Okay, obviously the majority of this is a failure to properly account for surplusing of old items. But 3 laptops issued directly to Richie Farmer in a two day period? That’s significant.
Looks like newly elected auditor Adam Edelen may be making his first criminal referral after completing his upcoming audit.
87 % of Kentuckians can’t agree the sky is blue. But they agree that David Williams’ attack on Kentucky’s horse industry needs to stop. More precisely, 87 % of Kentuckians agree Kentucky voters should decide on expanded gaming.
Expanded gaming comes too late for much of Kentucky’s horse industry, but it can still protect what remains. Amidst all the redistricting drama, and the decisive referendum in November, do not lose sight of the fact that Kentucky’s historic number one farm crop is disappearing, and the fact that Kentucky’s money should be spent funding Kentucky schools and roads, and not those of David Williams’ acquaintances in Indiana. The legislature needs to pass expanded gaming. Now.
First, from last week, Representative Keene’s bill:
The actual text of his bill can be found here.
Longtime Lexington horseman and retired county clerk Don Blevins shares his thoughts:
Rep. Keene has pre-filed a bill allowing for referendums in counties desiring expanded gaming. I applaud Rep. Keene for raising the subject of expanded gaming. However, a county by county referendum is not a workable idea. Take for example a referendum that would pass in Jefferson and fail in Fayette or some other combo with northern Ky or Henderson, etc. The racing industry needs expanded gaming to be able to compete on a level playing field with the other states that already have expanded gaming. Expanded gaming furnished extra purse money at the tracks and larger breeder incentives. Expanded gaming will continue the year around racing circuit in Ky that the small stables desparately need. The Legislature needs to enact expanded gaming at the race tracks to save Ky’s signature industry, an industry revered around the world and a billion plus economic engine for Ky and the direct and indirect jobs it furnishes. Expanded gaming is expected to contribute 500 million dollars a year in taxes and fees for Ky without raising taxes one penny. We already take in approx. 700 million per year from smoking, alcohol and wagering. Expanded gaming together with present revenue from tobacco, alcohol and wagering would produce 1.25 billion per year in revenue for the state. I, for one, would use the entire amount for the education of Ky’s youth. Wake up Kentucky, this is a golden opportunity to get 500 million in new revenue without a tax increase for anyone.
Admittedly, calling it “Rupp Renovation” is a misnomer. The proposal is not about Rupp. First, the politically tone-deaf Lexington Mayor Jim Gray said that Lexington would be seeking $20 million from the state for a downtown renovation project. Tone-deaf because in the same story, U.K.’s president said their greater priority would be U.K.’s educational needs, and that U.K. wouldn’t join Lexington in making that request to Frankfort. (Presumably an unprecedented priority such as this is a sign of some impending apocalypse).
Then, the appointed committee over the weekend unanimously rubber-stamps and approves a design.
Keeping an open mind, the political approach was a train wreck, but that doesn’t address the underlying issue—are the underlying components good for the city, and are they a reasonable priority in light of the shockingly tight budgets that stretch unbroken to the horizon?
On Tuesday, as Senate President David Williams got close enough to touch the inaugural podium, were other Republicans thinking of how Williams’ loss might reverberate into 2012? Ryan Alessi runs the numbers:
In this fall’s governor’s race, Republican Senate President David Williams lost six of the nine Republican-held Senate seats up for election in 2012 and all 10 of the Democrats’ seats, according to the cn|2 analysis.
Williams lost the Nov. 8 race by more than 20 points to Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear.
Among the Senate districts Williams lost were Republican-leaning areas of the 17th District in northern Kentucky represented by Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown and the 25th District in Eastern Kentucky represented by Senate GOP Floor Leader Robert Stivers of Manchester. That district includes Clay County — home of Williams’ running mate Richie Farmer.
Williams and Farmer also lost all 10 Democratic-controlled districts up in 2012. In comparison, the one Republican to win statewide office last month — Agriculture Commissioner-elect James Comer — lost just one state Senate district: Sen. Walter Blevins’ district that covers Rowan, Fleming, Elliott, Lawrence and Boyd counties.
And that could give Senate Democratic candidates fresh ammunition across the state to try to link Republican candidates to Williams in the hopes that voters think Williams is unpopular, one top-ranking Democrat said.
Come on down, and join Lexington Democratic supporters and elected leaders at Main and Midland on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. The parade starts at 10, proceeds straight down Main and ends at Centre Point. Who knows? Maybe even David O’Neill, your Fayette County PVA may be there…
The only question is, will the Indiana defender and killer of Kentucky jobs (aka Senate President David Williams) be overthrown, or will he continue to protect his Indiana casinos at Kentucky’s expense?
The top-ranking state House Democrat said any expanded gambling measure that has a prayer in 2012 would have to start in the Senate because House Democrats still feel burned from a 2009 vote.
“The Senate would have to act first in this regard,” Stumbo said Wednesday in an interview on Pure Politics (1:50). “We have acted in good faith. We sent it over there. They killed it — just dead on arrival even though they signaled they weren’t going to do that. They were going to give it a full and fair hearing. So I think it’s up to the Senate to act first.”
The House approved a bill in a 2009 special session that allowed slot machines at race tracks. The Senate budget committee scuffled the bill before it could get to a vote on the Senate floor.
