to speak, super teacher Frances Steenbergen and robber baron conspiracy theorist Charles Wells. I expect there will be much whining, moaning and complaining about how terrible state employees are treated and how they need to keep a defined benefit Cadillac pension plan in place, hence effectively bankrupting the state, resulting in a huge tax increase that will fund the state worker minority.

Conservative columnist Jim Waters wrote a fine piece that ran in several state newspapers recently that outlined the coming pension train wreck. (I will link to it if it becomes available online.) Many state employees don't know just how good they have it. Something has to be done to help the Commonwealth avert pension disaster. This new pension system will not even affect retired state employees and employees already in the system. What's the big deal. We'll never get anything solved if we keep listening to the blabbermouth idiots like Steenbergen and Wells, who have nothing but their own groups interests in mind.

Is Larry Dale Keeling's grip on reality loosening?

Currently, the Lexington-Herald Leader's lefty political columnist Larry Dale Keeling's KYKurmudgeon blog is entirely devoted to slamming Sen. David Williams' pension overhaul plan. In his latest entry,Is Williams' grip on legislature loosening, Keeling dismisses the pension overhaul plan as ineffective.

Could Senate President David Williams be losing his stranglehold on the throat of the Kentucky General Assembly?

After a Kentucky Retirement Systems actuary shot down most of Williams' claims about his pension proposal during a video conference with the House State Government Committee this morning, House Democrats seem even more adamant today about letting a blue ribbon task force do its work before the legislature addresses state pension plans unfunded liability problem.

Hello? Mr. Keeling? Did you even consider Sen. Williams' response to the KRS bureaucrat's testimony?

But Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, who sat in the audience during the meeting, said later, “They didn’t ask him if that was in immediate years or out years. We never have said that it did save a lot in immediate years. Where you make your savings are in the out years.”

The savings of a defined contribution system will NOT be immediate. Savings probably won't be realized until all of the people on a defined benefit system are gone, i.e. dead. Mr. Keeling would rather have the General Assembly not take action even though with each delay the cost of Kentucky's broken pension system will increase. I'm starting to wonder if Mr. Keeling is losing his grip on reality.

Old Man Carroll blows another Gasket

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that older than dirt Sen. Julian Carroll is on once again on the rampage. Targeting Lt. Gov. Pence in his latest tirade:

For the second time this legislative session, state Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, railed against Lt. Gov. Steve Pence for his "disloyalty" to Gov. Ernie Fletcher and challenged him to repay taxpayers for his salary and expenses.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Carroll questioned Pence's use of a "new Chevy Tahoe" and communication equipment provided by the state.

"Where is he driving that Tahoe?" Carroll asked. "I want to know whether or not he's using it for political purposes around the state."

Carroll also alleged that Pence is transported by Kentucky State Police in a limousine.

Pence says that Carroll is merely "out of touch."

"Perhaps he forgot that he gave this speech once already," Pence said.

As lieutenant governor, Pence said his loyalties lie with the voters and the state Constitution, not Fletcher.

"I was not indicted. I did not take the 5th. I didn't pardon anybody. I don't have a secret legal defense fund," he said.

Pence has said Fletcher pardoned his administration from any charges related to an investigation of state hiring practices in an effort to cover up actions taken by workers in the governor's office.

Pence said he has driven the same Chevy Tahoe for more than two years. He said he drives himself to events and has no limousine. Pence said he uses a private cell phone and has not made a call from his state-provided Blackberry in several months.

Earlier this month, Old Man Carroll introduced his own state pensions solution. Here's what the State Journal reported:

Carroll says under his compromise, implementation of the new benefit structure could be delayed until 2009. The changes would only affect new hires, and not current state employees or retirees.
"Id like more time to study this myself," Carroll said. "This would give us nearly a year to study what the new provisions should be."
In addition, Carroll proposes that new hybrid benefit system would "sunset" in 2012 and revert to the current system if no legislative action is taken. It would require both chambers of the legislature to work together to perfect the benefit system.

Maybe Old Man Carroll should consider putting in the papers for his own retirement.

My take on the Gubernatorial Candidates

It's times like these that make me ashamed to be in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We've got a bunch of clowns running for headmaster politician. I thought I'd tell you all what I think of these characters.

On the Republican side:

Billy Harper: Seems like a nice guy that has some decent ideas. He needs to get the marbles out of his mouth.

Anne Northup: Commie Liberal masquerading as a Republican. She's beginning to sound like a broken record. Why not talk about some ideas rather than talking about our wonderful Governator Ernie.

Ernie Fletcher: What happened? His whole campaign strategy is basically, "I will roll over and die if anyone tries to criticize me." His TV campaign commercial is terrible. He's not even trying anymore.

Democrat side:

Otis Hensley Jr: When he becomes governor I hope he hires his plastic bull to be his communications director.

Bruce Lunsford: Wealthy businessman wants to bankrupt Kentucky by implementing Universal Health Care.

Jonathan Miller: Also wants to bankrupt Kentucky. He was the brainchild of the ill-conceived KAPT.

Jody Richards: Wimpy wishy washy Jody has no chance of becoming Governor. One of the most least inspiring candidates to run for governor. Will not take a hard-line stance on any important issues. Needs to invest in better hair dye.. hair club for men dye isn't cutting it.

Steve Beshear: A loser with no innovative ideas.

Gatewood Galbraith: Machine gun toting, weed smoking, magic mushroom ingesting candidate has better ideas than the rest of the Democrap field.

Steve Henry: Husband of Miss America believes that his omnipotent powers from being a former doctor is better than the free-market. He plans to fix health care much like Ky Kare fixed the Commonwealth's insurance problems.

There you have it. Quite an lackluster field. I should have stayed on the road instead of coming back to this great Commonwealth of Kentucky.

I'm Back

I've been ridin' the rails across the country this past winter. Just got back into town cause I got tired of being chased by bulls and brakemen. Just read the newspaper after being outta touch with Kentucky for months. Who are these bozos running for Governor?