Just Dropped in on David Adams...

...and yep, he's still an asshole.

I call it like I see it, though, and will admit that Adams is adept at subtlety in some respects. Though he totes his assholedom rather proudly, he isn't completely candid about where he stands. Instead, he likes to drop little hints here and there. Let us start our magical journey here: Beating Up Christians on Good Friday

The title "Beating up Christians on Good Friday" is no accident - House Judiciary Chair Kathy Stein is Jewish, so we can all safely infer that Adams is trying to reinforce the old, incorrect argument that the Jews were ultimately responsible for Good Friday. Here's a rather in-depth yet short read on the matter, Who Killed Jesus?, if you'd like to brush up on what we've learned about the historical context around Jesus' crucifixion thus far. I'll take the word of history scholars over Kentucky Progress' interpretation, but thanks for your input, Dave.

Back to the point. So, as I'm sure you've been able to extrapolate, Adams equates Stein's calling of a special meeting with her committee concerning a rather important immigration bill with, er, persecuting Christians. His rationale for saying this is that our God-fearing lawmakers had to work on Good Friday. Good Friday, for better or worse, is still a Friday. It's a Friday, incidentally, that just about everyone else has to do something. Schools are open, banks are open, the mail is still delivered - it's a work day, ya know. And (the Christian) God knows that I sure as (the Christian) Hell don't want my tax dollars going to lawmakers doing actual work on a work day. I mean, fuck that.

The comments section features a fair amount of spitballin' on how Stein hates Christians and how Christians are hated by the public sector, etc. Boo-hoo. I know, Christians are so oppressed. I feel bad, considering there are only 400-something Christian churches serving the 4.2 million in this state. Super bummer, man. Talk to one of my law-abiding, American-born Muslim friends sometime about how rad going to the airport is for them. I'm sure they'd love to hear your sob story. It's certainly a veritable lions' den out there.

Of course, a simple euphemistic entry title and nonsensical ranting is all relatively mild. Things get weirder. Let's see what the enlightened readers have to say about entry Who do you think you're foolin', Skippy? Read along!

"Skippy" is the endearing name Dave gives Finance Secretary Jonathan Miller, who is also Jewish. First, from one blogger to another, if you're going to give pet names to public officials, make them clever. They need to relate to something about the person you're satirizing. For example, I call Trey Grayson "The Defender" for reasons outlined here. But kicking around "slick," "skippy," "cochise," "easy-goer," or what have you for lack of something better is a bit asinine. Try harder.

The comments are certainly more interesting to read than Adams' fodder, though. But also more disturbing.

At 12:40 PM, Anonymous said...

A little Zyklon-B at 816 Penny Lane would do the trick. Keep it up, KP!

Zyklon-B was the gas used in Nazi extermination camps. Classy. And the address? Jonathan Miller and his family's home.

Sure, reader comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or viewpoint of the author. However, Adams will delete comments critical of him or his arguments. Why did he leave this comment up? He has the ability to moderate comments, yet this has been up for all to see for six months now. I am certainly a fervent supporter of the "preferred position" given to the First Amendment and all the clauses within. However, as most rational people and case law will agree, hate speech can be little less than tolerable. And when speech calls for conduct, or a certain speech can be considered a threat against a specific person, it ain't protected. Should've used some discretion there, skippy - especially when a lot of people think you're a Fascist to begin with.

Kentucky Progress - an ironic name for a corral of psychosis led by an anti-semite. Keep it up, KP!

On Bad Cancer and Defending the Unborn

If I had a strawberry for every time Jim Bunning made an ass of himself, I could make a ton smoothies for you and yours. On Sunday, Bunning, always a veritable fountain of tact, prophesied Ruth Bader Gingsburg's death within nine months. This, evidently, was a great segue for discussing his support for more conservative justices on the bench: "And that's going to be in place very shortly because Ruth Bader Ginsburg … has cancer. Bad cancer. The kind that you don't get better from."

Thank you for your diagnosis, Dr. Bunning. Bad Cancer can certainly be a bitch. He has since apologized for his remarks, but no apology can salvage an approval rating in the low 40s. As such, the Kentucky GOP has their sights set on Bunning's replacement.

That brings us to Kentucky Secretary of State and all around gnarly dude Trey Grayson. Earlier today, Grayson addressed rumors circulating concerning his hat being thrown in the ring:

“Recent news reports change nothing about the US Senate race as I am concerned. Senator Bunning is a friend and mentor. As I have mentoned before, if he were to decide not to run, I would be keenly interested in the race. Senator Bunning has said that he is running, and I take him at his word. I am not planning a primary.”

So this just leaves one question: Jim... has friends? Like, for real? ¡Ay, caramba!

Nah, I'm just kidding, Jim. I'm sure everyone think's you're a swell guy.

I have to say that I can't really comment too much on this, as there's no "lesser of two evils" scenario. With Bunning or Grayson, each is an equally bad scene. The difference is that Bunning at least parades his numbskullery. He's honest and blunt about his ineptitude, so he should at least get an A for effort, ya know? Grayson, on the other hand, is a real snake in the grass. Grayson, for whatever reason, has been successful at cultivating an image as a moderate lawmaker who doesn't stridently follow his colleague's footsteps. Grayson, as a matter of fact, is all kinds of scary authoritarian right wing. Exhibit A, in a speech at Georgetown College in 2004:

“Not only is Kerry a flip-flop, but he’s a failure where Kentucky values are concerned.” The secretary went on to describe how Kerry’s votes and statements have been in favor of gun control, abortion and gay marriage -- three ideological stands that run contrary to the beliefs of most Kentuckians.

“Kerry has authored little successful legislation in his career, and he has failed to articulate his vision for Iraq, for the War on Terror and for America,” said Grayson, echoing the sentiment of most conservative ideologues across the United States."

Of course, lots of lawmakers and voters alike have changed their positions on myriad issues since 2004, when the "culture of fear" permeated every newscast and piece of legislation. So what about Trey "Valiant and Courageous Defender of the Unborn" Grayson - change of heart as well, yes?

"During the speech, titled “Trey Grayson Defends the Unborn,” Grayson talked about how he believes abortion is detrimental to women and the community.

“It cheapens respect for a life in general,” Grayson said.

In front of about 15 people, Grayson said President Bush’s administration has been a strong advocate for pro-life policies for the two terms Bush has served.

“Many of us in the pro-life community have enjoyed the past eight years,” Grayson said.

It will be important to vote this election season for a candidate who opposes abortion, Grayson said.

Grayson said he supports Republican candidate John McCain and said Democratic challenger Barack Obama is “the most anti-life candidate in the history of America” because Obama has supported pro-choice policies."

- Kentucky Kernel, 10.26.08 (story)

Trey Grayson Defends the Unborn. I'll give him this, the guy has some serious balls, gaul, etc. to title his speech "Trey Grayson Defends the Unborn." Sounds like the title to his comic book, but I'm not going to entertain what the cover of that graphic novel might look like. Sometimes... jokes write themselves, and I'll leave it at that. Unlike Bunning, my mama taught me some tact.

But hey, politics aside - at least the Defender didn't flip-flop, am I right?

Anyway, a couple of points here. First, supporting in strict line with the Bush administration's social agendas does not (at least on the planet most of us live on) constitute moderate beliefs. Second... dude, seriously. This is not a ying and yang issue. Being pro-choice does not equal to "abortions? hell yeah!" Pro-choice is not anti-life. Pro-choice is a statement on when and where the state can or cannot dictate personal health choices and personal moral beliefs. The notion of when life begins is a philosophical issue that each of us considers, not a scientific or a legal question. If you believe life begins at at conception, fine. If you believe life begins in the third trimester as the courts do, fine. But please stop switching the words "pro-choice" for "anti-life." It just makes you look like an irrational asshole. If I had to define "anti-life," I think McCain's strategy of staying in an farcical war for "100 years if we have to" is about as anti-life as you can get.

So if Grayson ends up in a Senate primary, you should at least know where his loyalties lie - and they lie firmly in the anti-civil liberties house that McConell and Bunning built. Of course, David Williams is the other contestant... but I'll leave my thoughts on him for another day. I have my own defending to do before the end of the business day.

$421 Million For Kentucky Works Projects... and ORBP Gets NAH-TING!

...but thanks for playing.

While we're on the topic of money today, WHAS reported last week that $421 million of federal money will go to road, bridge, and public infrastructure projects statewide as a stimulus package. And not one red cent will be given to the Ohio River Bridges Project. No soup for you, ORBP.

"Kentucky Transportation Secretary Joe Prather says he and state lawmakers are still hammering out a list of road projects whose construction contracts are ready to be let, to get underway, to put people to work. Some of those projects will be in Jefferson County. But not the bridges, which are still in the design phase. Mayor Abramson is hoping Louisville might get a chunk of a separate $1.5 billion pool of money set aside for giant national projects."

Rep. John Yarmuth (D - 3rd) said that "the stimulus dollars will be directed toward projects that can be started and completed within two years." The current projection for the ORBP proposal, which includes the construction of two new bridges spanning the Ohio and the expansion of the labyrinth-like Spaghetti Junciton, predicts that the total project will take 20 years and approximately $4 billion to complete.

No dice on free spaghetti from the government, so it looks like we're back to the drawing board, wherein a chunk of the project would be funded through tollways. No worries about additional traffic headaches, though, because Louisville Metro is looking into OMG ELECTRONIC TOLLZ!!!

Look, instead of adding to an already poorly designed highway infrastructure and letting motorists foot the bill through tolls, taxes, or otherwise, isn't it time that Abramson and the Courier Journal at least give some serious consideration to what the grassroots 8664.org is saying? The Transportation Cabinent's 86-64 Traffic Study disregarded key components of the 8664 concept, making their findings pretty much inconclusive on the plan's viability.

I'm not saying that 8664 has a flawless concept, or that the plan is fool proof. However, public works projects like The Embarcadero in San Francisco (which I have biked on myself) and New York City's West Side Highway are almost parallel examples - elevated highways on a waterfront suffering extreme congestion. And both these examples demonstrate how implementing smart growth, in considerably more densely populated cities no less, results in fewer accidents, more people utilizing alternate transportation, and more recreational opportunities along waterfront property. We have seen through the unbiased looking glass of history that alternatives to simply expanding already vast tracts of elevated concrete can work.

It's time to at least take these guys seriously.

Smokin' and Drinkin' for the Kids

Whenever I hear a siren from a constable's patrol car or fire engine go by, I get excited. I don't know about you, but I like to see my tax dollars at work. I like to know where those taxes are spent (or not spent), and I like to make sure that the monies are going toward something useful (like, ya know, corporate bonuses for bailed out banks). For example...

Last week, the state Senate passed the new budget bill. The state is looking at a budget shortfall of almost a half billion dollars by the end of the fiscal year. Governor Beshear signed the bill into law on Febrary 13 - one that was another bipartisan effort - in the hope of slowing the hemorraghing of money the state has incurred over the past few years.

The bill features the usual moving around of money and pruning of in-house projects. The good news, though, is that additional tax renevue will keep the state from cutting the funding of projects and instutitions that need money the most. This includes public school districts statewide, the prison system, and most importantly, Medicaid. As of now, there are some 770,000 poor and disabled Kentuckians benefiting from the state Medicaid program. Kids and the elderly - I mean, these are the people that generally get the short end of the stick when lawmakers have budget tweak get-togethers, so it's very welcome news that Beshear and our elected representatives were able to do this right and with relatively little squabbling.

Now the bad news. One side effect of the bill is, of course, the money has to actually come from somewhere. Whoda thunk it? Certainly the most controversial component of the bill, you'll see a lot of this money coming in the form of a higher tax on alcohol and tobacco. Naturally, there's certainly a lot of opposition to the tax increase (which would jump the tax on tobacco two-fold). I would go as far as to call this opposition "bitching" to some extent. I understand the argument that it's tough to tax products that our state produces. Though the state does has a relative high alcohol tax, Kentucky also enjoys one of the lowest tax rates on tobacco products in the nation. Everything's a give and take, and zero-sum ain't bad.

Anyway, the way I see, these aforementioned purchases are vices. Consider it a vice tax (like New York's proposed tax on porno). In these tough times, we all make some concessions, and I'd rather shell out a little extra on something I don't need, per se, than see my benefits disappear or our schools fall apart. And I'm a drinker and half-pack-a-day smoker. Feel free to drop by my apartment sometime for a dinner party - I have plenty of cheese to go with your whine.

Ultimately, there's never a quick and easy solution to budget problems in a damaged economy, but at least a short term solution that will, at the very least, try to balance the budget was achieved quickly. A gold star for Beshear and lawmakers for acting like grown-ups and getting things done (as government, despite the stereotype, is supposed to do). It's time to better our state,and keeping our schools and health care system properly funded is unequivocally one of the best starting points.

But again, this is only a quick fix. For long term solutions, however, Kentucky needs to go one step further. I think it's time to take a serious look at how taxes are structured in this state and make a much needed change. This means it's time to take a serious look at Rep. Jim Wayne's progressive tax structure, one that the Lexington Herald-Leader's Tom Eblen mentioned on his blog shortly after the recent budget passed. It's a decent proposal (one that will most likely benefit you if you're reading this blog), and one I plan to look at more in-depth at in the near future.

[As a somewhat irrelevant aside - though I find the above political cartoon cute, as it were, the comic sans font is never, ever okay to use. That's my public service announcement for the day.]