The Gov. Race is Over

Sen. David Williams, despite a brilliant intellect, cannot overcome the perception that he is a big jerk. He is loathed by voters across the political spectrum.  Sadly, I therefore agree with Joe Gerth's analysis and that on Joe Arnold's blog:  the Kentucky gubernatorial race is over.

It is hard to conceive of a scandal big enough to dethrone Beshear.  The vanilla Beshear has not done anything to deserve reelection, but he will win by default because Republicans put up the wrong candidate.

In light of this reality, Republicans need to focus time and money on the down-ticket races. It's triage time.

 Todd P'Pool has a real shot against Attorney General Jack Conway. P'Pool has done a great job picking issues --coal, Obamacare -- that showcase the ideological differences between the two candidates.

Moreover, Conway's run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Rand Paul may have boosted Conway's name ID, but in the process of getting trounced, he looked silly, thanks to the Aqua Buddha ad. Conway is vulnerable. P'Pool needs the resources pick up where Rand Paul left off and end Jack Conway's career once and for all.

Beshear Scandal Goes National

The Instapundit has picked up this tid-bit from Roger Alford:
 A whistle-blower is alleging his colleagues in the Department of Juvenile Justice have been threatened with termination if they don't contribute to Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear's re-election campaign.

State psychologist Rodney Young, who works at the Hazelwood Center for the Mentally Handicapped in Louisville, made the claim in letters to the head of the state GOP and to the attorney general's office.

Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson attached Young's letter to complaints he filed Monday with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission and the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. In the letter, Young said he also contacted Attorney General Jack Conway for a potential criminal investigation.

Young said a Beshear aide told his colleagues that they could lose their jobs if they don't contribute $500 each to the re-election campaign.

The Beshear campaign had no immediate comment.

Beshear Ad Gets Disclaimer

Gov. Steve Beshear's radio spot on the Louisville Christian radio station, WJIE, now comes with a disclaimer from the station. Immediately preceding the ad, an announcer states that the following ad "does not necessarily reflect the views" of WJIE.

I have listened to this station for years and do not recall anything similar. Then again, it is not a station on which Democrats typically advertise.

WJIE is financed in large part from listener contributions. It's a socially conservative station that targets a socially conservative audience: the dreaded "religious right."

Apparently enough members in that audience, and perhaps some of the WJIE staff, did not appreciate Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear touting her husbands religious bona fides as he runs for reelection.

Why is Steve Beshear Advertising Now?

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has no primary, and yet he is campaigning like his electoral fate will be decided in weeks, rather than seven months.

This morning during the expensive a.m. drive-time block,, WJIE, a Christian radio station in Louisville, played a campaign ad by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear, who emphasized that Beshear is the son and grand-son of preachers. It was a bald appeal to the religious right.

Yesterday, Attorney General Jack Conway sent out an email behalf touting Beshear. It was an odd choice of an endorsement, given the shellacking Conway took from Rand Paul last November. Again, the timing is odd. If Beshear wants Conway to campaign for him (frankly, I'm not sure why he would), why do it now?

Republicans have a three-way primary for governor next month. Perhaps Beshear is attempting to influence the turnout and hence the outcome of the Republican primary.

Or maybe he feels the need to rehabilitate himself after the utterly useless special session that just ended under his trademark void of leadership.

Or Beshear senses that the religious right may be in play given allegations that David Williams likes to gamble and Richie Farmer's wife filing for divorce yesterday.

But the fact still remains: Beshear does not face an election for another half-year. It looks to me like he's just wasting money at this early juncture.

Coroners Get Flashing Lights

I must be missing something. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed a bill that allows coroners to put flashing lights and sirens on their cars so they can get to accident scenes more quickly. It seems they don't like to wait for traffic on the way to doing their jobs.

This might make sense if the coroners were en route to resuscitate the accident victims. But by definition, coroners examine dead people, and only dead people, for whom time is no longer of the essence.

I don't see why they need to race to the scene -- possibly endangering the rest of us who are still alive.

A justification offered for the bill is that the coroners need to arrive on the scene before the evidence gets disturbed. That seems to assume a certain incompetence on the part of the police. Certainly the victim is in no position to obstruct justice or hide evidence.

The second justification is that the coroners were worried about parking along busy roads at the accident scene. Fair enough, but aren't the police already there, with police lights flashing?

The bill was probably well-intentioned, and yet it smacks of self-importance.

More disturbing is the breadth of issues that our legislators and governor fail to address while they fiddle with trivialities. Where is their sense of priority? Even assuming that coroners need flashing lights, should we not do something about the Commonwealth's fiscal mess first? Where are the flashing lights for that?

H/t: Joe Arnold

Steve Beshear Owes Taxpayers

Gov. Steve Beshear flew around Kentucky yesterday on the taxpayers' dime, essentially to inform us how obstructionist Republicans are regarding Beshear's failure to address Medicaid shortfalls. (Republicans reject Beshear's plan to pay for this year's Medicaid with next year's revenue; don't try that trick at home.)

According to Joe Arnold, the barnstorming tour visits nine cities in two days.

It is no coincidence that Beshear is running for governor. That's why his wild day of flying around the Commonwealth looked like a day of campaigning: it was. Yet taxpayers paid for the travel and security, not Beshear's gubernatorial campaign.

It is completely disingenuous for Beshear to maintain that the air travel was necessary to educate the electorate about the budget. Beshear's insincerity -- and cowardice -- on the matter is underscored by his refusal to debate his Sen. David Williams face to face on KET.

Atlantic Mocks Beshear For Signing Optometrist Bill

The Atlantic magazine has taken note of Gov. Steve Beshear signing a bill that allows Kentucky optometrists to perform surgery. Once again, a Kentucky governor has made us all look like yahoos.

The Atlantic notes that only Oklahoma -- and now Kentucky -- allow non-surgeons to perform eye surgery. The magazine therefore advises,

If you need laser eye surgery in the state of Kentucky, or a little cosmetic work around the eyelids, it now behooves you to ask your prospective surgeon the following question before signing the operative consent form:

"Say doc, did you go to medical school?"

Atlantic reporter Ford Vox also had some pointed questions for Beshear about his rationale in signing the bill -- that it was necessary to provide "access" to eye surgery for rural Kentuckians:

Naturally I wanted to know whether the governor would choose the care of an ophthalmologist or an optometrist should he need an eye surgery now in the optometry's purview. Maybe he'll simply pick the geographically closest provider, like he expects the disadvantaged Appalachian citizens of his state will do? He didn't answer that one.

H/t: Joe Arnold

Beshear Signs Optometrist Bill

Gov. Steve Beshear has signed into law the bill that allows optometrists to perform laser surgery. Beshear claims that this is about providing access, although as we noted the other day, nearly everyone in Kentucky lives within an hour's drive of an ophthalmologist.

Beshear rationalizes this lobbying coup by citing the bipartisan nature of the bill's passage. (Yes, it's true! The optometrists bought votes on both sides of the aisle.) Finally, we are supposed to take comfort in Beshear's promise that he personally will appoint the members of the oversight board, based on his extensive experience as a practicing opthalmologist, I mean lawyer.

Kentucky had begun to make a name for itself by the number of medical breakthroughs that occur here: the Abiocor heart, the hand transplant, the development of the cervical cancer vaccine. Now, we and Oklahoma are in a race to the bottom as the only two states in the country that allow non-medical doctors to perform laser surgery.

In the final analysis, however, consumers will get exactly what they pay for.

Beshear Hunting Joke Goes Viral

It's bad enough that the liberal media attributes Obama's weak poll numbers in Kentucky solely to racism -- as opposed to his lack of experience and far-left views being rejected by a moderately conservative state.

Timing is everything, and Governor Steve Beshear has made Kentuckians look like a bunch of yahoos at a time when we really didn't need the bad press. It's well known within the state that Beshear broke the bounds of tastelessness with his "joke" at the Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser. As Hebert, Gerth and BGRS reported,

Beshear joked "I can think of only one Republican who can be a problem-solver," Beshear told the crowd. "And that would be Vice President (Dick) Cheney, if he will just take George on a hunting trip."

Now, unfortunately, the story has gone national via Michelle Malkin. Perhaps Beshear will elaborate when he addresses the NRA convention on Friday. More likely, he'll go on the Tonight Show and demonstrate to Jay Leno that Kentucky may have a new governor, but the lights are still out in the governor's mansion.

Republican Big Shots Coming To Town

You'd think the Republican National Convention had come early, judging by the slate of speakers expected for next week's National Rifle Association meeting in Louisville. USA Today reports:

The National Rifle Association says Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to give a speech during a forum at the N.R.A.'s annual meeting next week in Louisville.

N.R.A. spokesman Andrew Arulanandam says the U.S. senator and presumptive GOP presidential nominee will take part in the group's Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum on May 16, the first day of the three-day meeting. The meeting will be followed a few days later by Kentucky's primary election.

Also scheduled to speak at the forum are former GOP presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, former White House political director Karl Rove, [and] Republican U.S. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell . . . .

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama received no invitation to speak. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear apparently will be the odd man out, as he looks to be the only Democrat scheduled to give an address.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Sticks or Carrots?

Who would have thought Massachusetts would be more genteel than Kentucky? Judging by their respective Democratic politicians, that appears to be the case, at least with respect to gambling issues.

Whereas in Kentucky, the Democratic "leadership" instills loyalty on their side of the aisle by revoking committee assignments from Democrats who do not toe the party line, in Massachusetts, the Democratic bosses deal with their dissenters by giving them job promotions.

That's how SouthCoastToday.com sees it:

The politics of casinos seems to be dominating all thought on Beacon Hill.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Sal DiMasi announced the appointments of eight Democrats to leadership positions, raising their profiles and inflating their paychecks.

Of those eight, five have been proponents of expanded gaming, a position DiMasi has fought with all his being. So immediately there was speculation that the speaker was seeking to cut into support for Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan for three commercial resort casinos, which is expected to be considered by the House this spring.
Whether you believe DiMasi’s latest moves smack of political gamesmanship or not, the secrets and subterfuge going on here can’t match what’s happening in Kentucky.

Only time will tell whether sticks or carrots are better at keeping a herd of donkeys moving together in a straight line.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Republican Senate Doesn't Even Have To Vote To Win In Frankfort

Here's a question Governor Beshear must be asking himself in light of today's casino amendment fiasco at a House Committee Meeting: Who needs Republican enemies with Democratic "friends" like these?

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Beshear: Send Us More Earmarks!

Governor Steve Beshear took time out from shmoozing Washington to note that the Ohio River bridges cannot be built without federal money. For most of us, that's beyond dispute.

But for Beshear (and Democrats running for U.S. Senate), it's an epiphany: earmarks benefit the district lucky enough to receive them.

Not surprisingly, the Courier-Journal spins Beshear'`s comments into an indictment of the Bush administration rather than an acknowledgment that we need earmarks. Indeed, the C-J headline -- "Beshear criticizes Bush transportation spending"-- suggests just the opposite, that Beshear thinks Bush has spent too much.

In fact, Beshear reiterated that Kentucky requires federal money to build the Ohio River bridges:

"The states don't have the resources to build these mega-projects," Beshear said. "And it is going to require the federal government to be part of that solution. They may not be the whole solution, but they've got to be part of that solution. Otherwise, none of these projects can move forward, whether that's in Kentucky or in any other state in the Union."

Besehear might protest that he doesn't want earmarks -- he simply wants a "national transportation policy" in which the "federal government needs to be a real partner in that policy with state and local governments."

Granted, this is Beshear's first meeting in the Natinal Governor's Association. But even a newbie should understand that the faceless bureaucrats in th`e Department of Transportation do not drive Kentucky roads; they don't know whether we need a bridge and don't care if we get one. Members of the Kentucky delegation, in contrast, drive our roads and know our needs first-hand.

That's why it's so important that our delegation includes as much seniority as possible, and why Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has been so effective at making sure that Kentucky's requests for infrastructure funding don't get buried in some minion's cubicle in Washington.

To be sure, there have been members of Congress who have abused earmarks, which is why McConnell has called for more trasparency. But as Beshear and every resident of the Commonwealth knows, Kentucky hasn't asked for a "Bridge to Nowhere." Just a bridge (or two) to Indiana.

The Cincinnati Enquirer Gets It

We're still waiting on the Courier-Journal to denounce Governor Beshear's "pay to play" politics. But at least today's Cincinnati Enquirer got the point:

"Pay to play" took on an added meaning in Kentucky this week, as casino operator William Yung III, head of Crestview Hills-based Columbia Sussex Corp., defended his $1 million contribution to an advocacy group whose TV ads helped elect Gov. Steve Beshear by underscoring the ethical woes of his predecessor, Ernie Fletcher.

Beshear has proposed an amendment to allow 12 casinos to be built in Kentucky; Yung already has declared that he wants one of the licenses for a casino on the Jillian's site in Covington, property he just bought for $7 million.

Both Beshear and Yung strongly deny that the contribution - along with a $10,000 donation to help fund Beshear's inaugural bash in Frankfort - is resulting in any extra consideration for Columbia Sussex in the state's possible Casino Derby.
Besides, the proposal by Beshear is considered by many a long shot. It must be approved by the legislature this spring, then by voters in November. If not, Yung's $8.01 million ante may be for naught. "Absolutely, we're gambling on it," Yung said. That's the spirit: Roll the dice.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

"Big-Money, Pay-to-Play Politics" That The C-J Apparently Likes

Given the Courier-Journal's professed concern for "big-money, pay-to-play politics," we were just sure that the C-J would run an editorial today taking Gov. Steve Beshear to task for his efforts to gamble with casino legislation. According to the Associated Press:

A wealthy casino operator is defending an eye-catching $1 million contribution to a political group that worked to elect a pro-gambling governor in Kentucky.

William Yung III, who heads Crestview Hills-based Columbia Sussex Corp., has essentially placed a huge bet that newly elected Gov. Steve Beshear will be able to get the state's long-standing prohibition against casinos lifted.

"I make no apologies for helping get Steve Beshear elected," Yung told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "I've got a First Amendment right to spend my money any way I want to spend it."

We agree with Yung's refusal to apologize for exercising his constitutional rights. We also think the disclosure of Yung's mammoth contribution speaks volumes as to the private interests that will reap huge financial rewards if Beshear's legislative agenda is enacted. In fact, the news of Yung's contribution should have been included on that flyer in our mailboxes yesterday instructing us to "Tell Frankfort to 'Let Kentucky Vote' on Expanded Gaming."

Meanwhile, the silence of the C-J 's editorial writers (although the C-J did publish one op-ed by an outside writer critical of casino legislation) suggests they have no problem with "big-money, pay-to-play politics" when the money being played helps fund Democratic-sponsored casinos.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Beshear Is Special Election's Real Loser

Lost amidst the chaos of Super Tuesday was a Republican victory in a special election for the Kentucky Senate's 30th district, vacated by Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo. Republican Brandon Smith beat Democrat Scott Alexander 52.3 to 47.7 percent.

That increases GOP control of the Senate -- notwithstanding Gov. Steve Beshear's and Mongiardo's continual campaigning for Alexander. Look to this race as bellweather for this November and beyond. The implications of this victory, in both the short and long term, cannot be overstated.

How the Beshear machine ran the race in the 30th reveals that at a critical juncture at the very start of his administration, Beshear took the wrong road. And it wasn't the high road.

The Demo-blogs, to their credit, did not try to spin the results, and were very pointed in their assessment of where the blame lies.

From Page One:

Eastern Kentucky is pissed. Way to go, KDP. Let’s tout the merits of Democrats in a press release now that we’ve had our rears handed to us on a silver gubernatorial airplane platter.

That's an allusion to the scandal that Beshear caused by campaigning for the special election in the state plane.

Blue Grass Roots blamed Beshear and KDP:

Well, the KDP officially choked in the 30th Dist. special election for state senate. What should have been a win instead turned into an embarrassing loss.

And what brought about this loss? Well, it was Steve Beshear and the KDP butting in to install their favored candidate, all the while pissing off Democrats in the 30th to the point that they were divided enough to give the race to Republicans.

Mongiardo's assertion that the loss was not a setback for the Beshear administration is belied by the facts, as Elendil's Journal noted:

Remember this is a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1. Even with party registration and the full power of the sitting governor, Beshear's hand picked candidate lost the race. I would have to think the results of such a race is a big deal. The consequences of which will probably derail his casino plans. The pressure on senators to vote against gaming has been relieved.

And as for Beshear's skill at hand-picking a candidate like an old-time party boss, turns out he's not so good at that either. (Take note, Bruce Lunsford.)

Mark Hebert and Elendil are clearly correct that casinos are a dead-letter, at least for now. But more important are the implications for this November. In a year that's supposed to usher in a tsunami of Democrats, they lost a district where they outregistered Republicans two to one -- notwithstanding high turnout.

Beshear's endorsement meant nothing; all his campaigning bore no fruit, and in fact, may have hurt his candidate, particularly given the controversy about the use of the state plane. Mongiardo stumped his old district every day for two weeks leading up to the election, but to no avail. By making the special election about their new administration, Beshear and Mongiardo are the real losers. The inescapable implication is that Beshear's election last November was solely a repudiation of Ernie Fletcher, and in no way an endorsement of or mandate for Beshear and Mongiardo.

The win also assures that Williams will have a Republican majority in the State Senate for the next three years. That, in turn, gives Williams a platform to raise funds for districts that Republicans would have written off but a week ago before the special election.

This election reveals a major strategic misstep by Beshear. He had a choice to make, and he chose badly. Having ran an upbeat campaign to represent all Kentuckians, he refused to meet with David Williams -- who was more than happy to work with the Governor-elect -- until people started discussing the snub.

Instead of working with Williams to actually get things done, Beshear and his minions ran a negative ad about Williams in the 30th district. As an election strategy, it didn't even make any sense. The 30th district residents don't know Williams from Adam. And as a way to develop good will and bipartisan cooperation, it was meanspirited and unproductive.

The Beshear administration really looks no different than the Fletcher administration. For all his talk about being a candidate of change, Beshear reverted to the old-style way of running Frankfort; botched hirings and firings; threats of cancelled contracts; appointments of recycled pols; freezing out the media; and lots of bravado. Voters repudiated this style of governance when they ousted Fletcher, and by replicating it, Beshear has set himself on the path to replicate Fletcher's defeat, as well.

Media Bias at the Lexington Herald-Leader (No!!)

Headlines reveal so much more than the news. Take this one from the Lexington Herald-Leader: "Aide: State will be reimbursed." Then note the subheading: "BESHEAR USED STATE PLANE TO ATTEND POLITICAL RALLIES."

Now imagine that we were still under a Fletcher administration. There is absolutely no way that the first headline would have mentioned that the state will be reimbursed -- thereby preventing a potential scandal from blowing up. At the very least, the sub-heading -- listing the impropriety -- would have been the main headline. In fact, what the Herald-Leader used for a headline here probably would have appeared as the last sentence, requiring the reader to jump from A-1 to D-37.

Beshear Puts Lawmaker To Sleep

Not all listeners at last night's State of the Commonwealth speech were scratching their heads: at least one got some shuteye. (Thanks to Jim Pence for sharing this video.) In fairness to the dozer, it would have been hard for anyone to stay awake for all of that speech.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Still Scratching Their Heads In Frankfort

Former Secretary of State John Y. Brown III took umbrage with my characterization of his blog of December 11, 2007, regarding the inauguration of Governor Steve Beshear.

In a piece entitled "Democrats Scratch Their Heads", I wrote: "Today's the day when Kentucky Democrats should have been cheering Governor Beshear's inauguration, but instead some of them were left wondering what exactly the new administration was elected to do in office." Brown responded in a comment to my piece by arguing that Beshear's inaugural speech on "Kentucky’s Next Frontier" had somehow filled the void of Democratic ideas acknowledged in Brown's refreshingly honest piece:

I give Governor Beshear kudos for crisply articulating what he envisions Kentucky becoming under his leadership. From yesterday’s inaugural speech, Governor Beshear describes what he calls Kentucky’s Next Frontier:

A frontier of imaginative solutions;
A frontier for new technology and new industries;
A frontier that protects the environment, while creating opportunities;
A frontier that attracts entrepreneurs, tourists, retirees;
A frontier that keeps our own graduates right here at home.

Beshear apparently was borrowing from the rhetoric of JFK's "New Frontier" speech from the early 1960s. With all due respect, the Democrats really should offer something newer and more concrete than almost 50-year-old platitudes.

In his blog Brown had bluntly posed the conundrum of Democrats who are plumb out of ideas:

Republicans, it’s said, can put their core beliefs on a bumper sticker. Smaller government. Lower taxes. Family values. We can spend all day listing the deviations from these values, but give them their due: Republicans have done a better job defining themselves than we have done defining ourselves.

Brown went on to urge Democrats to answer: "How would you define the core principles of the Kentucky Democratic Party as we approach a new era of Democratic leadership?"

Governor Beshear has had a month now to think of an answer to Brown's question, and judging by his State of the Commonwealth address delivered this evening, he needs to think some more.
As Jill Johnson Keeney (one of the good journalists at The Courier-Journal) writes:

Well, Gov. Steve Beshear just delivered a report on the state of the commonwealth, and the only bold statement he made is this: "Frankly, the state of this commonwealth is not acceptable."

He told us he would never hesitate to express what he believes; he told us that it's time for leadership and bold action; and he told us that re-engineering Kentucky's economy from within must be among our highest priorities. And he said, "Ideas are the foundation of any new economy."

But he didn't offer one idea; he offered no new initiatives. That is amazing: In the State of the Commonwealth address, governors generally overpromise what they're going to do. Gov. Beshear promised nothing but to work on ethics reform and to only raise taxes as a last resort.

Keeney notes that even the Democrats were underwhelmed by Beshear's speech. "Several called the speech 'a little bland' or 'not much there,'" she reports. They must still be scratching their heads.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Snake Oil Salesman

The Courier-Journal reports that Kentucky will have a $500 million deficit in our new budget. The story implies that the Fletcher administration left Steve Beshear with this deficit. OK, even if it is true (each administration proclaims it doesn't have enough money from the previous administration), should we not be happy that the money was appropriated to the constituents?

My high school math teachers always pointed out the amazing properties of math. I find it politically expedient (amazing) that we have a shortfall of $500 million dollars and if only we could get a casino, that will bring in $500 million dollars, the exact amount that we need. Really! That is almost magical (amazing) how it always works out mathematically!

So the sales pitch begins. Our new governor gets elected, promising to bring in casino gambling. Surprise, surprise: he gets in office, and within days realizes that we need money, and even if he fixes the shortfall, it cannot be done in a year -- but maybe two years. (Here's another mathematical equation: Legislators + solving budget crisis = two years to pass constitutional amendment on casinos.)

I also took history. The greatest axiom is "history repeats itself." Maybe we can take a lesson from our Kentucky Lottery and see how much money the state might make from casinos.

A visit to the Kentucky Lotto web site states that that 27.5 percent of the money spent on a lotto ticket goes to the Commonwealth, 60 percent of the ticket price goes to the winners -- who might be from out of state. In addition, 6.3 percent is paid to retailers and 6.2 percent goes to marketing and operating expenses.

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?

Something made me question these figures, so I made several calls to the Kentucky Lotto Headquarters and eventually spoke with Pam Jones. She told me that for every dollar a customer spends on a lottery ticket, half of it -- 50 percent -- goes to the MUSL (Multiple United States Lottery) Company. MUSL runs lottery systems for different states, and I suspect one would find it lobbies state legislators and pays for extensive advertising to promote the benefits of lotteries when they come up for votes.

Armed with this conveniently undisclosed information, we now know the above-quoted numbers are only exactly half of that for your dollar waged. So only 13.75 percent dividends go to the Commonwealth, only 30 percent goes to the winners, only 3.15 percent pays the retailers, and only 3.1 percent covers marketing -- while 50 percent leaves Kentucky. This is because we allow out-of-state people to organize the lottery. The lottery web page states that $1.4 billion has gone to the General Fund since 1989 (just under $8 million a year). But that also means that $1.4 billion has left our Commonwealth.

What might happen if we get casinos? Will they be run by state personnel or will they be run by big gambling concerns, that take half of our money out of state? Leaving aside for now the moral issue, are casinos mathematically wise?

What might be perceived as an easy fix could well prove to be very costly to the residents of the Bluegrass. I have an alternative solution that I will be post at another time.