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Fletcher Becomes Patton

Recall Governor Fletcher's (R) anger in 2003 when -- in the weeks before leaving office -- then Governor Patton (D) appointed new members to the Kentucky Racing Commission. So furious was Fletcher that he immediately disbanded the commission upon taking office and replaced it with the Kentucky Racing Authority with new members which he appointed.

Listen to how they whined:

Republicans and their incoming governor, Ernie Fletcher, are crying foul. Although Patton has the authority to pack seats with anyone he chooses until Dec. 9, that-doesn't mean he should, they said. Fletcher is urging recent Patton appointees to decline to serve.

"Any additional appointments will be disappointing as Kentuckians overwhelmingly gave us a mandate to bring-real change to state government, and that includes boards and commissions," said Daniel Groves, Fletcher's chief of staff.

[...]

Yesterday, several Senate leaders came out fighting and accused the lame-duck governor of unseemly arrogance.

"I actually admired Paul Patton and even considered him a friend until last week, when he decided to push for keno and make all these appointments, all at the last minute," said Sen. Charlie Borders, R-Russell, the Republican caucus chair.

"It's like he's somehow more important than the commonwealth," Borders said. "It's like his ego is more important than allowing the next administration to start finding its voice."

So, aside from helping to force the scary Jon Draud (R) down the throats of Kentuckians as the new state school commissioner, we now see Fletcher's cronies quickly trying to hand out the final racing license before he leaves office -- knowing that such a license probably means a gaming license if expanded gaming is enacted:

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority could decide before the end of the year whether to grant the state's last racetrack license to Sprint Racing Partners' proposed quarter-horse facility near London.

Authority Executive Director Lisa Underwood said one of its committees is scheduling a hearing for Dec. 10, but she doesn't know whether the application will be on the agenda for the Dec. 17 authority meeting.

...The timing of granting a license also could play a role in whether the track would be eligible for a casino, assuming the legislature places a constitutional amendment allowing gaming on the ballot and voters approve it. Bills to govern the awarding of casinos have limited some of them to tracks licensed by a certain date.

Apparently, it's okay if Fletcher does the very thing he criticized Patton for doing. A shameless hypocrite until the end.

I guess Governor Beshear (D) could always disband the Racing Authority if he so chose -- exactly like Fletcher did -- but that's just my two cents.

Silberman Asks Not To Get Raise

When is the last time a public official did this?

Silberman Asks Not To Get Raise
By Shawntaye Hopkins, Herald-Leader

Fayette County Superintendent Stu Silberman told the school board that he did not want more money as his contract was extended four years.

The school board last night approved a four-year contract extension through June 30, 2012. The contract, at Silberman's request, did not include a pay raise.

Silberman's salary will remain at a figure set in August after he received all-distinguished ratings on his annual evaluation. The superintendent had earned $209,883 in 2006-07; that was increased to $212,479 for 2007-08.

For 2008-09, Silberman will get the same annual increase as other certified employees and changes to his benefits also will mirror those of other certified employees. He will get similar raises in each of the other three years of the contract.

"I just want the focus to be on our kids and teaching and learning," Silberman said after the meeting.

Silberman is an impressive and smart leader. Fayette County is fortunate to have him.

The Lunacy of State Rep. Jon Draud (R) -- Candidate For State School Superintendent

Only in the past few days have I been able to check out some of the public statements that State Rep. Jon Draud (R) -- one of the four current "finalists" for state superintendent public schools -- has said over the years, and I'm more frightened than ever.

Aside from the clear odor of a sense of entitlement that emanated from today's Kentucky Post story -- when Draud whined about Gov.-elect Beshear's (D) preference in re-opening and broadening the search -- Draud has made a few comments that really deserve a little attention.

In May 2006, during the middle of the Fletcher Merit System scandal, Draud made this remarkable comment about the very wrongdoing that cost Fletcher's re-election:

"I don't want to trivialize any of this, but I've said it all along, to the victor goes the spoils," Draud said at the time. "Fletcher won that office, and he deserves to bring in some of his own people. The Democrats did it for years."

(As an aside -- beyond that scary rationalization for Fletcher breaking the law, one might ask why Draud isn't using that same logic as far as Gov.-elect Beshear (D) having some say over who is hired as the next state school superintendent?)

But there's more bits of wisdom from Draud that should concern us.

Back in 1999, Draud penned an op-ed in the Kentucky Post blaming the First Amendment for the problem of violence in schools, further compounded by the lack of God in our public schools, and went as far as to "demand that our judges stop the media industry from brainwashing our society with violence and indecent conduct said we should demand that judges."

Here are some excerpts (thanks to a reader for pointing this out):

Pendulum swings too far in protecting individual rights
Guest column by Jon Draud

I would like to focus on the First Amendment to our Constitution as one of the major reasons for the increased violence in our society and ultimately our schools.

...The major answer to the question, why did these tragedies occur in Columbine, Jonesboro, Paducah and other cities in our country, is that our culture has been changed by the entertainment industry under the protection of the First Amendment.

...Throughout my 36 years of education, I have observed teachers and school officials attempting to discipline students. The wearing of trench coats, army fatigues and other inappropriate behaviors were not permitted when most of us were students. You may ask, why don't teachers and school administrators stop this behavior? Because today students are protected as parents complain that you are violating their child's First Amendment rights of expression...

Furthermore, we have taken God out of our society and our schools. Our major institutions are afraid to teach values, while many parents have completely abdicated their responsibilities. Parents frequently do not teach their children about God and traditional American values, and schools are forbidden to do so by our court system. Our political leaders are often terrible role models for our children who view their inappropriate behavior in office. Then there are the adults who do weird and unacceptable things, write books about them, and reap huge economic benefits. We glorify the villains and minimize the accomplishments of our heroes. Is it any wonder, we have a lost generation of teens who are turning violent?

Yes, it is important that in a free society that free speech for our citizens is protected. However, it is my position that we cannot allow the entertainment industry to destroy our great country. The entertainment business under the auspices of the First Amendment has created a new culture for us - a culture of violence protected by the First Amendment...

Can we save our great Republic? What can we do to put the brakes on this trip to social chaos? We can pass laws to have police officers for schools, require metal detectors and other security measures. We can require our teachers to teach conflict-resolution skills and to develop skills to identify emotionally disturbed young people. We can demand that our judges stop the media industry from brainwashing our society with violence and indecent conduct. We can do it. However, it will take a strong will of our citizens to relieve the destruction of our culture. The question is, ''Do we have the commitment?''

This is the man that might lead Kentucky's public schools? Frightening...

State Rep. Jon Draud (R) Whines About Gov.-Elect Beshear's (D) Request To Broaden State School Superintendent Search

Check out today's Kentucky Post story on the ongoing controversy concerning the search for a new state school superintendent. Could State Rep. Jon Draud (R) be any more whiny about Gov.-elect Beshear's (D) request that the school board consider broadening the search, and how he seems to think the suggestion might be directed at him personally? It's not as though they've settled on just one candidate. He's one of four finalists.

I don't know Draud, but he sure comes off as just another painfully self-centered politician in this story.

UPDATE (4:09 PM): While I can't vouch for its accuracy, a reader sent me a note about Draud's quest to be state schools chief that seemed worth sharing, for what it's worth. Is anyone familiar with this matter?

An issue pertaining to Jon Draud for Kentucky Education Commissioner should be reviewed a little more closely.  Is there an ethics issue surrounding Draud?  Draud was former superintendent of Ludlow Schools, a city of about 5,000 people.  A few years ago Ludlow was searching for a new superintendent.  Draud was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives.

He wanted his son, Scott, to be the Ludlow school boss.  He called each of the school board members pressuring them to hire his son.  Ethically should a member of the legislature be calling school board members on his son’s behalf?  What would he do as Commissioner of Education?

Steve Beshear was correct in asking for a renewed search for the someone to head Kentucky’s educational system.  By the way, several years ago Draud changed is first name from John to Jon.

Update On School Superintendent Search

Whether or not Gov.-elect Beshear (D) intended to do so, I think this puts the state school board in an awkward situation. Without a doubt, the selection is the board's call, but don't they run the risk of looking very stubborn over a reasonable request to re-open the search to determine whether any additional highly-qualified candidates might be interested in being considered now that the election is over? Wouldn't that be a good thing for Kentucky's students, which ought to be the guiding factor here?

Given the board's earlier fiasco why wouldn't they want to slow down the process a little longer, considering how long this search has been going on in the first place?

Seems like a lot of territorial stubbornness at play.

Beshear asks state education board to delay choice of commissioner
By Raviya H. Ismail, Herald-Leader

Gov.-elect Steve Beshear suggested Friday that the Kentucky Board of Education delay its selection of a new chief and hire a competent search firm.

Board members said they appreciated Beshear’s comments but they didn’t want to abandon their plans or the current applicants for education commissioner. The board is evaluating four finalists for the job.

“We didn’t enter into this search without a lot of thought and consideration,” Janna P. Vice said. “What we have said to candidates is very important.”

The board had planned to select the next commissioner after closed meetings Nov. 13 and 14.

Beshear, who won the governor’s race Tuesday, said he doesn’t have a preferred timetable for selecting a new commissioner, but he wants the state to get the best possible candidate. Because of the political upheaval of an election year, some candidates haven’t applied, Beshear said. He also said the board needs to recruit qualified people.

[...]

“I’ve made my feelings known in terms of the process of it,” Beshear said Thursday. “At the same time, it’s not my job to select a person.”

The four finalists in the latest commissioner search are: Jim Warford, 58, chief executive officer of the Florida Association of School Administrators; Rep. Jon Draud, 69, a Republican legislator from Kenton County and former superintendent of Ludlow Independent Schools; Richard Hughes, 61, a Morehead State University education instructor and former Hardin County schools superintendent; and Larry Vick, 59, superintendent of Owensboro Independent Schools.

Another Viewpoint On State School Superintendent Search

I wanted to post a contrarian viewpoint that a reader -- who I personally know is very familiar and experienced with the dynamics of state education (and no fan of Fletcher or the current board) -- just offered concerning yesterday's discussion on the search for a new state school superintendent:

It's not reasonable to expect Beshear to have much influence, given that all 11 Board members were appointed by Fletcher, and they have different concerns than Beshear does. He can talk to them, but they owe him nothing and are not likely to perform as he would want.

Nor can he possibly accomplish much with this Board. Good national searches CAN be done for Kentucky: just look at the superb choice identified by the Jefferson County national search in the last year. But here, no qualified applicant with national stature or ambition would apply to be hired by a completely lame duck Board. So we've got four white guys nearing the end of their careers, none of whom have ever even been superintendent of a district the size of Fayette Co., much less a state with thirty times as many students and major policymaking responsibilities.

Beshear really has only two bad options. Ask this Board to resign so a new process can begin with the obvious political support of a new Administration, or keep his hands away from the exploding bombs.

And while asking the Board to resign is tempting -- and the public at large may expect Beshear to be accountable -- it's completely contrary to the current laws (which are designed to remove the Board from constant and destructive political interference), and it is a dangerous two-edged sword. Fletcher could have asked Patton's Board to resign too. But he resisted that option (which governors in other states have sometimes not done), and he chose not to disturb the legislature's decision to remove the Board from (most) political interference.

Beshear should probably do the same. And just focus on getting the best Board in place that he can, when his appointments are due.

Will They Ever Learn?

So...the very same group that unimaginably bungled their earlier task to hire a state school superintendent is working as fast as possible to interview and hire a new one, even though Gov.-elect Beshear (D) has expressed his concerns about the process and wants to meet with them about it first.

Here's what they said in response:

Joe Brothers, chairman of the board of education, said he had not yet been contacted by Beshear to schedule a meeting.

“We’d be more than happy to talk with him; we always want to work with the governor, whether he is new or not,” Brothers said. “As of right now, we plan to meet Tuesday to interview the candidates and should everything come together, we could name someone as early as next week.”

Just wondering whose best interests they think they're serving with this sort of rank stubbornness? Given their abject failure last time they tried to hire a superintendent, wouldn't it behoove them to step back for a second and first sit down the guy who just won a 19-point victory by the voters to be Kentucky's next governor, even if they have the final say on the hiring?

Or is that too reasonable for these folks?

Incredible.

Another Conservative Program Rejected -- This Time At The Hands Of Conservative Voters

When we look back at this era of politics, one of the narratives I'm certain we'll be discussing is how so many of the core ideas and beliefs of the conservative ideologues of our time were either rejected, proved to be wrong-headed, or simply disastrous experiments.

Be it their desire for pre-emptive war, denial of the effects of global warming, refusal to embrace universal health care, attempts to legislate morality, efforts to rollback regulations on corporate America, attempts to destroy organized labor, etc, we're seeing how wrong they are on so many critical issues.

Case-in-point: yesterday in Utah -- arguably the most conservative state in the country -- voters overwhelmingly repealed the nation's first universal school voucher law that the Utah legislature had enacted last year:

After a multimillion-dollar political campaign that pitted teachers’ unions nationally against school choice advocates, Utah voters yesterday repealed the nation’s first universal voucher law by an overwhelming margin.

With nearly 97 percent of the votes counted, state election results showed that 62 percent of voters rejected the voucher law narrowly enacted earlier this year, in what was Utah’s first “citizens’ veto” referendum in 30 years.

The level of opposition was much greater in the voting public than in the GOP-controlled legislature, which approved the voucher law by a single vote. Had the law been allowed to take effect, it would have provided all public school students with vouchers ranging from $500 to $3,000 a year, depending on family income.

To opponents of vouchers, the rejection was even more impressive coming from voters in a conservative, Republican state. “Taxpayers, no matter their politics, see vouchers as poor public policy,” Anne L. Bryant, the executive director of the Alexandria, Va.-based National School Boards Association, said in a statement.

America is finally coming to its senses and rejecting the disastrous policies enacted and pushed by the Bush Administration and 12 years of Republican Congress. We saw the first sign of it with the 2006 elections and 2008 isn't shaping-up to be any better for them either.

Is this the return of common sense government that provides for the greatest good and not their narrow interests? I'm crossing my fingers.

UK's Kernel Ed Board Whacks Fletcher For Shunning Gubernatorial Forum Without An Explanation

A thoughtful and appropriate response from UK's Kentucky Kernel on Governor Fletcher's (R) failure to attend (or even send a surrogate) for last week's gubernatorial forum at UK. This from the paper that endorsed him four years ago:

A candidate running for the highest executive office in the state should not have to be persuaded to speak at that state's flagship university, particularly in a re-election year.

The governor should make it a priority, if not an obligation, to visit Kentucky's public universities if he expects this state's youth to have faith in him as a leader.

One reason college students so easily feel disenfranchised from politics is they don't always realize how government actions affect them. The physical presence of these decision makers speaking directly to students on issues that directly affect them is an invaluable opportunity, not only for young people, but also for the politicians to provoke interest and support in their policies and in the democratic system.

It is truly a shame Fletcher's actions show he does not agree.

Whether his head or his heart was in the right place makes no difference. His person was not on UK's campus Friday at noon. And whether Beshear didn't see the value of such an interaction is also irrelevant. He showed up.

What's more, Fletcher did not issue a personal explanation to why he could not attend but let his staff explain his actions and exude his confidence that mysteriously pervades despite turning away from meeting with young citizens.

"Gov. Fletcher is very focused on postsecondary education," Keller said in the Kernel article. "We are confident that voters at UK will decide he is the right man for Kentucky for the next four years."

We, as an editorial board and as citizens who truly wanted to see the governor last Friday, are not so confident for Fletcher.

Well said.

JCTA Launches Second Radio Spot Telling Voters "Steve Beshear Is Here"

Remember last week's 60-second radio ad that the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) launched all throughout Western Kentucky telling voters that "Steve Beshear Is Here"? 

Well, they've just launched the second installment of that same theme with a new radio ad focusing on education. The first ad discussed ethics. Something tells me there will be more...

Download JCTA_Beshear_Education.mp3

Fletcher Gives Finger To UK Students, Skips Gubernatorial Forum, Doesn't Bother To Send Surrogate

Four years ago, UK's Kentucky Kernel endorsed Ernie Fletcher (R) for governor:

Choosing a candidate to endorse in this race was not a particularly easy task. But in the end, even edit board members who consider themselves steadfast liberals decided that Fletcher is the better choice for governor. His record and ideas broke through the party lines of our edit board and will lead to a successful administration.

Fletcher is right it is time for a change in Kentucky. Help bring about that change by voting for Ernie Fletcher and Steve Pence.

Four years later, not only does Fletcher simply skip UK's long-planned gubernatorial forum, but he doesn't even bother to send anyone in his place:

Organizers of Friday's governor's forum had hoped the two candidates for Kentucky's highest office would have a discussion on the main issues in the race.

But with Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher declining to attend, the Student Government-sponsored event turned into an open mic for Democratic nominee Steve Beshear.

[...]

Fletcher's absence hurt his image, said English and political science senior Meghan Arrell.

"He wasn't here four years ago either, but at least he sent a representative then," she said. "I couldn't believe that no one was here from his party. I think it just looks bad. It shows that he doesn't care."

Sadly, after four years are skyrocketing tuition, it's clear that Fletcher really doesn't care about students as they don't really fit into his narrow campaign agenda: they care less about his newly-manufactured divisive social agenda, they don't contribute, and they force him to defend his indefensible record on higher education.

Essentially, Fletcher couldn't care less about students, lumping them in the same category as state employees and working families. Ironically, large numbers of all three groups bought Fletcher's snake oil four years ago. Never again.

How Do You Educate Yourself?

Let's go a little off-topic for a moment.

Not long ago, I was asked by a friend a simple question that I had never thought about: "How do you educate yourself?"

All he was asking me was whether I have a routine about how I continue to educate myself, informally, on everything from politics, current events, business, finance, etc. As I thought about that question, I realized how much the answer says about you, since it reveals where you get your information, how balanced and/or diverse the sources are, and how much new information you try to get each day or week.

So, I wanted to take a crack and try to answer the question for my friend, but I am much more interested in how you educate yourself. Please leave a comment on this post and tell us your general routine. Aside from learning more about our community here, I'm always looking for fresh ideas and different sources of information. By the way, I'm going to omit the dozens of Kentucky-specific items since those are less about my own ongoing education than it is about my work, a noteworthy difference concerning this discussion.

I guess the easiest way to answer this question is to break-down the different routines I use to get my information.

Daily:

Ideally, I begin my day with The New York Times and the local paper, but as a result of our move, I can only get my hands on the Sunday NYT. Instead, I began a daily subscription to the Wall Street Journal a few months ago and I'm really hooked (editorial page notwithstanding). It's such a tremendous publication and it scares me to death to think what Rupert Murdoch will eventually do to it given his recent purchase of it.

As far as national websites, I actually have a few mainstays that I visit constantly and admittedly don't diversify as much as I should. My hangouts are Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and I love Professor Juan Cole's site, Informed Consent, on all things related to the Middle East. Also, I'll check Drudge Report once a day because he's reliable about linking to the major current events (once you filter through the garbage on his site). Less frequently, I'll visit The Huffington Post.

As far as television and radio, I have a few staples. Countdown with Keith Olberman is a must for me (I even TiVo it). If I have time, I try to catch Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fresh Air (NPR), and Talk of the Nation (NPR). I even watch Tucker Carlson if he's not being too overbearing on a given day.

Weekly:

The weekly routine is probably the most substantive part of my 'education'. I used to be a weekend political show junkie, but that's changed a lot. I find myself so disappointed in the softball questions that are now passed off as "journalism." I used to be a hardcore Meet the Press fan, but that has waned a great deal and only watch it occasionally. I do still enjoy The McLaughlin Group and have recently become a big fan of Bill Moyer's Journal (PBS), downloading his shows to my iPod if I can't watch it.

But the most important part of my weekly (and monthly) routine is my magazines. Unlike my bad habit of buying more books that I can read (and then only read a few them), I am pretty religious about my magazines. The New Yorker and Business 2.0 are easily my two favorites. My other subscriptions are The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Wired, and Time. Time is the only one I won't renew and instead switching to The Economist.

Pundits/Commentators:

One last category for me involves particular pundits or commentators. Any time I see/hear the following people, I'm likely to stop what I'm doing and watch/listen: Howard Fineman, Craig Crawford, Bob Novak, Bill Moyers, Arianna Huffington, John Dean, David Brooks (he annoys me but has his ear to the ground among conservatives), Thomas Friedman, Frank Rich, Jeffrey Toobin (on major legal issues), Pat Buchanan (sometimes), Vali Nasr (on Middle East politics), and Linda Greenhouse (NYT's Supreme Court correspondent).

This is more than you care to know, no doubt, but I thought it was an interesting question. I'd love to hear your typical routines for your own self-education.

A Partial Victory: Branscum Withdraws Candidacy But UK Trustees Elect Mira Ball As Chair

Not the whole enchilada, but at least Governor Fletcher's (R) anointed candidate for chairman of the UK Board of Trustees knew he was headed for a big loss and withdrew. Instead, the trustees elected Mira Ball as chair over Myra Tobin.

Essentially, UK gets a Republican stalwart and its first female chair, but not the unqualified business partner of Governor Fletcher.

That's a better outcome than could have been predicted just a few days ago.

In A Surprise, Mira Ball Will Be UK Board's First Chairwoman
By Art Jester, Herald-Leader

In a surprise development, Mira Ball of Lexington was elected Tuesday as the first woman to lead the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees.

Ball, a home-building company executive, had insisted for days that she did not want the board's top post.

But there clearly had been some back-room maneuvering among board members in the last 24 hours, which caused Steve Branscum, a construction executive from Russell Springs, to withdraw his candidacy in favor of Ball.

[...]

The vote was: Ball, 11; Tobin, 7; and two abstentions.

Branscum was then elected vice chairman on a 12-7 vote.

One trustee, Erwin Roberts, was absent.

***Attention UK Alumni***

As we discussed yesterday, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees will meet today at 1pm to elect a new chairman of the board.

I was told to encourage UK alumni to e-mail the two alumni trustees on the board on the necessity that they not elect an unqualified crony and business partner of Governor Fletcher (R) (Stephen Branscum) over the recently emerged -- and qualified -- opponent, Myra Tobin.

The two alumni trustees are:

Ann Brand Haney (e-mail: abhaney@yahoo.com) 
Sandy Bugie Patterson (e-mail: sandybugiepatterson@yahoo.com)

I urge UK alumni to drop them an e-mail ASAP this morning.

Herald-Leader Exclusive: Female Trustee To Vie With Fletcher Supporter To Head UK Board

How awesome is this news:

EXCLUSIVE: Female Trustee To Vie With Fletcher Supporter To Head UK Board
By Art Jester, Herald-Leader

Kentucky native Myra L. Tobin, a retired insurance broker in New York City and a member of the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni, will be nominated Tuesday to become chairwoman of UK’s Board of Trustees, according to faculty trustee Jeff Dembo.

If elected, Tobin, 67, would become the first woman to preside over the UK board since the university was founded in 1865. Dembo, a faculty trustee, said Tobin will be nominated and could receive enough votes from the 20-member board to win.

...Tobin, 67, a Democrat, will be running against trustee Steve Branscum, 52, a Republican and president of Branscum Construction Inc. in Russell Springs.

Tobin and Branscum could not be reached immediately for comment.

The full UK board meets at 1 p.m. Tuesday on the 18th floor of UK’s Patterson Office Tower. The meeting is open to the public.

Assuming the election comes down to Tobin v. Branscum -- what's great is how much more qualified Tobin is than unqualified Branscum (see last week's post), and while Branscum is a top Republican donor and Governor Fletcher's (R) own business partner, Tobin has donated to Steve Beshear (D) -- most likely our next governor.

Let's see how many fence-sitters among the board -- who hope to be re-appointed -- are willing to go against the Beshear ally and back the unqualified Fletcher crony when they realize who's likely to be governor when their term is up...

Tobin, who was born in Harned in Breckinridge County, graduated from UK in 1962. She earned a master’s degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in business administration from New York University.

Considered a trailblazer for women at the highest levels of the insurance industry, she retired as a senior vice president of J&H Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. in New York City. She is a former president of The International Alliance, a network of executive and professional women.

This year, Tobin contributed $1,000 to Steve Beshear, the Democratic candidate for governor, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.

Branscum’s campaign donations this year have included: $1,000 to agriculture commissioner Richie Farmer; $410 to Secretary of State Trey Grayson; $1,000 to state Rep. Lonnie Napier in an unsuccessful race for the GOP nomination for state treasurer; and $500 for state Sen. Stan Lee of Lexington, the Republican candidate for attorney general.

Now is the time to send those e-mails to the trustees about this election and help get Tobin elevated to chair!

UK BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers of the Board

• James F. Hardymon, Chair (e-mail: botchair@email.uky.edu)
• JoEtta Y. Wickliffe, Vice Chair (e-mail: jwickliffe@statebanktrust.com)
• Pamela Robinette May, Secretary (e-mail: ptmay@bellsouth.net)
• Barbara W. Jones, Assistant Secretary

Members of the Board

• Mira S. Ball (e-mail: mira@ballhomes.com)
• Stephen P. Branscum (e-mail: sbranscum@branscumconstruction.com)
• Penelope A. Brown (e-mail: penny@r1-brown.com)
• Dermontti F. Dawson (e-mail: ddawson@bellerivepark.com)
• Jeffrey B. Dembo (e-mail: dembo@email.uky.edu)
• Ann Brand Haney (e-mail: abhaney@yahoo.com)
• Billy Joe Miles (e-mail: bjm@milesnmore.com)
• Phillip R. Patton (e-mail: Patton@glasgow-ky.com)
• Sandy Bugie Patterson (e-mail: sandybugiepatterson@yahoo.com)
• Nick Phelps (e-mail: nick.phelps@uky.edu)
• Erwin Roberts (e-mail: eroberts@fbtlaw.com)
• Charles R. Sachatello (e-mail: CRSachatelloMD@yahoo.com)
• C. Frank Shoop (e-mail: cfrankshoop@yahoo.com)
• Myra Leigh Tobin
• Billy B. Wilcoxson
• Russ Williams (e-mail: Russ.Williams@uky.edu)
• Ernest J. Yanarella (e-mail: ejyana@email.uky.edu)

Labor Goes After Governor Fletcher (R) And AG Nominee Stan Lee (R) In Radio Spot About "Christian Values"

Remember the 527 that was set-up by various members of organized labor during the primary with the intentions of going after Bruce Lunsford (D) called Working Families for Kentucky? Well, they just re-emerged for the general election and are going up with a radio spot throughout western and south-central Kentucky beginning Monday.

The deliberately folksy spot takes aim at Governor Fletcher (R) and attorney general nominee Stan Lee (R) on "Christian values." The ad criticizes both for "implying they are God's chosen candidates" and then reminds voters that Christian values also includes things like soaring health care costs, affordable education, and good jobs -- issues that neither candidate seems much interested in talking about.

UFCW's Chris Sanders cut the spot and, aside from being a member of organized labor in Kentucky, Chris also holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

Click here to listen to the spot.

I understand that this is their opening salvo and we can expect a number of very targeted hits between now and the election.

UPDATE (2:19 PM): Pol Watchers has a story on the ad. Here's an excerpt:

Asked if the purpose of the ad is to discredit Fletcher and Lee, Sanders said, “I’m a Christian.  I’ve become disillusioned how some candidates wrap themselves in religion and then not acting likewise.”

Follow-Up On UK Board Of Trustees Debacle -- ACTION NEEDED

In follow-up to this morning's post concerning the efforts by Governor Fletcher (R) and his cronies to seize control of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, I implore each you -- particularly UK grads and current students -- to e-mail each current trustee to voice your strong opposition to the Fletcher slate that has emerged -- particularly the nomination of Fletcher's own business partner and close buddy, Stephen Branscum, to be Chairman of the Board.

Aside from how incredibly unfit Branscum is to be board chairman (frankly, I question whether he's even qualified to serve on the board at all), now is not the time for UK to be led by a chairman whose only known public interests have been to the university's athletic department and the Republican Party, especially at a time when UK is striving to be a Top 20 national school.

Aside from Branscum, the Fletcher slate is backing top political contributors Mira Ball to be vice chair and the re-election of Pam May as board secretary (May was one of two trustees that voted against the benefits package last year). All three are Republican appointees of Fletcher, not to mention prominent campaign contributors.

I'm told by folks on the inside of this fight that Fletcher's fingerprints are all over this election and some are asking whether Fletcher has his sights on being the next president of UK following his widely-anticipated loss to Steve Beshear (D).

Act now. Join the ongoing effort to kill this attempt to pack the UK board with Fletcherites. Send e-mails. Let your friends and family know. Fletcher has gone too far this time.

UK BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers of the Board

• James F. Hardymon, Chair (e-mail: botchair@email.uky.edu)
• JoEtta Y. Wickliffe, Vice Chair (e-mail: jwickliffe@statebanktrust.com)
• Pamela Robinette May, Secretary (e-mail: ptmay@bellsouth.net)
• Barbara W. Jones, Assistant Secretary

Members of the Board

• Mira S. Ball (e-mail: mira@ballhomes.com)
• Stephen P. Branscum (e-mail: sbranscum@branscumconstruction.com)
• Penelope A. Brown (e-mail: penny@r1-brown.com)
• Dermontti F. Dawson (e-mail: ddawson@bellerivepark.com)
• Jeffrey B. Dembo (e-mail: dembo@email.uky.edu)
• Ann Brand Haney (e-mail: abhaney@yahoo.com)
• Billy Joe Miles (e-mail: bjm@milesnmore.com)
• Phillip R. Patton (e-mail: Patton@glasgow-ky.com)
• Sandy Bugie Patterson (e-mail: sandybugiepatterson@yahoo.com)
• Nick Phelps (e-mail: nick.phelps@uky.edu)
• Erwin Roberts (e-mail: eroberts@fbtlaw.com)
• Charles R. Sachatello (e-mail: CRSachatelloMD@yahoo.com)
• C. Frank Shoop (e-mail: cfrankshoop@yahoo.com)
• Myra Leigh Tobin
• Billy B. Wilcoxson
• Russ Williams (e-mail: Russ.Williams@uky.edu)
• Ernest J. Yanarella (e-mail: ejyana@email.uky.edu)

The Cancer Of Cronyism Metastasizing Inside UK's Board Of Trustees

With just 61 days left before the political career of our corrupt Governor Fletcher (R) comes to a well-deserved end, he is working at full-speed to pack every nook and cranny of state government with his favorite cronies and political hacks.

While this is nothing new as we've suffered through Fletcher appointments of John Roach to the Kentucky Supreme Court (before voters resoundly threw him off the bench), his former personal assistant, Crystal Ducker, elevated from essentially a secretary to becoming the #2 official at Transportation, and let's not forget those contributors and county contacts that were appointed to the state ethics commission to enforce ethics laws against Fletcher (and then they didn't).

But now it's gotten even more absurd, and if you thought Michael Brown running FEMA was cronyism run amok, you're going to love what Fletcher is trying to do to the state's flagship school -- the University of Kentucky.

If you haven't heard, Fletcher is working hard to get his business partner, bosom buddy, and top contributor -- Stephen Branscum -- to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at UK.

It's one thing to put a crony in a top job. It's entirely another thing when that crony is so wholly unqualified for the crucial job of chairman of the board of the state's top university. A quick look at Branscum's UK bio shows that not only did he not graduate from UK but it seems he hasn't graduated from any school. His educational background is identified as "Attended Western Kentucky University."

Then there's this part of his bio:

Career Summary: President and Chief Executive Officer, Branscum Construction Company, Inc. (present); Vice President/Treasurer, Branscum Construction Company; Developer, owner, and president of Key Village Shopping Center in Russell Springs.

Talk about unimaginably unqualified.

And then there was this disturbing item in today's Herald-Leader:

Nothing in Stephen Branscum's record distinguishes him as someone who would be an effective leader for a sprawling educational institution. Nor has he shown a particularly keen commitment to elevating teaching and research.

His past interest in UK lies principally in sports.

When he became a trustee three years ago, he had given $180,000 to UK athletics. Contrast that with outgoing chairman James Hardymon, whose financial contributions to the university have paid for such things as an endowed chair in medical research and an information-systems building and helped restore the administration building.

As a trustee, Branscum is best known for undermining the UK administration's funding priorities during the 2005 General Assembly.

He did this by directly lobbying his friend and former business partner, Gov. Ernie Fletcher, to include $15 million in bonds for a basketball practice facility in the state budget. State funding for the facility was cut in half after university objections.

"When people think of Kentucky," Branscum explained at the time, "they think of two things: UK basketball and our horse industry."

Finally, check out the story in yesterday's Kentucky Kernel to see how the entire slate for leadership of UK's board is being engineered from the inside.

What a disgusting exercise in cronyism at the highest levels of Kentucky's higher education. While we know Fletcher will be out of office in a matter of weeks, allowing his cronies to run the show at UK -- at the same time the school is trying to attain Top 20 status -- will ensure the stink of his sordid and incompetent legacy will linger for years to come -- in the worst place possible: UK.

Every UK alum and current student should be outraged by what is on the verge of happening at their school. Now is time to scream about this effort and stop this farce from happening. It's time to WAKE UP and do something about this travesty before it's too late. If you don't, then shut the f*ck up the next time you get pissed off about future decisions by UK's board. It's that simple. Put up or shut up.

If you're a big donor, consider letting the school know that the gravy train comes to an abrupt halt if the board is turned over to Fletcher's unqualified cronies. If you're a student, organize a protest demonstration on campus or start a letter writing campaign ASAP. If you're not affiliated with UK, be sure to e-mail this post to everyone you know who is. Now isn't the time to simply stew. It's time to take action. Immediate action. Let's stop this freaking insanity.

Is Fletcher Getting Awful Legal Advice?

Regarding this morning's post on Governor Fletcher's (R) continued lawbreaking when it comes to university appointments, a reader passed along a little nugget that makes me question the competence of Fletcher's legal team as well, but that's nothing new.

While Vandertoll dealt with a different subject, it speaks volumes on how the word "shall" is properly defined.

"Shall means shall." Vandertoll v. Commonwealth, 110 S.W.3d 789, 796 (Ky. 2003).
Black's Law Dictionary, 1233, 5th ed. 1973, as quoted in Vandertoll v. Commonwealth, supra, states:

In common or ordinary parlance, and in its ordinary signification, the term "shall" is a term of command and ... must be given a compulsory meaning. Vandertoll, 110 S.W.3d at 795-796.

Here's the wording of the statute:

"The appointments shall reflect the proportional representation of the two leading political parties of the Commonwealth based on the state's voter registration. Membership on the board shall reflect no less than proportional representation of the minority racial composition of the Commonwealth."

Here's Fleenor's laughable response:

"The statute identifies goals, not absolute requirements," David Fleenor, Fletcher's general counsel, said in a statement.

First John Roach, then Jim Deckard, now David Fleenor.

What a combination: an awful governor who gets piss poor legal advice to boot. It's no wonder Fletcher has been trying to pack the courts with cronies over the years.

Governor Fletcher's (R) Law-Breaking Ways Continue

Amazing that the guy who rode into town on the horse of ethical government just can't seem to comply with the clear dictates of the law.

More Regent Boards Questioned
Regional universities don't meet standard
By Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal

Gov. Ernie Fletcher has failed to appoint Democratic majorities to all but one of the boards of regents at Kentucky's six regional universities -- despite a law that appears to require him to do so -- according to records released by the governor's office.

[...]

Robert Kellar, a spokesman for the Kentucky Democratic Party, said Fletcher's appointments "again reflect that he can't follow the law."

"There are only two things that can be true here: Either the governor doesn't know the law and he never attempted to follow it, or he knows the law and he is simply breaking it," Kellar said.

And just how lame is Fletcher's general counsel on this matter? Even a fellow Republican had to point out the idiocy of his position:

"The statute identifies goals, not absolute requirements," David Fleenor, Fletcher's general counsel, said in a statement. "That is the law and it has been followed...."

The law, however, appears to require such political balance -- as well as racial balance. It says:

"The appointments shall reflect the proportional representation of the two leading political parties of the Commonwealth based on the state's voter registration. Membership on the board shall reflect no less than proportional representation of the minority racial composition of the Commonwealth."

In the law, the word "shall" almost always is an imperative, meaning it is required, said Louisville lawyer Jim Milliman, a Republican. He said he believes Fletcher is required to appoint people in line with the voter-registration figures.

These guys are lying crooks. There's no better way to describe them.

Flip-Flop Fletcher Can't Keep His Rants Straight

Don't you love it when Governor Flip-Flop Fletcher (R) can't keep his politically-expedient rants straight?

Today, Attorney General Stumbo (D) threatened legal action against the Fletcher administration for violating state law in his appointment of trustees to the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville by disregarding the plain statutory language that the boards much reflect the political make-up of the state, to ensure that a governor could not stack the boards with members of his own party. (Click here for Stumbo's letter).

In response, Fletcher's office stated:

"Governor Fletcher is committed to appointing the best and brightest individuals to serve in these positions. The Governor has followed the law."

Of course, it was these very individuals that nearly unanimously voted to allow UofL and UK to offer domestic partner benefits, which Fletcher now believes (after some painful flip-flopping) is one of the biggest problems the state faces and which was worthy of calling the General Assembly into special session to address.

So, according to Fletcher, on some days these individuals are the "best and brightest" while on others they have such bad judgment as to worthy emergency legislative sessions to fix their actions. What a farce.

Flip, flop. Flip, flop. Flip, flop. Flip, flop. Flip, flop...

Of course, if Fletcher would just take State Rep. J.R. Gray's (D) advice from earlier this year, he could fix both problems at once. But that would require a governor who had core values, really cared about his rants on domestic partner benefits, and wanted to comply with the law.

But then we are talking about someone as disingenuous and corrupt as Fletcher...

Riding Dinosaurs

(Note: This post is a follow-up to the excellent piece that Daniel Phelps, President of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, wrote about the "Anti-Museum" (aka Creation Museum), as well as his disturbing discovery concerning the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, as discussed below.)