BluegrassReport.org

"What a way to start an administration ..."

You just know that thought has to be going through Governor Beshear's mind as he looks for places to trim Kentucky's budget.

We could debate long and loudly about the reasons for our Commonwealth's budget woes.  But the fact remains that throughout the campaign, Ernest Fletcher and his goons painted the rosiest of pictures, all in an effort to win re-election.

Now, however, our new Governor has to pick up the shattered pieces of that picture (Medicaid, school funding, and so on) and figure out how to make them fit back together in a smaller frame.

All I can say is that no stone need be left unturned when it comes to resolving this crisis.  It's going to be painful for some of our fellow Kentuckians; that much is certain.  This is the time for "thinking outside the box," and here's what I'd do right away if I were in our Governor's shoes:

1. Push casino gaming, and push it hard.  I know this is already in the works.  Personally, I'm not a gambler, but the fact is that casinos have proven to be a major financial shot in the arm elsewhere, and we're missing the boat (no pun intended) by letting our neighboring states pass us by with their casinos.
2. Propose an increase in the cigarette tax.  I'm a smoker, and an increase in the cigarette tax would adversely affect my wallet, but I think the Governor is wrong to dismiss an increase out of hand, particularly at this time.
3. Increase the gasoline tax.  I know, I know, it's another unpopular idea with gas at $3+ a gallon, but we've got to do something if we want to continue to improve and maintain our highway system, and, to a great extent, there's not enough money now to do either.
4. Speaking of our highway system, we have far too many miles of roads in Kentucky that are maintained by the state (I'd appreciate it if someone could provide a number; I've been unable to nail it down).  Other states have a statutory limit on the number of miles of road that are state-maintained.  This should be looked at closely.

I can hear some of you now, and you're probably wondering why I would propose some of these things.  We've got to get real, folks.  If we want to move Kentucky forward, if we want to solve the budget problem, we have to accept the reality that doing things the way they've been done in the past doesn't always work anymore.

It is going to take a concerted effort, on the part of the Administration and the General Assembly, and to a great extent those of us whom they serve and ultimately answer to, to fix this problem.  We must all come together.  Governor Beshear wants ideas, so let's put some out there, right here, right now. 

What Happened To That $700 Million Surplus Fletcher Told Us We Had Earlier This Year?

In case you weren't sure how big of a charlatan former Governor Fletcher (R) and his merry band of crooks really were:

Fletcher during the April 2007 KET Debate:

“Look at what I started off with a projected $1 billion shortfall at least by some accounting, $700 million at least by others. It was said there’d be a $1 billion shortfall, we’ve had over $700 million surplus now.”

And this e-mail from the Fletcher campaign during the Republican gubernatorial primary:

Dear Friend,
You may have recently received an e-mail from Anne Northup attacking Governor Fletcher yet again. It is unfortunate that her entire campaign is based on repeating arguments championed by the Democrats and attempting to use them for her personal ambitions.

As the first Republican Governor in 32 years, Governor Fletcher has begun to turn state government around. After inheriting a $1 billion deficit, we now have an over $700 million surplus.

Today:

Gov. Steve Beshear said today that the state is facing a $434 million budget shortfall this fiscal year and what he called a “budgetary crisis” over the next two years.

Sad Or Pathetic?

I'm not sure whether this "accomplishment" parsing on the Fletcher-Rudolph website is mostly sad or pathetic?

Governor Fletcher Has Delivered on His Promises
• More than 100,000 new jobs created between January 2004 and July 2007.

...More jobs - Kentucky has gained over 100,000 jobs between January 2004 and July 2007 (US Census, Current Population Survey, not seasonally adjusted).

Of course, his term began before January 2004 and has spanned (unfortunately) beyond July 2007. So far, only 61,200 new jobs have been created during his full-term.

But what's so shamelessly pathetic about this is that they try to get to 100,000 new jobs by 1) using "not seasonally adjusted" numbers, 2) starting the tally in January 2004, and 3) cutting it off in July 2007.

Why is that important? Well, the point of seasonally-adjusted numbers is to deal with the enormous -- and predictable -- swings in the job market that occurs at standard intervals -- like layoffs of temporary workers right after Christmas. Sure enough, Kentucky employment dropped 45,800 from December 2003 to January 2004. How convenient. (This happens every single year between December and January).

But if you're Three Card Ernie, you try to offer the voters the sleight of hand by making them think you got sworn-in in January 2004 -- not at the beginning of December 2003 -- use unadjusted raw numbers to pick-up a quick gain of 45,800 jobs, and then cut-off your count in July 2007. And then Bam!...100,000 new jobs appear to have been created.

Thankfully, the voters aren't dumb enough to re-elect this guy.

Oh, and by the way, the new job numbers just came out in the past day or so and the number of employed Kentuckians keeps dropping -- down 6,000 since March 2007 alone. Only 60,600 new jobs have really been created during his failed term. But who's counting?

A Week To Go And Fletcher Still Lies About His Administration's Corruption And Law-Breaking

You'd think that with a week until the elections and polls showing him down 23 and 24 points, that Governor Fletcher (R) might try to salvage a molecule of integrity (if any remain) and stop lying about his administration's corruption and law-breaking, especially those parts of it that have been well-documented by evidence.

But then if Fletcher thought that way, he might not be looking a record-breaking loss on Tuesday.

Fletcher's Comment On 'Hit List' Promotions Wrong, Records Show
By Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- During a debate Monday night, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said the so-called "hit list" that surfaced during the investigation of his administration's hiring practices was actually "more of a promotion list."

"More people were promoted that were on the list," said Fletcher, a Republican. But a review of state personnel records shows that's not so.

The list, drawn up inside the Transportation Cabinet on April 18, 2005, named 23 individuals to be fired or transferred. Three were fired; a fourth was removed from a non-merit-system post but was able to revert to a merit-system job. Three were promoted.

Among the others, nine retired or resigned, and seven remain in state government but have not received promotions.

[...]

It listed the names of nine people who had already been fired or transferred, and then the 23 "pending actions."

Along with each name is the person's Democratic credentials, including any contributions made to Fletcher's 2003 opponent, Ben Chandler, now 6th District congressman.

The list recommends that nine on the list be fired, and that others be transferred.

Fletcher Tries To Weasel His Way Out Of Those Pesky Pro-Amnesty Votes He Cast In 2002

It's one thing for Governor Fletcher (R) to constantly flip-flop on issues, but he should at least have the courage of admitting it when he does so.

Case in point: Recall yesterday's latest shameless Fletcher flip-flop where Fletcher's desperation now has him jumping on the illegal immigration bandwagon, despite his 2002 support of amnesty for some illegal immigrants. Instead of acknowledging that his position has changed, Fletcher instead sends out his mouthpiece to simply lie to the voters on his behalf and claim he didn't vote for amnesty.

Unfortunately for Fletcher, this thingee called the Internet allows us to look at what really happened -- not simply accept his dishonest spin. You see, there are a number of organizations that track immigration-related legislation in Congress and how members of Congress vote on the issue. Here's one of the many that tracked then Congressman Fletcher's immigration positions and votes.

And here's an image from the site on Fletcher and his amnesty votes:

Governor, why must you lie all the time? Don't you know that the voters don't like lying hypocrites?

Fletcher's Echo Chamber At The Paducah Sun

One of the most discredited of the countless fictions that Governor Fletcher (R) has tried to sell the public was the claim that he inherited a $1 billion deficit when he took office. Earlier this year, the media finally took him to task for his continually dishonesty over the assertion, one that Anne Northup (R) regularly used to demonstrate the depth of Fletcher's dishonesty:

Fletcher's flier again falsely claimed that the governor turned a $1 billion deficit into a surplus.

The campaign points to a 2003 study by former Gov. Paul Patton that said the state would need $700 million in extra revenue in the coming years to achieve certain goals in lowering university tuition and meeting education and health care needs.

But the budget deficit Fletcher faced when he took office was $262 million.

But lo and behold, guess what showed-up in Sunday's Paducah Sun in a piece about Fletcher's campaign and his accomplishments?

Fletcher must find a way to motivate voters about the successes of his administration...The state also was facing a $1 billion budget deficit when Fletcher took office, and Patton said it could only be resolved by increasing taxes.

What a shame.

Herald-Leader Points Out Failure Of Fletcher Administration's Economic Policies

Yesterday, John Stamper had an excellent story in the Herald-Leader documenting the failure of Governor Fletcher's (R) economic policies as Kentucky continues to falls in the national rankings on the most basic levels of economic growth during his four years in office -- a topic that we've discussed at length here at BGR (see here, here and here as examples):

Under Fletcher, Kentucky's economy has grown, but at a rate slower than the national average. The number of jobs in Kentucky has grown by 3.41 percent since Fletcher took office in December 2003, an increase of 61,200 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationally, jobs increased 5.94 percent over that period.

[...]

On the campaign stump, Beshear goes through a litany of national economic rankings that show Kentucky backsliding during Fletcher's tenure. In a new economy index, Kentucky went from 42nd to 45th. In high-tech jobs, Kentucky dropped from 42nd to 44th. In industry research and development, Kentucky slipped from 39th to 43rd.

"When you look at all the various economic indexes that measure states and their efforts to compete in this world economy, almost every one of them shows either a stagnation or a decline when you look at Kentucky," Beshear said. "It's time to turn that around."

And while the Bureau of Labor Statistics has never shown Kentucky getting anywhere close to the 100,000 new jobs Fletcher repeatedly claims to have been created during his tenure (a claim repeated earlier this month), Stamper points out that even Fletcher's own preferred-statistic to back-up that claims shows he has badly failed:

Fletcher also claims to have made good on his 100,000-job promise, since one of two main job-counting indexes used by economists did show in March that Kentucky had created 103,344 new jobs since December 2003. "I think we've been on target with that promise," he said.

However, even that index now shows Kentucky with only 76,394 new jobs as of July, the latest data available.

If that's the case, why does Fletcher continue to lie to the voters, as he did just two weeks ago in Paducah?

Fletcher said in the past four years, state tourism has increased 33 percent, school funding has grown 25 percent and more than 100,000 jobs were created.

Is there anything this desperate man won't lie about?

Governor Fletcher's (R) Formally Begins Transparent Re-Invention Given Failure Of Expanded-Gaming Message

As I've mentioned a few times in the past week (here and here), Governor Fletcher (R) has been under-pressure to retool his campaign and abandon his singular campaign theme of no expanded-gaming since it's failed to gain any traction during the first four months of the general election, leaving his with no effective message (since he can't run on his own record) with his two months to go, while trailing Steve Beshear (D) by 15-20 points.

Well, according to Joe Gerth's column in today's Courier-Journal, Fletcher is indeed trying to re-invent him, once again...

Ernie Fletcher may be in the midst of changing his message.

Since shortly after the primary election, Fletcher has been all-gambling, all the time. His first three ads focused solely on gambling and his opposition to it.

But in recent days, his message has begun to change.

At his "No Casinos" tour stop in Georgetown, Fletcher talked about his support for the constitutional amendment that prohibited gay marriage, his backing of a law that made causing a woman to miscarry a baby punishable under homicide statutes and said his opponent Beshear is "out of step" with Kentucky values.

What's really amazing about this is that after four years in office, Fletcher really do idea what he stands for or whether he even has any core philosophy. He's abandoned countless campaign promises (cleaning-up the mess in Frankfort, control state spending), he's flip-flopped on issues that he's now been trying to make an issue in this race (gaming, domestic partner benefits), and now he's hoping he can find another wedge issue to try to save his political career since he can't point to any accomplishments that would move the public.

Ernie Fletcher: the man with no core values and no political compass.

Is Fletcher Getting Ready To Ditch Expanded-Gaming Theme And Move On To Different Wedge Issue, Hoping That Will Move The Polls?

Ronnie Ellis' weekly political column seems suggests that Governor Fletcher (R) might soon drop his ubiquitous expanded-gaming strategy -- since it hasn't not moved the polls one iota in his favor (as he still trails by 15-20 points) -- and move on to using a different wedge issue, in his strategy of constantly attacking against Steve Beshear (D).

I don't know whether Ellis is speculating or if he's reporting a trial balloon coming from the Fletcher camp, but the fact that running on his record is not on Fletcher's list of options should tell us all we need to know about the state of his futile quest for re-election and just how miserably unsuccessful his term has been.

Also, let's be sure that Fletcher isn't allowed to re-invent himself...again. His paid hack, Brett Hall, made it unambiguously clear a few weeks ago that Fletcher is rolling in the dough, his gaming theme has been an enormous success, and they're staying with it. Of course, Hall also said that Fletcher and Lt. Governor Pence (R) had kissed and made-up, yet Pence made it clear earlier this week that he wasn't even going to endorse Fletcher.

Here's an excerpt from Ellis' column:

If the poll numbers haven’t moved significantly, it will signal Fletcher’s use of the gambling issue isn’t working, and he’ll likely move to such social issues as the Ten Commandments, abortion, and Second Amendment issues. He may have already begun. In two recent appearances in Lancaster and Georgetown, those issues have gotten as much attention from Fletcher as gambling. The Republican Governors’ Association just mailed out a pamphlet hitting Beshear on his opinion while serving as Attorney General that displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools ran afoul of a Supreme Court ruling.

Four years ago, Fletcher promised to be different and voters longed for a difference. At the time, a frustrated Chandler told me it didn’t seem to matter what he said. His own record of pursuing investigations of corruption by members of his own party didn’t seem to matter; people had made up their minds they wanted something different. The sins of past Democratic administrations, and especially the problems of Gov. Paul Patton, were always in the background as Chandler tried to whittle Fletcher’s lead in the polls.

Fletcher may be facing the same problem this year. Have too many voters already made up their minds? If gambling hasn’t moved the polls, he must hope the Ten Commandments and other core social issues will.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Chicago Tribune Weighs-In With Story On Fletcher's Trashing Of Aurora, Illinois

The story that just won't die. Today, the Chicago Tribune weighed-in with a story on Governor Fletcher's (R) dishonest and hypocritical trashing of Aurora, Illinois:

Kentucky Governor Snubs Aurora In Ad
By Rhianna Wisniewski, Special to the Tribune

When the governor of Kentucky visited Aurora recently, he didn't tell local officials that he intended to use the City of Lights to convince TV viewers that casinos bring evils and temptations into communities.

During his July visit, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher's crew took footage of the Hollywood Casino in Aurora. It was used as a TV ad as he readies himself for a re-election campaign.

Fletcher stopped in for a brief chat with Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner but didn't mention the planned ads.

"We are too busy working on things in Aurora to worry about the governor's race in Kentucky," said Carie Anne Ergo, city spokeswoman. She said Aurora found out the day the first ad aired last week because the mayor's office began getting phone calls from journalists in Kentucky.

Although not named specifically, the pink and yellow Hollywood Casino building scrolls across the background of the 30-second TV spot -- also on the governor's Web site -- while Fletcher denounces casinos for having negative social, economic and moral implications on the cities they serve.

...Ergo said the ad is a distortion.

"Anyone who has been to Aurora knows that the way they're characterizing it isn't accurate," she said.

Hollywood Casino Aurora generates about $15 million in tax revenue annually that goes toward improving Aurora's neighborhoods, redeveloping downtown and supporting community services, Ergo said. Statistics provided by the city also show that the city's unemployment rate dropped by 2 points -- to below the national average -- after the casino's arrival.

"For the governor of Kentucky to try to get elected at the expense of the city of Aurora is a disservice to the 180,000 people who choose to make this their home," she said.

Which American community will Fletcher trash next? Will the man with a four-year record ever defend it in his ads for re-election, or is it beyond even Fletcher's ability to dishonestly sugar-coat it?

Barely 9 weeks to go...

Why Does Governor Fletcher Keep Lying About Job Growth?

Once again, Governor Fletcher (R) shows no shame when it comes to telling the truth about his administration's "accomplishments". In a story in today's Richmond Register, Fletcher again lied about job growth during his term:

Since then, 100,000 new jobs have been created and tourism has grown by 24 percent, he said, adding that at the same time, the number of state government employees dropped by 2,000.

However, as pointed out here time and again, this is one of Fletcher's favorite lies. According to the universally-accepted gold standard for measuring employment, just 61,200 new jobs have been created in Kentucky since December 2003, one of the worst states in the nation for job growth.

But it gets even better.

Each quarter, the governor's own budget office issues its "Quarterly Economic & Revenue Report." The last report was issued on July 30, 2007. If you view the report and skip to page 22, you'll find these two charts the governor's budget office prepared: (click images for larger versions)

Realizing that Governor Fletcher was sworn-in on December 9, 2003, take a look at how Kentucky has done since he became governor when measured against the nation as a whole. We're not even treading water under Fletcher.

I highlight these two charts because during the 2003 campaign, Fletcher railed about job growth (he promised 100,000 new jobs) and lambasted the previous administration for anemic growth in personal income.

Coupled with the latest census data showing a further rise in poverty and people without health insurance (see this morning's post), Fletcher has few real accomplishments that he can campaign on...

IN MEMORIAM: The 2nd Anniversary Of Governor Fletcher's (R) Desecration Of The Rule Of Law -- His Blanket Pardons (August 29, 2005)

While I've not seen any media stories about this so far, today is a very tragic anniversary. Two years ago this evening, Governor Fletcher (R) broke his solemn promise to the voters of Kentucky and railroaded an investigation into criminality at the highest levels of his administration by pre-emptively issuing a blanket pardon to his entire administration, as well as anyone else who may have been involved in the Merit System conspiracy, for which he was subsequently indicted.

Most agree this act was the beginning of the end of his administration as he went against every principle that he and Lt. Governor Steve Pence (R) ran on during the 2003 campaign. Back then, after Governor Paul Patton (D) pardoned members of his own staff who were under indictment for political corruption-related charges, Pence famously boasted, "Things like that are not going to happen in a Fletcher-Pence administration."

Sadly, and shamefully, they did much worse.

This afternoon, I want to focus on this fateful anniversary and shine a little light on Fletcher's hypocritical statements and actions (which are ongoing as he tries to overcome a 20-point deficit with 10 weeks until the election).

Let me beginning by debunking one of the outrageous frauds that Fletcher's remaining backers (i.e., Larry Forgy, Brett Hall and Brian Goettl) try very hard to perpetuate: that the merit investigation and the tanking of public opinion was simply an effort by the liberal editorial boards of the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader (along with help from Democrats like Attorney General Greg Stumbo) to take down Fletcher.

Sadly, these remaining defenders of the most incompetent and corrupt governors in recent Kentucky history are audaciously lying.

To show how dishonest they are, my posts today will not reference one editorial, op-ed, or story written by either the C-J or H-L, nor will I quote even one Democrat.

So, with that understanding, let me begin today's look back at one of the most shameless and cowardly acts that a governor could do to the public: the cover-up of crimes committed by him and his top officials.

This first post highlights the media reaction to Fletcher's pardons from the various newspapers across the state -- except for the top two:

SEE JUMP-PAGE BELOW

Kentucky Sees Increase In Poverty and People Without Health Insurance

Another vivid example of the abysmal failure of Governor Fletcher's (R) policies during his term. Four years ago, Fletcher promised that Kentucky would see strong gains in reducing poverty and improved access to health care. In both cases, the state keeps dropping under his disastrous leadership. Another reason why Fletcher refuses to discuss his record on the campaign trail:

From the Associated Press following yesterday's latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau:

In 2006, 17 percent of Kentuckians lived below the poverty level, compared with 16.8 percent in 2005. The state jumped from the ninth poorest state in the nation in 2005 to tying Oklahoma at No. 7 in 2006.

The shift counters the national trend: 12.3 percent - or 36.5 million Americans - were living in poverty last year, down from 12.6 percent in 2005.

...The Census Bureau data found that a slightly larger percentage of Kentucky children and senior citizens lived in poverty in 2006. Ranked 10th (tied with Tennessee) in the country, 22.3 percent of the state's children lived below the poverty level in 2006, compared with 22.1 percent in 2005. Kentucky residents age 65 and older rank fourth nationally, with 13.5 percent living below the poverty level in 2006, compared with 13.3 percent in 2005.

...The problem is compounded by the fact that more than a half-million Kentuckians don't have health insurance. The Census Bureau reported that in 2006, 13.8 percent of the state isn't covered - a slight increase from the 13.5 percent in 2005.

Kentucky fell below the national average of 15.8 percent. The number of uninsured Americans went up from 44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006.

Mark Hebert Decimates Fletcher's Campaign Of Fear After Visit To Aurora, IL

Who do you believe: a well-respected objective journalist, or a desperate incompetent and flip-flopping politician who's headed towards a career-ending double-digit defeat in 10 weeks?

Me too.

Here's what WHAS-11's Mark Hebert found during a trip to Aurora, Illinois:

On its face, Aurora is a really nice place, not the city portrayed, but not named, in Governor Fletcher’s TV commercial.

“This wasn’t intended to be any true representation of anything, it was meant to just help a politician who apparently has some problems,” said Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner.

The first Hollywood Casino opened downtown in 1993, and closed four years ago when the new casino opened next door. For many Aurora residents, the gambling parlor and the $12-$15 million a year it pours into city coffers has been a blessing.

“It cleaned up downtown Aurora,” said Aurora resident Pam Whitman.

Governor Fletcher is claiming casinos would bring more crime to Kentucky. That's not what happened in Aurora, according to the police chief.

“I know the chiefs up in Elgin. I know the chiefs in Joliet, that have casinos” said Aurora Police Chief William Powell. “And they absolutely have not experienced – those towns and ours – have not experienced any crime-related issues in regards to the casino.”

Despite Aurora's 75 percent increase in population, the number of violent crimes and property crimes is down since the casino landed. The number of divorces in Kane County, where most of Aurora is located, is almost exactly the same as in 1998.

Ten more weeks and then we get to finally clean-up Frankfort, beginning with the governor's office.

I Must Have Missed Governor Fletcher's Press Release On This...

For all the press releases that Governor Fletcher (R) likes to put out following one of his taxpayer-paid campaign events that involve the presentation of over-sized checks that come with the promise of 50 jobs here and 100 jobs there...I must have missed the release that discusses the recent bad news coming from Western Kentucky, as a reader explains:

Mark,

Has anybody made you aware of the job losses that were announced last week in western Kentucky? Almost 200 at Autoliv in Madisonville, approximately 140 at a blue jeans plant in Hopkinsville and another 100 plus at a plant in Ballard County.

These were all in the paper last Thursday or Friday. Sad news, especially when our Governor says he has done such a great job these past three years!

Meanwhile, as I laid-out last week, Kentucky is 36th among states in job growth since Fletcher took office and, despite his lies to the contrary, isn't anywhere near the 100,000 jobs he promised would be created during his term.

Poor Ernie, He Just Can't Catch A Break...

Remember earlier this year when our incompetent Governor Fletcher (R) went on his taxpayer-funded campaign tour of the state, asking residents what he should do with his $400 million+ budget surplus (which magically became $700 million at one point, according to Fletcher's campaign talking points)? At the time, many political figures such as his own Lt. Governor Steve Pence (R) scoffed at the clear attempt to pander by Fletcher.

Well, according to the state's Consensus Forecasting Group, the surplus is mimicking Fletcher's own political support...it's shrinking:

A projected $401 million surplus for the state's two-year general fund budget was reduced to $238 million today by a group of independent economists.

The state's Consensus Forecasting Group predicted a $43 million surplus in the state's $8.78 billion general fund for fiscal year 2008, which ends June 30. That figure was down from $170 million in a Jan. 26 forecast.

Also noteworthy was this passage:

Revenues for fiscal year 2007, which ended June 30, were also lower than predicted in the January forecast. Instead of a $231 million surplus, the state wound up with an extra $195 million.

This was the third time in a year that the 2007 surplus has been revised downward -- from the initial projection of $279 million (November 2006) to $232 million (January 2007) to $216 million (May 2007) now to $195 million.

What's also a little concerning is how quickly the 2008 surplus is vanishing, from $170 million to $43 million in just six months. Seems a real bad time for Fletcher's boastful and exaggerating numbers to turn like this for him...

By the way, given this news, are we sure we should be giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to wealthy coal companies right now?...

Fletcher's Pathetic Response On His Casino Gaming Contributions

I guess none of us should expect that Governor Fletcher (R) would reverse course and offer the public the unvarnished truth and drop his rank hypocrisy. The man seems incapable of being straight with the voters. But his response to WHAS-11's Mark Hebert on why he hypocritically took thousands of dollars in casino contributions is more Fletcher unintelligible lunacy:

Fletcher On Casinos
Mark Hebert, WHAS-11

...“We take campaign contributions and there’s no strings attached,” Fletcher says...

[Beshear] calls the governor a hypocrite for wanting casino contributions but not their business in Kentucky.

“To me that sort of adds to the whole hypocrisy of the situation,” says Beshear.

I'm not sure if Fletcher is saying is that, unlike other big money contributors where there were strings attached (coal companies, religious right, Chamber of Commerce, pharmaceutical and insurance companies...), the same doesn't apply to casinos. Or is he saying that he happily took their money but didn't do any of their bidding?

The problem here (and I'm disappointed that Hebert didn't follow-up on it) is that the better-half of the Fletcher-Pence administration -- namely current Lt. Governor Steve Pence (R) (remember him?) -- was very much evangelizing the need for casinos in Kentucky.

Let us not forget the shamelessly transparent game that they played (when they still liked each other) when Fletcher said he was personally opposed to expanded, but wouldn't stand in the way of a constitutional amendment, while allowing Pence to travel the state holding meetings and conferences about the need for casinos. While we know Fletcher would prefer to forget the "Pence" part of his administration, there is little doubt that the good cop-bad cop act on their part encouraged casinos to continue to add to their (and the state party's) campaign coffers.

In fact, during the same time that casino contributions were flowing into the Fletcher Administration and the state party (2004-2005), the administration launched a well-publicized series of "fact-finding" meetings where Pence met with supporters of expanded-gaming in the state.

Many have told me that the whole thing was derailed only because of another episode of Fletcher incompetence -- the beginning of the Merit System investigation in May 2005, just as Pence's efforts were bearing fruit.

Suggestion to the media: try talking to Pence and those close to him -- and those who attended these meetings -- to understand why the casinos were pumping money into GOP coffers at the time...

Here are some excerpts from stories at the time:

Courier-Journal:

Pence, Gambling Backers Meet
Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal (December 10, 2004)

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Lt. Gov. Steve Pence is holding a series of fact-finding meetings with key General Assembly supporters of expanded gambling but said the talks don't signal a change in the Fletcher administration's hands-off position.

Pence said in an interview yesterday that he has had several meetings during the past two months with racetrack officials and others interested in the issue.

Pence had separate meetings in his Capitol office yesterday with the sponsors of unsuccessful gaming legislation offered this year: Sen. David Boswell, D-Owensboro, and House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Okolona.

Pence said he is only researching a potentially important issue at Gov. Ernie Fletcher's request.

"The possibility of gaming in the state is an important topic and one that seems to generate a lot of interest and discussion," Pence said. "It's on the mind of legislators and a lot of other people in this state. So our administration needs to be educated and informed on this topic."

Fletcher, asked about the issue during a brief news conference Tuesday, said his position remains the same as it was last year during his campaign for governor.

"I'm not going promote it, I'm not going to prohibit it or impede that from going forward," Fletcher said.

...Boswell met with Pence for about 40 minutes yesterday and said Pence appeared to be interested in acting as "a facilitator" between parties who want slot machines at racetracks only and those who want casinos legalized.

"I believe the administration is interested in the issue because we're losing a lot of revenue and economic-development opportunities to the surrounding states which have casinos," Boswell said.

He was accompanied at the meeting by John Bays, owner of the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, who has proposed a $200 million casino, arena and indoor water-park complex in Daviess County .

Herald-Leader:

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FEELING OUT GAMBLING OPTIONS
NO PLAN IN WORKS FOR NOW, JUST A FACT-FINDING TOUR
Ryan Alessi, Herald-Leader Frankfort Bureau (December 20, 2004)

FRANKFORT -- For the first time since taking office, Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration is conducting an in-depth study of expanded gambling in Kentucky, which some proponents are taking as a sign their day may finally be coming.

Lt. Gov. Steve Pence in recent weeks has personally interviewed -- in his Capitol office and during trips around the state -- dozens of horse racing and gambling officials, lawmakers and gambling industry experts.

Pence describes his work as strictly a fact-finding mission to determine "the status of expanded gaming and what the various interests are, what the various options are." He denies cooking up a plan.

Fletcher straddled the gambling issue in his 2003 campaign, saying he'd neither push for it nor fight "the people's will" if they want to legalize slot machines or even full casinos. Fletcher, his top aides and Pence all insist that hasn't changed.

"We really don't know that much about the issue," Pence said, explaining his recent activities. "We need to get caught up on it."

But some of those consulted by Pence say they left with the impression that the administration may come around to support some form of expanded gambling, largely because the state treasury could get a share of the take.

[...]

In their meeting, Bays said Pence asked about his vision for the Owensboro casino. Bays claims it would bring $30 million a month in revenue and economic activity to the area. He said Pence also asked about permitting slot machines at horse tracks across the state as a first step.

"They just wanted to know how we felt, and would we consider maybe doing something like slots in the racetrack and doing something broader later," Bays said.

He suggested that the discussion is only beginning. "I feel they're going to call another meeting soon -- real soon. They didn't say that, but I'm pretty confident."

[...]

Carroll said he and a nationally-known author of several gaming industry books -- whom he declined to name -- talked to Pence about the types of tourism and business development that gaming could draw to Kentucky.

Carroll, who pushed for casino development several times in the 1990s, called Pence's approach to the issue "most thoughtful."

What Are These Fools Talking About?

It must be nice living in the rose-colored world of the nation's most incompetent, unpopular and corrupt governor: Ernie Fletcher (R).

Yesterday, his hemorrhaging campaign put out one of the most mind-blowing creations of fiction I've seen in a long, long time:

Governor Fletcher cut spending by 3% in almost every department without “studying” the issue as Beshear is proposing.

Good Lord, what is this idiot talking about?

Lest we not forget the facts (click here), state government spending has simply exploded under Fletcher's reign:

So what "spending" is he referring to?

Sheer lunacy.

Where Are All The Jobs You Promised, Ernie?

Often, when I get into a political discussion with Republicans about the state of things, they try to argue that the American economy is doing quite well and that job growth in America has been robust over the past few years, and that the Iraq War is overshadowing those gains.

So, I ask my Republican friends in Kentucky: why aren't we seeing the same gains in KY during Governor Fletcher's (R) term? Didn't he promise more than 100,000 new jobs?

Fletcher has lied to the state for a very long time about job growth, claiming that 150,000 new jobs have been created under his term. It's a lie. There's no nice way to say it. The press has called him a liar about it. His primary opponents called him liar.

According to the gold standard of the job market -- the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (which is what all economists use and what creates wild gyrations in the stock markets when fresh numbers are released) -- Kentucky has seen a growth of 62,300 jobs since Fletcher took office in December 2003.

Not 150,000. Not 125,000. Not even the 100,000 Fletcher promised. Just 62,300.

But beyond what Fletcher promised -- because he's delivered on so few of them -- I think it's a lot more relevant to compare Kentucky to the rest of the nation as far as job growth. Surely, if the whole country was doing poorly, it would be a little unfair to simply blame Fletcher. Conversely, if all the states are booming, it's hard to give him too much credit as well.

Instead, Kentucky is mired in 41st place among the states during a time of solid growth, while it's not able to maintain even a 1% annual job growth (its 3.5% is over 42 months), and is no where near the national average.

Here's the change in each state of seasonally-adjusted, nonfarm payrolls from December 2003 through June 2007 (modest recent data):

State	Jun 2007 (000s)	Dec 2003 (000s)	Net Jobs (000s)	% Growth (over 42 mos.)
1. Nevada	1,311.1	1,108.8	202.3	18.2%
2. Arizona	2,719.9	2,314.6	405.3	17.5%
3. Utah	1,263.1	1,081.8	181.3	16.8%
4. Idaho	654.7	576.4	78.3	13.6%
5. Wyoming	285.1	253.5	31.6	12.5%
6. Montana	446.2	401.7	44.5	11.1%
7. Florida	8,135.4	7,357.0	778.4	10.6%
8. Hawaii	631.8	574.2	57.6	10.0%
9. Oregon	1,724.6	1,568.4	156.2	10.0%
10. Texas	10,279.3	9,381.6	897.7	9.6%
11. Washington	2,915.3	2,669.0	246.3	9.2%
12. Oklahoma	1,573.0	1,443.7	129.3	9.0%
13. N. Carolina	4,112.7	3,800.7	312.0	8.2%
14. New Mexico	845.8	782.4	63.4	8.1%
15. Colorado	2,320.7	2,147.0	173.7	8.1%
16. N. Dakota	359.2	333.4	25.8	7.7%
17. S. Dakota	408.4	379.6	28.8	7.6%
18. Virginia	3,786.8	3,519.9	266.9	7.6%
19. Alabama	2,011.5	1,872.3	139.2	7.4%
20. Georgia	4,156.7	3,875.3	281.4	7.3%
21. Alaska	322.2	301.3	20.9	6.9%
22. Nebraska	962.7	903.2	59.5	6.6%
23. S. Carolina	1,922.4	1,811.6	110.8	6.1%
24. California	15,264.2	14,416.6	847.6	5.9%
25. Delaware	439.3	415.8	23.5	5.7%
26. Kansas	1,386.3	1,313.9	72.4	5.5%
27. W. Virginia	761.4	721.8	39.6	5.5%
28. Arkansas	1,208.3	1,145.7	62.6	5.5%
29. Iowa	1,523.2	1,444.5	78.7	5.4%
30. Minnesota	2,790.6	2,657.3	133.3	5.0%
31. Wash DC	696.7	665.3	31.4	4.7%
32. Maryland	2,602.1	2,486.0	116.1	4.7%
33. Tennessee	2,802.3	2,681.1	121.2	4.5%
34. Missouri	2,798.8	2,680.1	118.7	4.4%
35. N. Hampshire	647.1	622.3	24.8	4.0%
36. Pennsylvania	5,799.4	5,585.0	214.4	3.8%
37. Vermont	310.6	299.3	11.3	3.8%
38. Mississippi	1,161.7	1,120.0	41.7	3.7%
39. Connecticut	1,700.0	1,639.7	60.3	3.7%
40. Wisconsin	2,874.6	2,775.3	99.3	3.6%
41. Mass.	3,281.2	3,169.1	112.1	3.5%
42. KENTUCKY	1,854.6	1,792.3